ford maverick 4x4

[Simon henson]

bought a year ago to tow our horsebox and just general duties. great little truck and never been a bit of bother, fast forward to mot time and a few little bits of rot where pointed out. some which I could see and some underneath that couldn't be seen unless on a ramp. had a chap come and quote me on the work and arrange dates etc but he never showed up, time for me to buy the kit, practise my welding and learn along the way.

 

[Badger1bear]

no pics

 

[Simon henson]

Won't let me copy from photobucket?

 

[Simon henson]

Cracked it

 

[Badger1bear]

Metal moth has set in its very easy to say im gonna buy a welder and patch it up, when you clean off the area your find the metal moth has a friend called tin worm and they usually hide under paint and underseal together. Welding thin panels can be tricky when starting out. If you want it done quick and properly find another welder person to do it for you. By all means learn to weld but I think your take a fair bit longer to do it yourself especially if you need the little car back sooner than later

 

[Simon henson]

For the money it'd cost someone to come and do it it'd be scrapped tbh. This way I get to learn and do it without breaking the bank, if it takes longer then so be it.
If I was to break it and use the money for another then I could be in the same boat at least this way I know it's done and will be good for years to come

 

[blenkie1]

If you are getting a welder get a mig that has low amps, a decent welding mask, auto-darkening a boon for these jobs, and a good grinder. And plenty of scrap metal, panel thickness. Practice on a bench first and then practice some more. Good luck!

 

[Paul99]

For the money it'd cost someone to come and do it it'd be scrapped tbh. This way I get to learn and do it without breaking the bank, if it takes longer then so be it.
If I was to break it and use the money for another then I could be in the same boat at least this way I know it's done and will be good for years to come

I was in the same position as you a little while ago and I bet there are many more get hit with the DIY or just scrap it decision. I was new to bodywork but had learnt to mig weld quite well on a lot of other stuff well before I got onto my Jeep. Learning on thin metal (probably with added rust and almost certainly on your back in very awkward positions) is going to be HARD and frustrating. Looking at your pictures you have a lot of work ahead of you - be prepared to cut out a lot more metal / rust than you'd expect - the rot will extend a lot further than what is visible. Good luck with the project - if you have the will and dedication it's certainly not beyond saving and certainly possible to do it yourself with limited tools.

 

[Simon henson]

I was in the same position as you a little while ago and I bet there are many more get hit with the DIY or just scrap it decision. I was new to bodywork but had learnt to mig weld quite well on a lot of other stuff well before I got onto my Jeep. Learning on thin metal (probably with added rust and almost certainly on your back in very awkward positions) is going to be HARD and frustrating. Looking at your pictures you have a lot of work ahead of you - be prepared to cut out a lot more metal / rust than you'd expect - the rot will extend a lot further than what is visible. Good luck with the project - if you have the will and dedication it's certainly not beyond saving and certainly possible to do it yourself with limited tools.

Cheers,
I have thought long and hard and know I've got my work cut out but I'm prepared to not let it beat me.
The plan with the arches is to just tub them rather than shape and add little bits, front to back one main piece and work the rest from that. Well in my head that's the plan

 

[blenkie1]

To be honest I've done worse on a fourtrak. Someone had been before me and done the arches with biscuit tin lids. Just tacked round and put plenty on filler on but you could tell they were biscuit tins! Working on your back is a pain.