Week #95
With the welding of the quarter to the body in front of me... I
went to it. I've had this damn panel on and off so many times it's ridiculous.
I guess the guys who do this for a living must have a better method than me because
if I had to hang quarters for a living I'd go nuts. Anyhoo, after making sure
all the contact surfaces were clean metal and ready for weld, back on it went,
only this time I knew it was the last... for this side anyway. I shifted it around
a few times until it fit the way I had worked it... and then DID IT... hit a few
tack welds to hold the thing in place while I gave it one last look. All seemed
OK so I went to it.
I started out doing a spot here and a spot there, trying to keep
the heat down and warpage to a minimum. I'm here to admit that I got anxious.
I started welding more than just spots. My welds turned into 1/2 to 3/4 inch long
beads and I paid the price for my impatience. There ended up being some pretty
substantial dips in the metal across the top of the new panel. Although I was
disappointed in myself for hurrying things along, I wasn't sure if maybe what
I had done was typical for this job... I'd find out when the professional body
man got a look at it.
I can't believe it's done but it is... the passenger side quarter
panel is welded in place. I went on to another area to get my mind off the wargage. I moved to the front of the car. The lower core support and panel to the drivers
side of the radiator were damaged and needed replacing. I had picked up a complete
radiator support section from a sound donor car a few months ago and was ready
to get this done. Pulled out the spot weld driller outer again and went to work.
The spots for the lower support are all easily accessible making this part easy
to remove and replace. The radiator side panel offers a bit more of a challenge
but was not too awful tough to remove. I sat back and enjoyed my handiwork.
Next outing I'll remove, clean and install the pieces from the donor car.