SC Coupe Restoration

[tperazzo]

Thanks MMW.

My TIG machine is a Lincoln Precision 185. (simple controls)
Using the stock foot pedal, although I would like to try a hand control. Since my car is on a rotisserie, I have yet to get into a position that I couldn't use my foot. On the topic of access, sometimes I found that the stock torch was too long, so I have the shortest back cap available for really tight spots. I'll post a picture of that next time.

Tungsten size is .040" red. Sharpened to a point

Cup size is around 5/16" or so.

Amps depend on metal thickness, but 15-22A most of time. Current control via the pedal is super handy. Once the puddle gets going, I back off the pedal. So actual amps might be around 10-12?

Filler rod is usually .030" (Straightened MIG wire). I've used .023" to fill rust pits with no burn through. Pits must be absolutely clean!

Gas CFH is about 12-15.

Nothing about TIG should be intimidating, Just practice and don't look back. No surprise I'm a huge TIG fan, ha ha.

Here's another picture of my rocker patch.





I could have spent more time flattening and smoothing this area more to make it perfect, but its good enough. Need to press on to other areas of the car.

Still looking for the picture of the bottom door gap and fit. I'll probably need to take a new one. O well.

Keep the comments and questions coming.
Thanks,
Tom

[roy mawbey]

Thanks Tom,

Always nice to see some actual figures and settings for car panel work. Wish I were a little younger sometimes to re- start my welding experiences. Tried recently with my friends Mig and seemed to get on well with it. Never been near a Tig but you never know I might at some point. Those butt welds make me want to have a go.

Thanks again

Roy

[MMW]

Thanks Tom. I should of mentioned I am a welder by trade. I have done mostly plate & sheet work & now am doing mostly construction/farm equipment welding repairs. I know my way around a tig but auto body work is completely different. The 185 is a nice machine I recommend it often as imo most people don't need all the bells & whistles plus they are cheap considering.

I bought a north south finger control & don't like it at all. Just picked up an east west one but haven't tried it yet. I am very good with the foot pedal in all positions. A lot of times its between my legs like a thigh master.

If you have the room I would try a bigger cup to get better gas coverage. I assume you have a #9 size torch?

[JTR70]

Tom, great to see you back! Thanks for the update and glad you are making some progress on your car. Welds look great! I would love to get my hands on a TIG welder. Thanks again, looking forward to more! Justin

[surfer71]

Nice welding it takes alot longer to set up and get it right before you weld..

I see so many forums with pigeon shit welding and a post going how good it is I have to try and resist commenting..

but it's nice to see the time taken to get it right.

[JTR70]

"pigeon shit welds" Actually that sounds a lot like some of my welds especially when I am trying to corral a hole that wants to keep growing and blow through. Oh well, that's why god created grinding disc's. A clear advantage of TIG over MIG is that you have all the control in the world over how much material you are introducing as you go. With a Mig you pull the trigger and hold-on. I really need to get one someday...

[tperazzo]

Nice welding it takes alot longer to set up and get it right before you weld..

I see so many forums with pigeon shit welding and a post going how good it is I have to try and resist commenting..

but it's nice to see the time taken to get it right.

Ha ha this hilarious. Now I can't stop thinking about welding anytime I see a pigeon. Thank you!

Mic, so glad to have a professional welder in the house! If you get a chance to try the settings I use, let me know what you think. Always open to more advice and info sharing. Thigh master brings back lots of thoughts, but nice idea.

I'm not a professional, rather I'm mostly self taught. I did take a 4 hour class from Steve Hogue and that included some MIG too. He's the guy who really turned me on to TIG for auto body. For those of you who don't know Steve Hogue's work, google him....A professional for sure!

I do a little bit of production welding for engine starter adapter rings, but that's all MIG welded. About 300 pieces so far.

Here's a picture of my TIG torch. Not sure which number this is, but I know smaller ones are available. Some are even bendable.





The arc is so small and controllable it's almost like cheating compared to MIG. MIG is like drinking from a fire hose because lots of wire is needed just to sustain the arc.

I've debated the benefits of MIG/TIG before, but bottom line is good results can be achieved with either one.

My project update: I wanted to show the fit of the passenger side rocker with the door. I promise, once I move the car away from the wall again to re-take that shot. I couldn't be happier with the fit. (less than 1/16" filler needed to make it perfect). The fit between the door and the front fender is a different story. This is where the factory used ton's of lead on the door. In my case 3/16" or so was removed in some areas.

The next problem area is the cowl section below the windshield. At some point the hood flew up, broke the hinge welds, and mangled the cowl. Someone had previously repaired the area by drilling holes and pulling it out. This created ant hills plugged with bondo.






This area was so badly damaged by an over active hammer that some of it had to be cut out. I hope you stay tuned for more.
Thanks
Tom

[JTR70]

Thanks for the update Tom! Cowl damage like that is never pretty. What is plan of attack? Will you cut this corner and fabricate a new section?
Justin

[roy mawbey]

Yes , I too am interested in seeing what you do with the cowl Tom.

Roy

[tperazzo]

Here's a few photos of the cowl repair.

I had to cut away the hammered areas. This relief also made working the originally dented area easier since one edge is no longer constrained.





After everything was shaped back to the approximate original position, I welded up that rectangle I cut. I also welded the holes closed.









Its still a little lumpy because its really hard to reach both sides of the panel to hammer it perfectly smooth. This area typically has filler in it to set the hood gap, so I think I'm done here.

It was nice having no floors and an extra hand on this repair. The drivers side isn't damaged nearly as bad. Its just a small crease from the hood hitting the cowl. I think I can just bump that out without cutting and welding.

Here's where I left it.








Thanks again for all the encouragement!

[JTR70]

Looking good Tom! Those tiny little TIG welds are neat and really illustrate the amount of control you have. One question and maybe you already did it and are just not showing the set up: Before you welded in that new section did you mock up the hood with hinges and a seal to get the panel repair elevation and gap established to reduce the amount of filler? Nice work! Justin

[roy mawbey]

Yes Tom, nice way of doing that very difficult area. I think you will be able to get that looking fine when you come to finish.

Roy

[Phil Planck]

Tom
Read your blog on door bottom repair. Very nice work. You did good by putting that slight vertical curve on the repair piece. Something I did not do, and have paid the price, as I have spent many hours trying to put that curve in after the fact. It is close, but will still require some filler to come out right(ugh). I am not familiar with blogs, but noticed it featured on the home page. What is the difference between blogging and posting here on this forum? Also, there is a good discussion going on at http://allmetalshaping.com regarding planishing welds that I think you would find interesting. You have to join the forum, I think, even to read posts, but might be worth trying. Also, there is a really talented welder/fabricator that has the nicest consistent long butt weld I have ever seen. The haz is the same width the complete length of the weld(gas). He claims this really minimizes distortion as shrinkage is the same all along the weld.

[merbesfield]

Thanks for tip on allmetalshaping.com. Looks interesting. Have registered.

[tperazzo]

Thanks Phil for the metal forum link. I signed up, but haven't found the thread you referred to. Have a link?

Its been a while since I updated my project thread here. I was just looking at the last few pictures involving my cowl repair. The photos made it look like this area was still dished, and it bothered me so I took a few more shots with a welding rod for reference. Its not perfect, but here are a few more photos.





Justin is correct that the hood should be on during this repair. I would have done this, but my hood is very kinked and distorted in this area. In my mind the hood is a monumental task, so I decided to tackle this little repair first.

I have a favor to ask in my next post.
Tom