[JD's53]

I took off the hood ornament and have the excess holes to repair. I was going to fill the seam down the hood with weld and fill the holes in the front, but I was told not to because it would warp the hood. ANY SUGGESTIONS on a trim piece to fit the whole length of the hood?

[rrmccabe]

Nothing wrong with welding it. Fill any excessive holes with metal. The easiest method is using a MIG. You could TIG it if you have the skill or ox/acet weld it. But the MIG is my choice for ease of use.

You might get some warping depending on the location but there are several ways to avoid this. First, dont weld from one end to the other. Move around to keep the heat from building up. You can also use a heat damn which is putty like material that holds the heat back. Wet towels will work as well.

Depending on the location of the weld you might not need anything. Areas with seams are less likely to warp. A little sheet metal warpage is normal for any custom like you are doing. You can straigten it back up and fill it easy.


Rich

[Jerry Kelley]

I agree with you for the most part. I was thinking,"boy thats dangerous" that to avoid warpage don`t weld it %100 ,maybe a 1 inch weld every 6 in and a good body filler to smooth it out. Go really slow on the welding. Jerry

[Henry Highrise]

Weld the holes up and on the seam I wouls weld a 1 inch weld at one end then go to the other end and do the same. Alternate from end to end making ever weld a few inches apart. Then let cool and start again welding in between the previous welds. Keep on doing this ( stopping from time to time to let cool) untill you have the seam complete. Dress the welds down with a grinder then smooth up with body filler.

[Riverman]

Hi JD,
I did my 49 which is very similar. Weld it slow with a mig - alternate. Weld one end, then the other and take a break and work on something else once in awhile. Cool it with rags and or a piece of aluminum on the back acts as a great heat sink. I have done this in shops for years with all kinds of metal. I would also set heat low. You do not need that much penetration on this piece anyway. Mine barely took even a skim, layer of mud. It looks great. By the way, it has over a 100 louvers in it too. A little stress relieving going on there too. Good luck.
Ron

[Riverman]

JD,

Cannot believe I forgot to mention this. Think about panel bonding adhesive as a potential option if welding is not in your future. Some may not like this, but many cars being built this way nowadays, and it is one of the hottest things going in repair shops.