How To Repair Sheet Metal

Don your safety glasses face shield and leather work gloves.

How to repair sheet metal.

After slicing the patches out with a cutoff wheel next came the bending hammer and dolly session until the patches matched the holes and fit snug and flush into the flanged seat. Cut the chosen sheet metal to a size that matches the area to be patched. Weld the most permanent repair to a hole in sheet metal is to weld the hole shut. Lower your face shield and thoroughly clean the metal.

Mark the dimensions and shape using a metal. Measure a piece of sheet metal for the repair with a measuring tape. How to do metal repair without welding step 1. The welding process actually adds new steel to the thin steel and can result in a repaired spot that is stronger than the original metal.

The complexity of welding increases as the thickness of the material decreases. The sheet metal patch should overlap onto the metal panel at least 2 inches past the edges of the damaged area. Attach the wire wheel to the 4 inch grinder. Cut the sheet metal along the scribed lines using metal shears or a handheld rotary cutting tool equipped with a.

Here is a tutorial how to video that show. Place the repair sheet metal. Lay the removed section on a piece of fresh steel and trace the outline. Using lineman s pliers the plug is cut to shape slowly snipping into a circle.

I then used the templates to trace out the patch panels on some sheet metal. When i got to where it fit i pressed it into the hole using the same pliers. The metal needs to be shiny and free of corrosion and. After the sheet metal patch has been cut and fit to size round the corners of the patch with a file or emery cloth to prevent any sharp corners from becoming a catching spot for snow or ice.

Make sure not to cut through the underlying metal. I used a piece of pvc pipe a vice mount miniature metal break and body hammer kit. You can then cut. This should be the result with the bad part of the panel removed.

Sheet metal is a huge part of any hotrod build or autobody repair. The first thing to do is carefully cut away the rusted out area.