butt fit butt welded marker lamp install....

[k1rodeoboater]

Do you offer weekend welding/repair lessons . The job you did on Smitty's rig is downright amazing! The pictures don't do it justice either.

[ebfabman]

Hey thanks k1rodeoboater. Really looking forward to warm weather so I can enjoy the new shop more. I would like to try to maybe have a mini get together at the new shop some time this year if possible.

[gcburdic]

I'm in Earl....let us know when it is!!!

how the heck are ya?!?!?....why haven't you insulated that shop yet?!?!

[Scott Webster]

Said before and again - simply awesome!

[Fat Mike]

Looked through the whole thread again and was wondering if you could please show the backside of your weld. Your welding is so amazing I need to see what the backside of a perfect weld looks like.

[ebfabman]

Hey Fat Mike, sorry I've neglected this thread. I had to make a trip to OKC and no time to get online. The burb is back with smitty. I don't think I have any good pics of the back sides of the panels. You may want to pm smitty and ask him to take some pics for you. I don't know about the perfect weld part but they do what they're supposed to.

[lgarret]

EB, pm sent

[lgarret]

A few pic's of my project to date

[treveiger]

Wow these are amazing. What would be a good starting welder for someone that would do it every great once in a while when needed? What exactly does butt welding mean? Im new to the world of body work and am trying to learn as much as i can

[k1rodeoboater]

butt welding means you mate edge to edge....basically if done right you can't even tell it was repaired.

As for a welder...if you have 220V in your garage or you can run it, get a 220V MIG. I got a 110V but that's because I don't have a garage so I need portability, and I plan on mostly doing sheetmetal with it (and the occasional I'm bored and sticking stuff together for fun). ESAB, Lincoln, Miller/Hobart, or any other big name will be good for you.

[bcutt]

I replaced my inner cowl panel with the after market replacement, also shaved my cab fresh air vents and shaved the heater blower motor hole and well as capped over the wire channel for a smoother look. The after market cowl panel fit great and I got it from www.sokyclassics.com for $190.

[gcburdic]

Nice work bcutt!!!

[67cheby]

Looking good

[Bomp]

Metal working skillz totally rock

[ebfabman]

Wow, this thread was wakened from a long nap.

[TowwDogg]

Mad Skills Stand OUT... Keep it up...

[ebfabman]

Here's a simple repair...

[29od1]

It seems like it really pays to try to get as tight of a fit on the patch as you can before welding. Do you ever use air to try and cool the metal between tacking sequences? Or do you just let it cool with time?

[ebfabman]

I don't cool. The tacks don't get that hot. I try to be fast but with enough heat to get good penetration.


Here are some before pics that show a little of why the repair was done.

[ebfabman]

This video is here somewhere, but I'll put it here so you can see how I do it. It's at increased speed but you maybe can get the idea.

bedside - YouTube

[29od1]

Thanks! Always good to see how to do good metal work.

[theastronaut]

Extremely nice work ebfabman!!

[cableguy0]

Originally Posted by 29od1

It seems like it really pays to try to get as tight of a fit on the patch as you can before welding. Do you ever use air to try and cool the metal between tacking sequences? Or do you just let it cool with time?

You never want to speed up the cooling. It will cause more shrinkage in the metal. The tighter the patch fits the easier the welds are and the less chance you have of ending up with holes in the welds when you grind them. The trick is to take your time. Small tacks as far apart as possible and taking time in between to let the metal cool. The best place to practice is floor pans because nobody will ever see them.It will let you get the hang of it without having to use a ton of filler to fix mistakes.

[plummen]

Beautiful work ,as always

[my67chevytruck]

Very nice work!!