F-100 (minor) update

[bcarlson]

Well, I spent some time on Thursday working on rust repair on the F-100. This is my first time doing this type of thing, so I'm having fun and learning... I found this hole in the floor, and cut out a big section around it to be certain to have good, thick steel everywhere...



then I cut an oversized piece of 18ga steel, and started forming it. I don't have a sheetmetal brake, so I used a piece of angle clamped to my welding table...



I used my cheapy body hammers to form the "bead" thing... it's a bit dimpled from hammering, so I'll have to spend some time smoothing it out, but it matches pretty darn good...




Anyhow, I'm going to work on trimming it to fit, and then try my hand at welding it in. That brings up one question... I'm going to be using my wirefeed, and I always hear about people hammering down the weld-bead... but in my practice pieces, I've not had good luck doing that... can someone explain the procedure?

Thanks,

Ben

[craftscustoms]

The patch you made looks good. Usually hammering the weld beads is done dolly-on to remove the weld shrinkage. I have only seen it done when the piece is tig or gas welded. Those welds are usually much softer and smaller than mig. When I mig weld patches in I weld them in one spot at a time. I set the welder on as high of a setting as can with out burning through. Just a one or two second zap every time. I start out with welds a couple of inches apart and then start putting welds in between and gradually weld it complete. I make sure that I don't get the panel very hot so it doesn't warp. I usually try to work on a couple of different patches at a time so that they have some time to cool. Hope this helps.

[joeycarpunk]

Looks good Ben, glad to see your working on it. Your tools are too clean and unused looking.

[bcarlson]

Maybe that's my problem... I was trying to hammer the MIG welds, but they didn't seem to move at all. Must just be too hard, thanks for the tip! Joel, yeah, I know... I haven't been working on it, but I did get the basement wired and inspected! I'm hoping for a cherry picker for Christmas, then I'm going to pull all three engines out, and get the new one put in.

Ben

P.S. yes, I did say three engines... One in the front, and two laying in the box!

[bcarlson]

Ok, I just did the initial tack welds, then Michelle hollered that it's time to get ready to go to her folks... I took a couple photos of my progress. I've decided Tuck is right, those little panel holders/clips from eastwood are a must!

[pimpin paint]

Hey,

Yeah, the hammerweld route is usually reserved for gas and tig welding.
The mig welding wire is really to hard to allow hammering to work well.
There is a mig wire called' easy-grind' (I beleve) that is much softer,
but I have never tried to hammerweld it, the stuffs' kinda pricy!

Be sure ta watch out weldin that F100 floor, if the stock tank is still
in the same location, you're almost weldin on top of it!

[leadsleadolds]

Theres gonna be carpet over it I wouldnt sweat it. On looking perfect that is.

[bcarlson]

Well, I FINALLY got around to finishing up this patch... in the meantime though, I pulled the motor/trans, built an engine stand and bought an (albeit old and small) air compressor...

After finishing welding, and doing some grinding/sanding to smooth it out as best I could...


And after I shot some primer on it. I suppose the primer will never dry in these below freezing temps, but I didn't feel right leaving it bare metal.



I'm pretty darned happy with it, since it's my first patch panel, and it's a homemade one to boot! I was really surprised at home difficult the old metal was to keep from burning through, too.

[himmelberg]

That's really impressive, Ben, for a first time. Nice work.

best, himmelberg

[Mart]

Great work.
Especially for a beginner.
Practise, practise, practise.
Mart.

[dixiedog]

That is fantastic looking!!! Great job on the that patch panel. Blowing thru is a pain esp on newer thinner bodies

I heard that a damp rag will cool the metal to speed up progress.

How does paint dry up there in the winter?

[bcarlson]

Originally Posted by dixiedog

How does paint dry up there in the winter?

First off, thanks for the compliments... I still think it looks better in the photos than in person, but I can live with that. As for your paint question? Time will tell... I've never painted anything in the cold before...

Ben

[Dirty2]

Good work ! Its the small things that eat up your time.