The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Cutting tool recommendation/body panel replacement

I am getting close to the point to begin replacement of the rear outside corner panels, floorboard/toeboard panels, driver's side step, and both lower hinge pockets (requires 3 pcs. each side)on my '58 Apache Stepside. What is the recommended tool of choice to cut these panels out? Is it my 4 1/2" end grinder with a thin cutting blade and following the cut lines I will mark? Or should i use a different tool? Also, when marking the cut lines, is it best to leave a little meat, or cut on the line exactly?

John

The grinder should work fine. I always like to leave extra material so that I can trim to fit.

John, when cutting out panels I either use the 4-1/2" grinder with a .045 cutoff wheel or a 3" pneumatic cutoff tool with the .035 thick wheel. As an FYI, I normally get mine from the local welding supply, as they carry ones that are made for cutting stainless steel. These do cost a bit more than the cheapies from the flea markets, but last quite a bit longer and you have less of a brown cloud hanging around from cutting wheel particulate floating around.

My cutting method is to fit the new panel the first time, mark with a sharpie, and cut about 3/4" inside that mark (leave extra). Then re-fit the new panel again, as it should fit a little better with the bulk of the old out of the way. Mark it this time with a sharp scribe, cut again leaving about 1/4" extra. Refit one more time, checking the scribe marks for accuracy. If they are off, remark again (may need to use a sharpie to cover the last scribe marks and make the new ones show up better) and trim to the line (leaving the line showing). Refit once more, address any interference areas. You want a nice, tight fit.

This method is more involved, but in many cases you'll find that the initial fit has some interference with adjacent panels, so the first mark is not that accurate. Getting the bulk out of the way will help to insure a more accurate marking for a more accurate fit.

When you are looking at welding in the panel, you want to use consistency with your methods to keep any heat patterns consistent so the shrinking effects are also consistent, making any planishing efforts consistent across the panel as well. If you experience both tight spots and wide gaps in the panel fitment, it will produce larger amounts of heat in the wider gaps as more filler rod (wire feed) is used to "plug the gap" for more shrinkage in those areas, and more puckering and buckles after welding. So looking at the overall job, the more you can do to promote consistency from start to finish, the easier it will be to correct any defects from the welding process.

Robert and Scribe,

Thank you for all the good information. I appreciate the knowledge of someone who has the experience and has been there before. I am taking my time and want this to be a success.

John

Think I forgot to mention, after the intial cut using a cutoff wheel, I make the next trims with OFFSET snips. I use either Midwest (available at Sears), Wiss (any big box store) or Blue Points off the Snap on truck. Midwest have a lifetime guarantee, and my SO dealer has said he would guarantee his product as well (check with your dealer), & not sure about Wiss having a warranty. They are all good quality and pretty much comparible. They all come in left and right hand, you'll likely need both as invariably one cut will be hard to get at in one direction and you'll need the other snips. Typically they run from 18-25 ea.

MPandC

Thanks Robert for another subtle tip! Can't wait until Thursday so I can hopefully get started.

John

I thought I'd highlight this little tidbit as well. For your final (i.e.: precise) cut, much over 1/4 and the metal is just doesn't curl up as easily. Too little (1/16 wide for example) and the metal will curl over top of the cutter, getting in the way of seeing your marked cut line. At about 1/4" wide, the strip coming off will roll off to the side, out of the way where it doesn't block your view. We will be demonstrating this on April 21st, but thought it may help you remember if I added the "why".

Where can I find this demonstration on April 21?

Stovebolt Homecoming weekend is taking place April 20-22 at John and Peggy's place in Mechanicsville, and it sounds like a few of the bunch (maybe quite a few) will be coming over to my place (in Leonardtown) Saturday morning for a metalshaping demo and fabrication of an upper windshield panel for a Task Force truck.

https://www.stovebolt.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=829918#Post829918


https://www.stovebolt.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=835189#Post835189


FYI, From Raleigh is a 9 hour drive, or it was last June anyhow.

I remembered reading a thread here and seeing one on You tube that really showed MPand C's point
cutting patch panel thread

Using Tin Snips video

hey guys,
thought i'd chime in on this as well. I recently put a quarter panel patch panel on a '66 Impala. I'd previously read an article about using a certain technique to butt weld the panel so i gave it a try (may be typical, but the first i'd heard of it). basically i put the new, replacement panel over the top of the panel needing replacement (due to rust). I used self tapping sheet metal screws to hold it in place. Then i used a air cut off wheel w/ a .035 thick wheel. Then i carefully cut around the edge of the new panel all the way through the old panel underneath. Once completed, it leaves a .035 gap between the new panel and the remaining sheet metal around the outside...which was perfect for a butt weld. I believe the article was in "Classic Trucks" magazine and he actually did this technique on floor pans....which is overkill in my mind. But, worked very well for me on the quarter panel, got it welded in, ground down, and it turned out great.

The only reason I would caution against that is now your replacement panel going in is undersized. Welding=heat=shrinking. Any intention/consequence of leaving a gap is only adding to the possibility of more shrinking, or panel movement. A low crown panel will tend to lose it's shape quickly with any shrinking, so a gap only allows the panel to pull together that much quicker, making more work to address low areas or a loose oil canned panel. If you've ever seen a panel close up tight on those butt weld panel clamps, you have seen this effect in action. If the panel is such that the cut goes straight across, and once fitted up you can slide the panels apart to compensate for the cutter thickness, then in that case perhaps it would work without any ill effect.

Here's a thread with some good content on panel fitment, tacking in place, planishing. Pay attention to the replies by Randy Ferguson (his coachbuilding is well known for Willy's reproductions). A couple of the other responses may contain less than ideal methods, so I'd say to focus on Randy's posts.

http://metalmeet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=798

very true. I should have mentioned that i welded the panel with very small tack welds....started in one corner of the panel, moved the opposite side, etc, etc. in order to reduce heat build up. Had very little warping, but you have to pay close attention to what you're doing and not weld in one spot for very long at all.