making patch panels???

[Oldbanger]

Hi guys - a while ago I started a thread about a little project honda civic... It seems my aspirations of jumping straight into the job were a LITTLE hopeful .

I bought the car knowing that the qp's needed replacing and that the door sills were in a bit of a state , as I attacked the rust with a pick hammer it soon became clear that I had perhaps" bitten off more than I could chew" the rear sills were gone and a good portion of the rear wheel well - leaving a great gaping hole with only the jacking point left for me to reference any patches.... I realise that my gun ho approach hasnt helped me but was hoping that some of the good people of this forum could steer me in the right direction..... (please)

here is the car as it stands , please ignore the qp that is taped in place , there is only a small joggled edge behind it for me to weld to.

I made some replacement sill panels but when I offered them up to the car they were not big enough so I made some extentions for the back.

you can see in this picture the jacking point I was referring to and the patch that now surrounds it. this panel has taken me about 10 hrs of measuring , cutting and fettling to get it even this close and still I feel lit wont be easy to seam weld .

where possible I have welded my patch off the car (access is a bit of a problem )as the car has been reversed on some drive on ramps.

I guess that my question is -how would you have gone about making repair panels.... any hints/tips or tricks of the trade would be greatly appreciated.


thankyou . regards. Omar

 

[hotrodder]

It's a bit of 'how long is a piece string' deal with regards to metal shaping skills and tools available. One (almost) golden rule is to template the area and make the patterns or even the replacement panel before cutting off the old stuff (your references). Obviously in your case that wasn't really possible anyway as the panel was physically damaged, the other side will be a mirror image though... If both sides are damaged then you really need to find another example to pattern

Check out the tutorials (top of the page) as somewhere in there making and using card templates is touched on. A search of the forum should find more examples and links on the subject

 

[Oldbanger]

Thanks for your reply , I was too eager to see the full extent of the rust.... wont happen again - I will follow the golden rule from now on
Need to convince my mate to remove the side skirts on his coupe , hopefully the rear seats and mouldings too

 

[cracker666]

Be careful with a jogged edge put plenty of seam sealer on it as it'll be a great place for rust.
Normally better the butt weld that panel but hey plod on m8.
What make and model is it.

 

[Country Joe]

What make and model is it.

Make - Honda
Model - Civic

CJ

 

[Oldbanger]

Cheers cracker , the plan was to weld it from outside and seam seal on the inside??? , I joggled the edge because I thought it might help with warping the metal , also meant that I didnt have to be 100% accurate when I was cutting out the old panel.
Ive been searching honda sites and managed to find this http://civic-eg.com/viewtopic.php?t=24
also found a few pictures of the areas that are missing....

The car is a 95 honda civic EG4 , just a little 1.5l non v-tec but my plans are top swap in a B series engine - after Ive sorted the rust and made it handle a little better.

 

[keithski122]

Some corking patches there!

 

[Oldbanger]

Some corking patches there!

hopefully mines will look better .

 

[Oldbanger]

Ive had a play around making rough patches today , decided to have a bash at the wheel arch section and thought somethimg like this might work...

I intend on welding the flaps once I have a decent fitment with the quarter panel , not sure if this is the best way of doing it , but I think it should work. Also took a trip down to see my mates coupe.... he didnt let me pull his side skirts off - looks like ill need to have a look in the local scrappys.

 

[pedrobedro]

It would be easier to cut one flat piece and one curved piece and join them than weld up all those cuts. You could have got away with bending the lip on while it was flat and just making 3 or 4 slits to get the bend.

 

[hotrodder]

Search this site and google for 'tuck shrinking'... it's more difficult and will probably take longer to begin with but with a bit of practice will be better (faster and neater). If you're not adverse to spending a few quid on tools then a 'mechanical shrinker' bypasses most of the practice/skill although cheap/DIY ones are limited to 18swg and 1" deep flanges at best

 

[Oldbanger]

Thanks for the advice... Im very new to welding and metalwork , but find it immensely enjoyable and rewarding - the Mrs. isnt so keen

Pedro: I see what u mean , I will try again with fewer slits.... my thinking was that it would reduce the chance of kinking the panel , but I probably created too much unnecessary welding.

Hotrodder: That seems to be quite an artform , I can see how I would use this technique but Im not sure I could develop the skill quick enough for this project, definatley something I will look into for future. My budget is pretty small , so a stump of wood or a peice of bar is right down my street.
also seems like it would have been useful for another patch Im working on....

cheers guys!!!