welding body seam

[Bubba54]

Gentlemen, looking for some help on body seam welding. Today i welded the body seam on my 54 gmc. After blending the welds it just didnt look right in that you lose the distinct body line. I then ran a cut of wheel through the weld to get the line back. At this point i feel i have a big mess on my hands. Ive seen a couple of trucks on this site that have been welded and looked good in the pictures. Anyway, any input on how people handled the welding and blending would be greatlty appreciated. Pics would help, if availible.

Some pics of where im at.






Thanks Shawn

[BlueJeep]

I welded mine but it still needs more attention. I've tuned it with a cutoff wheel, but I need to do more so I'm going to purchase a dremel tool with skinnier cutoff blades and try that. I've since seen others use panel bonding glue, and in hindsight that seems like a much better workable solution.

I always pay attention to trucks at show to see what others do, and most don't do it well IMHO.

Shannon, aka xpickup here on the board, has dies for his beadroller to reproduce that shape...which seems like a great solution too.

[Bubba54]

Bluejeep, Thanks for the response. The bead roll pieces sound interesting. Ill just keep at it. Sometime you just got to walk away for awhile.

Thanks Shawn

[dwcsr]

One of the problems in welding that seam is you never get all the rust and corrosion out so when you weld it it blows holes and makes a mess. I would make it looks as good as possible and the use something like All-Metal or Metal 2 metal and fill the seam. That way you can contour the beltline to cover up the less desirable spots.

[Bubba54]

Thanks for the suggestion David. Ill look into these products.

Thanks Shawn

[BlueJeep]

Originally Posted by dwcsr

One of the problems in welding that seam is you never get all the rust and corrosion out so when you weld it it blows holes and makes a mess. I would make it looks as good as possible and the use something like All-Metal or Metal 2 metal and fill the seam. That way you can contour the beltline to cover up the less desirable spots.

Good point! My seam was sandblasted before I started, and I didn't have any problems with burning holes. But, I know I was not able to get all the rust between the two, and I didn't take the cab apart as far as dwcsr does!

[xpickup]

Bubba54, yes as BlueJeep has said I have dies for my bead roller to make them. I did a cab that was rusty there and I cut a 1/2" below the lower edge and took that seam totally out. It was on the 48/s10 build. That was the way I fixed it.

Sjannon
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[skip99]

Welded mine, we liked the soft line , but the thing to watch is ,again, getting too hot . I went real slow ,but still got a few waves, just used dura glass on the seam , filler and. Blocked..


More pics in our build...
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[Bubba54]

Thanks skip99, Another option to consider. Looks like it turned out nice.

Thanks Shawn

[Bubba54]

Update on my belt line repair. After looking at all the options, I decided to contact Shannon ( xpickup ).
I inquired about getting a set of beltline pieces to replace mine. As it turns out, He gave a set to a guy that was going through a tough time and the truck project fell through, so he contacted the guy and had them sent to me. He said he was just paying it forward. Now how cool is that !!! I was able to send him a part for his future 54 build, but the thing is he didnt ask for anything.
Thats what is so great about being on this site, its full of allot of very Knowledgable and talented great bunch of people.

Here are some pics on the progress. Ive installed half of the back and the driver side belt line.










Thanks Shawn

[xpickup]

Hi Shawn, looks great. You have it figure out as I see. Great job and glad it worked out for you.


Shannon
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