On Sun, 18 Oct 1998, Brad Kahler wrote:
> My guestion is, is it the best to just start cutting away at the old rocker
> until most of it is gone and then work on trying to remove the portion
> where the seams all meet? Is there a better way? Any advice would be
> greatly appreciated since this is the first time I've had to do this sort of
> thing.
In general, I would remove the bulk of metal with a cutter of some sorts
then work on the seams. (This assumes AFTER you have measured, braced,
and photographed everything)
I used the 4.5" angle grinder, the jig saw (SawZall woulda been nice), and
on occasion the welding torch to free up the metal. You may find
something better/different, but:
For long strips of (good) spot welds I would cut away all the surrounding
metal with a cutter wheel. My fave is a ZipCutt 3/64" thick (for steel or
stainless). Leaves a nice thin kerf, but wear out real fast.
For more than 1 thickness of sheet metal I moved up to a 1/16 steel or 1/8
"toughcut" steel/stainless wheel. I found that it's best not too tighten
up the nut on the grinder too much, makes changes quicker if you just lock
the tool and unwind with your hands. Makes your hands tougher too ;-)
Then when the only thing remaining is a strip, spotwelded on... start at
one end (or the middle). Cross-cut the strip. Peel away. Then you can
cut away the bit sticking up, and switching to a grinding wheel, grind the
spotweld flat. I did this because filling drill holes is a real bear with
a fire-welder. With your MiG you shouldn't have much trouble, but this
method is good for places where a drill is hard to fit.
A welding torch is nice to have in areas of questionable rust. Just torch
it for a moment- rust melts nicely, as does bondo and everything else.
For doing the seam up on the front inner fender, I'd use a #0 tip and heat
the area of repair cherry-red before starting. Then, with a hammer-and-
dolly I'd bash the metal to "remove" all the bits of slag created by the
welding heat. Then I use the torch and go over the metal to find the thin
spots. Thin spots become holes which can then be properly patched,
ground smooth, etc.
I think the most useful tool in removing rusty parts is patience. Don't
try to rip it off. Cut everything holding it on, and it will fall off.
If it won't come off tonight, leave it for tomorrow.
-Malcolm
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