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Oct 23, 2017 21:54:00 GMT
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Ok so ive got an old honda in the garage. Ive had it years. Its also been rusty for years. One day i plucked up the courage and bought myself an arch panel. Ive also had that panel for years. Then one other day after reading some of the readers rides threads on here and chatting with people at meets etc i finally decided to bite the bullet, get some confidence, and put the grinder to the car and actually CUT THAT ARCH!! I'm not a brilliant bodywork guy, in fact id like to think I'm a little bit up from a novice. But only just. I can mix filler, i can weld to a degree, and i can hide the whole thing brilliantly. However I'm now at a fork in my tempestuous relationship with bodywork. I honestly am not sure how to put the panel on the car. This is the arch ive cut. And this is the panel ive got. So riders. My questions are many. Have i cut the arch wrong? Do i butt weld it? Do i put the new panel under or over the old body? Does the new panel need trimming down or do i make the honda body fit the new panel and not touch the arch panel at all? I have a joggler/hole punch tool. Do i joggle it? Do i hole punch it? If so do i punch the new panel or the honda body? Then what? Fill it? Fibreglass it? I know this isnt going to turn out perfect but i also don't want it to look like a dogs bumhole either. Talk to me!! Tell me your views. What should i do? I have a welder, compressor, joggler, grinder, consumables, and a kettle.
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steveg
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,586
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Oct 23, 2017 23:04:36 GMT
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If you are confident you can butt weld it all than that would be the best method as there would be no overlapping metal to possibly go rusty in the future.
Joggling some of the edges would be the next best plan. Going across areas where there are press lines and where there is insufficient clearance to get the tool in means that wouldn't be so straight forward in some places. You really want to put any horizontal joggles on the car so moisture doesn't run into the seam. I think I would try to simplify the shape of the repair panel by going straight up from the sill and then go across towards the arch under where the trim strip goes. It might be easier to enlarge the cut out section around the arch so you can joggle the flat panel. The go straight out across the arch with a butt weld.
Repairing the inner arch might be easier with the outer one removed although you need to trial fit the outer to make the repair panel up.
I've seen a body shop fit repair panels over the top of the old ones. Hopefully they at least trimmed the original metal back so there wasn't much overlap. If you try that route you need to make the overlap somewhere you can blend in the extra thickness with filler. The repair panels needs to be as small as possible then really so you don't have to start filling on the flat area of the wing.
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Oct 23, 2017 23:21:09 GMT
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I would fix it in place with some sheet metal screws and make a cut through both the original arch and the panel. Do some measurements and cut it a few mm higher than where you've cut it. Then butt weld it.
Or try to cut the missing piece from the new panel, either by careful measuring or by making a cardboard template.
The strongest and easiest to weld would be to cut it a cm larger than the opening and joggling it under the stock bodywork. Loads of work, easy to mess up and will probably result in the need of loads of filler due to the many shapes.
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Yep, I second that - have a read through that thread when you've got a few hours to spare, it'll give you all the inspiration you need. From the photo, I think I'd try to cut the outer back just a little bit more to give better access to the inner panel. Then with many test fits, I'd cut back the new panel as close to the join as I can, and then make and fit the repair to the inner arch and the back end of the inner sill. Once that's done, weld the outer panel in place, grind back and fill if required. Also have a look at the shape of the repair panel. Is it one that's designed to fit over the existing panel (like the old Viva rear wheelarch repair sections), or is it designed to replace it. If it's intended to fit over and blend in, then the shape will be a little bit out and you'll have to take that into account when trimming it to fit. Fortunately it looks like quite flat surfaces, so not an issue.
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Oct 24, 2017 10:21:52 GMT
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Oct 24, 2017 10:26:07 GMT
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79cord
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,615
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Oct 24, 2017 11:45:04 GMT
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As mentioned I'd cut just a little more from the outer for enough access to weld the inner, but try to keep it below the upper crease to reduce inevitable heat distortion affecting the flat side panels. Preferably butt joined & metal as clean as manageable. Where access permits a small piece of copper pipe with flattened end might be useful to place behind the join while welding to hold molten metal if weld 'blows through' metal & spread heat to reduce likelyhood. LOTS of small welds to reduce heat build up.
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Last Edit: Oct 24, 2017 11:47:32 GMT by 79cord
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