i was wondering if it is actually possible to use heavy duty rivets to keep the rocker panel on rather than welding. a shop owned by a friend of mine said it will work fine, but I'm not sure how to do this. anyone else have any tips to doing this or think its a bad idea?

 

ok well forget that idea. i want to buy a good welder to do this job. im confident i can weld in new quarter panel and rocker panel rust repair panels. doesnt sem to be too hard or a job. my only question is, should i use a gasless wire welder? and do they plug into a normal A/C outlet in a home?

 

What you're going to be spending on a welder, and practice to get it right, you might as well find a small body shop to do it for you.

Gasless (flux core) welders suck, it's like spitting boogers on the metal. I hate those things.

A good MIG setup is going to cost you more than the car's worth.

It's not as easy as it seems either. If you don't have experience in metalwork/body metalwork you're in for a treat.

I've replaced body panels using rivets before, and on a rocker it's no big deal. It's a bit more work than welding. There's a body panel glue out on the market now, I can't recall the maker/brand name or anything, just know that I've seen it on some tractor forums before.

 

ok well thanks, i'll just have a shop weld them in, and i'll grind/shape the welded areas

should i lay epoxy primer over the welded area, and then bondo, and then filler/sealer, then paint?

 

i'd wire wheel the welds after i was done. etching primer, and then a epoxy primer.

 

then filler, then what other kind of primer before paint?

 

they say you can put filler right on top of scuffed up'd epoxy primer.