Amateur needs advice on removing rusty panels - Inner rear wheel arch renovation begins

[mrtask]

I've embarked on restoring my '72 3500. Off with the rear wings, to reveal a rotten mess! I've drilled out the spot welds attaching the c-shaped channel for the wing-to-body seal, and the rear splash panel.
1). How do I now remove the rotten remains of the lower splash panels (a sort of triangular-ish shape to which the muflaps are attached) which seem to be spot and seam welded to the rear upper trailing arm mounting brackets and the boot support box section?
2). If I undo the rear trailing arms for better access will the car drop down lower if I don't support the boot?
3). Is it possible to repair the boot support box section, which has a 2" rusty hole on the passenger side just in front of the rear upper trailing arm mounting bracket?
4). Is it possible to replace the inner D-post panel (concave outer leading edge of inner rear arch, shaped a bit like a sharks fin, behind outer D-post wheel arch, visible with rear door open) and the vertical flat sections at the rear of the D-post (below short 2" straight section of c-shaped channel for wing-to-body seal) without removing the whole D-post?
5). Will I have to remove the petrol tank before welding new metal into the inner D-post upper panel where it meets the top outer edge of the inner arch proper (from where the wing-to-body seal attaches down)?
6). What kind of welding outfit will I need to borrow/hire to fit the replacement steel panels? What would a suitable bit of kit cost to buy? A friend (an experienced mechanic and classic car enthusiast) has offered to teach me how to weld while fixing the first rear arch, hopefully I'll learn fast doing the 2nd arch under his close supervision!
Any and all advice very gratefully recieved. Help me keep my classic on the road!

 

[jaffa]

I have just replaced my inner and outer/inner sills and d posts on my 68 rover p6 ,although I have been told of horror stories with this I had no problems the parts came from JRWwadhamsthey can be found at jrwadhams.co.uk
the panles fitted well with little or no mods
as for the welder i used a gas mig which did the job well and if you can write your name you can use a gas mig so I didnt have much problem ???? the good thing is the metal on p6 is 16gauge and so aslong as you get back to good metal and work clean the job isnt that hard
hope this is helpfull
good luck
regards
jaffa

 

[Owen1971P6B]

At the weekend - when I lifted the battery tray out of my P6, which has been standing a bit while I have been rebuilding the engine - I discovered that there was some corrosion that had appeared over the winter in the space between the wheel arch and the rear inner wing. So far it looks like both panels have corroded either side of the seam - but I have yet to get the car out of the garage and take the wing off, so that I can have a proper look. I am guessing the car will probably need two new panels - which I have seen at JR Wadhams - the wheel arch panel, and the rear inner wing panel. I have done a basic welding course, but have never done any car body repair before. How easy is this job to do for a complete beginner at car bodywork? I will be using MIG welding. Has anyone who has done this job before got any tips or tricks that might help?

Many thanks.

 

[webmaster]

These repairs all depend on how original you want the car to appear, if you want total originality then you basically need to drill out the spot welds for each area and replace the full panel. You can then fit the new panel using spot welds (hire a spot welder) or plug welds (drill holes in the new panel and weld to car in the hole, if you get what I mean).

If total originality is not paramount, or you are trying to keep costs down, then buy a large sheet of 18 or 20 guage steel from a local body panel shop, a pair of tin snips and a hammer, and make your own repairs. cut out the rust right back to solid metal (always more than you think), and make a replacement section, and weld over the hole. Always cut out all the rust, as if you leave it behind the repair it will be back through in months. Also any patch repairs like this must be seam welded all round for MOT purposes.

To make better repairs, buy a "joggler" this puts a step around the edge of the repair section or the body, and allows the repair to sit flush after welding, you can then grind the welds flat and have a near invisible repair (from one side anyway)

MIG is by far the easiest way to weld, almost a "point and weld", although some practice as setting up of the welder is required to produce high quality strong welds.

I have used the "NO-GAS" type in the past, these are good for outdoor use and simpler as you don't need gas. I recently swapped over to Gas type, this produces a better quality weld and the wire is less than 1/3 of the price. The good thing about buying a no-gas welder is that it can be used for both gas and no-gas welding, whereas most gas only mig's can't.

I wouldn't recommend trying to do this type of repair with an ARC welder, they are much cheaper but are very difficult for the novice to use.

Richard

 

[Owen1971P6B]

Thanks for the advice. There is a small hole on the front inner wing, about half way down the top panel - which I think I will repair using the patch method. Am I right in thinking the joggler makes a small lip on the edge of the metal patch being joggled so that when I have the patch cut to the shape of the hole in the panel, but just slightly bigger so that I can joggle the edges, I can weld the patch to panel - leaving a fairly neat repair (after grinding the welds down on the visible side) from the side you can see in the engine bay.

I have recently got a No Gas MIG welder - it is the dual purpose one - so that should be fairly easy to use, with a bit of practise.

I haven't decided which method to use for the rear wings yet - I guess I will have to take the outer rear wing off - and have a look at the state of the inner wings, which might make the decision for me. I would like to keep the car original - but would also like to get it MOT tested and roadworthy for the summer - so might go for a patch repair, followed by new panels when I have a bit more time.

Are the new panels that you can buy from JR Wadhams fairly easy to fit onto the car in terms of their fit to the panels that are originally there, and to the outer wing panels - or is there quite a lot of panelbeating required to make them fit?