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914World.com _ 914World Garage _ Welding - what gauge steel for body work

Posted by: terrymason May 9 2006, 08:39 AM

Hey guys, what gauge steel should I use to replace body panels? What originally came from Porsche? Home depot had 16 and 22 gauge. I don't think i could snip 16, and 22 felt alittle flimsy.

Also, is there a cheap place to get this stuff? I paid about $7 for a 1'x1' piece

Posted by: dkos May 9 2006, 09:16 AM

I've been using 18 and 20 ga. A sheet metal gauge is a handy thing to have. I buy my metal at a large metal yard in NJ (http://www.josephfazzioinc.com/). It's much cheaper than HD and a very cool place to wander around. There must be something similar near you. Bring your sheet metal gauge to make sure you get the right thickness and make sure they give you weldable steel (not stainless or galvanized). Have fun.

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Posted by: Brew May 9 2006, 10:24 AM

Or hit a local body shop and see if they'll give you a scrap panel or two. Hoods and decklids work very well!

Be sure to get some weld-thru primer for any metal that isn't already coated.

Posted by: rjames May 9 2006, 11:37 AM

I found a sheet metal shop in town that gave me a 3'x6' foot piece of 18 gauge for a box of doughnuts.

RE: weld-thru primer. There seems to be a few different schools of thought regarding whether to user it or not. Do a bunch of internet searches and read a bit on it before making up your mind.

Posted by: terrymason May 9 2006, 12:01 PM

Did a little reading on weld through primer, and pretty much came up with this:

"Weld thru primer does not have good adhesion properties (E coat has excellent adhesion properties). It is only to be used where metal will be over lapping and hidden. All other areas just leave bare metal until after welding and then treat them the same as you would any bare metal on your car."

from here:
http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/basic-basics-welding-how-do-i-repair-body-panels-44009.html

sounds reasonable to me

Posted by: Brew May 9 2006, 02:55 PM

Pretty tough to touch up the inside of the outer longs after repair, no?