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Old 10-25-2020, 10:23 PM
Philipj Philipj is offline
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Default Fender Widening 1939 Chevy 1.5 ton Truck...

As I embark yet on another truck, I decided to purchase a small mig welder (Lincoln 180) learn how to use it and try to replicate what was done originally during the war on desert trucks; and on my last project by a local fabricator...

Why you my ask? first to become self sufficient, secondly I could not bear to pay someone to do something instead of learning it myself and not having the means to even begin to try anything else down the road, given that this is my hobby... By that I mean that, purchasing a mig (however modest) cost less than paying someone to do the job again...

So here is my first attempt and the first question, it has to do with something very simple, how to best grind the welds without eating away at the rest of the material? Someone else here, DRIVEJUNK did a great job smoothing the welds in tougher places without leaving any marks... As I struggle with a grinding disk to make something decent of my work...

On the downside, I do not have a compressor or air tools, just a small grinder...

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Last edited by galooph; 10-26-2020 at 03:13 AM.
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Old 10-26-2020, 06:20 AM
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It starts with a 3M reinforced weld grinding wheel-

https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-...3194014&rt=rud
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Old 10-26-2020, 08:23 AM
Philipj Philipj is offline
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Default Fender Widening 1939 Chevy 1.5 ton truck...

Hello Matt,

Thank you very much for the tip...Do you know if the Green Corps Reinforced grinding wheels are available for grinders with a 7/8" arbor or just for 1/2"?
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Old 10-26-2020, 12:39 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Philipj View Post
Hello Matt,

Thank you very much for the tip...Do you know if the Green Corps Reinforced grinding wheels are available for grinders with a 7/8" arbor or just for 1/2"?
I sure don't. The 3/16" thick 3" wheel with 3/8" hole is the only kind I have used and the only way I have used them is on a $20 guarded cutoff tool. Or die grinder. The effectiveness, precision, and comparatively low generation of heat of that wheel and tool versus other methods makes it tough to beat.

Even the next best thing, in your situation, 2 or 3" twist-lock style discs... doesn't really compare. I know you said you just have the one tool but mentioned the 3Ms because of that. You have a big job to do and so much heat will be generated by other methods that it is going to take a long time. Stones, burrs, flap discs... all have drawbacks but the "rock" (as I call them) get me to a point of ready for 24, 36, or 50 grit quickest and with the least heat in any grinding scenario I run across.
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Old 10-26-2020, 06:44 PM
Philipj Philipj is offline
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Default Fender Widening 1939 Chevy 1.5 ton truck...

Hello Matt,

I appreciate the extra information here... I just did 2/3 of the L/H fender and I am struggling grinding the welds... Despite just having figured out how to flatten up the bead as I weld, I still will need to use your discs and a different tool... Can you post a photo of the tool that takes that disc?

All I have right now is a 100 grit flap disk on a medium size Dewalt grinder... I definitely need something smaller to get into some of the toughest parts of the fender that are not exactly flat...
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Old 10-26-2020, 10:32 PM
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Howdy Philip. I use an older version of this... 10 years or more:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Campbell-...500AV/36710779

Broke the guard off long ago but no longer use it for cutting, it is dedicated to the rock.

After that, I step to this type of disc:

https://www.amazon.com/twist-lock-sa...+sanding+discs

If getting just one kind, I suggest 2" 36 grit because the 2" allows more precision in a ditch and that grit will slick up nice with 80 grit on a DA sander, which is the universally preferred finishing sandscratch on mild steel prior to applying epoxy primer. For the twist lock (3M calls them Roloc) discs, you'll of course need the mandrel that goes with your 2 or 3" discs. Something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Mandrel-Sandi.../dp/B013WGNN9I

And a speedy tool to run it. Most prefer angle die grinders for this and again, not a real pricey tool but angle die grinders as a rule don't last as long as straight ones. Using twist locks on a straight die grinder sucks though, and the angle tool is much easier to manipulate safely and precisely. This is a random example off the top of a search just to show the style of tool-

https://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-P...0782/305591806

Just be careful, mind where your sparks land and such. Glasses and gloves and maybe ears required although if you slip, none of the abrasives mentioned above were ever stopped by a glove!
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Old 10-27-2020, 06:29 AM
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Phillippe, here's a video I did on grinding plug welds, the process would be similar for the welds you show there. I would say to put the flap wheels away, they cover up what you're doing where you run the risk of sanding away too much of the parent metal on either side of the weld because you can't see it. Using a cutoff wheel to get rid of the bulk of the weld gives you better view of exactly what you are grinding, and also has a smaller contact patch for less heat buildup (for less shrinking)



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2WHT_zMOE8
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Last edited by MP&C; 10-27-2020 at 06:37 AM.
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Old 10-27-2020, 06:18 PM
Charlie Myres Charlie Myres is offline
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Top movie Robert!
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Old 10-27-2020, 07:16 PM
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Our hero has probably got it done with the flap disc by now. I know how it is. But I took a pic today anyway. '51 F-1 job. This is how I get started, with a back and forth motion along the weld at an angle to it-



If it arises, resist the temptation to run the wheel parallel to the weld. You can, but it makes a trench pretty quickly and woopsies gouge more severely. One of the wheels shown might have done the whole widening job with some left, they last quite awhile. But they just sell packs of four or five and they are high. Norton may also offer a 3/16 wheel, not sure. But the one shown is worn almost down to the label and at the label you begin to run a greater risk of wheel fragmentation (breaking the wheel at a bazillion RPM. ) Same for cutoff wheels, which are for cutting. Note that the tool is being held in a manner which keeps my whole body out of line with the wheel. Last safety tip: Never use any cutoff or weld grinding wheel that has ever been wet.

Tell us how you do, Philip
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Old 10-28-2020, 08:24 PM
Philipj Philipj is offline
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Default Fender Widening 1939 Chevy 1.5 ton truck...

Hello Matt,

I really appreciate the 1,2,3 specific guide to-how to for the tools that I need, makes a big difference since we're talking about specific needs... I am discovering that there is indeed the right tool for each step and there are no short-cuts!...

After inspecting what I tried to do with the flap wheel, I am upset to find a couple of places where i caused a slight problem (indentation/where shouldn't had been) had I been able to come up with the tools you mentioned... I'm so used to improvising and wanting to get the job done that sometimes it can be a curse!...

Waiting for the next sale at Harbor Freight (Nov. 2nd) where I will purchase the middle of the road 20 gallon air compressor... Would that be adequate for this sort of thing? the cut off tool or angle grinder (It seems that you favor the air cut off tool) some 36 grit (2") Roloc wheels and a 2" mandrel...
With that in place, I will carefully go over the welds once more and touch up some of the minor blemishes with body filler...

It should be noted that I absolutely hate body filler and my goal was to do the job without any of it as it was done originally... Now given that I had never done this before I say that it came out all right, and won't fell too bad about using a few ounces of body filler to undo the damage done with the flap wheel!

Charlie, great video utilizing a cut off wheel to grind plug welds... I have used the cut off wheel before, and you must be very careful not to slip and make a rut, don't ask me how I know!..;(

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Last edited by galooph; 10-29-2020 at 03:42 AM.
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