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Projects First time build ........ aka Beaver Creek Coupe

Discussion in 'Traditional Hot Rods' started by baspinall, Apr 24, 2018.

  1. baspinall
    Joined: Dec 8, 2009
    Posts: 447

    baspinall
    Member
    from SE PA

    So I finally started back on my 29 Coupe. It's been sitting here for a couple years and I felt very overwhelmed to say the least when I abandoned my project a while back. Since then I have been following Aaron's 29 AV8 Coupe thread. I have to say this thread has inspired me more than any other to get my ass back out there!
    My Coupe body is totally in pieces from various donors. I just took the roof pieces to get blasted and primed. While they are there I decided to try my hand a some patches that I can do with out having to have the body together. First patch completed today the bottom of the A pillar. Don't laugh at my hack job cutting the area out haha. I did it with a big cutoff wheel. Need something smaller, dremel maybe?
    Anywho, I got the patch in and ended up chasing some thin metal area blowouts and couldn't close a couple holes. I was using .030 wire. Will .023 be kinder on these areas? If not I will just cut more out. Stay tuned folks I'm sure I will have lots of questions a this is my first real ground up build. 20180424_150358.jpg 20180424_155656.jpg 20180424_162842.jpg
     
    deluxester, Frankie47, Tim and 6 others like this.
  2. .023 with gas is better and back it up with some copper or brass bout 1/16" thick.
     
    chop job, vtx1800 and joee like this.
  3. Petejoe
    Joined: Nov 27, 2002
    Posts: 12,264

    Petejoe
    Member
    from Zoar, Ohio

    Yes TexasWebb is right on.
    Find yourself a nice size piece of copper or brass and clamp it in place to back up your weld when filling a hole as a result of thin material. Be patient. Let the weld cool before adding the next round.
    Move around on your patch to prevent warpage cause by too much heat in any given area.
     
    50 customcoupe likes this.
  4. baspinall
    Joined: Dec 8, 2009
    Posts: 447

    baspinall
    Member
    from SE PA

    Will give it a shot. Just grabbed smaller wire. Thanks
     

  5. NashRodMan
    Joined: Jul 8, 2004
    Posts: 1,989

    NashRodMan
    Member

    The same exact thing happened to me last December and I haven't been back at it since. Lol. Maybe you will inspire me to give it another try.
     
    50 customcoupe and baspinall like this.
  6. Keep going baspinall. We all stated somewhere and mine probably wasn't that good when I started. Some others around may admit the same and some won't, but trust me, ask, learn, and keep doing. Being in the drivers seat behind that welder is the same as driving the actual car, you gotta start somewhere and now that you got it moving don't go too fast but know where the brake is. You'll do fine and it will be yours.
     
    50 customcoupe, Thor1 and baspinall like this.
  7. 1-SHOT
    Joined: Sep 23, 2014
    Posts: 2,694

    1-SHOT
    Member
    from Denton

    I use ER70S6 023 wire . Get your self some scraps and practice on that. Brass or Copper back works great. All the MIG welders I have used I tend to pulse the trigger when welding thin metal. It just takes practice, on a pice of scrap practice stacking beads and you will get the hang of it. Watch Jody on welding tips and tricks he has a new video every week , he does MIG Stick and Tig.
     
  8. baspinall
    Joined: Dec 8, 2009
    Posts: 447

    baspinall
    Member
    from SE PA

    I appreciate the nudge!
     
  9. panheadguy
    Joined: Jan 8, 2005
    Posts: 1,086

    panheadguy
    Member
    from S.E. WI

    I try to work totally from one glob that connects the two to be joined. start yer arc on the previous glob. keep working in different areas around the patch. Not sure glob is the right term.What I mean is that place where the spot weld joined the pieces. clip the wire and start at that point and build on it, but different areas of the patch. Make sense? Maybe not articulated correctly.......
     
    50 customcoupe likes this.
  10. Squablow
    Joined: Apr 26, 2005
    Posts: 17,391

    Squablow
    Member

    Your finish welded and ground patch looks very good to me. I only use .024 on sheetmetal, I think it's much easier to deal with on thin stuff.

    Chasing blowouts is fairly common on rusty stuff, sometimes it means you're not cutting your patches out big enough, but when you're doing a box section and you can't see the back side, that gets much harder to judge.

    Better to blow it out and find the thin spot so you can fix it than to never find it and have that be the first rust-out to come back.
     
    baspinall likes this.
  11. baspinall
    Joined: Dec 8, 2009
    Posts: 447

    baspinall
    Member
    from SE PA

    He's got a TON of videos!
     
  12. baspinall
    Joined: Dec 8, 2009
    Posts: 447

    baspinall
    Member
    from SE PA

    True Squablow.
     
  13. WTF really
    Joined: Jul 9, 2017
    Posts: 1,322

    WTF really
    Member

    Subscribed. I'll be doing my first patch work in a few months. Thanks for posting looking forward watching your progress and learning some new stuff myself.
     
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  14. mickeyc
    Joined: Jul 8, 2008
    Posts: 1,363

    mickeyc
    Member

    I had better results with 030 wire. Reason being my Miller 252 series welder
    will not go lower than 14 volts. This heat really gets 023 wire HOT. the 030
    actually burns cooler, and I can control the weld and panel heat better.
    This may well be due to my limited skills as well. I picked up some copper
    sheet at hobby lobby for backing as guys mentioned.
     
  15. BamaMav
    Joined: Jun 19, 2011
    Posts: 6,713

    BamaMav
    Member
    from Berry, AL

    Most guys will show your their pretty welds but not their screwups, can't really say I blame them. We all have varying degrees of skill, some have more screwups than others. I'd rather show my good stuff too! My problem is I don't get enough practice. After I've been welding a while, it starts getting easier and looking better, then it may be months before I drag out the machine and do it again and have to relearn it all over. I'm a pretty good welder, but I'm a much better grinder!:p
     
  16. AldeanFan
    Joined: Dec 12, 2014
    Posts: 892

    AldeanFan

    You’ve got to start somewhere and you’re off to a great start.

    Lots of great advice so far, listen to everyone.

    Looks like your marking with a sharpie. The wide marker is not accurate enough. You’ll find that the more exact you make the patch fit the easier it will be to weld in as you’ll have consistent gaps all the way around.

    I like to make my patch first then trace it with a scribe on the panel and cut it out with a cutoff wheel and fine tune it with a sanding disk on an angled diegrinder.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
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  17. wheeldog57
    Joined: Dec 6, 2013
    Posts: 3,182

    wheeldog57
    Member

    If I may. . . Working with thin sheet metal and blowing holes through is what all my projects seem to be. That means I have some experience. So what I do is "build a wall" on the edges of the hole providing some structure to fill it in. I just tap the trigger to put a small dab of weld. As everybody has said, move around and let it cool before you add more. Patience is key here. I hope this helps. Good luck


    Sent from my E6810 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
    50 customcoupe likes this.
  18. I don't have any finished pictures before grinding but on my '51 this is the tacked in section. 106_0066.JPG

    You want to do small areas and move from top to bottom side to side every spot.
     
  19. bigal74
    Joined: May 9, 2016
    Posts: 5

    bigal74
    Member

    Also watching. My car may be O/T but the techniques and tips here all still apply.
     
    baspinall likes this.
  20. Halfdozen
    Joined: Mar 8, 2008
    Posts: 632

    Halfdozen
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Any welding supplier that handles Esab products should be able to get you Esab Spoolarc Easy Grind wire. I use .023, it's softer than ER70S so it grinds easier and quicker, which means less heat from grinding, which will in turn reduce warpage. It's also soft enough that you can work a weld seam with hammer and dolly like a tig or gas weld. Try it, you'll like it.
     
  21. baspinall
    Joined: Dec 8, 2009
    Posts: 447

    baspinall
    Member
    from SE PA

    What are you guys using to cut out tricky areas that a regular angle grinder with cutoff wheel is to big for? I tried my dremel and it didn't work to well. I didn't even get it to cut through.
     
  22. baspinall
    Joined: Dec 8, 2009
    Posts: 447

    baspinall
    Member
    from SE PA

    I'll try my hand at the smaller wire tomorrow with a copper backer.
     
  23. How do you keep the patch panel in alignment when you can't get behind it (Like in the sill panel)?
    I was thinking a couple of big magnets, or those Kleeco? things.
     
  24. deathrowdave
    Joined: May 27, 2014
    Posts: 3,519

    deathrowdave
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from NKy

    Your doing a great job . I have backers I made many years ago from a piece of DWV drain pipe , bought at a scrap yard. Clipping the end of your wire is a must on sheetmetal repairs as well as it has to be clean ,clean . As for holding small patches in tight places , I tack a nail to my patch can break it off and finish when cleaning up my weld . If you ever advance to a TIG machine that is my answer to sheet metal repairs . It takes time and practice to be a welder , reading and discussing about it will not get you there , doing it is the answer . Good Luck and use your PPE theres a lot happening when you strike the arc .



    Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
    50 customcoupe likes this.
  25. Yes Sir, big magnets. When I do some more, they are coming I will insure to get some more pictures. Klecos are nice but I don't have any so they work, as deathrowdave said also will work.
     
    crashfarmer likes this.
  26. I use a pneumatic die grinder with a three inch wheel. For the real small areas I save the worn out "nubs" to work in the smallest areas. Or make the area bigger if I have to. I'm no expert but try and make do with what I have which is a lot of traditional.
     
  27. Aaron D.
    Joined: Oct 27, 2015
    Posts: 1,037

    Aaron D.
    Member

    Great start baspinall, keep at it, that's the only way to learn. I use the .023 or .024 wire. The tacks you have on the patch look good. You'll get plenty of practice on these old cars.
    Aaron
     
  28. Sporty45
    Joined: Jun 1, 2015
    Posts: 1,169

    Sporty45
    Member

    This is one of the hardest things for me to get right, but I keep plugging away at it. Hopefully we can both learn something from this thread!
     
  29. AldeanFan
    Joined: Dec 12, 2014
    Posts: 892

    AldeanFan

    Definitely get a die grinder/cutoff wheel.
    Save worn down wheels for use in tight spots.

    You can get an electric die grinder if your compressor isn’t up to running an air die grinder
    IMG_3510.JPG IMG_3511.JPG



    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  30. I use an air saw a lot in those small tricky areas.
    They make an elecrizical version of it but it's not as user friendly.
    A cut off wheel can get away from you, cause more work sometimes plus it makes a mess.
    Using a cut off wheel in some areas is like planting flowers with a backhoe or hunting flys with a shot gun if you know what I mean.
     
    mkebaird likes this.

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