Wheel well arches.

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PostPosted: Fri Mar 03, 2023 8:41 am
Well I gave it some wacks with the hammer and dolly i showed in the picture.Gave it a skim coat after I roughed it up.Will see if I did enough.If not Ill go with the pick next.



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PostPosted: Fri Mar 03, 2023 9:32 am
Whacks or Taps?
Auto sheet metal moves a lot with simple Taping when a dolly is used properly.
Just hitting with out a back up can cause a lot of damage to shape of the panel over all easily.
Better to use Shrinking tip with Stud welder. pin points shrinking area keeps it small without damaging the shape of panel. Again just whacking with a hammer or using Pick hammer is not the right way and is generally frowned upon by most that know sheet metal.

The following is a great beginner tool as it enables you to work Hi and low spots easily when combined with a shrinking tip. added plus is they are relatively cheap. they have many additional add on tooling available to use wiggle wire & different pulling tools to pull single pins or multiple pins. removing pins is easy with a simple pair of pliers and a twist.
can also be combined with weld on washers to do light pulls. I personally have two of these machines and have recently added another larger roll around machine for more versatility.

https://www.amazon.com/Mophorn-Welder-H ... 7e17e03685

https://www.amazon.com/Motor-Guard-J200 ... 213&sr=8-5

https://www.amazon.com/Auto-Shot-HSA100 ... 213&sr=8-6

I noticed in you pic that you are still concentrating your focus on the repair area, Better to work WHOLE panel at this time to make panel one, Get a Long Block 12-18 inches work in a X pattern across large areas at a time till you have whole panel sanded out you will find additional HI and Low spots which will require your attention.
Its important at this point to read WHOLE panel to analyze whats going on where! DO not focus on ONE hi or low spot!!!!!! not yet!
DUE to the amount of welding your repair required you are going to find MORE wrong before you get the panel strait. its important to analyze whole panel to see areas that are shrunk by welding pulling on the panel deforming its shape.

As you start sanding out whole bed side you will see what I am talking about do not work any spot till whole bed is sanded out identifying ALL Hi and low spots. Then and only then can you take a step back and read the panel to know what to do where Then do the adjustments then repaint with another coat of primer and block it out out all over again.

Doing at least two rounds of blocking is normal for me sometimes 3. just watch your film build sanding off excess build. Hi build primer adds a lot of material to a panel fast its important to sand off excess think of it as spray able filler that shrinks a lot! over time. That's why its important to let it sit and age let it sit in direct sun light when possible.

Their are good reasons They call body shops "Paint shop Jails" Many think the guy is lazy avoiding your project while he works other projects hes simply letting materials age letting them shrink so he doesn't get a come back.
Dennis B.
A&P Mechanic, FCC General radio Telephone Operator
Line Maintenance A&P Mechanic and MOC Tech specialist.



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PostPosted: Fri Mar 03, 2023 11:37 am
Thanks some good info,sanding the whole panel ea time.Only 2 high spots,filled last night sanded this am.Didn't put enough bondo its low now the spots I tapped down.Adding more now.



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PostPosted: Fri Mar 03, 2023 11:38 am
A pic. Added more bondo to the whole area this time.Dont want to have to add more again.
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 03, 2023 12:02 pm
Fired up the heater. I have a 10” hose coming off my unit heater re directing some of the heat. Should be able to sand again in 2-3 hours. Gives me time to clean up. Even with dust control and plastic around it still seams to get everywhere.
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 05, 2023 7:15 pm
So did some more filling ,tapping ,guide coat and sanding. Got it pretty flat. After sanding so much I really got a feel of just thick that high build is. It really sanded nice.Filled up the primer gun gave it a couple more coats in some areas.
While it cures I’ve turned the truck around and started cutting out rust and making patches. I’ll get to practice my base coat while I work on this side. I have an old door from another truck so will have to find room for that.
The new panels don’t go low enough so had to make some patches.
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 06, 2023 7:26 pm
Amazing how much quicker things go when you’re not thinking what the next step is. Not that I know what I’m doing but I’m able to move forward with fitting and welding.
Just about ready to weld. Just have to make sure it’s in the same spot compared to the other side. Nipped the corners off this time instead of round. Much easier to cut and butt.
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 15, 2023 7:51 pm
Welded in and covered with bondo,having an eye this time on high spots Im tapping down before bondo..Also guide coating and block sanding prior to primer will save some time.
Slowly Im starting to get the hang of this.
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