Regarding Car Door Binding - Fender Damage

[kfriend]

Not sure if we have any body-men here, but I'm sure everyone can relate to what I'm talking about--

When the door of your car binds against the front fender when you open/close the door...it chews up the fender at the point of the bind.

I have a little of this action happening on my truck, currently the fenders are off of the vehicle (and I intend to make the proper adjustments so the doors no longer bind) BUT, for now, I've got two fenders that look like a dog with carbide teeth was munching on the fenders, just little gashes and chunks of metal missing...not alot, but a little.

I was THINKING, that I could just go along with the mig and "blip" a little bit of filler, a little bit at a time into these gashes. Then once it's built up some, I can grind it down to look nice.

I cannot see the feasibility of replacing the metal in this region, being that the metal of the fender wraps around a support brace behind the fender.

Any thoughts on this?

as always, thanks for the help.

[Bob]

From your verbal description, it sounds like you need some shims under the hindges to place the door slightly (maybe .030) farther back on the vehicle ... enough to easily clear in front but not start to bind in the rear.

The spot filling with weld metal should work OK. Could be a lot of grinding with progressively finer grits to get to the final shape without grind marks. Very clean metal, low power settings, small wire, slower speeds.

Hard to tell from your description, but you might be able to just grind it smooth as is. Suspect the jamb edge of the body panel is a folded lip and grinding could part the surface and inside the jamb sections.

Hope this helps.
Bob

[kfriend]

I'm not too worried about adjusting the door at this point...ALL (and I mean ALL) of the sheetmetal is off of the truck.

I was just concerned with trying to repair the little chips that are missing from that edge that mates with the foreward area of the door.

Maybe if I get motivated I'll take some pictures. But just to expand on my original description, the damage is the result of the door binding. It looks like someone took a hacksaw and put a few strokes in at various points along this edge.

I knew filling it with plastic would end up just busting off. Same deal with leading it. Just wanted to check with you fellas to see if you had any other suggestions.

[lranch]

Just fixed a dude's door the other day, latch was ripped out, like someone crowbared the door open. Anyway, unless this truck is mid 70's or earlier you are looking at paper thin sheet metal. Unless you plan on this thing going on display in the smithsonian I would suggest you smooth/fill divits with lightweight filler or my personal favorite JB weld. get it clean, slap it on, and shape it smooth. No distortion, no halo, quick and dirty and will last longer than the truck. I assume you are "tubing" the truck anyway, might as well wait until all cuts are made in sheet, then chase all edges at same time. Shoot some flicks as you go along, like to see. Good luck.

[kfriend]

actually it's a 57 chevy pickup...think the sheetmetal is like 2MM thick, it's beefy, but it doesn't hold up long under even a low setting on my mig.

I just realized that I might not have been descriptive enough...the binding is occuring at the hinge-point, towards the front of the vehicle, not the rear.

In any event, I think I'm going to blip it with the mig. While I've used JB before, I basically see the stuff as glorified body-filler.

I'll try to take some pics tomorrow.

thanks for the help

[lranch]

Had a 56 GMC when I was at Bragg. Drove that thing everyday for 4 years. Small window, atomic bumber, ******* 6 volt positive ground, 248 six, three on the tree, floor starter. Loved that thing. Kept it shinned like new money, even polished the brass tanks on the radiator. Know what you mean on door/fender skin, trying to shim that baby could turn out to be a new carear. Good luck.

[rocam]

I've done lots of bodywork with my HH175. You should be able to weld that damage up easily with your mig - especially on the thick steel they were using in 1957. The important thing to watch for when welding body panels is heat build up. ie Don't do a bunch of welding in one spot all at once. Since your so close to the edge of the door this shouldn't be a problem. Good luck!

rocam

[INTP]

BLIP sounds like the right word.