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Driver's Side Panel
Before I adopted the
front to back plan of attack, I tested my technique on the driver's
side wheel well. As I move toward the rear components, it was
time to complete this section before moving on.
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A Typical Rebuilt
Area
Lots of new metal
and lots of welding wire have gone into the car's body. It isn't
pretty, but it's very strong. As I continue on this area I will
fill the holes with new metal and roughly grind the metal into
shape.
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Scary Part
Ever since I bought
the car, I've been worried about this section. The luggage compartment
is in tough condition with a large part of it rusted away.
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Sizing
the New Metal
I've slowly been working
through a 4'x8' sheet of body metal. I use the air chisel to
cut the metal in nice straight lines when required. This picture
inadvertently sponsored by
Labatt's.
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Positioned
After farting around
with the curves of the wheel well, I got the new piece to fit
into place to my satisfaction. I cut away all the old rotten
metal in order to attach the new piece to nice solid steel.
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Same for the Top
This was an easier
fit due to the straight edge along the wheel well edge. Once
again I use sheet metal screws to position the new piece before
welding it into place.
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Removing the Screws
After the welding
is done, the sheet metal screws are no longer needed. Once removed,
I MIG weld the hole shut and eventually grind down the metal.
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Progress
The luggage compartment
is pretty much done. I still have to clean up the seams on the
driver side, but they will be minor compared to what I just finished.
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Inner Wheel Well
All the seams in the
rear wheel well have been welding and clean up. I have to repair
lots of screw holes in this area before I can prime.
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