Glueing body panels????

As the title states!!! I was thinking about glueing some body panels on my car to save time.(i.e. wheel lips) has anyone tired this or have done this with luck?? Let me know any info you guys have thanks

 

A previous issue of Trucks on spiketv did just this thing - it looked pretty interesting, check their site (and search around) to maybe find more information, including videos

 

If you plan on doing it by overlapping panels you will eventually be able to see the seam where the two panels meet through your paint. It may take a while but it will always show up.

 

Gluing a car together.....really......with glue here is a thread with some info. I have thought about this before for certain projects it could be an option.

 

Although not "traditional", I know of many guys that do it this way.

I have one buddy that glued 2 pieces of sheetmetal together then pulled them apart to test its strength. The sheetmetal tore apart in a new spot while the glued area stayed intact.

 

Several body shops bought into the idea around here....they all quit doing it. The seams always show up in a year or so.

 

No.Unless it's an AMT 3 in 1 kit,then go for it.

 

How do you think many new cars are put together at the factory today?

 

I use it on a late model pick-up truck box sides (as per his insurance co.) when I replace them..it worked awsome!! But I certainly wouldnt us it on a resoration or hot rod projects...One of the half assed shops in my area is chopping tops and building rods and glueing them together..They tell the customers that its the greatest new thing and cuts down on warpage and body work..but the shop owners personal car is all welded...what does that tell you?? Glued panels are a rookie fabricators move......

 

The problem with adhesives is not strength. They all meet a cohesive failure mark meaning the glue or metal itself has to fail before it losses adhesion to the panel the problem is when you glue two panels together they are a different thickness than the surrounding metal and will expand and contract at a different rate which will lead to any surface seam becoming noticable through the paint over time.

 

That's what I mainly wondering about the is seeing it years later.

 

All of these seams are hidden or inside seams they are never on the surface of a panel.

 

IF that was a concern, one I've never seen, then tack weld the corners.

 

it works on new cars very well as factory has extensive guide lines on application.

for older cars & rods welding is still the best way. although in some places it would be prefered to avioid welding warpage, like a door skin patch, inner /outer hood & trunk panels, non-strucutral brackets, trim parts, glass run brackets, hard to weld area's around glass mounts.

a main raw back, the glue will leave a shadow in the paint ,very slight it is ok for most rods, but if you really want a show paint job then it is annoying

the ems guy

 

If you are going to " glue ", use "Lord Fusor" product. Many variations, an excellent product.

 

Pork and beaner you are right all seems are hidden. So that is why I'm asking

 

Beaner???

Beaner not here! Yet!

 

I put pans in my shop truck 9 years ago with Fusor adhesives and they are still solid. All the seams are hidden under carpet.

 

It has nothing to do with tacking the corners. If you lay two pieces of metal on top of each other and glue them togehter they are more than twice as thick as the surrounding metal. When heated up, like out in the sun, the surrounding metal will move a LOT more than the seamed joint which means the paint and filler will move more as well and what results is a mapping line right down the seam where the two panels meet.

You can believe me or not I sell adhesives for a living and I have seen it happen countless times.

 

used some liquid nails to fill a rust hole about the size of a quarter once. it took about a week to set up completely. it was hard as a rock, and I had to use a grinder to get the spillage off the the fender it would not come off by scraping it. thought about using it to put on some cab corners.

 

X2 on the Lord Fusor products!
It works very well on the wheel lips and door skins, and also helps seal out moisture to help prevent future rust problems.
As others have stated, any visible areas that are glued, the seam will be visible.

 

I think this was answered pretty well! I've seen the adhesives used in the collision industry, when replacing quarter panels and roof skins...

But, where it was used the seams were hidden. It was used in the factory seams and did still call for some welding in specific areas.

So if the joints you'd be using adhesive on were hidden, I'd say go for it!

 

A friend here works at a highly respected repair shop. They went to the 3M system a couple of years ago. He was skeptical as the rest of us, at first. Swears by it now. Gonna do cab corners on my OT DD this winter, we'll see.

 

Yep, more and more body shops are going to this system for installing panels. We used 3M panel adhesive to put down the floors in my Son's rpu and my rpu and it really did a great job. Those floors are now part of the car forever.

You will need a special caulking type gun to equally dispense the sealant and hardener though.

Don

 

Yea, what he said.....

& so there is no place for glued panels on an "old school" Hot Rod!! In my opinion...

 

After you are done gluing the body panels, are you going to display the car on the book shelf??

 

Bedsides, roof and quarter panels and door skins on late model stuff works out fine. Like most everyone else is saying, I'd be afraid that a line would also become visible eventually if filler was used over top of a bonded repair.

 

Nearly every build thread on here has a plethora of new tech added to the vehicle - why should adhesives be disallowed?

 

Ferrari was gluing inner fender panels on the 458. Turned out on hot days and hard use the glue would catch on fire. Lost 5 cars so far. I think there are videos on u-tube. Or their's a 2012 segment on Top Gear.

 

Plenty of panels on newer cars are glued on. This is a fact. But of those panels the seams are hidden. Most roof panels on foriegn and American models are glued on. Just try removing one, hell of a job. I don't know about having a seam in an area where it could be seen. Ken