First patch panel
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 15,882
Likes: 88
From: Durham NC
Nice job. What wire you using? I really really like ESAB's Easy-Grind with shielding gas in .025 for sheet metal work. It is significantly softer than standard wires so it is much easier to sand down, less likely to crack should you need to do some hammer and dolly work. Use 40 grit red sanding disks with a rubber backing pad on your angle grinder to grind down the weld bead, not a hard wheel. They are available at Lowes/Home Depot. Be careful to allow the metal to cool regularly, it's almost easier to shrink/warp while grinding than welding.
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 15,882
Likes: 88
From: Durham NC
Do yourself a favor. Find your local ESAB dealer and have them order you a spool of the .025 Spoolarc Easy Grind wire. ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTE! even if it is another ESAB product. If they try to tell you there is no such thing or something else is "the same thing" or is "what everybody uses" or say that it must have an AWS# (it does not!) INSIST they check with their ESAB supplier, it is ESAB sku # 1302F83 and can be found in ESAB's catalog online here:
Spoolarc Easy Grind
Pick up a package of .025 tips for your stinger while you are there.
Once you try it you'll understand why I'm so sold on it, it's well worth whatever hoops you have to jump thru to get it.
Spoolarc Easy Grind
Pick up a package of .025 tips for your stinger while you are there.
Once you try it you'll understand why I'm so sold on it, it's well worth whatever hoops you have to jump thru to get it.
Elder User
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 648
Likes: 0
From: Saskatoon
Reg. $749.00 on for $589.00 with a bonus pack (gloves, hammer, wirebrush, soap markers). Now another $200 for the tank and gas....
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 15,882
Likes: 88
From: Durham NC
Have you checked on leasing a tank rather than buying it? Be sure to get a large enough tank, mine is ~4" tall and ~ 9" in diameter with a round metal shutoff handle rather than requiring a wrench. Don't bother with one of those baby tanks, they are about as expensive to fill as a larger one and will always run out right in the middle of a project at the start of a holiday weekend!
Be sure to get a self darkening welding helmet. Servicable ones can be had for ~ 80.00. Avoid the real cheap ones the reaction time is too slow. A SD helmet makes such a big difference in the learning curve and improves your welds 1000%.
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 15,882
Likes: 88
From: Durham NC
Go for a new one. The used ones are typically really old clunkers the size of a kitchen range that require a fork lift to move, discontinued models that have no parts support, or have had a very hard life. Then they want a higher price than a new one of the same capacity because they paid a lot more money when they bought it than they cost now with modern tech. Kinda like buying a used computer.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,242
Likes: 2
From: Bartlett, TN
Did you use the new panel to mark your cut? Are you sure the mounts will line up?
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
3 Best / 3 Worst Parts of Modern Ford Ownership
Brett Foote
10 Amazing Upgrades That Solve Common Ford Truck Owner Headaches
Pouria Savadkouei
Every 2026 Ford Engine Explained
Brett Foote
10 Ugly Ford Trucks That We Still Kinda Love
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Every Truck Owner NEEDS (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer
Joe Kucinski
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)
Brett Foote
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies
Joe Kucinski
Thread Starter
|
Senior User
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 326
Likes: 0
From: Glen burnie MD
Yeah i marked it off with the new panel to get it close and i cut just before the line and grinded the rest off till it was a perfect fit. I made sure it was the right size by standing it up to my other fender and matched up holes on bed side before i finish welding it up.
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 15,882
Likes: 88
From: Durham NC
Here's a tip: When marking panels for cutting, clean the area down to bare metal with a clean and strip wheel first. Then color a wide path where the line will go with a black or blue permanent marker (I use a broad tip Marks-a-lot). Scribe the line with a sharp scribe, an ice pick or even a large darning needle with the eye pushed into a hole in the end of a dowel will work if you don't have a scribe. The line will stand out as a bright thin line against a dark background, and will not wipe or burn off like pencil while cutting/grinding. Should you need to remove the marker, use a paper towel dipped in rubbing alchohol. If you make a mistake just reblacken the wrong line and rescribe.
