Almost Failed Auto Body Repair: Jeep body patch weld

[@wg8304]

Great attitude towards DIY. The confidence to “not make it worse” is infectious. I commend you.

[@DougsMessyGarage]

Fitzee is an absolute sheet metal wizard. It's great to see you were successful following his cut and butt technique.

[@gmoney9588]

Fitzee’s fabrications is a great channel . He’s very modest of his skills but does great work . He emphasizes that he makes due with what he’s got and does a great job at that . The ideal MIG wire for sheet metal / body repair is around .023 gauge . It ought to make slightly smaller tacks and spots than .030 wire which is overkill on 18 and 20 gauge. Got to go back to fitzee’s channel , he mentioned his preference for welding gas . He does make good welds on fabrication and repairs , he has a good channel to pick up tips from . Have to say overall , you’ve got a handle on what to do from preparing yourself with research and practice . I think you’ll get this Jeep looking good as your approaching it with the right and careful attitude . That makes all the difference when just starting out .

[@jimhoran5445]

Right on G money!

[@JeepSolid]

Yes. Thank you. Always learning

[@moabwheeling]

Great job Dale . I'm going to be tackling something like this on my TJ this year. I have the common rust spot below the license plate . I did repair this about 5 years ago but its coming back. Time to weld in a patch panel now. I was going to suggest Fitzee's to you also , however you already watch him. That man is amazing and has taught me a lot thru his videos. Until next time take care and be safe sir.

[@JeepSolid]

Yes. His stuff is really good

[@fishsticksmlg]

for grinding the weld I always use a 80 grit flap disc, the normal al-ox wheels are pretty rough on the metal and means you have to do more prep work on the primer/bodyfill side. fantastic job still. thankfully the wrangler is a big flat box so no need for complex bends or twists!

[@bkpickell]

I know this is 2 years old, but I always use 023 wire to weld sheet metal. It helps to keep me from blowing through. Also that 45 you cut for your buttwelds is why you were blowing through. You essentially halved the thickness of the metal and if you don't get the two pieces flat against each other you will blow through.

[@fitzeesfabrications]

Well done. Great how you kept trying and figure out each problem the more you do the easier you will find it. Keep up the great work

[@JeepSolid]

Thanks!! Your videos helped me a ton 👍🏼

[@gmoney9588]

Absolutely keep practicing technique to prevent blow through , you will get it . You may just need to adjust the angle you hold the gun at so the weld is focused more at the metal and less at the gap . You’ll find your technique and what works best for you . Heaven knows that Jeep’s accumulate enough rust and you’ve got enough Jeep’s to keep you busy so there’s plenty of practice ahead and lots of content to be had . The harbor freight titanium MiG is said to be a good choice for us diyer’s so I’m sure you’ll do well . The great part is your doing it yourself and saving big money on auto body repair . That’s rewarding in itself .

[@JeepSolid]

Yes. Plenty of practice available on these jeeps. Haha! Thank you

[@jimjohnston3188]

I had to replace the floor boards on my Jeep. Had never welded anything before. Quite a learning experience.

[@JeepSolid]

That’s a great way to learn

[@deanwattles8722]

the patch on lower body, tack patch over bad spot before you cut it out. then use grinder to cut through both the patch and the body with the grinder angled so you are cutting a cork basically. In other words the disc is angled into the patch area, that way the patch is a perfect fit to the body.

[@JeepSolid]

I’ll try that 👍🏼

[@gmoney9588]

Agreed . Although I haven’t done sheet metal repair yet , but need to , this is said to be a tried and true method . The body will have a 30 or 45 degree cut and the patch will match . I’m sure if done carefully , it ought to perfectly match each gap and reduce or eliminate grinding the patch to fit and leave an adequate gap to tack weld in place . I’m guessing a 1 / 16” cutting wheel ought to do nicely . Be careful with those thin cutting wheels though , easy to blow one up if we’re not careful and push and flex the wheel too aggressively .

[@cam-vb8cu]

Can you tell me what welder you use and what type of wire?

[@ciscolm]

When you make your cut on your patch panel to make it flush tack a few places than angle your welder about 45 degree and weld towards that panel and the weld will back up to the other panel and turn the music down a welder listens to his welding.

[@claudexy]

hi dale..small tip: i recommend tacking from the top and tacking going down, going over the previous tack. pretty much like you were doing, but going down. but good job..:) same thing for sideways. your tack leaves a bit more metal, so it's easier to tack on top of that. adding to that tack. hard to explain...:) lol

[@JeepSolid]

Yeah. I started to notice a difference on the angle and direction 👍🏼

[@PaulKaiser42]

That’s awesome Dale!!! Great job 👍🏻👍🏻

[@KensStuff]

As soon as i saw the way you was putting the patch on i thought about Fitzee's fabrication. glad to see you watch him also. only thing i can suggest is thinner wires. go down to .028 wire and now days most cars and trucks are about 20 or 22 gage steel. Fitzee like to work with older car metal because it's thicker. and since he's doing a lot of grinding he needs that extra thickness. don't worry about blowing through just keep working at it. even he blows through some times. and even admits he does. so long as you keep trying it's all good. the patch came out good. i've done a lot worse over the years. but i won't admit to what on.. :)

[@JeepSolid]

Yes. His stuff is great! You’re right on your metal thickness and wire recommendations. I’ll have to look at some changes

[@2Small2Fail]

Hi Dale, thank you so much for the encouragement to try something new. I've been looking at sheet welding videos for over a year now trying to work up the nerve to try it. One of the issues I'm having is finding someone using the same welder I bought for my purpose. But in your video I think I see a Harbor Freight Titanium welder. I don't think you ever say what welder or settings you ended up using. Is that by any chance the Titanium Flux 125? And if so, what settings did you use that gave you the best success on the 18 gauge sheet metal? Thanks again!

[@JeepSolid]

Thank you. Glad my videos have helped. Best thing you can do is get some scrap and just start. You’ll get things wrong, but some right. You’ll gain confidence and learn. My welder is harbor freight titanium mig 140. I used 18g metal. 0.030 wire. Not flux wire. I’ve heard flux wire isn’t as good for sheet metal work. Harder to get clean welds, but I haven’t tried with flux. My wire speed was 136. V 15.5. Induction 7.5. Hope that helps 👍🏼

[@porterdor39]

@@JeepSolid thank you

[@porterdor39]

Good question

[@MrFordtruck696]

What was your wire speed and voltage settings? I'm just learning to weld and starting to do the same type of repairs

[@gmoney9588]

The tailgate repair looks pretty good . Maybe just a little going over with a flap wheel will make it a little smoother but doesn’t look so bad now .

[@JeepSolid]

Thanks

[@germaned.lealnino631]

Why not cut the new metal piece the correct size? Why cut it to size against the panel while you weld?

[@Stryder-mc1lu]

I think you do a great job, in my opinion you're very talented,. My only suggestion would be to jack (raise) the Jeep so the angle you are welding from is more comfortable / favorable to work from ?

[@301steady]

I laughed when I saw all the lazer holes; but, nicely done. Have to start somewhere.

[@NCTradeCraft]

Hey Dale, watch out for your jeeps auto glass, welding next to good glass will embed small specs of flack into your windows

[@NCTradeCraft]

Harbor freight sells welding blankets as protection for good finishes

[@JeepSolid]

Oh! Good to know. Thx

[@NCTradeCraft]

@@JeepSolid ask me how I know lol...

[@BroncoSolid]

@@NCTradeCraft how do you know?

[@JRay1980]

great job for 1st time!!!

[@JeepSolid]

Thanks!

[@BroncoSolid]

That’s not easy stuff. Good work.

[@JeepSolid]

Thanks!

[@claudexy]

me again..:) i learn a lot with your videos..thanks...they're also very intertaining...lol

[@leskobrandon538]

More wire speed is needed

[@JeepSolid]

Thanks! I will play with that.

[@gmoney9588]

It did look like the wire speed was too slow on your practice weld off the Jeep . Absolutely be sure the amperage isn’t too high . You’ll just want to spot or tack to be hot enough to penetrate but not burn through with even a micro burst of the gun . Dialing in on scrap metal of equivalent material is a must . Agreed . I haven’t done sheet metal patch body work yet ( will get to it ) but have done 18 and 20 gauge metal . Exhaust pipe is similar . I learned on that first .

[@wadebasham3989]

Can I get a Jeep solid decal

[@JeepSolid]

Yes. That should be linked in my merchandise 👍🏼

[@wadebasham3989]

Hey dale I got a question could you do a video about the power steering???