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Tips
Tips

bugeye bonnet welding help please

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I

ichthos

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Anyone have any tips for welding new beading and fenders for a bugeye bonnet? Do you paint between the beading and fenders with anything before welding? Do you weld the beading and then the fenders? Any help would greatly be appreciated.
Kevin
 
Beading is shaped like a flower, with the head of the flower visible, and the stem between the flanges on the sheetmetal parts. Drill out the welds holding the sheet metal parts together, take out/grind out the old beading. Replace with the new beading, reassemble the sheetmetal, keeping all the sheetmetal and the beading all lined up. When everything is in line tack weld through the sheetmetal flanges and the beading.
Kevin, this takes a lot of experience and is not for the weak. Many people would not even attempt this!
Scott in CA
 
I've also seen it done by cutting off the base of the beading and soldering it on after the fenders are joined. Again, great skill required!

Kurt
 
I went with the baseless method and used brazing vs solder. If you get the heat just right the braze is drawn into the joint and leaves a nice lightly filled seam.
 
mightymidget said:
I have body shop experience and just paid over 800$ at a restoration shop to have mine redone
Click to expand...
Could you repeat that again?
grin.gif
 
markberry said:
mightymidget said:
I have body shop experience and just paid over 800$ at a restoration shop to have mine redone
Click to expand...
Could you repeat that again?
grin.gif
Click to expand...

Sure sounds like there might be more to that story.
Did you attempt it and then have it done or did you look at it and say to yourself?
"I'm getting someone else to do that!"
 
The point I was attempting to make is I have worked in body shops doing body reapairs and paint work in the past years. So I am past the rookie level in paint and body work on cars.

I had two bonnets and a new wing that I wanted to make into one bonnet, I took a look at the work that needed to be done and decided it was way over my head.
I am very glad that I went the route I did. I have spent over $800.00 in labor to the body shop. It isn't even painted or blocked out. I watched the work as it progressed and it was worth more.

The bonnet is 1/2 the car, if it looks like junk because beading is not place correctly or panels don't align etc......you are going be unhappy with every car wash. I will have over $1500 in this bonnet not counting my time or paint materials. But I know no rust is going to pop up behind a support weld or fender crease
 
If you got it spend it. Cost me about $80 for beading and looks pretty good. Not a bad rookie job if I do say so myself.
 
I appreciate the warnings, but I am going to try welding myself. The only real cost is going to be the beading. Worse case scenario is that if I don't like my job, I figure I will just drill back out the welds, fill the holes back in, and pay to have it done. How did you line up the fenders to the top? Did you just clamp the three pieces together on each side? Did you paint with weld through paint before welding? Did you use a mig or spot welder?
Kevin
 
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