The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Fender patching

I have rust holes in the lower rears of both front fenders ('59 .5 ton).
I bought a good left fender to take care of one side. On Ebay I saw a right fender patch panel and I got it for $20.
It arrived yesterday, and this morning I took it out to the truck, and it seems to me that the thing was manufactured to just lay on top of the existing fender. I suppose I could just weld it on top and bondo it to feather it in. Does this sound kosher ?

That is not the way patches are uaually done. The splice or butt weld is the usual method. That way the contour is not altered and the filler is kept to a minimum.

I have a similar problem. Well, actually, I guess it's the same problem. Couldn't I just take some sheet metal or steel and cut a square (or whatever shape), then cut the same size square out of the fender, then weld it in?

Thanks

no matter what you do, whether it's a pre-formed patch panel, or you fab a patch yourself out of sheetmetal, rule #1 is REMOVE ALL RUST! If you weld a patch over top of old metal, you just create a inaccesable area for dirt,water, and any other debris to get stuck, and then after a few years you're back in the same boat. Here in Minnesota, I've seen cut rate body work last as little as a couple years, and it's right back to rust again.

I figured I was wrong about laying the patch on top. I couldnt get around the fact that no matter what, bad metal would be trapped underneath good. Looks like I'll do some MIG practice on the old left hand fender and then tackle the right. Does anybody need the front half of a 58 - 59 left front fender? Free ?

Here's a lil tip for welding in sections...make rounded corners. A square or sharp corner burns away real quick. Sometimes there's no choice, but since yer gonna practice try both...you'll see what I mean soon enuff. If ya have a helper have them on hand and gently tap each weld while it's cooling, backed by a dolly of some kind. The shrinking rate of the weld is what stretches and warps the surrounding metal. This is called hammer welding, but adapted to mig use.

Thanks High. Nice member number!
I think I'll pull the fender off and build a jig of some kind to hold it. The tip on sharp corners is great, I never would have though of that.