How To Weld And Patch Auto Sheet Metal

Learn how to mig weld automotive sheet metal in about 5 minutes or less.

How to weld and patch auto sheet metal.

First off never overlap seams always butt weld. See all 13 photos with the bottom layer welded the next patch can be tack welded in. Because it will have you a lot more control over the whole process and it is more forgiving in case you do anything wrong. 840 2570 l 840 2570 r 129 99 each from auto metal direct will replace the rotted out sections on our e body project.

Ditch a 1 8 inch tungsten electrode for something much smaller like 1 16 inch tungsten. Take some time to make your patch a perfect fit. These left and right trunk floor extensions part no. Second never stitch weld you ll warp the panels beyond repair.

After slicing the patches out with a cutoff wheel next came the bending hammer and dolly session until the patches matched the holes and fit snug and flush into the flanged seat. The best two electrodes for welding auto body sheet metal is either ceriated tungsten or thoriated tungsten. Every restoration that passes through mcr needs some sort of sheet metal work that involves welding in new pieces so we thought we would show you how we join body panels together. This will hold it in place and allow you to weld it properly.

Once complete the welds will be ground flush being careful not to thin the metal on either side of the weld. I keep it short and to the point in this welding instructional video and show how ve. I used a piece of pvc pipe a vice mount miniature metal break and body hammer kit. To obtain the best results while mig welding sheet metal proper fitment and cleanliness of the metal are essential.

Mig or metal inert gas welding aka gas metal arc welding or gmaw also uses a gas shield and filler material however in this case the filler is a wire fed directly through the welder. That makes this a one handed process. The proper way to do this is to do a series of tack. Ideally there should be a 1 32 gap between the patch and the body panel.

Tack welds are simply small welds that barely penetrate the metal and aren t pushed or pulled to form a bead. So you can keep the other hand free for manipulating your materials and other tools. After cutting and fitting the new panel you are now ready to weld the patch panel in place.