ive got an 85 datsun 720 dual cab 4wd i want to restore, but currently nowhere to work on it. it frustrating as f*&k yeah. ill be reffering back to these kind of vids when i do though for sure
Excellent step-by-step guide on fabricating! You made easy to follow and this is the first video that didn’t leave me with unanswered questions at the end! I’m glad I found this video!! I’ll be following!👀
Thid guy genious. Scares the fuck out of mr when he cuts the original pieces out of these cars. AND ITS NOT EVEN MY CAR. CRAZY AND INSANE. IS WHAT MOST P EOOLE CALL GENIISES. THIS MAN IS TULL Y A GENIOUS. PHENOMOMINAL SKILLS AND BIG BALLS. I WONDER IF HE DRINKS BEER OR WHISKEY. HES SOUBDS IRISH SCOTTICH AND FRENCH. MIXED. LOVE THIS MAN I THINK HR SPENDS 18 TO 20 HOURS IN THE SHOP. 7 DAYS A WEEK. HE GIVES NEW MEANING. TO THE PHRASE. METAL HEAD. HEAVY METAL. IR LIGHT. O DONT THINK HES A 🎸 ROCKER. NIGHTFENCER GATEKEEPER. W O W WOW WOW
I always hated to work on places like this, never dreamed that the by using old rusted panels as a template it would be so much easier, My way of thinking was to cut out that rust and get rid of it not realizing how handy that rusted part was. Thanks for the video.
Gary ... I did a project car a few years ago and only a few days into it I realized that cardboard templates only go so far because they don't hold a compound curve. I basically started doing exactly the same as this video, although it was trial and error at the beginning. By the time I was done with the first door sill and rocker, I was starting to feel better with using the rusty parts as my template... or should I say in places where I still had the rusty part. Yeah, there were a few areas where I had to wing it because the OEM part just didn't exist any more so had to measure the other side of the car and flip the part over to make the final fit.
I added this video to my playlist and just got around to watching it. You sir are a amazing fabricator. I learned more from your video than I did in school. Simple instructions, reasons behind why you did it the way you did, why you shouldn't do it in a template...it all made perfect since. I have a 75 malibu that I inherited when my twin brother passed 5 years ago. I've done a ls swap but it's just been sitting for 3 years because no one makes patch panels that I need for the car. Recently purchased a 74 bucket seat parts car with plans on stripping it for the metal and interior. After watching a few of your videos I've decided to just make my own panels. You're awesome
Everything you do completely relates to projects I have. I just need time! I know when I am ready to start doing work I have the best reference manual right here!! Thank you!
The biggest lesson I've learned from you is keep it single, break the repairs down in to stages, I've looked at cars in the past and decided they are too complicated to repair, now I'm jumping in with both feet, so glad I found your channel, Thanks Tony
Found that out when redoing a set of western wheels with my son , sandblasting was the ticket to get down into the edges and tight spots and really clean surfaces to add a bit of stranded fiberglass to touch up the rust areas. End job was worth every bit of blasting, winter rims look perfect years later, used 2 part epoxy paint with hi grade primer.
I learned years ago that sandblasting rusty floors in the vehicle gets sand everywhere. The next time I did one, I taped off the dash, underside of the dash included, essentially sealing the dash from the rest of the interior, and then sandblasted the floors. If you don't seal off the dash with tape and sheet plastic, the sand will get into every single component in the dash.
@@robj2704 why not just hold an empty vacuume near the end of the sand blaster? To suck in the sand and re use it another time? I made a jig similar to what dry wall guys use to drill out pot light holes in a finished ceiling, it keeps dust and dirt inside a small vessel that gets sucked out by a vaccume....
After the air force , went to school for auto mechanics and body and paint work , never got to work it so just doing mainly my own stuff , after 30 yrs, learning good ways AND remembering stuff I had forgotten !! 😅😮
This was a great eye opener and lesson on how to do rust repair around windows. I have a bunch of this to do on a 55 Chevy and was worried on how to accomplish it. You have shown me the light! Thanks
I have tried using cardboard templates to cut my steel replacement pieces and it works fairly well. This process skips that and removes the error that transferring the shape to cardboard and then your final steel pieces introduces. I think you have to be careful though when you are laying the new steel sections on top of the original shape because your replacement piece can become slightly larger. I also like how tacking in the new sections and then bending them to fit into the correct shape works. Appreciate the time it takes to make these videos, glad to see you are getting some great recognition. You certainly have mine.
Love your chanel! With your training I rebuilt all four corners of my 1987 toyota extra cab windsheild. I am very please at how it turned out. Much thanks Fitze!
I'm 70 years old now and when was a young man in the 60's and 70's I had no problem finding a good Body man who could and would repair your car's bumps and bends, and they were good at it. But you had to hunt around and talk to his customers to find out if he was a true body man or a mud man and what they had to say about his quality. People like yourself are really hard to find in major cities throughout Canada nowadays. Luckily Through word of mouth and making a new friend I was able to get a real good body man to help me on this last mustang. I really enjoy your show because for many years I've been struggling to do minor repairs with so-so results. Keep up this show and God Bless you and your's in these troubled times. Dave M
I so enjoy watching you working learning from your experiences you bring my confidence level up just knowing that it can simply be done all it takes is common sense and willing to try and pay attention to your videos
The mix of Irish and American accents is amazing, also why hasn't youtube bothered to show me these vids before? This is literally exactly the kind of content I've been trying to watch.
Great job Fitzee. I’ve got a similar job to do on my MGB GT, the corner of the front windshield and the A Post as well as where the Fender bolts through it. Probably end up made up with about 4 or 5 pieces in the end. It’s definitely the way to go making it up with separate pieces and a lot of the fabrication off the car. Cheers
Thank you Tony, you are so thorough with your explanation and it’s a joy to watch, listen and learn. Passing on the knowledge is the key for all of us to try and help others 😊
Iv watched so many videos, I started on my 05 blazer for practice, watched afew of yours and boom it turned out great, and made so much more sense! Not a spec of rust now. I've got my 72 gmc, 65 parisienne, and many more to work on! Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge and experience. Great camera angles and superior teaching experience for both new body man and old!
Fitzee - with your simple home made tools and a couple of basic air/electrical tools AND YOUR BASIC APPROACHES to repairing complex shapes, you are a master craftsman. Learnt a lot from your videos and always looking forward to the next challenge! Keep up the excellent teaching and “how to fix that” type videos!!
I finally figured out why it's Fitzee's Fab..... "I fits(fitz) it to one side, then I fits(fitz) it to the other side"......LOL! Awe inspiring work and you are a good teacher. I like how you don't cut your explanations short. Love the channel, learning lots!!
I just shared this to my Olds Cutlass Facebook group. This is a common repair needed for our cars. I hope they come check you out! Thanks for the continuous videos, they are great!
Thank you for your Master Class level presentation that any layman can follow along and understand. It gives me encouragement that yes I can do this too! I am working on a '68 Chevy II Nova SS restoration and while in pretty amazing shape, it has a couple of rusted spots like this. You are saving me from much trouble! Thank you.
Once again, very well done and jammed full of great info & tips! You do a nice job editing too. I've got a few different size T-dollies in the drawer - first time ever seeing one used "upside-down" like you did. Very effective and a great tip. Thanks Fitzee!
I've watched several of your presentations and find you interesting to watch as you figure out the angles and compound curves. You are an artist and a talented fabricator. I am 71 years old and having grown up watching my father do similar restoration work with simple handmade tools , You remind me of him and like him amaze me. It blew me away when you said you don't have a torch at 47:38 to take out the brass. The repurposed screw driver, the T dolly and the I beam anvil. You work with what you have and you getter done. One thing that a saw that made me cringe was during the on bench fabrication You was grinding your welds down and the grinding waste (sparks) was directly hitting the front fender of the car behind you. A cover or screen would protect the pain from these hot grinder rash. I know You are working in a small space but some protection is needed. I say this because Years ago my younger brother took his x19 to a body shop to have some special paint work done and when he picked it up it had specs burned into the clear coat on the drivers door and front fender. The body man had tried to buff it out but it was almost clear into the base metal and the body guy said that he did not know what happened. My brother took it to another shop and the body man there said that he has seen this before and said that they was probably working on another vehicle next to his in the shop and did not cover his car. Just an observation. Your work and processes are worth the subscribe to me . Thank you for sharing your craft. Nolan
Fitzee helping me fix me 68 caddy DeVille here in Australia - looking great thanks to cut-n-butt and the 3 piece technique for around rear window - thanks mate !
Another great tutorial Fitzy, as we see on completion all metal fitz like factory, you are a true craftsman, well done 100%. John from Cairns Australia 👍👍
i wish i would have learn from you years ago i really enjoy doing body work and have learn lots from watching your channel. thanks a lot for the videos.
You're an awesome teacher! Thanks for helping old is poor diy guys. I'm too foolish to think I can't do something but with your instructions it sure does faster and easier!
I'm in Australia and I too have a couple of old school cars, one I'm trying to restore and yes, I must admit that you have inspired me to keep going and to try things I have never done before, I'm attempting to restore a Ford XC Panel van with it's usual rust issues, as it was sitting in a paddock for many years, trying to keep it alive as they are slowly disappearing from our roads. Again thank you for your help and giving me the courage to tackle this big job one rust repair at a time. Thanks mate, from Australia 🦘
good job but to be definitively efficient, you should put grease everywhere. grease et the only thing very efficient against rust. put grease between metal and carpet, inside door, behind bumper, behind (inside the car), behind the repairs you can make (everywhere inside hidden ereas - instead of using paint), hollow areas (necessarily hidden, so no need to be aesthetic). For rear wings unreachable with a paintbrush, use an extender and poor old oil everywhere each year.Handyman Experience - 35 years. From france
Ya, sand blastin! The only safe place to keeps your gum is under your foreskin! I've been watching a lot of your vids. Working on an 89 Dodge pickup, I'm sure you're familiar with the rust above the windshield on them. A lot of good tips on making your own panels since you can't buy too many panels like with a GM, and those Bruce Lee panels never fit right anyways. Keep up the good work by.
From some random guy in exotic ultimately sh*thole Greece, dreaming some day of restoring his own muscle car. Thank You! Informative video and you did such an excellent job!
Hi Fitzee , I like your videos and do similar repairs as a hobby myself, one trick I use for getting panel shapes is a piece of cardboard template - much easier and quicker cutting a cardboard cardboard template to shape with scissors and then transfer onto your steel piece. Keep up the awesome videos man 👍👍
Fantastic Fitzee! This has been so helpful, it’s simple and complicated all at the same time, your right it’s so professional looking. now I need the practice on the ol ranchero, thanks again
I did this about a year ago not specifically around the roof sail panel but I'm quarter panels I remade the lip on a 68 Grand Prix they didn't want to spend $2,000 per quarter panel plus the labor of me so I said look I'm in the save you the amount it's going to be less doing it this way it's going to take me more time but I'm not cutting off the whole quarter panel and it's more original it what you would naturally get and to put a quarter panel back on all original and have to do some inner wheelhouse there's a lot of work that's involved I rather just make a patch to say that I could have did better with this or that but ultimately I took pictures of everything before and after run I passed a lot and save the quarter panels on both and I think I did a nice job all by hand with no special tools
F itze, just a way to weld to avoid stress and ringlets in your window panel start your spot welds in the middle and work out in both directions liminates bows and waves .CHEERS .
I love your work. I have a whole new way of looking at things because of watching you. I would have given this way too much thought and ruined it thinking I needed thousands of dollars worth of tools and having to learn how to use them. Thank you for sharing this. I know you haven't done this yet and I don't know if you would. I would love to see what a piece looks like filled, blocked, and primed. I don't know if you go that far. Thanks for everything. Please don't stop!
You nailed the technique with this complex repair; all the slight curves and weird angles are reproduced, spot-on! No other way to do this PROPERLY, but your way. Thank you for clearly explaining all this, Fitzee!!
Another nice job buddy. Turned out well. Even though i do this sort of thing myself i find it soothing to watch in this crazy time we are living in with our governments nonsense.
Best advice I've ever put into practice.... 1964 vw type 3 rear window, both lower quarters done plus mid section (pretty much the same as this video) all in 21 gauge to match original...... cut and butt technique is simply genius to, smallest gap ever to butt weld. Fitzee, genius level fabricator, top work and a great way of explaining things 👍👍👍👍
Wow, that T-Dolly method at 34:21 Amazing how quickly you got that in shape. The whole approach is very logical. That area on the back window is notorious on the Mercedes W126 so if they don't sell a repair panel this will be a big help. On a side note I heard what sounds like a pretty big compressor running right near your work area - something just came to my attention recently which was a compressor that exploded because a seal was leaking and it let too much compressor oil into the tank itself - when the compressor then got hot enough the oil mist inside the tank exploded. In this case they think an incorrect weight of oil was being used, but anyway please be aware. (This was at a car wash facility and it was on the OSHA accident webpage in USA).
I've made panels like this in the past when doing custom panels for taillights that aren't sposed to be there and I ended up with more then 7 panels welded together just to get the right compound shape. Works really well.
Hi Fitzee great video's. A little help pls: Triumph Stag front bonnet(hood) open's from back towards the front of the car. Mine is rotten about 3 inches in from front of car. Watching your videos I think a fresh piece could be added to replace the rotten section? The rotten section is almost the full width of the bonnet (if you have an email address I could send you some photo's for advice please ? )
I have the same problem on a 52 Ford pickup, rusted out around each side of the front windshield. What do you think about after replacing the channel, and drilling holes on each side to let standing water leak out?
Great job. You make it look super easy. I'm definitely more game now to try some of this on my 71 charger restoration project I'm documenting on my channel. Thanks, you've earned yourself a subscriber!
“When ye starts grinding the car off, ye know you’ve reached your point.” No truer words ever spoken. I’m thinking of retrofitting late model glue-in channel frame around my windshield for the flush glass fitment look. I think this will be easier than 3-piece fitment, but you make this look easy too.
Only just found this channel and looking forward to watching back through the older videos, there's so many little tricks here which you only figure out after doing this stuff for years - thanks for passing on your knowledge Fitzee!
Great instructional video Fitzee! I think that front and rear window sockets are some of the most miserable things to work work on... a shrinker/stretcher is great for those wind roof crowns.
Starrett makes a nice hook scriber that Santa should tuck into your stocking. Merry Christmas Fitzee, thanks for your generosity sharing your skills. Wish there was a way donate to your projects.
Thanks Fitzee! I learn a lot of techniques from your videos. I’m not as afraid to do metal repairs as I was before. I like how you simplify things. Keep up the good work!
This guy is helping me fix all the rust in my VL commodore here in Australia. What a legend, its like sitting through a free apprenticeship 👌
Same got me doing my Xb from this video
ive got an 85 datsun 720 dual cab 4wd i want to restore, but currently nowhere to work on it. it frustrating as f*&k yeah. ill be reffering back to these kind of vids when i do though for sure
85 ford transit, fr window, rear wheel arches and drivers floor. Its great to have a good teacher
Correction my friend. This is a free apprenticeship. Fitzee is pure genius
Also in Oz, sorting car projects myself thanks to You Fitzee! Magic! Metal 🎩
Do they call you Fitzee because of your last name, or because you "Fitz" metal together?!
I swear you're like the metal working Bob Ross. Thank you so much for your time in sharing your knowledge and skill.
Another masterpiece by a true artist. Thank you very much for the shared knowledge.
Excellent step-by-step guide on fabricating! You made easy to follow and this is the first video that didn’t leave me with unanswered questions at the end! I’m glad I found this video!! I’ll be following!👀
Thid guy genious. Scares the fuck out of mr when he cuts the original pieces out of these cars. AND ITS NOT EVEN MY CAR. CRAZY AND INSANE. IS WHAT MOST P EOOLE CALL GENIISES. THIS MAN IS TULL Y A GENIOUS. PHENOMOMINAL SKILLS AND BIG BALLS. I WONDER IF HE DRINKS BEER OR WHISKEY. HES SOUBDS IRISH SCOTTICH AND FRENCH. MIXED. LOVE THIS MAN I THINK HR SPENDS 18 TO 20 HOURS IN THE SHOP. 7 DAYS A WEEK. HE GIVES NEW MEANING. TO THE PHRASE. METAL HEAD. HEAVY METAL. IR LIGHT. O DONT THINK HES A 🎸 ROCKER. NIGHTFENCER GATEKEEPER. W O W WOW WOW
FRANK,
THIS MAN IS ALL THAT AND A BAG OF CHIPS!!
HIGHLY SKILLED!
as they say "not all heros wear capes"
or welding gloves!!!!
I always hated to work on places like this, never dreamed that the by using old rusted panels as a template it would be so much easier, My way of thinking was to cut out that rust and get rid of it not realizing how handy that rusted part was. Thanks for the video.
Gary ... I did a project car a few years ago and only a few days into it I realized that cardboard templates only go so far because they don't hold a compound curve. I basically started doing exactly the same as this video, although it was trial and error at the beginning. By the time I was done with the first door sill and rocker, I was starting to feel better with using the rusty parts as my template... or should I say in places where I still had the rusty part. Yeah, there were a few areas where I had to wing it because the OEM part just didn't exist any more so had to measure the other side of the car and flip the part over to make the final fit.
@@rupe53,,
- and
Life of
,
Love your skills and explanations.
"I always find it a lot faster and a lot quicker" made me smile too,
Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
"cuts and butts" too.
I learned more from this video than I did in 4 months at the local tech school. No substitute for experience. Great work.
This channel is a gem
MICHELLE OBAMA IS A MAN 🎅🏿🎅🏿🎅🏿
I agree 1000%
@@jg2730 I'd let her do me good
@@darthfader3049 HIM AS HES HUNG AS PER HORSE
I added this video to my playlist and just got around to watching it. You sir are a amazing fabricator. I learned more from your video than I did in school. Simple instructions, reasons behind why you did it the way you did, why you shouldn't do it in a template...it all made perfect since. I have a 75 malibu that I inherited when my twin brother passed 5 years ago. I've done a ls swap but it's just been sitting for 3 years because no one makes patch panels that I need for the car. Recently purchased a 74 bucket seat parts car with plans on stripping it for the metal and interior. After watching a few of your videos I've decided to just make my own panels. You're awesome
Again, the "master" makes it look like even I could do it, after a dozen or so tries. Awesome job, as usual, Tony.
I've watched all his videos and honestly his techniques are awesome, no one else gives this kind of advice 10/10
I agree a great video, very well presented and professional finish.
it's good work you do .but the music is awful
It doesn't matter how you did it it's the result that counts.
Everything you do completely relates to projects I have. I just need time! I know when I am ready to start doing work I have the best reference manual right here!! Thank you!
Another day in Fitzee's classroom, 55 minutes well spent. Thank you.
What, was it 55 min?! Felt like 20.. :)
The biggest lesson I've learned from you is keep it single, break the repairs down in to stages, I've looked at cars in the past and decided they are too complicated to repair, now I'm jumping in with both feet, so glad I found your channel, Thanks Tony
You're right, sandblasting is no fun but clean rust free steel is so much more satisfying to work with.
Found that out when redoing a set of western wheels with my son , sandblasting was the ticket to get down into the edges and tight spots and really clean surfaces to add a bit of stranded fiberglass to touch up the rust areas. End job was worth every bit of blasting, winter rims look perfect years later, used 2 part epoxy paint with hi grade primer.
I learned years ago that sandblasting rusty floors in the vehicle gets sand everywhere. The next time I did one, I taped off the dash, underside of the dash included, essentially sealing the dash from the rest of the interior, and then sandblasted the floors. If you don't seal off the dash with tape and sheet plastic, the sand will get into every single component in the dash.
@@robj2704 why not just hold an empty vacuume near the end of the sand blaster? To suck in the sand and re use it another time? I made a jig similar to what dry wall guys use to drill out pot light holes in a finished ceiling, it keeps dust and dirt inside a small vessel that gets sucked out by a vaccume....
I did this work for 37 yrs and retired 12 years ago, and now I see his technic and see how it's really done. Damn It. LOL
Beautiful work sir 💪
After the air force , went to school for auto mechanics and body and paint work , never got to work it so just doing mainly my own stuff , after 30 yrs, learning good ways AND remembering stuff I had forgotten !! 😅😮
Fitzee's university of rust repair, level 7, nice work as always.
This was a great eye opener and lesson on how to do rust repair around windows. I have a bunch of this to do on a 55 Chevy and was worried on how to accomplish it. You have shown me the light! Thanks
I have tried using cardboard templates to cut my steel replacement pieces and it works fairly well. This process skips that and removes the error that transferring the shape to cardboard and then your final steel pieces introduces. I think you have to be careful though when you are laying the new steel sections on top of the original shape because your replacement piece can become slightly larger. I also like how tacking in the new sections and then bending them to fit into the correct shape works. Appreciate the time it takes to make these videos, glad to see you are getting some great recognition. You certainly have mine.
Love your chanel!
With your training I rebuilt all four corners of my 1987 toyota extra cab windsheild. I am very please at how it turned out.
Much thanks Fitze!
I'm 70 years old now and when was a young man in the 60's and 70's I had no problem finding a good Body man who could and would repair your car's bumps and bends, and they were good at it. But you had to hunt around and talk to his customers to find out if he was a true body man or a mud man and what they had to say about his quality. People like yourself are really hard to find in major cities throughout Canada nowadays. Luckily Through word of mouth and making a new friend I was able to get a real good body man to help me on this last mustang. I really enjoy your show because for many years I've been struggling to do minor repairs with so-so results. Keep up this show and God Bless you and your's in these troubled times. Dave M
My two best Scratch Awls are ground down from two old phillips screw drivers that finally wore out. Agree with you. Recycling to the max. :-)
You're the first person on UA-cam that I've heard use "the livin' be-jesus" lol. Another great video. Keep it up
Good ol' Irish cursin' ftw... maybe he might if really pushed slide in a begorrah and a few fecks :P
i hollered at that ..
@@dodgydruid Fitzee, and his accent, are from Newfoundland, Canada.
I really enjoy your repair processes. You make a difficult repair area look achievable. Thanks for sharing your skills with us.
I so enjoy watching you working learning from your experiences you bring my confidence level up just knowing that it can simply be done all it takes is common sense and willing to try and pay attention to your videos
The mix of Irish and American accents is amazing, also why hasn't youtube bothered to show me these vids before? This is literally exactly the kind of content I've been trying to watch.
Yeah accent is amazing, never heard it like this before
It's a genuine Newfoundland accent.
Great job Fitzee. I’ve got a similar job to do on my MGB GT, the corner of the front windshield and the A Post as well as where the Fender bolts through it. Probably end up made up with about 4 or 5 pieces in the end. It’s definitely the way to go making it up with separate pieces and a lot of the fabrication off the car. Cheers
Cool car. Good luck.
Fitz, This was like a master class. thanks you so much for making these videos.
Thank you Tony, you are so thorough with your explanation and it’s a joy to watch, listen and learn. Passing on the knowledge is the key for all of us to try and help others 😊
I had never considered shaping my patch around the existing steel before cutting it out. That tip alone will improve my work hugely.
that piece is deceptively complex. your three-piece solution looks like the easiest way to get this done.
Iv watched so many videos, I started on my 05 blazer for practice, watched afew of yours and boom it turned out great, and made so much more sense! Not a spec of rust now. I've got my 72 gmc, 65 parisienne, and many more to work on! Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge and experience. Great camera angles and superior teaching experience for both new body man and old!
Fitzee - with your simple home made tools and a couple of basic air/electrical tools AND YOUR BASIC APPROACHES to repairing complex shapes, you are a master craftsman. Learnt a lot from your videos and always looking forward to the next challenge! Keep up the excellent teaching and “how to fix that” type videos!!
I finally figured out why it's Fitzee's Fab..... "I fits(fitz) it to one side, then I fits(fitz) it to the other side"......LOL! Awe inspiring work and you are a good teacher. I like how you don't cut your explanations short. Love the channel, learning lots!!
I just shared this to my Olds Cutlass Facebook group. This is a common repair needed for our cars. I hope they come check you out! Thanks for the continuous videos, they are great!
Which Facebook group? I have a 76
@@importsstillsuck 1968 to 1972 Cutlass group.
@@ChadWilliamsFixesAll ah ok I'm in the colonnade groups
Thank you for your Master Class level presentation that any layman can follow along and understand. It gives me encouragement that yes I can do this too! I am working on a '68 Chevy II Nova SS restoration and while in pretty amazing shape, it has a couple of rusted spots like this. You are saving me from much trouble! Thank you.
Very good job. You would never know it. As, every time I watch you I always learn some thing.Thank you Fitzee. Ronnie.
i'm impressed! finally someone using an angle grinder with the guard still on it!
I'm amazed at your work every time. Keep em' coming!
Once again, very well done and jammed full of great info & tips! You do a nice job editing too. I've got a few different size T-dollies in the drawer - first time ever seeing one used "upside-down" like you did. Very effective and a great tip. Thanks Fitzee!
I've watched several of your presentations and find you interesting to watch as you figure out the angles and compound curves. You are an artist and a talented fabricator. I am 71 years old and having grown up watching my father do similar restoration work with simple handmade tools , You remind me of him and like him amaze me. It blew me away when you said you don't have a torch at 47:38 to take out the brass. The repurposed screw driver, the T dolly and the I beam anvil. You work with what you have and you getter done. One thing that a saw that made me cringe was during the on bench fabrication You was grinding your welds down and the grinding waste (sparks) was directly hitting the front fender of the car behind you. A cover or screen would protect the pain from these hot grinder rash. I know You are working in a small space but some protection is needed. I say this because Years ago my younger brother took his x19 to a body shop to have some special paint work done and when he picked it up it had specs burned into the clear coat on the drivers door and front fender. The body man had tried to buff it out but it was almost clear into the base metal and the body guy said that he did not know what happened. My brother took it to another shop and the body man there said that he has seen this before and said that they was probably working on another vehicle next to his in the shop and did not cover his car. Just an observation. Your work and processes are worth the subscribe to me . Thank you for sharing your craft. Nolan
Fitzee helping me fix me 68 caddy DeVille here in Australia - looking great thanks to cut-n-butt and the 3 piece technique for around rear window - thanks mate !
Another great tutorial Fitzy, as we see on completion all metal fitz like factory, you are a true craftsman, well done 100%.
John from Cairns Australia 👍👍
i wish i would have learn from you years ago i really enjoy doing body work and have learn lots from watching your channel. thanks a lot for the videos.
You're an awesome teacher! Thanks for helping old is poor diy guys. I'm too foolish to think I can't do something but with your instructions it sure does faster and easier!
I must say I am fascinated watching you work. Thank you for sharing your expertise. I liked this video and I subscribed.
I'm in Australia and I too have a couple of old school cars, one I'm trying to restore and yes, I must admit that you have inspired me to keep going and to try things I have never done before, I'm attempting to restore a Ford XC Panel van with it's usual rust issues, as it was sitting in a paddock for many years, trying to keep it alive as they are slowly disappearing from our roads. Again thank you for your help and giving me the courage to tackle this big job one rust repair at a time. Thanks mate, from Australia 🦘
good job but to be definitively efficient, you should put grease everywhere. grease et the only thing very efficient against rust. put grease between metal and carpet, inside door, behind bumper, behind (inside the car), behind the repairs you can make (everywhere inside hidden ereas - instead of using paint), hollow areas (necessarily hidden, so no need to be aesthetic). For rear wings unreachable with a paintbrush, use an extender and poor old oil everywhere each year.Handyman Experience - 35 years. From france
When you find yourself continually saying out loud "Wow, that's clever" you know you're watching a true craftsman.
Ya, sand blastin! The only safe place to keeps your gum is under your foreskin! I've been watching a lot of your vids. Working on an 89 Dodge pickup, I'm sure you're familiar with the rust above the windshield on them. A lot of good tips on making your own panels since you can't buy too many panels like with a GM, and those Bruce Lee panels never fit right anyways. Keep up the good work by.
33:33 "A simple shape by no means." That's an understatement!
From some random guy in exotic ultimately sh*thole Greece, dreaming some day of restoring his own muscle car. Thank You! Informative video and you did such an excellent job!
Hi Fitzee , I like your videos and do similar repairs as a hobby myself, one trick I use for getting panel shapes is a piece of cardboard template - much easier and quicker cutting a cardboard cardboard template to shape with scissors and then transfer onto your steel piece.
Keep up the awesome videos man 👍👍
How is it possible this video has 437K views, and yet Fitzee only has 109K subscribers? They need to click subscribe!
Fantastic Fitzee! This has been so helpful, it’s simple and complicated all at the same time, your right it’s so professional looking. now I need the practice on the ol ranchero, thanks again
Thank you for sharing your technique! I have my own project I'm working on and your guidance is most helpful!
Master Class is back in session...... thanks for the advanced lesson. One small step at a time 👍👍😎👍😎
I did this about a year ago not specifically around the roof sail panel but I'm quarter panels I remade the lip on a 68 Grand Prix they didn't want to spend $2,000 per quarter panel plus the labor of me so I said look I'm in the save you the amount it's going to be less doing it this way it's going to take me more time but I'm not cutting off the whole quarter panel and it's more original it what you would naturally get and to put a quarter panel back on all original and have to do some inner wheelhouse there's a lot of work that's involved I rather just make a patch to say that I could have did better with this or that but ultimately I took pictures of everything before and after run I passed a lot and save the quarter panels on both and I think I did a nice job all by hand with no special tools
Fitzee, you know you're helping a lot of people with classic cars and trucks that cannot find replacement panels. You are a legend! Thank You so much!
F itze, just a way to weld to avoid stress and ringlets in your window panel start your spot welds in the middle and work out in both directions liminates bows and waves .CHEERS .
I love your work. I have a whole new way of looking at things because of watching you. I would have given this way too much thought and ruined it thinking I needed thousands of dollars worth of tools and having to learn how to use them. Thank you for sharing this. I know you haven't done this yet and I don't know if you would. I would love to see what a piece looks like filled, blocked, and primed. I don't know if you go that far. Thanks for everything. Please don't stop!
I'll be doing that at some point on my toyota project.
China made are like ,beat the crap out of them and throw them when they break.just curious.
You nailed the technique with this complex repair; all the slight curves and weird angles are reproduced, spot-on! No other way to do this PROPERLY, but your way. Thank you for clearly explaining all this, Fitzee!!
You are amazing my friend absolutely wish you were my neighbor lol love to learn from you.
Another nice job buddy. Turned out well. Even though i do this sort of thing myself i find it soothing to watch in this crazy time we are living in with our governments nonsense.
Fascinating to watch an artist, didn't touch FF button the whole time, cheers.
I'd have to say that t-doll he's probably your most valuable tool from what I've seen that and the piece of I beam
Best advice I've ever put into practice.... 1964 vw type 3 rear window, both lower quarters done plus mid section (pretty much the same as this video) all in 21 gauge to match original...... cut and butt technique is simply genius to, smallest gap ever to butt weld. Fitzee, genius level fabricator, top work and a great way of explaining things 👍👍👍👍
That´s the video I was waiting for too! Thank you! Now I can proceed ....
Wow, that T-Dolly method at 34:21 Amazing how quickly you got that in shape. The whole approach is very logical. That area on the back window is notorious on the Mercedes W126 so if they don't sell a repair panel this will be a big help. On a side note I heard what sounds like a pretty big compressor running right near your work area - something just came to my attention recently which was a compressor that exploded because a seal was leaking and it let too much compressor oil into the tank itself - when the compressor then got hot enough the oil mist inside the tank exploded. In this case they think an incorrect weight of oil was being used, but anyway please be aware. (This was at a car wash facility and it was on the OSHA accident webpage in USA).
I've made panels like this in the past when doing custom panels for taillights that aren't sposed to be there and I ended up with more then 7 panels welded together just to get the right compound shape. Works really well.
Jesus! Master Class right there! Very well done👀👍😁
You made it look so easy. You explain it so well, thank you for shearing your years of experience
such a beautiful job. You sir are a master.
No substitute for experience. That was a tough piece to recreate i'm thinkin'.
Hi Fitzee great video's. A little help pls: Triumph Stag front bonnet(hood) open's from back towards the front of the car. Mine is rotten about 3 inches in from front of car. Watching your videos I think a fresh piece could be added to replace the rotten section? The rotten section is almost the full width of the bonnet (if you have an email address I could send you some photo's for advice please ? )
fitzee23t@hotmail.com
Nothing better than a Video from Fritz at Friday afternoon :)
Snap! My Friday afternoon was spent the same way!
Wow!! Your a master of metal!! Keep up the great work your doing...Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for another great video! I'm working on an old Chevy pick up, your videos are very helpful, keep em coming!!!
I have the same problem on a 52 Ford pickup, rusted out around each side of the front windshield. What do you think about after replacing the channel, and drilling holes on each side to let standing water leak out?
You have to put a drain pipe in and run a hose down. I thought about it many times. But I think it just clog up with dirt over time.
Great job. You make it look super easy. I'm definitely more game now to try some of this on my 71 charger restoration project I'm documenting on my channel.
Thanks, you've earned yourself a subscriber!
It is time to learn a little more. This is great information. Thanks.
Wicked skills Fitzee! Thanks for sharing all your knowledge! Cheers Doug
Best metal fabrication vids on You Tube.
Such a pleasure to watch you work I wait for the next video every week. Thank you very much for sharing the information
“When ye starts grinding the car off, ye know you’ve reached your point.” No truer words ever spoken. I’m thinking of retrofitting late model glue-in channel frame around my windshield for the flush glass fitment look. I think this will be easier than 3-piece fitment, but you make this look easy too.
Only just found this channel and looking forward to watching back through the older videos, there's so many little tricks here which you only figure out after doing this stuff for years - thanks for passing on your knowledge Fitzee!
I'm speechless. What a craftsman! Fantastic job!
Tool box full of vice grips,all kinds.
Amazing job! I always enjoy every one of your videos. You teach us to think outside the box. Looking forward to your next video.
Great instructional video Fitzee! I think that front and rear window sockets are some of the most miserable things to work work on... a shrinker/stretcher is great for those wind roof crowns.
Starrett makes a nice hook scriber that Santa should tuck into your stocking. Merry Christmas Fitzee, thanks for your generosity sharing your skills. Wish there was a way donate to your projects.
Absolute fantastic watching you work. Thx for making the effort to pass your knowledge on.
Thank you for explaining the use of the different tools: grinder, flap discs, cutting wheel, clecos; what you can use for what purposes.
Flashback to my 69 camaro with the vinyl roof, hiding the swisscheese. I was able to braze and solder the mess.
Thanks Fitzee! I learn a lot of techniques from your videos. I’m not as afraid to do metal repairs as I was before. I like how you simplify things. Keep up the good work!
Master class in fabbing! Thank you!
Im happy to see someone else repurpose old tools screwdriver to a scribe and Thanks for the great tips.
Professor, you have astounded me yet again. Fantastic technique and execution!
Superb, thank you. Have that exact job to do on the bottom of the TR6 windscreen, both sides. Feel ready to try it now!