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I am preparing to start welding my floorboard, rear body tube and lower cowls etc back together again. I have fixed most of the rust that I am going to work on now. I have heard different opinions about what preparation to make before I start spot welding the floorboard to the side panels and other parts. Some have suggested cold galvanizing the seams before putting it back. I have also read about some weld through primers. Another person I talked to said the use the cold galvanizing and the weld through primer. Has anybody used any of the cold galvanizing, weld through primers or both?


These are the seams I am talking about spot welding. Any observations, suggestions or experience would be appreciated

If you are going to use galvanizing compound be sure and have plenty of ventilation, that stuff contains zinc and is deadly even in the fumes... I was taking my welding classes and was going to use some metal that had it on it, Instuctor made me grind every bit off before welding...

I would use your primer then weld, then galvanize after the fact...

My opinion...

Hal,
I appreciate your response. I have hit snags on getting my work done on the body and acknowledging your response. I visited with a body shop that specailizes in restorations and he and most paint folks I have talked to seem to recommend the 3M weld through primer with zinc.
I have been using the copper welding vise grips quite a bit with the rust repair and they have worked well. I found that since the copper pad on it is oval on two sides it is hard to put it on some areas, such as near the bottom of the body where it curls up in a flange. I had some old copper sheet that I cut and folded to use when the other wouldn't work.

When you or anyone esle who reads this--- started welding panels back together did you plug weld, ie, drill a hole through both pieces of metal and weld them together or just drill holes in one piece, clamp them tight and weld through the one hole to attach the other panel?
If both have been done, what seemed to work the best?
Thanks
and to all
Merry Christmas

Don't make more work than you need, only drill holes in one panel. The metal in the mating panel will catch the puddle. Otherwise if you drill a hole all the way thru both, you have to back it up with a piece of copper. If you find you can't get a clamp on some of the more inboard welds, you can run sheet metal screws thru those sections and remove as you go. I got creative and came up with a way to wedge the panels seams together between the garage floor and the garage ceiling with the use of broomsticks and whatever I could to push them together. Sometimes cumbersome but it worked.

Brett