Bodywork questions

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Feb 9, 2019 | 07:58 AM

dschr60

Thread Starter

Junior User

Joined: Feb 2013

Posts: 64

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From: Scranton, PA

Bodywork questions

1 What is the best practice for the sequence of body coatings in an area that will not be accessible after welding? Ex a doubler panel, weld primer on bare metal, weld then epoxy on the exposed area or should I epoxy the back of the panel and the doubler since I cannot get at it after spot welding it together?
2 How should I handle the rust on my grill assembly shown attached , drill spot welds to get at everything or just use a rust conversion chemical on the tight areas?

Feb 9, 2019 | 10:58 AM

rusty48

Tuned

Joined: Feb 2016

Posts: 358

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From: washington

I would sandblast what you have and epoxy everything. You then know what you have to work with. Where you have a double up metal on metal, they make a weld thru primer on bare metal that probably as good as you can get. I would think any more finishes would start contaminating the weld.

Feb 9, 2019 | 12:17 PM

dschr60

Thread Starter

Junior User

Joined: Feb 2013

Posts: 64

Likes: 1

From: Scranton, PA

Quote:

Originally Posted by rusty48

thanks I just don’t want to warp the thinner grill parts. I’ll give it a try

Feb 10, 2019 | 05:46 AM

Marten

Fleet Mechanic

Joined: Apr 2015

Posts: 1,580

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From: Kemptville, ON,

be carefull with sand blasting. Builds a lot of heat and will warp your sheet metal. Other options are glass blasting or dustless sand blasting. They add a chemical into the water/sand mixture to prevent rust flashing. Epoxy prime everything you can.

Feb 10, 2019 | 08:12 AM

CharlieLed

Lead Driver

Joined: Aug 2006

Posts: 8,093

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From: Brentwood, TN

For the backsides of those grille bars I would use a wire brush or wheel to remove the scaling and then treat with KBS Rust Blaster followed by a couple of coats of KBS Rust Seal. I use this technique in many areas such as inner door seams, frames, and other surfaces. Good luck...

Feb 10, 2019 | 02:56 PM

56panelford

FTE Legend

Joined: Oct 2005

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From: northwestern Ontario

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marten

I disagree on the heat seeing as the air is cool, it's the media that beats the panels with million of tiny little hammers.lol It's large flat panels that you need to be careful of sandblasting. The back of that grille will easily handle sandblasting. You can turn down the air pressure to also help the beating pressure and cycle time on your compressor..

Feb 10, 2019 | 04:19 PM

Marten

Fleet Mechanic

Joined: Apr 2015

Posts: 1,580

Likes: 477

From: Kemptville, ON,

Quote:

Originally Posted by 56panelford

Interesting, that is what I have been told. That blasting sand generates heat and that causes problems. Have not experienced it myself. Some day I will have to do some blasting on my truck.