How to Repair a Rust Hole on a Wheel Well Arch | Sheet Metal Welding, Bondo

In this video I will demonstrate how to repair a rust hole on a wheel well arch by welding in new sheet metal and filling with Bondo. This is a permanent and high quality method of repairing rust.
/ @lakesideautobody

[@rbelang8331]

That's the one I was looking for! Thanks Jerry...

[@matth.4932]

Very informative! thank you!

[@LakesideAutobody]

You're welcome. Glad you found it useful - Jerry

[@german69692007]

Wow, Impressive work

[@LakesideAutobody]

Thanks

[@claybird8184]

Thank you.

[@kennethdandurand3472]

They didn't come out till the end of my welding career, but Auto Darkening is the only way to go. If you can weld, buy one.

[@VITOSGARAGE]

Thank you for the video sir. I save old school Mercedes and there's a 1981 W123 that I need to weld the floor pans on and trunk area. Do I need a gas for this mig welder or it'll be okay without it?

[@LakesideAutobody]

You can use flux core welding wire with a MIG. I've always used gas but if they make the flux core wire it's got to work. That's a super cool Mercedes by the way - classic - must have been nice driving one brand new.

[@VITOSGARAGE]

@@LakesideAutobody Awesome, thank you sir. How thick of a Flux core or Mig welding wire do I have to use? And thank you, these old school Mercedes are amazing. I have 3 of them and tons of videos on as well. I recently took one of them with 450k miles accross the country. They don't make great cars like that anymore.

[@LakesideAutobody]

I think you would be fine with .030 flux core.

[@Anthony_in_Bloomington_Indiana]

What kind of welding are you doing on the patch panel? I took a semester of arc welding. That's the only kind of welding I know how to do. Though I read a few articles and learned that among guys who do bodywork, there is a lot of debate about which type works better, mig or tig welding.

[@LakesideAutobody]

MIG for sure - every body shop I've worked at in Michigan used a mig. Tig is better for aluminum. I have always used Miller MIG welders - very good quality. Even the little 110v MIGs are great for anything you'll want to do for auto body. Do not listen to the internet on this - go ask at a few body shops in your area - those guys do it every day - they not using TIG.

[@urbanlumberjack]

Great video!

[@LakesideAutobody]

Thank you so much. If you have any ?'s, don't hesitate to ask. Jerry

[@kennethdandurand3472]

BTW. Very good video.

[@LakesideAutobody]

Thanks - Jerry

[@MidwestToolReview]

Does the slight taps of the hammer really move the metal that much? Is there any risk of water migrating thru the gaps (

[@LakesideAutobody]

Yes the light taps actually do quite a bit - you can always hit it harder if you need. Check this video out for the water/moisture issue: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gHqsoKGAhLulpZY also for longevity: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bonEi3WvbKx2baM - Nice channel and name BTW - Jerry

[@davidg5704]

Subbed. Learned how to do my own repair. Picked up a new Forney mig 140 to fix rear wheel arch on Corolla near gas neck fill. Is it safe as long as I shield the filler neck and cover gas cap? Thanks Jerry👍

[@LakesideAutobody]

It's safe. I always smell for fumes just to make sure there's no obvious leaking problems. I usually shield the area or cover it up with something. Muffler guys are welding under cars every day right next to the tanks. You can even use wet towels or rags to cover stuff. Let me know how it goes :)

[@adventures223]

Hi jerry did you use a cut off wheel to grind your spot welds or a special gringing wheel thanks this is one of your best veideos very informative step by step

[@LakesideAutobody]

There's two things only that I use to grind down welds (not completely flush). I'll put links so you know exactly what I'm talking about 1) www.harborfreight.com/5-in-high-speed-air-sander-68739.html (doesn't have to be HF) 2) www.harborfreight.com/1-4-quarter-inch-45-cfm-air-die-grinder-92144.html (with a cut of wheel) usually for real detailed grinding near edges and such - when I want to stay right on top of a little weld bump. Don't use an angle grinder - guys don't usually use those in body shops. Those are more for fabrication shops - welding trailers and stuff like that.

[@shawnv1463]

Holy hack job Batman

[@LakesideAutobody]

There are 3 ways professional body shops in SE Michigan fix rust: 1) Combination of Lap and Butt welds. If you insist on strictly butt welds, here's the best way to do them for longevity: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m2rFm42Vit2ngMk 2) Lap joint using structural adhesive or panel bond 3) Fiberglass cloth and fiber reinforced body filler If you aiming for a show car that you don't drive in the winter butt welding, grinding the welds off, and "metal finishing" is what you're looking for. See Eastwood’s video as to why body shops don’t butt weld then aggressively grind off the strongest part of the welds, and attempt to metal finish today’s extremely thin metal: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qKGrZmOhnZmKZpI

[@jonathanyates5198]

Shawn v that is how every body shop fixes rust. Butt welding the thin stuff constantly blows holes and then to get the weld ground flat you are also grinding metal and making it thin

[@LakesideAutobody]

@@jonathanyates5198 Good points Jonathan :)

[@wheelchairwarrior72]

@@jonathanyates5198 I don’t know what body shops you’ve been to but that junk wouldn’t be done in mine. I’d fire anyone that works for me on the spot if they tried to pull that crap. Heck you can buy a new aftermarket fender cheaper than what it’s costing him to hack that one up. Pitiful!!!

[@cuzimadapapushkian799]

Thanks for the video. Your explanation, along with the demonstration, is just great. I have an old hood laying around and you have inspired me to practice on it. However, practically, speaking, if you were do to this on an actual car or truck, would you still be able to do spot welds on the wheel well on the gas tank side? I would think the sparks would be a hazard, and there must be another method when you have to take a gas tank into consideration. Empty the tank first, maybe? Thanks again.

[@LakesideAutobody]

Absolutely - I worked in body shops for a lot of years and never saw one explosion. I would not weld or do anything if I smelled gas though. Think of muffler shops they weld under cars every day - no news of shops blowing up. I know it sounds dangerous and it is possible but I have not witnessed it. You can take protective measures though too like taping off the filler door etc.

[@cuzimadapapushkian799]

@@LakesideAutobody Thanks my friend. I think I'll give it a go. My son wants to buy his first car but it has rust around the wheel well and the bottom of the doors. I watched your videos on both issues, and I'm glad I won't be shooting in the dark now. I've subscribed to your channel. Thanks again for your quick reply.

[@LakesideAutobody]

@@cuzimadapapushkian799 After you make the repair make sure the panel can drain - no trapped salt water and debris - Check these out - it may help also - kzbin.info/www/bejne/bonEi3WvbKx2baM or kzbin.info/www/bejne/aKCWaJeOYpKqZqs

[@texasgrown2021]

I have a few questions about rust on my 1981 Chevy c10

[@mynamesjudge]

Thanks, this was helpful. Out of curiosity, was this filmed on VHS?

[@LakesideAutobody]

Yes - Panasonic PV-950 :)

[@mynamesjudge]

@@LakesideAutobody Awesome

[@bobbyrayofthefamilysmith24]

Filmed in 1946

[@philh9238]

What is the gauge of metal for automotive sheet metal

[@LakesideAutobody]

20 o 22 works best :)

[@rosshoffman8473]

Do you ever use patch panels on wheel well or cab corners for easy contouring?

[@LakesideAutobody]

Yes - sorry about the late reply. It does make it much easier :)

[@phewturesteelbuildings-yes9559]

Why cut a wavy curve instead of just a rectangle and use a flanger so it’s flush and won’t need bondo?

[@LakesideAutobody]

I use a combination of both lap and butt on almost every patch. I would never just butt two pieces of metal up, weld it, then grind away at the area attempting to metal finish it for many reasons but here are two: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g5eunYGHe5Kiaqs - kzbin.info/www/bejne/m2rFm42Vit2ngMk Also today’s metal is .030. That is literally 6 hairs (hair is .005) thick. You start grinding on that and voila paper thin metal and welds. Both methods work well if done properly so in the end it’s what works for you.. Surely you’re not going to butt weld and metal finish this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aWfdnJZviraUitU or some of my other rust repair videos. Use small overlap - weld solid - no moisture - especially if you keep the drain holes clean (most important thing in rust prevention). Keep in mind the opening of the seam is upside down on the inside too. Please see this video for longevity of this type of repair if done correctly: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bonEi3WvbKx2baM or kzbin.info/www/bejne/aKCWaJeOYpKqZqs Jerry

[@phewturesteelbuildings-yes9559]

Ah thanks for the clarification Jerry - hope you didn’t think I was being a smart ass - obviously a small video is a snapshot of the craft - I just observed it would have been easier to simply just section in a straight line vs making a repair piece the same as you cut with the nibbler

[@jonathanyates5198]

Also between the heat of the welder and grinder you will still have to use at least a coat of glaze

[@chazkent4788]

Why does it look like it was filmed on VHS?

[@LakesideAutobody]

It was. I started the channel with a panasonic omnimovie pv-950 - just wanted to see if there was interest before spending money on a decent camera. Pretty good picture though for a VHS camera that you "wear" :)

[@FirstAidIndustries]

Hi there. First time viewer. Just a quick question re welding on the car?? Do we need to do anything to protect the Ecu or electrics while welding? Many thanks in advance.

[@LakesideAutobody]

You can disconnect the negative battery terminal - that all we ever did in the shop - never had a problem. A lot of times I'd forget yet still never had a problem.

[@FirstAidIndustries]

@@LakesideAutobody Thankyou :). That was quick. Great videos. Thanks

[@stevefuller1779]

@@LakesideAutobody , Yeah, I gave up bothering to disconnect electrics years ago and never had a proplem, I think you would have to spark the welder rightonto the ECU to have any chance of damage

[@davidbondy4359]

jerry do you use shield gas on your mig welder.

[@LakesideAutobody]

Yes - the welder used in this video is a Miller Millermatic 90 with .023" wire. It uses 80/20 or 75/25 co2/argon mix.

[@rickeyprovidence2640]

Show me u cut the patch ok

[@danthedewman1]

savage...lol

[@randyb726]

Nothing personal man but I think my grandmother would do a better job

[@LakesideAutobody]

Here's a good video on the topic: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gHqsoKGAhLulpZY

[@claybird8184]

Will this last almost as good if you use adhesive and rivets?

[@LakesideAutobody]

I believe it would and I think If you knocked the patch down well enough to get a good solid layer of filler you would be fine. I've wanted to do a video on that. Like maybe JB welding a patch on - knocking in down - filling it. I would try it.

[@claybird8184]

@@LakesideAutobody Thank you very much, I find your videos very informative and very good explanations. I like the good, down to earth repairs without going crazy!

[@LakesideAutobody]

Thanks - with cars being as much $ as they are, folks are going to have to get resourceful and really start making cars and trucks last. Glad you enjoy the channel. Jerry

[@texasgrown2021]

I have rust all different kinds of places on my truck

[@LakesideAutobody]

What's your ?'s

[@texasgrown2021]

@@LakesideAutobody 1981 Chevy c10 pickup

[@texasgrown2021]

@@LakesideAutobody if you want to look at it it's in a couple of my videos

[@LakesideAutobody]

@@texasgrown2021 I'll check it out

[@LakesideAutobody]

@@texasgrown2021 The truck is pretty nice - just needs work. I had a 1977 Chevy Scottsdale - same body style - those were great trucks - nice ride. They have lots of body parts for that at fixmyrust.com

[@khndenmark]

Amateur

[@LakesideAutobody]

Use small overlap - weld solid - no moisture - especially if you keep the drain holes clean (most important thing in rust prevention). Please see this video for longevity of this type of repair if done correctly: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bonEi3WvbKx2baM or kzbin.info/www/bejne/aKCWaJeOYpKqZqs

[@kodiakbear3519]

khndenmark Your a hater .Why dont you show us some of your spectacular bodywork/ rust repairs ? If not then just shut up ! Its not jerrys fault that your mom beat you when you were a child . Quit hating !