1971 Cutlass Ep 11 Metal Fabrication & Welding

This episode shows me doing some of the best sheet metal fabrication work I've accomplished as a "backyard garage" ammateur. In this episode I:
0:11 Summary of today's video
0:46 Outer cowl panels get seam sealed and the firewall gets painted
2:34 Trying to use paint stripper on the door
3:02 More metal fabrication and welding on the trunk gutter and rear window surround metal
6:55 Replacing damage on the bottom of the front of the original driver's fender
10:22 My best tip on butt welding in a new patch panel
10:48 Showinig and explaining what a Shrinker and Stretcher do
16:30 Butt welding the new fender patch on
18:30 Fabricating the fender back bracing (they're not available as patch panels for the Olds)
22:55 Fabricating a new base for my camera mount
24:45 Showing in real time the Shrinker working
31:33 I find more rust and old bodywork on the bottom rear of the "good" passenger's side fender & made a new patch panel & weld it on
35:23 Test fitting the fenders with the welded repairs to ensure that my panel meaurements and fabrication work were accurate
36:02 Quick tip: Summit brand RP10010 3/8-16 sheet metal clip nuts are far superior to the Dorman brand P/N 961-3250
36:52 Showind the gaps on the welded up driver's fender
37:04 D.A. sanding down the rest of the passenger side of the car
37:30 I find and repair even MORE rust in the trunk gutter
38:41 Cutting out and replacing the rear door handle mount hole area on the driver's side door with a patch panel from a donor car. I purchased this piece from Scott Winn on the Facebook page group "Oldsmobile Club of America"
40:53 Pro Tip: using a cutoff wheel after tack welding the patch panel in place to get a perfect gap for butt welding
41:35 Some photos of the results of this work
43:57 Outro with credits and aesthetically pleasing photos
Here is the Shrinker Stretcher I purchased:
www.harborfrei...
Thanks to the TH-cam channels "Bad Chad", "Fitzee's Fabrications", and "Sylvester's Customs" TH-cam channels for giving me top notch professional instruction to help increase my skills!
/ @badchad
/ @fitzeesfabrications
/ @sylvesterscustoms

[@towniepats4409]

Another great video, thank you for sharing with us.

[@CobblerBob]

Thanks for watching!

[@OutOfOrderGarage]

Amazing work! I have a yard full of Oldsmobiles that need similar treatment…

[@stephenlabombard5191]

Hi Robert. I enjoy all your content. My question is why you would not just replace the front fenders with new A and D reproduction fenders from summit? They seam reasonably priced and the time savings would have been huge. I am in a similar situation and i havent decided witch way to go. Its eith patch panels on both or replace them. Thanks.

[@jrn6471]

Dear Robert! You are progressing making the body panels, but honestly the welding needs to be improved. Don't ever let pores be left unsealed under body filler even if is glass fiber reinforced. Obviously you don't have the right settings on your MIG welder, since you can in the "sound of welding" hearing that its not right. The A-height of the weld also is too high due to the incorrect settings. This requires additional grinding also thinning the surrounding metal. On the last part of the video you seem to have got the factors more right, gap and penetration including the settings. My self is an educated engineer within process piping engineering but original have a craft certificate as a plater and a certified welder..... Kind regards Mr. Iversen from Norway (PS: frequent follower of your channel both in regards to shoes and now your Cutlass :-))

[@CobblerBob]

Thanks for the tips. It's definitely not easy. This new welder definitely welds very differently than my old flux cored welder. I find that the heat either seems to be too low, as you commented, or if I turn it up, the weld seems to splatter right out of the joint.