Gang. I'm well along on restoration of my 61 flareside. Well really it is in several parts, all in different stages of repair. I'm a little rusty on my nomenclature (no pun intended), but will do my best. Looking at the bedside panels, I see that the little lip where the panel meets the bed is badly rusted, worn and downright ugly. I purchased angle strips to cover the mess, but those are so "Chevy" that I'd rather try to repair/replace the originals. Question: Does anyone have experience with this repair, and would you be willing to share your experience. I would be interested in hearing about any approach. Thanks In advance. Tim

 

I assume what you are describing is, the FLANGE on the FENDERS where they bolt to the box panels is rusty?

If you have a sheetmetal shop bend you up a 90 degree strip (or strips) of sheetmetal of the same guage, you can use a shrinker/stretcher to pull the curve into the strip to make it match the radius of the fender. That's not as difficult as it may sound.....but now that you have made you patch piece, you need to trim the fender back and weld them on.
I'm not about to type a whole tutorial on welding here, but I will say I have seen a lot of welds on the internet that resemble what pigeons leave below their roost
If you are an experienced welder, then have at 'er.....if you're not, then as the same sheetmetal shop that bent up you patches to give you (or sell you cheap) some "drops" of the same guage of sheetmetal as the patches....then spend a BUNCH of time doing tacks, and short welds. When you get comfortable, and are not embarrased to show your practice welds to somebody, you may be almost ready. But the whole idea is, that by the time you start welding ON THE VEHICLE, you should be able to get good results. Buying a welder and using it for the first time ever on your project is not going to result in quality welds.....
And you must also remember that WELDING CAUSES SHRINKING, which you will have to counteract by hammering the HAZ (heat affected zone) "on dolly" to stretch the welds. **This is done after you knock down the welds to they're pretty much flush front & back (or top & bottom

That's the Cole's Notes version, HTH

James

 

I assume you are referring to the flange in the pic below? I plan on cutting the the flange and about an inch up the bedside out, bend some new pieces and weld them in. I have this in front of wheel well and behind. I'll post some pics when I do the work. I just finished my fenders and am starting on the bed.

 

Thanks for the response James. No. I'm referring to the flange where the side panel gets bolted to the bed floor. That little 90 degree bend with the holes in it is looking very nasty. On my 61, it's a straight shot from front to back and the bed floor is would. My thought was to weld a strip into that 90 degree bend, leaving the rusted flange in place. I would then use the old flange to mark and drill New mounting holes. Lastly I would cut off the rusted flange and grind it smooth from underneath. It should result in a smooth flange that functions and looks good. Any thoughts?

 

Itsmyford: Yah, looks like 65with352 got it right....but at least we learned the word FLANGE lol

Repairing the bedside is probably more difficult then the fenders, despite being heavier material, the fact that the panels are basically flat to begin with makes them more prone to warpage.....
Will both panels require a new flange from end to end? Best bet might be to sandblast, and evaluate what you find, then come up with a plan from there.....

James