Top of Fender Repair, #2

Work continued yesterday on the top of the front right fender, but my wife got sick so I had to cut my work short and skip working today. I finished the weld bead where the replacement section of the hood perimeter goes, and ground it down with various tools. It looks pretty good to me. A bit more work might be necessary to remove a few high spots before a bit of filler is used, but I'm pretty happy with the result.

I got a template made for the hole I have to fill in the fender, and transferred it to 20 gauge metal. Unfortunately, while trying to shape the patch panel to be perfect, I screwed it up, and I'll have to make it again. That is OK, and is much better than trying to weld in something that is substandard to a place that is going to be plainly visible.

Here is a picture of the panel as it was fitted up before a bit more trimming messed it up beyond repair though, so you have an idea of how the repair is proceeding. Tomorrow I may be able to complete this patch.

I got my Harbor Freight HVLP gun today, which I am planning on using to spray PPG DP 40 (or 90) primer on the bottom of the car and in other places I have patched. However, now I'm freaking out about isocyanates and the need for a good full face respirator or supplied air system. I only have a half face mask at present, and though Dee and Frank both sheepishly use the same thing, I know that something better will be much smarter. I've been looking into affordable supplied air systems on eBay, but perhaps a good full face respirator from 3M with frequent filter cartridge changes will be the most economical approach for now.

Posted by pbrown at July 21, 2004 11:08 PM