Body work

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Feb 26, 2008 | 12:46 AM

jorgholio

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Mountain Pass

Joined: Nov 2007

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From: Sylvan Lake

Body work

I'm looking to do a little body work on my 51. What guage and type of steel would you use for doing fender work?
And also, I have to do some welding on my dash as well.
Thanks

Feb 26, 2008 | 01:11 AM

Fomoko1

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From: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

It depends, usually 20 gauge for mainly straight pieces but 22 is much easier to work with when doing alot of forming.

Feb 26, 2008 | 07:51 AM

OldgreenF1

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Joined: Sep 2006

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From: Dayton, OH

Same here. I use 20 gauge for most everything. 22 Gauge seems so thin once you get use to working 20 gauge.

Feb 26, 2008 | 07:59 AM

going slow

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From: Marion,Iowa

yep 20 guage for body unless i was working of somthing like a rollpan or somthing to that sort. the i used 18...but im with oldgreenf1 22 seams thin after using 20 alot.

Feb 26, 2008 | 09:15 AM

AXracer

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Joined: Oct 2004

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From: Durham NC

Cold rolled steel is what you want. You can recognize it by it's silvery "steel" color. Hot rolled steel is the less desirable alternative which can be recognized by it's black color (if you must use hot rolled, the black oxide coating needs to be sanded off before welding or painting. I prefer to use the same or one gauge thicker sheet to the area I'm working on. It makes welding a little easier and gives you a little extra "meat" for filing and sanding when working out imperfections/smoothing welds and doesn't distort quite as easily. I typically use 18 ga for exterior body repair on our trucks.

Feb 26, 2008 | 05:17 PM

economan

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Joined: Dec 2001

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From: renfrew canada

what about satin coat steel? it is available in al of the above mentioned gauges.
the thing about cold rolled steel is if you use it in an area where you can't finish the backside which also means that it is also a possibility it could be in a location where it can sweat behind & rust from the inside out. satin coat has a weldable galvinized coating that resists rust.
just my experiance with coldrolled
mikie
near ottawa canada
58 merc 10 panel, & 64 econoline p/u

Feb 26, 2008 | 11:45 PM

Randy Jack

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Joined: Jun 2004

Posts: 4,190

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From: Riverside, So Cal

Quote:

Originally Posted by economan

what about satin coat steel? it is available in all of the above mentioned gauges. The thing about cold rolled steel is if you use it in an area where you can't finish the backside which also means that it is also a possibility it could be in a location where it can sweat behind & rust from the inside out. satin coat has a weldable galvinized coating that resists rust.
just my experiance with coldrolled

I haven't heard of satin coat steel before and I haven't seen it at my local steel vendors.

I don't like to weld anything galvanized. The fumes are dangerous. Sometimes, I just can't hold my breath taht long (LOL).

I use a rattle can weld-through primer on the backside of patches to deal with the rust issue on cold rolled sheet. It is available through most body shop supply stores. Zero Rust is another acceptable back side coating.