The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop flanging or not?

Im new to this rebuilt alot old harlys but this is My frist truck I have been told that its a good idea to get a flanging tool and flange or overlap instead of butt weilding all the patch panels and new metal I have to put into this truck what do You Guys think . Pete ,Truck is a 52-3100 .....I hope it warms up soon.

From what I have read in a couple of places, flanging prevents some blow through welding but if not properly prepared where the metal meets is a breeding ground for rust. I`m going to weld some patch panels but I think I`m going to use these small clamps that hold the butt joint together the right amount of distance. The kit also comes with copper pieces to use as a backing so the welding won`t blow through.

i did all the body work on my 46. i was in the same boat you are in
i had to learn enough to get the job done. i did some of both butt and flange joints. im sure that a pro knows how to flange correctly
but on that thick metal on these old trucks the flange made a hump
that was hard to hide. the method that worked good for me in a few
spots was to make the patch bigger than the hole and put it behind
the body and spot weld them in. i finally just dove in and got started and let each panel sort of tell me how it wanted to be to look nice and be strong. oh and the tool that made all the difference was a cutting wheel on a 4" grinder.

I used what is called the backing strip method. You can see it explained here:

http://www.autobodystore.com/door_rust.shtml

Benefits are that you get the strength of a lap without the problems that come with trying to flange a curved piece of metal like we find on these trucks. I used seam sealer on the backing strip after all was welded in to seal it up from moisture.
Regards,
Steve
New Orleans

Thanks , looks like its the way to do the job I put the link in my fav. file . Pete

Geez, after all that screwing around you could butt weld 4 patches... and get a much better job in the bargain.

Here's how I do it:

~ Overlap your patch to the original part by about a half-inch.
~ Sheetmetal screw (#8) the two parts together.
PICTURE
~ Scribe a line along the edge where the parts overlap.
~ Remove the patch and cut along the scribe line leaving little tabs where the screws go.
PICTURE
~ Screw the patch back on.
~ Tack weld to hold the parts in place.
~ Remove the screws, cut off the tabs and finish welding using a hammer and dolly to maintain alignment.
PICTURE

Do it right and you'll have something to be proud of when you're finished.

Thanks, Czechman looks like I got alot to learn about body work , Your pics and those of others are very helpful , Lucky I have tow sons and a soninlaw that are very helpful and are mech. inclind .I have no problems with engine and the mech. parts of this rebuild just I do not have any background in body work. I am going to learn . Thanks again , Pete

I butt weld everything, I just think it's a cleaner repair.

The redneck approach. I like to back the butt weld with copper flashing This shows the bent flashing It follows the shape of the patch and wont stick to the weld.