Henry J Rust Repair

If your Henry J is as rusty as mine you may have lost the reference points where everything went together. I know I had that problem. Also if the lower firewall/cowl corners are gone they'll have to be fabricated as no one makes replacements that I'm aware of. So, here's a link to some pics a HJ guy was kind enough to put out there that might help. If any of you have pics of your HJ sheet metal repairs please post them.

http://www.henryjcars.com/hjc69/popp/david.html

 

I wish mine had started out that nice.

 

i have the two cutouts from mine on the quarters where i cut for big tires, perfect non rust 30 inch cutouts 100 bucks for both

 

bought inner rockers from cc panels and fabbed lower corners out of sheet metal not perfect but came out ok

 

clik,
Keep all the floor replacement pics coming if you can. gotta do it. Floors in mine had been patched with fiberglass and it made my stomach hurt. LOL

 

I too bought a Henry J & discovered when I got it home it was full of fiberglass patch repairs. Must have been common parctice back in the day! Anyway, here are some pics of the repairs I have done sofar, 1st pic is of the day I got it home, rest are in order of repair.

 

Keep 'em coming.

 

This car now has a unititzed body wich makes it easier to do the floors and structure and when done, makes a much stronger car, my 2 cents. Terry

 

Looks like you know what you are doing. How much stitch weld do you use on the sheet metal before calling it done and do you hit it with seam sealer afterward?

 

I stitch weld about every 2 inches and seam seal in the non-structural areas. In the structural areas, I weld it solid.

 

I was reenforcing some rusty areas today and using weldable primer where metal overlaps but wasn't happy with the way it welds up. Now I'm wondering if I'd be better of just using seam sealer to keep moisture out or whether the copper weldable primer might work better.

 

I don't like the smell of that weldable primer when it burns, so I usually brush where I can't get to later with black rustoleum, and then grind it off where I weld. Seems to work good. I seam seal too. Terry

 

I'm using the copper coat spray and it doesn't weld too bad. Don't know if it will really help or not.

blue

 

I probably put it on too thick and the shop has been cold, so, it probably isn't fair for me to condemn it yet.

 

Use the "Weld thru primer" if you can, you'll be glad you did later. If you are doing rosette welds, clamp it together and use a scratch awl in the hole to rough up the primer, if a butt weld, scratch up the surface with a stiff wire brush. I wear a chemical paint respirator when spraying and welding through that shit, its zinc afterall and I only have one liver.

 

I'll try that. Thanks for the tip.

 

Hi check out my build it might help. It,s not rocket science but just a lot of work It took me 2 months and a 4 by 10 foot piece of 18 guage. any sheet metal shop can bend the rocker box for you and then make the body supports and finally a floor. I just tied the door opening with chain and turn buckles, and with the quarter panels on just pulled it until the doors fit really good. My body is as solid as a rock. For The final door fit you just use the thickness of body mounts to line up the door. Kind of twisting to fit. The shop manual tells you to add or take away shim for door fit. This is my second HJ and driving a HJ is definatly a blast

 

here is a shot

 

I like the copper much better. It's only used in between bare metal flanges, no need or reason to use it on a butt weld. It will help protect the weld,(inside between the mating flanges), but you still need to epoxy prime and seam seal the exposed surfaces and seams.

 

Earl, it looks like the passenger side has three body mounts coming off the frame. Is that stock? I've looked at other's builds and it looks like some HJs had outboard mounts and others only mounted down through the body and vertically into the frame.

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That,s right the factory used 2 body brackets under the floor but while your there anyway just make a center strut for more rigidity.

 

http://canadianrodder.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8646 here is better pics of my HJ

 

Mine must have rusted away. There were no signs of any mounts other than the ones that go directly into the top of the main frame.

 

I tell ya that welding off of someone else repair and not knowing where exactly things are susposed to go kinda sucks. I'm doing the rockers now and not much is lining up with the previous work, almost seems better to start from scratch.

 

Rust: It's the price we pay for being unique. It must be nice to go out and buy a brand new fresh steel, no rust, repro tri-five chevy body but what have you got when you are done? Just another addition to the glut of tri-fives. I appreciate the practicallity of fiberglass but it takes the uniqueness away too. I sort of hate to see the HJ being done in glass. I don't want to see our HJs as common as these other plastic fantastic cars.