Info needed: Chev HUP Help please

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Bruce

How are you welding panels in position? Spot or plug weld?

If you are spot welding the problem I had get good welds of new sheet metal to the rusted and pitted angle iron frame was getting a good contact and hence good consistent welds. Cleaning up the angle iron at all the way along and treating it so that it will not start rusting again was my concern.

Couple of thoughts to duplicate the original welding.

• I put paint dots out to the side of the original weld locations
• Ground the angle iron surface to remove all rust
• At each weld location mig welded a 1/4 to 1/2 inch dot to bring the metal back smooth. The ground it flush to the surface of the angle iron this gives a really good surface to spot weld to.
• Paint the whole thing (both sides) with welding primer.
• Check your welding primer first to see how it spot welds some work really good and others not so good. (I'll find the name of the one that I've found that works.)
• Then using your paint dots out to the side weld the panel back in position. Yes the first time I did this I'd just primed over the dots and could not see them. Learned and put masking tape on before using the welding primer the next time.

When plug welding panels I've found that the same process works pretty good but adding 1/4 holes in the sheet metal edge.


Cheers Phil