fbekholden.com

Should have mentioned Neil - with the shrinking disk you really need a large one on a variable speed polisher/large grinder. Heaps easier to control and heat multiple high spots on a larger surface area more evenly at the same time. I started with a small one on a grinder and it worked but was patchy - felt like I was chasing high spots as they moved around. Small one is still useful in tight spaces.

Cheers for the comments guys.
I find it is always a learning curve so maybe the other side will turn out better.

Anyway onwards and upwards.

Got into the passenger side rear quarter on the weekend and got the inner completed yesterday.
No photos you have all seen it before.

When I'm under there (it is on its side on the rotis) I keep looking around and keep noticing the small places where I am going to have to put patches in, I think I need to stop looking around

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Just read your whole thread Neil. Chipping away at it nicely!


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Had to do another patch on the passenger side inner rear before going to the outer.
As others have advised and oldmate Keith came and visited last weekend, go slower and take my time, Keith said ‘back in the day’ they used a wet rag to cool the welds mind you they were welding with oxy
Anyway just about out of gas but got this far and stopped because I get impatient and just want to get it finished and end up putting too much heat into it.

Looking good.
I am (was) a proponent of the wet rag quenching technique. Those Bunnings $10 bags of 20 micro-fibre rags are perfect for this, and many other car jobs.

In terms of patch welding, may I suggest always working in one direction. In other words, do a tack, quench, move 20mm to the right, tack, quench, move another 20mm to the right and so on. When finished the run, start to the right of the first tack and go again. This keeps the expansion moving in one direction. To this end, it's better to leave the last 25mm or so unwelded until everything else is complete. It is suprising how much the patch 'moves' and it is much easier to deal with the last inch, than have each end secured but have the movement come out as bulge or hollow within the patch. For this patch, working right to left and leaving a few mm's unwelded at the guard roll end will minimise distortion. After the big run is done, adjust the last bit to fit the guard and tack it up the last few cm's the same way as the rest.

Equally, when patching in a hole surounded by parent metal or even this type of work, be prepared to keep opening up the 1mm gap as you go with a fine cutting wheel. Patches can end up pushing against the hole and causing all sorts of grief even when quenching is used. I had to cut open and re-weld a similar patch in Wilma FB project, and Dave (who is a truly gifted welder) had to open up the hole in his roof cut replacement on Orange Betty several times as he went.
Some will use a panel hammer and de-stress each tack as they go. I have not done this much while using a quenching rag. It's too much like hard work!.
Enjoy this most rewarding task and I hope I'm not doing as Clay puts it "sucking eggs etc"

Passenger side rear quarter finished used the wet rag and tack tack still got a little shrinkage near the back end but maybe that was cause the gap between the two pieces may not have been wide enough, anyway doing the best I can.
Now to tackle another area at the back before going to outer sills.

Both Rear Quarters inside and out now done a bit of body work and they will be ok I suppose Moved to the very back now, more metal worm Cut it out but there is another piece that rolls inside at the bottom that is also stuffed on the top edge inside so I will need to take that out and replace it before putting the new piece in that I just removed.

Quarter looks great Neil. You've done really well I reckon. Brett

Dang mate it was only parked next to an EK for a short time in my yard - must have caught the tinworm then as we all know FB's dont rust ......

I've heard that Blacky, the EK beside the Reverend must have been almost completely gone then because I think all of the tinworm must have been hungry and looked for greener pastures looked at the Rev and thought why not we will give it a go

You’re really getting on with it mate. Great work!


FB ute fixer upper, EK van on rotisserie

You have to be happy with how this is coming along

Yesterday I got into the rear piece I had started, found that there is actually three pieces one on top of each other and they had spot welded all three at once, so once I removed the top one I had to redrill the same spot welds, I’ve made up the two pieces but they have to wait till next time.