1952 Ford F1 Pickup - Simple Sheetmetal Solutions

Eastwood also sells a heat-resistant aluminum tape with a woven fiberglass center that prevents burn-through by creating a weld pool enclosure. This results in a flatter weld that requires less grinding.

After the initial series of tack welds was made, we chased down the welds with a 60-grit pad on a die grinder.

With the weld flattened, the high and low spots could be chased down with a hammer and dolly.

The tack and grind process was repeated until the entire patch panel was fully welded and ground down. A skim of body filler was all that was needed at this point to finish this area.

In addition to the busted-up section we just went over, the fender also had a 3/4-inch hole that needed to be filled. While we could have filled the hole by installing a CB whip antenna topped with a raccoon tail, we opted to simply weld it up.

The hole was recessed below the surrounding metal. The first step was to hammer-and-dolly the area so it conformed to the area.

Another useful tool Eastwood offers is this Welder's Helper copper spoon. It works in the same manner as the magnetic copper welding backer or the aluminum tape, by supporting the weld from behind.

Here's a poor man's version made from a copper elbow, flattened on one end and held in place with a pair of Vise-Grips.

The weld material won't stick to the copper, so it acts to support the back of the weld.

A spiral pattern was used to fill the hole.

Note how flat the back side of the weld is, thanks to the copper backing surface.

The top of the weld was sanded flush and was ready for a coat of filler. Much cleaner than a 15-foot whip antenna!