Guys, this is my first time doing this, please don't beat me up to bad. Looking for tips or tricks or tell me if I did it wrong. Brace is just tacked in, I'm in the process of fitting the skin. How are you suppose to form the bottom?
First turn the heat up on the welder, that weld is to cold. And grind that coating off you need clean metal on both sides You have to make sure the brace us located as correctly as it will allow. Measure its length from where it starts to bend to go under the fender up to the top of the oval hole that's in the remaining piece of the factory brace. I can provide a measurement if needed of a factory fender. Once t gf at is confirmed you need to position the panel so its fit is dictated starting from the top. So cut that flange off the top so the patch stops rite below the body line. Then position it ft. Or best fit at the top pay no attention yo the bottom no matter how far it's off. Once you get positioned the clamp and cut thru both the patch and the fender. Once you go a few inches if you want tack a place or two then continue cutting. Let the bottom fall where it may then you will need to put relief cuts in the corners and hammer the lip over the brace, put the spot welds and then contour and trim tbe bottom as needed to accommodate the bolts
Before you go sewing it up solid I would encourage you to bolt it back on and check the fit to the rocker. The inward roll is also probably not as pronounced as the factory fender/door so it's not uncommon to need to take a door skin hammer and work that area down. For welding, metal working and filler tips review the cliff notes link
Hugger, would you be able to get me this measurement? I will try to measure mine when I get home. Those tacks are cold because I was burning through and it's hard to see but I did grind away the galvanized
Here are some more pictures with the new skin removed revealing what's left of the old skin. The brace fits tightly against what's left of the old fender.
You are missing another hole, it's not in the new brace, I'll get an updated measurement tomorrow And yes cut on or even below the blue line, then after it's all clamped cut again thru both the patch and the fender at the same time about 1.5in from the body line
I know, I know, it's not the greatest. This fender was scrap anyway and the brace and lower fender were free with the car. I just wanted to see what I could pull off. Here are some pics.
