Just thought I would chime in here with some of our experience.

MIG hates magnets too by the way! Haven't you found this Greg? I have never ever had luck with magnets!

I second the cleko/strap method. We made a ton of 1/8 one inch straps with two holes, and you span the gap with clekos. Usually though, we don't try and cut the hole or panel off and fit the other piece or patch to it, as it is a pain. Simply overlap the entire panel you are trying to flush in, cleko it down the seam, and make a cut through both layers with a super thin cutoff disc. go about 8 inches, peel back the outer and inner strip that is cut off, and the panel lays in perfectly flush and ready to tack. Just dont go close to the end of your cut, always cut further.

you will like this method I promise!

Thanks for the tip. Honestly, I have not ever got the mig close enough to the magnet to discover the issue. Glad I didn't!

Also I can attest to the mig being harder to grind. More grinding, more heat, more warpage. Looks like the tig lessons will accelerate.

Thanks everyone for the tips.

Well --- if you really get down to it -- there is "metal working" -- and there is car building the "normal way". The normal way is making a patch panel - welding it in -- grinding it down without compromising the body --- and then slathering bondo on it and doing some bodywork.

Don't kill yourself if you're not building a 1.3MM SEMA car.... A thin skim coat of bondo and some primer and block sanding works just fine. I prefer low spots over high spots... high spots are a biatch...

I'm being totally serious here.

Few people are ever going to do enough work like this to be doing "metal work". TIG or no TIG... TIG is just a finer art of welding - and it is more versatile - cleaner - and blah blah blah... but being able to TIG won't make you a metal worker so don't over estimate its significance.

That is some sage sh!t right there. Way to put it in perspective GW!


Jeff-

Stuff like this is why I love LAT G.....


When you get a chance -- would you post up a couple of "demo" pics to show us all what you're saying.

Pictures are worth a 1000 words you know! :lol:


I really like this method!

Thanks Don - but what I wanted to see was his method of cutting out the patch.... that he was describing. Where he's cutting thru two pieces of material - the patch and the rotten part so that the patch fits the cut perfectly.... I just wanted to see it in a couple pics... and not just for myself - but for others to learn from as well.


:cheers:

Gregweld, I will do a little demo this week and post it up for everyone. Once you see it it will "click" and make sense. Works awesome

Tyler