72 Charger - Long Awaited Update...

[72Charger-SE]

Onto the next repairs..  the trunk extension & wheel well passenger side.

Once I had the hole repaired for the trunk extension I decided to reweld in the part I initially cut out to save myself some time in the fabrication area...  Should work fine once it is all protected with 'rust bullet'.

[72Charger-SE]

Next I tackled the rear valance (not sure if that is what is called or not)?

This had some significant problems but as you can see by the photos the repairs are progressing...

[72Charger-SE]

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[72Charger-SE]

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[72Charger-SE]

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[72Charger-SE]

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[72Charger-SE]

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[72Charger-SE]

Moved onto the trunk areas...  I have four areas that have some 'holes'...  This is the first of four repairs in the trunk...

[72Charger-SE]

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[72Charger-SE]

More...  Gas filler tube top area ...

[72Charger-SE]

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Ground down and moving onto the next area...

I did do some 'filling' on the wheel well patches a couple days ago...  here are a couple pics of that...

[JB400]

Looks pretty good   How much more rust repair do you have to go?

[72Charger-SE]

Stroker..   sadly.. the same issues on the driver's side as the passenger..

Rear Quarter panel (inner & outer)... wheel well, rocker panel, and hood hinge...

Additionally I need to finish up the driver's side floor pan.  We welded in the new one but there is rust above it so nothing to weld to.  I have to fab a piece and replace it prior to finishing that up.   Then...  there are a couple more issues in the engine compartment (battery tray area & a small hole on the inner fender).

[Bob]

This is a great motivational thread.
Very nice work.

[71seguy]

looks like you had to cut out and patch around your wheel well opening too...post pics of how you finish that off ..im having a tuff time trying to figure out how to fix that body line ...it also has a concave shape too ..looks good tho

[72Charger-SE]

looks like you had to cut out and patch around your wheel well opening too...post pics of how you finish that off ..im having a tuff time trying to figure out how to fix that body line ...it also has a concave shape too ..looks good tho

Yes, that is exactly what I had to do.  As you can see from the photos the rust holes were only in the areas where Dodge built larger openings in the wheel wells.  I can only assume that they thought it would help disperse the water?  Anyway, I carefully cut out the outerlayer below the body line first and then found the rust areas on the inner.  I located a spot where the rust stopped and added a couple more inches and cut out that area.   

Each patch was done in two steps.  Step one was to weld the vertical piece in place and then cut the 'arc' of the piece out with a jigsaw.  I then used the 'arc' piece that was cut out to shape the horizontal piece that I then welded to the vertical piece. 

If you stick with pieces that are between 3" and 4" you won't have the 'bend' the metal hardly at all.  In three of the four spots I had a 4" cut out.  The other area was almost 8" and that was a difficult project in and of itself.  In short, the rust damage I had to deal with was below the body line on the quarter panel.  The other bends that make up the quarter panel lip were bent with a 3' sheet metal brake that my neighbor gave me. 

[72Charger-SE]

More pics of the repairs...

[ACUDANUT]

I'm glad I ain't buying it. 

[72Charger-SE]

ACUDANUT...  am i correct in stating you are not pleased with how I am fixing my car?  What should I do differently?  I am open to suggestions and assistance...   Please tell me what I am doing wrong...  I have never done anything like this before so I am 'green' to say the least... 

Thanks in advance...

[71seguy]

wish i could post my pics ..but i hadto cut up to the bodyline ..its all welded and i put a thin coat of all metal over it for strenght before bondo. it just looks flat and diffeernt compaired to the other side ...i donno maybey itll be ok once i do my bodywork

[ACUDANUT]

Your doing a fine job, but every time you weld in one area, rust has a better chance of coming back. That is what has happened to me in the past. Especially area's where you can't do a good seal, like the back side of welds in the rear quarters and other inside areas. I would have replaced the inner fenders and bought new rear quarters...
It's your car, do it your way. Cheers 

[72Charger-SE]

The back side of the welds are impossible to seal up.  I was wondering how to do those.  The best I can come up with is to 'rust bullet' the whole car and spray/brush a heavy layer on those areas.  I guess we will see in about 10 years if I did the right thing or not.  Thanks for the advice and I do appreciate constructive criticism.  In fact, I learn more by what i do wrong and have to redo than what I do right the first time.
Thanks!

[nvrbdn]

what about a spray in coating? with those (like the undercoaters do) you drill a small hole and insert a spray nozzle and spray the inside, then put a plastic plug in the hole. walla, treated welds on the inside. either way, good work on the car. and what a better way to learn than to jump in and try.  good for you.

[Pete in NH]

There are waxy type spray in sealers that might work here. Be careful with those spray on rubberized undercoating materials. Many times they actually trap moisture between the coating and the metal causing even more rust issues down the road. Maybe some of the professional body guys can commnet on the wax type sealers. I think 3M has a sealer and wand set up, something like Body Shutz. Also if you can get behind some of those areas with epoxy primer, that would help. But, for epoxy primers the metal has to rust free and clean, like abrasive blasted.

Also, I'm far from a MIG welding expert, but in many of the posted pictures the weld beads look a little like blobs of metal that are sitting on top of the surface. I was wondering how much weld penetration you're getting. Have you tried welding up some practice metal pieces and seeing how the penetration looks? You might need a little more heat or move a little slower. Again, I'm far from an expert and maybe others with more experience can comment here.

[71_Charger_R/T]

Here is a product I used to protect those hard to get at inside panels like rockers and lower quarter patches. Nice and thin, so it can drool down into the spots a straw won't get to. It doesn't harden and crack (stays kind of waxy) Chances are, your car won't see the amount of harsh elements it saw the first forty years of its life and will last a good long time.



I agree with Pete, Looks like you could use a little more heat on those welds to get some good penetration. The backside of the weld should look about the same as the front to be certain you have good penetration. The wire is just a filler "electrode" you need just enough coming out to not burn up into the tip of the gun but not so much it builds too much (which will be ground off anyway) try a little more dwell time (slow down your travel and dip back into your weld puddle if needed)
Keep on plugging along! don't be discouraged by anyones comments. You are learning as you go and you are making progress. When I started my project, my welds were less than stellar, but as time went by, I got better and I even went back and re-did some of my earlier work that I wasn't satisfied with.
Keep going and keep the pictures coming. These are the kind of posts that give others the inspiration to keep going!