[ss396boy]

Just got done welding/grinding/painting the front channel. Tell me what you think!!!! This took me all today to finish. Better than before though.

This was actually pretty easy to do. I find myself more terrified doing other things on the car. First step was to get a cutoff wheel for the angle grinder then cut right along where the channel bends. Then cut off the lower section where the spot welds are at(had to drill all those out and that was a pain) The air chisel help get the stubborn ones out. Then ground off all the rust and treat with metal etch and then slapped a quick coat of epoxy under the piece that was welded.

In with the new metal. Use Screws to hold it down and spot weld every other hole. Wait for panel to cool and then tack the piece every 10-12in to make sure it didn't warp, then fill in between the holes. Take the angle grinder and grind everything down, making long sweeping passes to make sure it keeps a nice smooth edge. Finished up with a long flat file and a quick coat of epoxy. Next will be to apply some filler along the edge to make a perfect bend.
Before:

During

 

[1badss396]

That looks excellent....keep up the good work.:thumbsup:

 

[sarchevyman]

as good as new, now will you come over and do mine!!

 

[Bowtie70ss]

What a coincidence...I am converting a 69 shell to a 70 and I just finished welding the dash brackets in tonight and I fitted the top cowl piece. I should have that welded in tomorrow.

 

[Stalkingbear]

Most excellent! I am impressed at the finished product... even called my wife in to show her! (I am a lucky man - she loves Chevelles....)
She said you did a great job too!

'bear

 

[Andy69]

that shore is sum purdy weldin there, son

 

[Dave]

that shore is sum purdy weldin there, son

I'll second that, that a nice tight bead right there!:thumbsup:

 

[ss396boy]

yep, I was a little worried about warpage. Didn't get any though, my patience is paying off. Also, the new Hobart 187 helping as well.

Wondering if I should use a Marglass or filler to smooth out the front edge? That area tends to get exposed to condensation. I know the marglass is a little harder to spread and sand, but holds up strong.

 

[136679ss]

Very good work there, I'm very impressed. :thumbsup:

 

[68insac]

That looks great and would you like to do mine too.

 

[sevt_chevelle]

Epoxy prime the area with 2 good WET coats of epoxy and just use some metal glaze, then re-epoxy the area.
If you can get to the backside of those welds brush on some epoxy to prevent corrosion. That would be my biggest concern.

By the way, very nice welds especially the plug welds! I know guys in the collision field that cant weld like that, be proud of yourself...Eric

 

[rubadub]

I wish I could weld that good, nice work there.:thumbsup:

Rob

 

[malibu356]

nice work, patience pays off.:thumbsup:

 

[ss396boy]

Epoxy prime the area with 2 good WET coats of epoxy and just use some metal glaze, then re-epoxy the area.
If you can get to the backside of those welds brush on some epoxy to prevent corrosion. That would be my biggest concern.

By the way, very nice welds especially the plug welds! I know guys in the collision field that cant weld like that, be proud of yourself...Eric

I already sprayed with 2 nice coats of SPI epoxy(really sprays nice when you let it sit 30 mins). I don't have any metal glaze, but was thinking of using some regular filler on the edge. Already got back up in there with some epoxy and put a nice thick bead of seam sealer.

Thanks again everyone, I learned how to do this from everyone's bits and pieces here. This forum really pays off over the years.

 

[crazychevelle]

Looks awesome man! I'll probably be starting the repair on the rear windshield window channel this week and hopefully i can do as well as you did on yours.

Did you end up making the new piece of metal using a break and shrink/stretcher to replace the old rusty channel or are you able to buy them??

 

[ss396boy]

Looks awesome man! I'll probably be starting the repair on the rear windshield window channel this week and hopefully i can do as well as you did on yours.

Did you end up making the new piece of metal using a break and shrink/stretcher to replace the old rusty channel or are you able to buy them??

You can buy the entire front channel for like $80. My time is more important than spending 1 week fabbing up a window channel.

I had to cut off the back edge of the new piece. Then I just butt welded the old panel to the new one. Came out perfect. A little filler and it's almost done.

Here is a pic of it:

 

[JohnC]

Looks fantastic. Even after I grind, mine still looks like crap. Are you welding it up with 1/2 inch segments at a time?

 

[ss396boy]

Looks fantastic. Even after I grind, mine still looks like crap. Are you welding it up with 1/2 inch segments at a time?

No, the key is start with a good spot weld, make sure you have good penetration. MartinSr's welding guide really helped me figure out what to do. Don't worry about what the 'manual' tells you to do, you gotta go with the metal's reaction. If it's got too much meatl build up, turn up the heat and maybe drop the feed down.

After you get the spot welds every 12 inches or so, go back between them and repeat spot welding. I check the panel to make sure its not warm, that way I won't warp it. I pretty much tacked that entire front channel so there was about 1/8 -1/4" between each spot. Then you can go back and stitch it up, remember to jump around though.

 

[baloo28]

Very nice work.....is that the piece you can buy from OPGI or SS396? If so, I'm gonna start cutting my old one out today.

 

[bigdave]

great job:thumbsup: