patch panel gap welding question

[wazzabie]

Is this gap to wide for a patch panel mig weld?

 

[rebelgregory]

After recently welding in a few patches, I'm going with yes - it's too much gap. At least, for my skills/equipment. I'd just blow holes in it. Someone else on here might be able to do it, though. I trimmed my patches until the gap was roughly as wide as the sheetmetal is thick.

I think it's fixable though, you may have to make small filler strips for the larger gaps. Yes it will be a PITA, but better welds/results in the end I would think.

 

[AR_K5]

Idk your skill level or what kind of welder you are using but you can take two flat square metal tabs tack one horizontally above (tack top side only) and one horizontally below (tack bottom side only), then put carefully clamp them till the gap is gone (don't bend the body panels), and tack it. Then bend the tabs like you are pull them apart and they'll pop right off and you can grind off your tack welds. Just remember when you start welding on the panel not to start at the tack holding the gap closed or it will pop open as soon as you apply heat.

 

[Mark1968]

You can try but you'll likely melt the edges of both sides.
Rule of thumb is a gap the thickness of the metal you are working with or the thickness of the welding wire

 

[Stomis]

You could do it if you can get a spoon behind it but again width should equal thickness on a butt weld.

 

[diesel4me]

Gap is pretty wide,it would be better if it was a closer fit with little to no gap--but you could weld it in if your skilled with a MIG and had the heat and wire speed settings dialed in good...

An old school trick to weld pieces with a wide gap like that was to use copper as a back up metal to fill in the open gap--weld cant stick to copper,and it lets you weld a bead across both pieces,and fill the gap in without blowing thru..you could use copper tubing sliced in half and flattened,clamp it behind the steel tight as possible..

 

[NorCal69]

I'd be more interested first in making sure that the rocker box reinforcement assembly plate bolts up to that piece and the body first. That should really tell you where your gap is going to be. Make sure that it lines up on the inside of the outer rocker at that time too.

Big gaps are easy to weld across if you can just get a couple to jump over the seam. Once you have a couple, just tack on the back side of them until your seam is done.

 

[Greg72]

You can probably bridge that gap with a really shallow gun angle and tons of patience.

I've done it before, but it wasn't a good time.


-G

 

[Stomis]

An old school trick to weld pieces with a wide gap like that was to use copper as a back up metal to fill in the open gap--weld cant stick to copper,and it lets you weld a bead across both pieces,and fill the gap in without blowing thru..you could use copper tubing sliced in half and flattened,clamp it behind the steel tight as possible..

AKA a welding spoon.

 

[ktmoutfront]

I have tacked a piece of material behind, then placed the new part where needed and weld up the gap.

 

[cybrfire]

Whatever you do, if you decide to fill that gap. It's gona take time. If it doesn't take alot of time, you're warping the sheet metal.