SEMA 2024 in Focus
January 20, 2025
THE AUTO BUILDER
Featured
ROLLING THUNDER
In 1992, Bruce Richards bought a new 5.0 Thunderbird. He wanted a spirited family car and daily driver, and he drove this car for 10 years before deciding that it had served its purpose. It now deserved a better, faster and powerful life. Richards liked the idea and wanted anything but a cookie-cutter T-Bird. He wanted a car that would run with the best of them, including Mustangs. The only problem was the size of the Bird. As it left the factory, the car weighed 3,940 lbs and made only 205 hp, so Richards’ decision was clear—he needed the car to have more power and weigh less.
STEP IT UP
The legacy of the Ford Bronco is stronger than ever, thanks to the versatility and customization options of the sixth-generation Ford Bronco. This platform is built for off-road performance and on-road comfort and there are a multitude of custom factory packages that build upon that platform. Because of the factory design and immense aftermarket support, the options are limitless for these future icons of off-roading.
SMOKIN’ SS – Part 4
As progress continues on the Smokin’ SS Monte Carlo, we see more and more function, as well as innovative details throughout the car, ensuring that this will not be your average street machine. Functional details such as a true cowl induction were not overlooked, but more than that, every part of this car has a function, and that reveals Davis’ racing background.
Spotlighter
Patchy Progress
Using Basic Metalworking Skills to Repair a Rusty Door
“Rust can put fear into the hearts of many hot rodders, but with enough work, nearly anything can be repaired.“
Author
Tommy Lee Byrd
Words & Photography
Common Rust Issues in Classic Cars
Patching a rusty hole in an old car is a common occurrence, especially on the East Coast, where the cars are more likely to rust out. The humid air is part of the problem, and then there is that whole thing of salting roads in the winter, but some rust is simply caused by car manufacturers using lower-grade metals and primers on their cheaper models. This example is a ’53 Henry J, and it has the usual rust issues on the doors, fenders, floor pans, and rocker panels. Most folks would pass on a car this rusty, but this one is considered decent by Henry J standards.
The History and Challenges of Henry Js
The cars were built on a budget and sold at a low price, but the bodies just didn’t last long. Proper care was not taken to make Henry Js hold up to moisture, and it wasn’t long before many of the cars were crushed or patched together to run on the dragstrip. While we are performing this rust repair on a product from Kaiser, the techniques can be transferred to nearly any car, as long as it’s metal.
Tools and Techniques for Rust Repair
For this project, we needed a MIG welder, a grinder, a cutoff tool, a new piece of sheet metal, and a body hammer. Other tools can be used to speed the process, but we made the patches without the use of any extravagant metalworking tools. If the rust had traveled any higher on the door, the process would have been much more difficult, but it was a simple project that only took a couple of hours.
Finishing Touches and Considerations
Of course, we’ll have to use body filler to give the door a perfectly straight surface, but with the right methods, we can use a modest amount to obtain the look we want. All welding should be complete when the bodywork starts, since the heat will soften the filler or primer and cause it to lift. This can create cracks or bubbles after the car is painted, and it’s never fun to find one of those on a recently finished hot rod.
Moving Forward with Repairs
Rust can put fear into the hearts of many hot rodders, but with enough work, nearly anything can be repaired. Most rodders can pick up the phone and order the patch panels they need, but in our case, there are no reproduction panels for a Henry J besides fiberglass race parts. Now that we have the passenger-side door finished, we can move on to repairing the rust in the other door, fenders, hood, and decklid—wow, this thing is rusty.
1) This is what we’re starting with: a rusty and rugged door on a ‘53 Henry J. While the rust damage is minor compared to the other body panels, this repair is essential to giving the car a smooth look. We might as well fire up the air compressor, because we’re going to need it.
2) The front of the door is considerably worse than the rear, so that’s where the process will begin. Although the holes do not look severe with paint on them, grinding will tell the tale and will give us an idea of how much metal will need to be replaced.
3) After grinding the door to bare metal in the area of concern, we can see that a long patch panel will need to be made. Even though the rusted area isn’t any particular shape, we’ll cut out a rectangular piece so the patch panel can be made with ease.
4) With a marker and straightedge, we can mark the area we’ll be removing and make sure we have a large enough piece of metal to repair the area in one section. We always try to leave 1/8 inch of metal on the edge so we can retain the door’s original shape and dimensions.
5) We used an air-powered cutoff wheel to remove the rusted metal, since it doesn’t create as much heat as other methods. After cutting the old metal, we used an angle grinder to remove any burrs or sharp edges, and then cleaned up the inside of the door before we progressed further.
6) Using a measuring tape and the piece we cut from the door, we marked the new piece of sheetmetal to fit the dimensions and made sure to cut it on the outside of our marked line. We’ll cut it out initially with the cutoff tool, and minor adjustments can be made with an angle grinder for a perfect fit.
7) After cutting the piece and smoothing the edges, we can test-fit it to the door and see how the initial fit looks. We’re sure that grinding the panel to fit will be necessary, but this will give us a guideline. The door has a slight roll from top to bottom, so we rolled the metal in the vise.
8) We made several test fits to ensure the proper fit and needed a helping hand to hold it in place while a few tack welds were made. After the patch was tacked, we could make any adjustments with the body hammer and then continue welding when the metal cooled.
9) Welding on a corner and moving to the opposite corner helped prevent warping, but the metal still needed time to cool periodically. After the welding was complete, we stepped back to look at our progress and began the dreadful grinding process.
10) Grinding can also cause the metal to warp, so we took great care to skip around and keep the steel reasonably cool. The first step was to use the cutoff wheel to knock the welds down, and then a small angle grinder to finish the panel.
11) We then sprayed the panel with gold spray paint and used a grinder to reveal the low spots, similar to a guidecoat on a fresh coat of primer. This step isn’t essential to the process, but it helps reduce the amount of filler used on the panel.
12) Now that the worst part of the door is repaired, we can patch the smaller portion and complete the passenger-side door. After grinding, we kept finding holes, so we cut out this section to remove any pinholes that might come back later. We can prep the inside of the door while it is accessible.
13) We had just enough metal left over from the first patch to make this one and cut it to fit our desired dimensions. Grinding the metal will remove any oxidation, rust or rust-prevention coatings, and we rounded the corners to make a super-strong bond in the areas that need it most.
14) Six tack welds hold the panel in place, and we were satisfied with the fit of the new patch. Any adjustments should be made now, rather than when the panel is fully welded, so get the hammer out and make it fit before it’s too late.
15) We can weld a little bit at a time, but the metal proves to be quite thin on our Henry J. To weld the panel in place without burning out the original metal, we had to adjust the MIG welder to a lower heat setting. Then it’s just a matter of filling in the gaps until the panel is fully welded.
16) The places that burned out had to be repaired, so we allowed the metal to cool and continued welding until there were no more holes. The only problem with welding old sheetmetal is that the work never looks perfect because of the tacking technique that has to be used.
17) Although the welds were not attractive, there was plenty of material to bond the two pieces. We first used a cutoff tool to make easy work of the welds and then followed with an angle grinder to get the door smooth and ready for a thin coat of body filler.
18) Here is our door, finished and ready for bodywork, and we couldn’t be happier with the results. However, Henry Js with rocker panels are as rare as coconuts in Antarctica, and we’ll address that situation with parts from EMS Automotive in an upcoming issue.
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