The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop done sheet metal work; what about seams?

Hi all I am in the final stages of replacing many floor panels/lower cab corners/ mounting brackets etc and I still find holes to be welded but I am getting tired of the weld/grind. Is it okay to simply use a short strand fibre or all metal to skim the seams and then epoxy later. Or do I have to bite the bullet and drudge along with more hole finding, cooper backing weld and grind?

The other thought was to use a under coat spray?

I kinda cheated a bit with the 'not full weld tiny holes' using 'All Metal' over them. Since it's made to replace lead on the outer body seams, it is slightly flexible after drying, and can be sanded. It shouldn't be used on slightly large holes being it can be pushed thru with how soft it stays. I welded in metal plugs but finished with All Metal to fill the tiny not-perfect weld holes. I went back over with seam seal on the inside. Then epoxy primer. It is a 'rusto-mod' so body work isn't perfect.

Thanks for the response.I like the idea of ‘all metal”

All depends on what level of build you are going for. With the type of welding you are doing, you will never achieve a show quality paint job for very long, but I am pretty sure that is not what you are going for. All metal mudding will stop the wind from whistling through and not take away from your "just Git-R-Done" strategy. Not judging by any means. I do like rough looking builds. My favorite was where a guy had a very serious tear in a fender. He stitched it together with baling wire. It brought a genuine smile on my face.

Well obviously welding is not my thing. However I am trying to do as much as I can before giving it to someone who knows what they are doing. They may not even be willing to take it on, But my hope was I would get away with it on the floor as no one will see the underside of the floor and with dyno Matt on the interior and then a rubber matt on top no one will see that either. But I do hope to get a decent paint job after turning it over to someone who can turn it around for me.

You are going have a hard time finding someone to fix the weld in the last picture. It needs to be cut out completely and rewelded. Then there will likely be a lot of panel missing to weld it back together.
Don't despair, we all tend to learn the hard way, especially when welding body panels which people will see. I have made some nightmarish messes when I started out. Now, I have elevated myself up to "bad dream" status. Those kind of welds are easier for a skilled body and paint man to properly fix without completely starting over.

Is it okay to simply use a short strand fibre or all metal to skim the seams and then epoxy later. Or do I have to bite the bullet and drudge along with more hole finding, cooper backing weld and grind?

We all have that thought after doing exactly what you have done so far. So rest a few days and flush that thought down the toilet. All metal in the true sense of all metal welding. Slight bondo after is still professional.

You must always consider buying available patch panels and welding them in. You only use what will fit the affected area, NOT the whole piece. Sometimes one piece can be used elsewhere, Donor pieces are OK also. Sheet stock or your stash of found sheet is OK for some things. I don't know what the last pics is , cab corner? I don't know what the rustout looked like but maybe that should have used a piece from a patch panel. I have found that when making those dot-spot welds, that hotter and faster trigger is the best method for me. Don't weld on areas that are "thinned" by corrosion but you think are still OK. Backing with copper or brass is good. I welds both sides if I can get to them. Then grind flat or semi flat depending on visible location. Always shine up the ground clamp area so that BOTH jaws are on bare metal. Shine up BOTH sides of weld seam, including taking off patch panel coating to 1/2 inch from gap. Don't take off metal while "shinning" to bare. I tried all types and diameter wire. I use gas and .030.

Everyone has their own idea about welding thin metal and they get it to work. That's where practice comes in, The machine and you act differently on different days due to many factors. Keep going, it will get done. You are not doing that bad at all.

It depends on what you are going for. Do you want it to be a perfect/show truck? No, cut it out and weld in patch panels.

Do you want to seal it, have it be pretty smooth, and stick some paint on it to protect it and make it shiny? If so, pick your method. A skim coat of fiberglass or bondo will smooth out the roughness and let you make it shiny.

It won't be perfect, but it will keep the rust off and let you paint and enjoy it.

It’s great getting the feedback that will help me regroup. I am reminding myself it is only metal and if it is wrong it can be corrected. So back to the garage and I will drudge on while learning and practicing as I go . All the tips I received will be incorporated and sooner or later I will prevail. Luckily I am making progress as I finished all the mechanical and now back to the cab.
Here is a picture of the frame this cab will eventually be on and I feel the joy just thinking about it

The frame looks great. Which power steering setup is that?

As nice as the frame is, I would lean strongly toward taking another whack at making the cab just as nice.

Bought the power steering on eBay

Paid $840 as an offer and asked for a black power steering pump

I wouldn’t be satisfied myself with the weld in that last photo. That’s just too ugly stay how it is. It can be fixed and should be.
Rick, I would go back and read MPandC (Robert’s) treatise on MIG welding sheet metal in the tech tips HERE. It’s obvious that you didn’t follow his recommendations.
Anything can be ground down and repaired.
As far as pinholes, that’s an indication that you didn’t overlap your weld dots. Any gaps in your weld repair will be prone to crack.

Thank you for your response and as usual good advice. I have read the article and it is helpful. I will probably read it a few more times to make sure I get it all.

As far as the ugly cab corner I still have an eight inch wide left over from the patch. I will cut out the old weld seam and patch in using better procedures.

Looking at your third picture in the first post, the noted depression at the weld is an indication of the weld shrinkage. As your welds cool and shrink, the overall length of that cut (weld seam) will become less in length, hence the panel pulls inward. The sticky weld post goes through planishing the weld, this is exactly why, to restore this area to the proper form.