What would you do?

[twoskies]

mine didnt have bondo in them, but i didnt use the original mirrors, also got a cheyenne tailgate that trim had been take off
went to local handy hardware and got these type of plugs
been on there for 4 years never fall off and when im ready to weld them up, they just pop out

Good Luck

[70STOVEBOLT]

Originally Posted by jumpsoffrock

I would really try reaching out to anyone you know with equipment you can use at their house. That finger sander is $200, A cheap HF welder with no gas or regulator is still not cheap, a good welder to last you years will be a treasure hunt.

All that money just to try something is too much. It's only a good investment if you will be using those tools for hundreds of hours in the semi-near future(3-10 years???). If you use your welder 3 hours per year, not really worth it.

My point is I agree you should give it a shot before paying a body shop, but I don't think you should arm yourself to the hilt with awesome equipment just to tackle this ridiculous job that you may not even succeed at.

I guess this is the point in the story where I gotta suggest you just bang it together, slap more filler on it with little prepwork and....


The important thing is to drive the vehicle, fixing some random metal panel correctly will be a barely remembered thought. Driving it(especially with friends/family) is something you'll always appreciate.

idk everybody's gotta find their own way I guess

I would not go out and buy equipment if I did not have the skills already. The welder was a Christmas present from my wife, as I mentioned I wouldn't mind learning how to weld. I am not good at making Christmas lists, so she just goes with stuff I say here and there. That said, the HF welder was only $125.00 so it wasn't expensive. The finger sander on the other hand...

[Lost in the 60's]

I suggest looking at area vo-tech schools or continuing education programs that have evening classes to learn how to use your welder. These are, usually, aimed at hobbyists and the like who aren't going to use the training for a job/career. They usually only teach the basics, but can get you up and running and knowledgeable enough to set up the welder for what you are doing. Around here, the cost is minimal.
As for a finger sander, they can be handy, but from my limited experience, they wear out the sanding band very quickly and are rather expensive to keep replacing. I've been doing restoration work for 15 years and don't/won't own one. I have drilled out thousands of spot welds in that time and yes, you want high quality bits, or you go thru the cheap ones very quickly. I, also, use a stone grinding wheel on an air grinder for removing just the weld from a panel I am replacing, but don't want to drill into the substrate to weld a new panel too.

[clay68c10]

Get some 18ga scrap, do some reading, spend some time watching instructional videos, and get good at it.
If your local community college offers a short class, take it.
You'll eventually want to move away from flux wire before you do any bodywork that counts, but that's a future problem.

OR... labor trade with someone that has the skills you need for the skills you have. Lots of body/paint guys don't do mechanical or electrical work and will happily trade for that. That's how I'm getting my paint work done. I'm allergic to the isocyanates in 2 stage paint so I have no choice but to trade for paint work. I sure as hell can't afford to buy that kind of work, and being around that stuff made my lung collapse once.

[purple gas]

Do what you want.
I filled my trim and mirror mounting holes ( lots of them ) with fiberglass reinforced filler 20 years ago. it still looks fine. My truck is no show truck trailer queen and never will be in my lifetime.
it depends what level you want to take yours to.

[70STOVEBOLT]

Just revisiting this thread. I have been out of commission for the last 3 months with health issues. My truck will never be a show truck, but I'm hoping for a nice driver. I didn't think about night classes, I will look into that. I have a line on a set of doors that need minimal body work, and no welding, so hopefully that will work out. But I still may look into the evening classes. Thanks again guys.