| Bashr52 |
Tue Nov 11, 2008 9:27 pm |
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| About to put in my new pans. Removing the old ones, I see they are spot welded every inch or so. When you guys install pans, do you drill holes along the edges, that you then fill in with weld? |
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| dennis5 |
Wed Nov 12, 2008 9:43 am |
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| Thats the way I do it when I replace pans, makes the unit stronger. |
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| DMC-12 |
Wed Nov 12, 2008 9:57 am |
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| You know, a friend of mine has a nice pneumatic sheetmetal punching tool for that. I don't think it was real expensive. Hooks to any ordinary air compressor unit. |
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| prom8n |
Wed Nov 12, 2008 12:07 pm |
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When I did mine a couple of months ago, I clamped them in place and drilled holes every inch or so thru the floor pan, down into the flange on the chassis (the original metal) but didn't go all the way thru. I used a cheap 110v. wire feed welder and zapped the hole, burning into the old thick metal and forming a "button" on top of the new floor pan.
Penetration was not that great into the old metal, and several welds popped loose. I learned I'd used too small of a drill bit (1/8" I think) and when I drilled a bigger hole (3/16") I got better results. I didn't want to drill all the way thru and then have to clean up the underside, but in retrospect that might have been better.
Good luck unto thee. |
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| wardvwracer |
Wed Nov 12, 2008 6:58 pm |
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Bashr52 wrote: About to put in my new pans. Removing the old ones, I see they are spot welded every inch or so. When you guys install pans, do you drill holes along the edges, that you then fill in with weld?
Got any pics? I just acquired a '73 and need to replace both pan halves. I thought you simply cut and re-weld. If there's a better way to drill out the spot welds that seems to be the better way... |
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| MercurialThing |
Wed Nov 12, 2008 7:58 pm |
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| If you search the body and paint forum there are a number of threads about welding in new pans. The general consensus is to cut or drill out the old welds and spot weld the new pans in. Apparently doing a straight weld is too prone to cracking under the body torque. |
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| Bashr52 |
Wed Nov 12, 2008 8:54 pm |
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| straight welds will lead to cracking that is true. spots allow the pans to have some flex to them. On mine I just cut in close to the tunnel, sharpened a good chisel and went to town with a mallet. broke off all the spots, then ground everything off smooth and went at it with a wire wheel on the angle grinder. Just got my paint today, 2 quarts of high gloss chassis black. Just waiting on the Mig and I can start getting it back together. |
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| DMC-12 |
Thu Nov 13, 2008 5:44 am |
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| Are you going to "murder it out"? :lol: |
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