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kishy's 1985 Country Squire

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    Originally posted by Tiggie View Post
    How to you plan to patch on the floor? Butt welding is a good option if you can get things lined up with the patch. I’ve had good luck in a similar situation by laying the new panel over the current remaining floor, temp attachment with screws, cut both layers along one edge, tack weld the new perfectly matched edge, and continue to another edge.

    I’ve also did a flange type thing with a special pliers and weld. Which was easy, and with seam sealer made a decent repair. There really isn’t a way for moisture to get in there if you seal both sides. I prefer butt welding though.
    Ah, yes. The question I keep asking myself.

    I would like to weld it, but I never have welded. I bought a flux-core welder specifically for this project and figure it'll be a learning experience.

    But, it will take a fair bit of accurate alignment of the new pan for that to work well. The hard part is probably going to be "templating" the junkyard cut-out so it will align with my cuts in the car.

    In retrospect I wish I had cut out two strips of the bad metal and left the middle section. But no going back now. I didn't realize how solid the rest of that metal was until the grinder was already through it.

    The only reason accuracy counts here is that the fuel tank strap mounts are on it.

    I could probably overlap the new pan "outside" (below) the trunk area and run screws through it, and seam seal it. It'd be ugly as sin but I strongly suspect it would do the job.

    Current driver: Ranger
    Panthers: 83 GM 2dr | 84 TC | 85 CS
    | 88 TC | 91 GM
    Not Panthers: 85 Ranger | Ranger trailer | 91 Acclaim | 05 Focus
    Gone: 97 CV | 83 TC | 04 Focus | 86 GM
    | Junkyards

    Comment


      I have tubes of automotive grade seam sealer and adhesive...
      1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
      1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

      Comment


        Cut more out of the junkyard car than you think you will need. Its much easier to trim it at your place than to try and grow the metal that isn't there anymore.
        86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
        5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

        91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

        1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

        Originally posted by phayzer5
        I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

        Comment


          Originally posted by Steveh66 View Post
          I was in the same situation as yours. Luckily I found a wagon in the junk yard with a good pan.

          If it gets water in there the carpet will hold it in and rust it out.

          [ATTACH=CONFIG]52261[/ATTACH]
          Well done, re: cutting that section out.

          I'm reasonably sure from the condition of the tailgate window seal that this rust might have been accelerated by water in the interior side, not from below.

          Oddly, the rust is mostly in places where the insulation and carpet didn't touch the metal.

          Originally posted by DerekTheGreat View Post
          I have tubes of automotive grade seam sealer and adhesive...
          Yes, but I still owe you money, so don't offer me things until that's sorted lol. I may take you up on that once I settle on a plan of attack. If it gets welded, no sealing will be needed, probably.

          Originally posted by gadget73 View Post
          Cut more out of the junkyard car than you think you will need. Its much easier to trim it at your place than to try and grow the metal that isn't there anymore.
          Yes, I did in my case, which is good.



          It isn't rust-free, but it's intact so it can be cleaned up and made decent. Not like the car it's going on is spotless of course.

          I realized that I don't need to do the spare tire well in the quarter panel, although I also cut out a junkyard section for that too. I can just fiberglass body fill over the pinholed bottom of it, which will fix its structural value, and the deep almost-through rust at the corner of the wheel arch doesn't go into the interior, it's still outside of the body. So I'm probably leaving that alone entirely and soaking it in oil to slow its spread. It's not an angle I've photographed, surprisingly, but you can see it here:


          Current driver: Ranger
          Panthers: 83 GM 2dr | 84 TC | 85 CS
          | 88 TC | 91 GM
          Not Panthers: 85 Ranger | Ranger trailer | 91 Acclaim | 05 Focus
          Gone: 97 CV | 83 TC | 04 Focus | 86 GM
          | Junkyards

          Comment


            I'd just overlap by about a quarter inch and go to town, but then I have no illusions of doing any proper welding. I'd just make it stay put and seam seal the crap out of it after grinding all my weld boogers off.

            Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -- Albert Einstein
            rides: 93 Crown Vic LX (The Red Velvet Cake), 2000 Crown Vic base model (Sandy), 2003 Expedition (the vacation beast)
            Originally posted by gadget73
            ... and it should all work like magic and unicorns and stuff.
            Originally posted by dmccaig
            Overhead, some poor bastards are flying in airplanes.

            Comment


              Wow, for some reason I also thought your wagon was blue..

              Noted, although the company I work for makes the crap and I can pretty much get it for free, as were the samples I've got on hand. I was planning on doing something similar to our GM trucks as both needs rocker panels & cab corners.
              1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
              1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

              Comment


                Originally posted by sly View Post
                I'd just overlap by about a quarter inch and go to town, but then I have no illusions of doing any proper welding. I'd just make it stay put and seam seal the crap out of it after grinding all my weld boogers off.
                That approach would make it a lot easier...wouldn't have to get the cuts to line up nicely, just overlap a bit. Access to the rear side from below is pretty bad because of the trailer hitch so that needs to come off before I could weld it, I'm thinking. Can't get anything in there to clean the metal up, as it is (paint, rust).

                Originally posted by DerekTheGreat View Post
                Wow, for some reason I also thought your wagon was blue..

                Noted, although the company I work for makes the crap and I can pretty much get it for free, as were the samples I've got on hand. I was planning on doing something similar to our GM trucks as both needs rocker panels & cab corners.
                Oh, it is blue, it just depends on how the light hits it...


                Current driver: Ranger
                Panthers: 83 GM 2dr | 84 TC | 85 CS
                | 88 TC | 91 GM
                Not Panthers: 85 Ranger | Ranger trailer | 91 Acclaim | 05 Focus
                Gone: 97 CV | 83 TC | 04 Focus | 86 GM
                | Junkyards

                Comment


                  Finally unboxed the welder, after it sat for probably about a year. Confidence is rising. Will play with some scrap first of course.

                  Got the trailer hitch off. I cut up the fasteners with a cut-off wheel until they just fell apart. Hitch is usable if ugly, but the whole reason I want a hitch is for 2" receiver accessories, so...it will probably become scrap.

                  Somewhat cleaned up the junkyard trunk pan with a wire wheel on a grinder. It's in worse shape than I thought it was, but it's much more usable than what I cut out. Still wishing I had cut a different pattern in removing the bad one. It'd be an easier fix if I could just lay the repair panels on the inside of the existing panel but what's done is done. I will likely use fiberglass body filler to patch it.

                  I don't know if I'm going back to it tonight. There's enough time but it's hot out and I can always pick it up again tomorrow.





                  The bad section cut-out:



                  The new section post-wire-wheel:


                  Current driver: Ranger
                  Panthers: 83 GM 2dr | 84 TC | 85 CS
                  | 88 TC | 91 GM
                  Not Panthers: 85 Ranger | Ranger trailer | 91 Acclaim | 05 Focus
                  Gone: 97 CV | 83 TC | 04 Focus | 86 GM
                  | Junkyards

                  Comment


                    I am a complete amateur but have had good success with the harbor freight welder we have at work. I did some sheet metal patches and once you get the hang of it the results are good. You will do fine after some practice.
                    ~David~

                    My 1987 Crown Victoria Coupe: The Brown Blob
                    My 2004 Mercedes Benz E320:The Benz

                    Originally posted by ootdega
                    My life is a long series of "nevermind" and "I guess not."

                    Originally posted by DerekTheGreat
                    But, that's just coming from me, this site's biggest pessimist. Best of luck

                    Originally posted by gadget73
                    my car starts and it has AC. Yours doesn't start and it has no AC. Seems obvious to me.




                    Comment


                      Well...I attached two scraps together, and I can't break them apart. The problem, of course, is that I seem to have "soldered" them together using the welding wire rather than truly made them "become one". But hell, even this quality job would be sufficient, most likely.

                      (there was another piece attached on top, hence why there seems to be more chunky weld stuff than necessary)



                      I did end up going back at it later in the day after my last update.

                      I'm really liking the Harbor Freight Warrior cut-off discs. They actually reduce in diameter as they wear rather than blowing off chunks and becoming rather dangerous (cough cough Bosch).



                      Got the trunk pan more or less lined up. I cut accurately to a couple key reference points (as they relate to tank straps and seatbelt bolts, things that need to be relatively lined up and provide good alignment references) then just winged the rest. It's hideous but it fits, and as best I can tell, the tank fitment against it is correct and strap length isn't affected by the mounts being slightly offset from their usual home.





                      Still need to clean up the metal a bit better and maybe slightly tweak the fitment, but things are looking promising. The 'new' pan is installed outside of the remainder of the old one. I tried with it inside, but it looked like it was going to make the straps too short. As we know, it's already difficult to get the straps on these when all fits correctly, nevermind when you kick the mounts back 1/8".

                      On the 14th, primed and painted the new tank straps. They were plain steel and certain to become an ugly rusty mess in short order. I did the same with the retaining dowels which I wire wheeled to knock the rust off first.



                      I also thoroughly wire wheeled the fuel filler neck, primed it, sealed the primer, and coated it in asphalt undercoating, except for the end that goes into the tank and for the mating surfaces of the fuel cap.



                      Today, finished the intake manifold gasket job. Kinda said "F it" and used a flap disc on the 7000rpm angle grinder. Made a world of difference on the mating surfaces. I'm very confident I didn't dig out any of the metal making the surface uneven, as well. Gaskets were a cheap set with cork end pieces, so black RTV was used a fair bit. We'll see how long it lasts.





                      Decided to hit the water pump with brake cleaner, then prime it, then paint it. It will be imperfect as it's on the vehicle, but it will be better than nothing, probably.



                      There's a car show on the weekend benefiting the Canadian Mental Health Association. It is my very unrealistic hope that this car will be able to attend. I need the coolant fitting for the intake manifold and I just don't see that happening before then. Technically I could reuse the one it had and clamp the hose further down, as the previous owner did, but it requires the distributor to be removed to change it later, so it makes more work down the road.

                      Current driver: Ranger
                      Panthers: 83 GM 2dr | 84 TC | 85 CS
                      | 88 TC | 91 GM
                      Not Panthers: 85 Ranger | Ranger trailer | 91 Acclaim | 05 Focus
                      Gone: 97 CV | 83 TC | 04 Focus | 86 GM
                      | Junkyards

                      Comment


                        Surprisingly that engine looks very clean inside.

                        I think ProjectFarm did a video where he squared off a bunch of cut off wheels against each other. I forget which one came out on top or was the best value but should I ever get those kinds of tools I'll be watching that again for reference.
                        1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
                        1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

                        Comment


                          Flap disc with angle grinder on the heads! You brave!
                          ~David~

                          My 1987 Crown Victoria Coupe: The Brown Blob
                          My 2004 Mercedes Benz E320:The Benz

                          Originally posted by ootdega
                          My life is a long series of "nevermind" and "I guess not."

                          Originally posted by DerekTheGreat
                          But, that's just coming from me, this site's biggest pessimist. Best of luck

                          Originally posted by gadget73
                          my car starts and it has AC. Yours doesn't start and it has no AC. Seems obvious to me.




                          Comment


                            Turn the amps up more on the welder. Looks like its not actually melting the base metal, only the wire.
                            86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
                            5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

                            91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

                            1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

                            Originally posted by phayzer5
                            I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

                            Comment


                              High or low...min max is all you get. I agree with Thain though. You are kinda just on top of everything not actually penetrating much.
                              ~David~

                              My 1987 Crown Victoria Coupe: The Brown Blob
                              My 2004 Mercedes Benz E320:The Benz

                              Originally posted by ootdega
                              My life is a long series of "nevermind" and "I guess not."

                              Originally posted by DerekTheGreat
                              But, that's just coming from me, this site's biggest pessimist. Best of luck

                              Originally posted by gadget73
                              my car starts and it has AC. Yours doesn't start and it has no AC. Seems obvious to me.




                              Comment


                                oh, no variable? hm. Maybe worth checking the ground connection too if you haven't. Rust under the clamp reduces the power.
                                86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
                                5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

                                91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

                                1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

                                Originally posted by phayzer5
                                I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

                                Comment

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