Chimera Moto Works
Been Around the Block
Hey guys! I know this isn't motorcycle related, but thought some may enjoy the job I'm currently knocking out between today and tomorrow. Here goes:
Loaded up and ready to work! For this project I didn't need any of the bigger welders. I loaded the Lincoln140, Welding Gas, Body hammers, Grinder, Welding clamps, Magnets, etc. A basic "kit" for this type of work.
First things first: Get everything setup and figure out the type of environment you're working in. You can also see the passenger side floorpan damage.
I then cleaned the area around the hole in the floor, and made a poster-board template for the new sheetmetal. I added about a 1/2" all the way around to account for tracing the Inside of the damaged area.
I then fully-welded the new sheetmetal in place. On this project, I didn't have to make an exact replacement panel, I brought the panel in from the underside of the floorboards. Numerous rounds of using specific body hammers and magnets were necessary in order for the new pan to mate up where it needed to.
I then lightly Surface wheeled the welds and brushed around the entire area. Once this was done, I sealed/sprayed the new sheetmetal with an anti-rust protective coating.
That finished today's repair and was the only damaged area within the interior of the Galaxie.
But....
This is tomorrow's repair. 48"x24" is my estimated size of the trunk damage. Additional cutting will be necessary, they didn't remove enough of the rotted out sheetmetal to do a strong/proper repair. I hope to achieve this patch in one day tomorrow, but as many who work with sheetmetal know, you Have to take your time. If you don't, you'll completely warp the material, and your repair will be obnoxiously obvious. Although I couldn't repair the pans with proper factory stamped style sheetmetal, we can atleast try to achieve a clean patch that looks and is strong/supportive.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
Loaded up and ready to work! For this project I didn't need any of the bigger welders. I loaded the Lincoln140, Welding Gas, Body hammers, Grinder, Welding clamps, Magnets, etc. A basic "kit" for this type of work.
First things first: Get everything setup and figure out the type of environment you're working in. You can also see the passenger side floorpan damage.
I then cleaned the area around the hole in the floor, and made a poster-board template for the new sheetmetal. I added about a 1/2" all the way around to account for tracing the Inside of the damaged area.
I then fully-welded the new sheetmetal in place. On this project, I didn't have to make an exact replacement panel, I brought the panel in from the underside of the floorboards. Numerous rounds of using specific body hammers and magnets were necessary in order for the new pan to mate up where it needed to.
I then lightly Surface wheeled the welds and brushed around the entire area. Once this was done, I sealed/sprayed the new sheetmetal with an anti-rust protective coating.
That finished today's repair and was the only damaged area within the interior of the Galaxie.
But....
This is tomorrow's repair. 48"x24" is my estimated size of the trunk damage. Additional cutting will be necessary, they didn't remove enough of the rotted out sheetmetal to do a strong/proper repair. I hope to achieve this patch in one day tomorrow, but as many who work with sheetmetal know, you Have to take your time. If you don't, you'll completely warp the material, and your repair will be obnoxiously obvious. Although I couldn't repair the pans with proper factory stamped style sheetmetal, we can atleast try to achieve a clean patch that looks and is strong/supportive.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
