Fractured sheet metal (CCO pan seat)

[csanderson]

I know this could go on the main forum, but figured it'd fit better down here, as it's more about welding than it is about Cub's specifically.
My first vehicle, many years ago, was a '39 Chev. P.U. with balloon fenders. One of the back fenders had a tear in it from vibration, and I figured I could just get it welded and then learn how to re-finish it. Was told that wouldn't work, as, as because of what the welding did to the metal, the rip would just come back right along the weld.
So, my question is, with advances in welding in the last 46 years, is there a better way, or what would be the best way, to make this repair on sheet metal that is exposed to vibrations? Thanks, Curt

 

[kweaver]

Curtis - Believe me , with a person's weight sitting on a seat it's not going to vibrate much ... there might be some harmonics but nothing it'd take to fracture a seat. A good welder with a little MIG and a fast hand could fix it right up and not distort it and a little DA work and it'd never be known. Body shops use to weld in quarter panels all the time and what about chopped tops and all the other million dollar custom cars ... of course back then a 7018 rod cranked up to 150 amps could have welded a '39 CHEVY fender ... better try a 9volt battery and a light bulb filament on todays cars !

 

[csanderson]

Thanks Ken. The only welding exp. I have is some production tig welding, and I learned at that time that's not a very good learning experiance for regular welding. Just fast and hot and don't burn holes in the thin wall tubing. I appriciate your response. Curt

 

[kweaver]

Curtis - TIG aluminum is my expertise (was, as my hands are getting to bad). I like it better for thin stuff if it doesn't warp. I have trouble keeping my eye caught up with my hands doing a fast hot pass with the MIG. I use to TIG weld Pepsi cans together just to show that it can be done. It takes more amps than you'd think. I turned my Miller 460 amp all the way down to 5 amps but it wouldn't hold an arc so I had to start working up til it'd hold steady.

 

[jcarlton]

Ken's right if anything yer bottom end oughta act as a stabilizer and reduce vibration in the pan seat, I've bought a couple pan seats that were repaired both good and not so much the one I bought for my 70 in college was done by the same guy we use for our farm equipment, never had a problem out of it.

 

[csanderson]

Never anything near as thin as a pepsi can. Just the stuff used for port a panels and round bale feeders for livestock handling. I never had much trouble with it but they tried out a lot of people that ended up chasing holes all over that square tubing, and never could figure it out.

 

[kweaver]

You know , I couldn't get the hang of acetylene welding UNTIL I started TIG welding and I took to it like Kraig on a FREE restored 125 I'd rather TIG aluminum than eat or sleep. The shops around here can't do it fer crap and they use to send it all to me. Now I'm kaput and can't find any young feller (or gal) to teach the proper way to do it. I've seen some really messed up stuff from other so called aluminum welders.
I've used TIG to braze steel with too, works pretty good. I tried out a job in Louisville back in the 70's that TIGed stainless steel cookers for KFC. You sat in a swivel rocker and did vertical downs with hardly any filler rod. That kind of work just wasn't for me though ... I like gettin dirty!
I had to do some welding on a gate panel here when I moved and all I had was a 225 Lincoln buzz box and 6011 rods. That stuff is pretty darn thin. I chased a hole or 2