Auto body help!

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Hey guys, I recently purchased a 95 dodge ram 2500, it's a diesel with 60k miles and 0 rust so I was all over it...Here is the catch - it needs some body work... I have already purchased a new bed and drivers side door. But the cab corner is smashed. I am thinking to save money that I am going to cut out the cab corner and weld in a new one from LMC truck... Any tips or info on fit up, and finish grinding would be much appreciated. The welding doesn't scare me but making sure it fits perfect does.Any tips on paint prep would be much appreciated. I have a friend that paints for a local body shop that is going to help me get the truck painted but we are going to prep it ourselves a s the more info I have the merrier.Miller Dynasty 300 DXMiller CST280Miller Maxstar 150 STH
Reply:start out cutting your hole for your repair panel smaller than your repair panel that way if you have a oopps it wont matter. use a 110 welder if avalible and tack weld the piece in. no continuous welds, it will warp. leave a 1/16 gap to weld so you get 100% penetration so when you gring off the outside to smooth it up you aren't removing all your weld. if its like my truck there is some insulation in that area you will need to remove, trust me it burns!!!
Reply:These panel clamps from Eastwood are a must for doing patch panels.  http://www.eastwood.com/intergrip-pa...-set-of-4.htmlThey are invaluable when trying to keep a panel lined up while welding it.  You may also consider getting a flanging tool so you can just overlap the 2 panels.
Reply:Use your patch panel as a template to cut cut the bad corner out. Put the patch in place and use self tapping screws to hold it to the truck. Then cut through both panels with a thin cutoff wheel.  No matter how crooked your cut line is the patch panel will fit up exactly. And it will have a perfect gap the width of your cutoff wheel.
Reply:Those body panel clips are good for quarter panel or or any long panel replacement. For this repair because of the uneven surfaces he would be better off with cleco clips, google for more info if your not sure what they are.Get your patch panel first, you would be better off looking in a scrap yard and getting the whole assembly that way if any of the hidden structure needs repaired/replaced you have a reference to go with. From the pics, its looks as if the damage extends around the backside of the cab and all the way up to the body line up to the slt emblem (on the back side).Trim your patch to your final size that you are happy with replacing and lay it up againt the cab as best as possible to mark for removal of the damaged part. As previously stated, trim smaller area on the damaged body than you patch, so that you can fine tune areas for the best fit-up. I always factor in a little more if there will be a curved area.I wire wheel all the paint back from the repair area about 2", makes easier to feather back in with paint touch up. I spray weldable primer on the backside for as much corrosion resistance as possible.You could probably fix just the corner and not worry about the backside if you wanted to, but I'm a perfectionist and would replace the whole c-pillar.Good Luck!Last edited by moparman68; 02-19-2013 at 09:52 AM.Some blue machinesSome red machineslots of heavy steel
Reply:I don't know where your at...but most auto salvage yards can cut out "clips"..You can literally get that whole section cut out then all you have to do is figure out where you need to cut for the new area... That cab is not that bad... probably very little internal damage so all you would really need is the cab corner section...believe it or not I have repaired damage worse than that...get yourself a GOOD spot weld cutter..like "Blair" for example...Lincoln pro mig 180Lincoln Square Wave Tig 300/wp 20/home built water cooler Victor, Purox, Harris, O/A welding/cutting setupsVintage Craftsman drill pressVintage Craftsman/Atlas 12"x 36'' lathe7''x 12'' w/c band saw Everlast 140 st
Reply:wouldn't it be in your best interest to pound out the cab damage, reshape and fill as necessary? At least the box won't have to come off for welding around the backside. Pull hammer and tapping from the inside should be ble to deal with that. The rest is easy as pie. Interested to find out how you're going to approach this, keeping the eyes peeled.  When a welder tells you to "stick it", what do they really mean?"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act." - George Orwell
Reply:Hey guys! Thanks for all the input!I have actually decided to take the truck to a body shop that is going to re-shape the corner for me! Ill post pics when I get it back.Miller Dynasty 300 DXMiller CST280Miller Maxstar 150 STH
Reply:Originally Posted by bearston At least the box won't have to come off for welding around the backside.
Reply:I actually removed the old box alone in about 10 min. I was able toScore a mint bed and drivers door for $600. I am going to repaint the whole truck so it just made things easier.Miller Dynasty 300 DXMiller CST280Miller Maxstar 150 STH
Reply:Well the body shop that was supposed to straighten the corner out cheap never called me back...   So yesterday I picked up a cab corner clip. Drilled out the spot welds and separated the skin.   I just picked up a maxstar 150 STH and I am planning on fitting everything up then tacking / pulse tig welding it in.   My main concern right now is cutting the damaged section out of the truck. A friend in the auto body industry said just to use a big drill bit BUT I may wind up getting a spot weld cutter because when I pulled the "new" skin I wound up blowing trough and making holes half the time.Miller Dynasty 300 DXMiller CST280Miller Maxstar 150 STH
Reply:Yes...a GOOD spot weld cutter is a must... it will make your job ALLOT easier... I usually use a Blair cutter looks like a little hole cuter...drill a 3/32 hole in the middle of each weld then use the spot weld cutter... there are many different style spot weld cutters but I like that style the most...mainly cause you can buy new parts for them instead of buying a whole new one at $40-50 a piece... also when you cut the old panel out give yourself an 1'' or so of area to"play" with when fitting the new section...and BUTT weld the new section in,DO NOT overlap it....set the new peice on, put some sheetmetal screws in to hold till you get it aligned right, then scribe out where you want your cuts, you can "hide" your cuts on body lines too but looking at your pics you'll need that whole new section.... take your time and plan ahead.. I have done hundreds of those....Another thing be care full and try to only cut through the first layer(the outer skin)... you don't want to go all the way through... sometimes they will make a little puff of smoke when you cut through that first layer...then stop...also keep your drill as close to 90 or you'll break the little teeth off...Last edited by DemonSpeeder; 03-07-2013 at 11:17 AM.Lincoln pro mig 180Lincoln Square Wave Tig 300/wp 20/home built water cooler Victor, Purox, Harris, O/A welding/cutting setupsVintage Craftsman drill pressVintage Craftsman/Atlas 12"x 36'' lathe7''x 12'' w/c band saw Everlast 140 st
Reply:DemonSpeeder, when you do the buts, do you try to get them as tight as possible or leave a little space , I have read recomendations for and against both, some say if you leave a small gap the weld is larger and therefore more shrinkage and distortion, some say if you dont leave a gap, no room for expansion and more distortion. The ones I have done I have traced out the panel patch on the damaged vehicle then cut with and air cut off wheel leaving as little space as possible, On some of the metal working sites they finish these joints with no filler of any kind, amazing work."Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum"Lincoln Idealarc 250 AC/DCMillermatic 251   Syncrowave 300   30A spoolgunLincoln MP210Hypertherm 45(2) LN 25(2) Lincoln Weldanpower 225 CV(4) SA200   1 short hood    SA250    SAM 400
Reply:If I'm Mig'n the new panel..I shoot for a 1/16 or so gap, If I'm Tig'n, I shoot for perfect fit or 1/32 at the most mainly cause I try to fuse the two only using filler if the gap opens up on me.... the distortion is mainly  from starting/stopping or say one spot gets heated up just a little more than another spot, the spot that was heated more is going to shrink and pull more, so the panel ends up with different amount of stresses which is where the warping comes from....you could literally (tig) fuse a door panel from end to end if you keep you heat consistent you'll get very little distortion(length wise) the weld will still need to be stretched though. Also Tig'n without filler means much less grinding... even grinding can shrink the metal too... Hope this makes sense...I should add that with Mig'n you really need a small gap because the filler wire needs to go through and have penetration with a small amount of build.. if you have a tight fit you'll need more heat to push it through and end up with more shrink and allot of buildup that needs to be ground off...Last edited by DemonSpeeder; 03-07-2013 at 12:21 PM.Lincoln pro mig 180Lincoln Square Wave Tig 300/wp 20/home built water cooler Victor, Purox, Harris, O/A welding/cutting setupsVintage Craftsman drill pressVintage Craftsman/Atlas 12"x 36'' lathe7''x 12'' w/c band saw Everlast 140 st
Reply:Hi from Maui;   When I lived in Missouri I owned a auto body shop, we used to do a lot of rust patch panels. Usually the lower half of doors and quarters. What I would do is trim off the damage then use a small panel flanger to make a step that the new panel would fit into. I trimed the new panel slightly smaller than the step, leaving room to weld. A few Clecos help. Stich or spot all around the piece to help avoid warping. Grind smooth, then I used to use a thin layer of fiberglass resin jelly to seal the weld, (both sides if possible) then smooth with bondo. Eric
Reply:Did this yesterday... Wound up using s self starting drill bit because I couldn't get a spot weld cutter and tacked a piece in to create a flange... Also couldn't track down a flaring tool. It went well. Tig welded everything it took about 6 hours.Miller Dynasty 300 DXMiller CST280Miller Maxstar 150 STH
Reply:Looks good   Dave J.Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:Looks factory.  Awesome job.  "G"ConductorX - The Volkswright Shophttp://volkswright.blogspot.com/http://bugwerks.blogspot.com/Miller DVI w/Spoolgun - Miller Plasma Cutter
Reply:Very nice. Looks a lot better than that first picture.
Reply:looking good
Reply:Looks good, a little paint and no one will know it was damaged. Will   Supports Autism Awareness                            My ToysBobCat 225 PLusMillermatic 130Miller Spectrum 300 CutmateEverlast Power Tig 185 Micro April is Autism Month .
Reply:Looking good a little primer a little paint and it's goodBacked my CATMA over your CARMA oops clusmy me  What would SATAN do ?? Miller Trailblazer 302 AirPakMiller Digital Elite  Optrel Welding HatArcair K4000Suitcase 12RC / 12 VSHypertherm PM-45Rage 3 sawRusty old Truck
Reply:Like a pro!Very nice!Some blue machinesSome red machineslots of heavy steel
Reply:Thanks for the compliments guys... One of the more stressful things I have done haha.Miller Dynasty 300 DXMiller CST280Miller Maxstar 150 STH
Reply:Did you have any problems with warping?  Did you stitch or spot weld?It did not warp. There were not too many flat spots I think I stitched? I ran one weld at a consistent 25ish amps Across the panel.Miller Dynasty 300 DXMiller CST280Miller Maxstar 150 STH