body panel cutting methods

Dang! I cut it off twice and it's still too short.

tommy b

 

I don't know for sure, but if they are, I'll just move the last set of mounts.

 

I find that the 1/16" x 4.5 wheels in a HF $10 sidegrinder work even better. Sometimes those HF grinders need the gears snugged up a bit. On the older ones I have, I find that if I remove a shim from under the spindle, it allows the bevel gears to mesh a little closer and eliminate the rattle. The last one I bought, though, did not have shims. Not good. Although it doesn"t seem to rattle like the older ones. I hope this means they tightened up their quality control. I also have a Makita with a 10 mm spindle, as opposed to a 5/8"-11 of the HF. I bought that one because, at the time, I had access to 1/32" thick by 4.5" wheels with the 10 mm hole. The reason I like the HF grinders is that I can buy at least 6 of them for the price of a Makita, or equivalent. FWIW.

tommy b

 

Hopefully I'll be able to get to it this afternoon. I'll have to use the sawzall, cuz I won't have a chance to go get any cutoff wheels. I've got a Makita grinder too.

 

Cutoff Wheels work the best if you run them at 20,000 rpm. They will last longer. I also use cutoff wheels as a grinder to grind the welds. The idea is to not build up heat in the metal. Heat will cause warping of the metal. Keep this in mind when you weld the panel back together.

 

I've been doing some thinking. Can you take just the skin off, instead of cutting all the way through the the top of the tub? I don't want to use the wheel wells from the donor, as they're rusted through. Just want the shell. Also I was thinking that while I'm at it, I might remove the spare tire carrier and add a tailgate. I would like a tailgate.

 

Hey you still got all them pieces laying there?

I took the spare tire carrier off and really inspected all the rear of the tub good. My find is that it's about 90% bondo. Whoever did it did a good job, but the previoius owner stood it up on it's rear end. With the spare tire on it it mashed it up pretty good. The back panel is barely connected to the floor, but the bed floor in the 77 seems to be pretty good so it's a likely donor. I need to keep the wheel wells from the patient but the side panels are better from the 77, so even though it's a terrible lot of work, I like the idea of what you did there. I've got time enough to work on it. I guess it don't really pay to be in much of a hurry.

P.S. Why did you post that link? I almost had myself talked out of a complete resto and now you done gone and showed me what you're doing and I've got the fire again. I swear if I ever take a notion take the tub off it'll be all over but the crying.

 

Just got some emailed coupons from Harbor Freight, and there's one for that cutoff grinder Tommy B's talking about, for $6.99! I think I paid $9.99 for mine.

 

Alright I might be getting a little overzealous. If you feel that strongly about it then obviously it's aggravating. The thing I'm not sure about is where the PO stood it up it's put waves in the bed and wheel wells that I'm not sure a straight floor would match up to. This job really doesn't have to be perfect, but I'd feel better if this thing I pour my money into didn't have a beat up rear end. Scratches I don't mind. Dents I don't like. Back to the board.

 

As for cutting it off use whatever, for the good tub I would go with whatever you can get the cleanest, "squareist" cuts as possible. Avoid curves as they will be a pain to fit up later on. On the donor tub just cut it larger than what you think you'll need.

Once you get the old panels cut off go around and staiten the old panels (ones still on the jeep where the new ones are going to attach to) as much as possible. Then when you cut the donor panel cut it large. Easiest way to trim it to fit is to run a piece of 1/2" tape around the good tubs cut line. This way when your trimming in the donor panel you can tell when you are starting to get close to it fitting. Make sure you have an assortment of vise grips and a good set of tin snips handy. When you go to weld it in spot weld just a couple spots then switch to another area away from where you just spoted it in. You can also use the air nozzle with an air compressor to cool the area faster so you dont have to wait so long between welds. DONT rush through this part if you do you stand a good chance of ruining the piece you just spent alot of time fitting in. This is like anything else the more time you spend getting it just right the better its going to look when its done.

Another option is to get the donor piece close to fitting, trace a line on the overlapping donor piece and use a "stepper" to step the edge of the panel so it slides in under the old panel. Only downside to this is if you crawl under it and look you'll be able to tell that it has obviously been replaced. But it is a faster process than trimming the donor panel to fit perfect.

 

Here's what I've come up with. After much deliberation, the answer to all my questions is..........






Don't mess with it. I thought hard about what I wanted this jeep to be. First off, I could probably do it, but it's a 50/50 shot on whether or not I get it right. Then I'm stuck with two chopped up jeeps. I've got some metal I can form around the back side, to do what I do best. Cover it up. I'll just drive it til I fall through, then I'll get a nice steel body.

 

Once you have a good plasma cutter and a mig welder you will not ever know how you were able to live without one. The right tools might not make the project, but they sure do make it easier. (and alot faster)