Nice work on the hammer welding! In the last decades I think it has become a lost art. Twenty-six years ago when I bought my 1971 de Tomaso Pantera I knew it needed a new front lower valance, lower radiator support and some other small monocoque body parts. Being a very desirable collector car I knew it would become quite valuable in the coming years so I wanted someone that had experience working with monocoque body cars to do the work. I wanted all the work to look like the original factory work. I kept looking until I found someone that had experience with monocoque body cars and he was an absolute hammer welding artist. His hammer welding was so good I don’t recall him grinding any of the welds, just sanding. He also replicated the factory spot welds on the monocoque parts that he fabricated.
I may not always agree with your methods but your results speak for themselves. David Wilfong is just a troll who most likly never welded a day in his life. Just keep up the GOOD work.
Well worth the $700 investment (plus your time) into that 32 body. A huge improvement over where it was with the bad patch. This car is going to be so cool👍👍
G'day from Australia Lee. I have fitted a heap of those Brookeville cowl vents into fibreglass bodies over here. They were designed for 32 Roadsters, but will fit all 32's with a little bit of trimming.
Howdie wondering if you had a extra one that you wood sell me in Canada 🇨🇦 SK can't find any around here so very much great fully appreciated for your help if ya have email so can discuss the situation with you or l could send you pics of my 28 Essex thks again Paul hope too here from you so thks for sharing your awesome Sir 😊
G'day Paul, unfortunately I don't have any in stock as i generally buy them in as needed. As you can imagine the price would be very expensive once you take into account US - Australian dollar, then AU - Canadian, then shipping on top. Good luck Mate.👍
!!!! Wow Lee crazy man ya think ya done lots of these mighty fine Lee nice to be on board for the trip my 28 Essexx has one needs lots of TLC so glad found ya too help out on mine is a 2dr suide doors l,m going to try wooden roof with vinyl black or white what ever makes it shine lots to do thks for sharing your project with us from Canada 🇨🇦 SK later drive on 😊
I am a firm believer in weld trough primer, another channel I don’t watch much anymore didn’t use it. I find it welds much better when I use a 1/4” fluted carbide tool to clean the weld trough primer and any mill scale from the parent material in my plug welds.
I’m 65, started doing body and metal work when I was 16, started out gas welding, then brazing, and finally mig. Never learned to tig weld but always wish I would have. Finally gonna have to hang up the mig because with bifocals I can no longer see well enough to follow the seams for the continuous spot welds. I can’t even follow a seam to do regular mig welding.
I used clecos a lot in aircraft repair and some in auto body repair. They work like a clamp and alignment pin at the same time. They provide you the ability to take the panel off and on several times without the holes getting messed up. Screws after a few time on and off will make the holes sloppy and the alignment isn’t as good.
The last project I was working on was a 1970 VW that needed a windshield lower section replaced. It is a compound curve requiring slow trimming starting in the center and working outwards. I used the clecos with alignment tabs as I worked the repair panel. I could mark a short section to trim, remove and trim. Then re-instal to check fitment and marking the next section. The panel went in and out numerous times before I started welding it in. The clecos worked perfect for me. On aircraft I found panels with multiple cures and shapes makes it more complicated to fit properly and they have to go in and out many times. Hope this helps.
Great video. Simple and straight forward repair. The C.H.R. write up was spot on. Reminds me of George Burnsides 65 Fairlane. The stories that car could tell.
..hi Lux, Shannon and Lee.....the problem with fabricating and installing something as nice as that cowl vent, is that now you have set a standard for the rest of the body....looking forward to the rest of the build.........
Nicely done my friend , you would almost think that you knew what you were doing ! lol looks great , I noticed at the very end that you even have your initials on the bottom of your monitor ... 😜
Interesting method! Kind of a variation of the "cut and butt" of your Compatriot Fitzee. I too always tig replacement panels. My question: have you tried just tacking the replacement piece to the original panel before you start the cut and butt weld transformation, instead of using self tapping screws? Once you have a couple valid butt joint tacks those others can be grinded away. Filling in holes is not a big deal but always prefer to eliminate extra steps... Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Hi Lee , Shannon , and Lux ! Very nice cowl vent . Amazing how once upon a time there were magazine articles on filling cowl vents . How's Lux with his once upon a time stories . Great new article in Canadian Hot Rods Magazine there Lee , could not have said it better . Nice to see your buddy's green Model A coupe with the Cadillac engine in the issue as well , must have seen it twice in your videos ... very nice hot rod . Have a great week !
Almost! Although all the cool early Fords we’re actually designed by Edsel Ford, not Henry. If it was up to Henry Ford, we’d still be driving black Model T’s.
Very nicely done. I'm surprised as long as you've been fabricating that you are still F'n around with pliers to operate your valve on your shop press. Jump on the lathe and make a shop tool for that task.
I hate to leave another comment question but this video so closely resembles what I am working on. If you could not MIG plug weld that curved flange on there, and had to TIG it, what kind of rust prevention treatment would you put in between the pieces? I have tried zinc based weld thru primer with TIG and it is a splatter contamination disaster...unweldable I had to grind it off and start over. I resort to using rattle can rust converter primer but even that smokes and creates a mess. If you have a better idea it would be most greatly appreciated. Thank you.
All the wet rag does is cool the metal to reduce the shrinking process. But it still shrinks from the time you start the weld until you apply the wet rag
brooksville stuff is hand made after it comes out of the stamper make one see how much youd want id say for as elaborate as it is it was a good deal dont be such a cheap prck screws stretch the metal
Boy -------that Cowl Vent was expensive ----- Makes one wonder what can be done on our own ---- with a lot of time on our side ---- it does look good sitting up there ----- I'm for leaving them on ------------- The look on Lux's face ------ is saying Dad ----- You know better --NOT -- to cut straight down ----- hold your grinder at an angle --- so when the two pieces come together --- it is a nice tight fit then --------- You look at that clip of his face --- and you can see --- He is telling you -NO -- NO -- NO ------ take a look ---- read his lips ------ He's going to be Good when he gets older ----- He knows his stuff ------- You Take Care Lee ---- He's looking over your shoulder ---- to take the LGKustoms to a new and Higher level -------- See Ya --- on your next one --------------- Rodney
you can hammer any weld if you domt have twigs for arms!!!🤣🤣tack the panel cut with your grinder layed ovet 45 degrees you get a perfect over lapped seam wich allows for tig fusing no filler almost 0 distortion! tacking the panel first gives you real structure less chance for it to go all catty wonkus i could have put 10 of those on by time he got done saying why hes all that 200 amp? holy fk 55 or 60 amp max 1/16" tungsten
To me there is too much pin stripping on the firewall. Pin stripping looks best when it's minimalist. Less is better. The firewall looks like it's been scribbled on because there is so much going on the firewall.
No you jump around so you don't put all the heat in one spot because of warping especially when using tig and the hammering is actually peanning the medal
Where do you see any warping? He metal finished it near perfect. Tig is the far superior way to do this job. Mig will work but as he said it quirk hardens and can crack. Just because YOU can't do it doesn't make it wrong.
Yes you must be in demonstrating your lack of knowledge by your comments. Oh and it;s "UA-cam" not Utube, maybe you'll get something right one day. 😂🤣😂
This is not how you do it put your new panel on trace it out cut it out replace it with new one the term hammer welding is joining two pieces together with heat hammering the two pieces together
Oh it’s not? Cause this worked perfect. The car is now in primer, and this area has absolutely no body filler in it. Just sanded the welded area to 120grit and primed right over top. And now that it’s in primer you can’t even tell there was a ever a panel welded in. But you’re probably right, this is “not how you do it” 😆
You can’t be serious with this comment… there are hundreds of way to do something and at the end of the task if it looks as perfect at this cowl vent then I say he did it pretty damn right. If you don’t know what Lee is doing by hammering his weld to control the heat and movement of metal then you prob shouldn’t be commenting on it
Although there are several ways of welding in a new panel, TIG butt welding usually results in the nicest finishes product. A little more work up front but the end results are superior. Ask Walden, James, Bleed and any other professional in addition to Lee.
There is a lot more to replacing a panel than just tracing it out and replacing it with a new one. To understand and appreciate this video you need to actually try replacing some panels yourself and then you will appreciate the tricks that go into the high quality panel replacement that is demonstrated in this video.
Nice work on the hammer welding! In the last decades I think it has become a lost art.
Twenty-six years ago when I bought my 1971 de Tomaso Pantera I knew it needed a new front lower valance, lower radiator support and some other small monocoque body parts.
Being a very desirable collector car I knew it would become quite valuable in the coming years so I wanted someone that had experience working with monocoque body cars to do the work. I wanted all the work to look like the original factory work.
I kept looking until I found someone that had experience with monocoque body cars and he was an absolute hammer welding artist. His hammer welding was so good I don’t recall him grinding any of the welds, just sanding. He also replicated the factory spot welds on the monocoque parts that he fabricated.
That’s great!
I may not always agree with your methods but your results speak for themselves. David Wilfong is just a troll who most likly never welded a day in his life. Just keep up the GOOD work.
You're a genius! Using basic materials you have in house, explaining what you're doing to us nut-heads, thanks!
I appreciate that!
Well worth the $700 investment (plus your time) into that 32 body. A huge improvement over where it was with the bad patch.
This car is going to be so cool👍👍
Thanks Andy!
Nice job Lee, vent looks good. Nice to see baby Lux out with mum!
G'day from Australia Lee. I have fitted a heap of those Brookeville cowl vents into fibreglass bodies over here. They were designed for 32 Roadsters, but will fit all 32's with a little bit of trimming.
Howdie wondering if you had a extra one that you wood sell me in Canada 🇨🇦 SK can't find any around here so very much great fully appreciated for your help if ya have email so can discuss the situation with you or l could send you pics of my 28 Essex thks again Paul hope too here from you so thks for sharing your awesome Sir 😊
G'day Paul, unfortunately I don't have any in stock as i generally buy them in as needed. As you can imagine the price would be very expensive once you take into account US - Australian dollar, then AU - Canadian, then shipping on top. Good luck Mate.👍
@hotrodscott55 thks again Paul take care
David you need to put constructive comments instead of being negative. More than one way to complete welding.
Nice to see that you are replacing the cowl vent that is a smart move. That is the best way to move air in those old fords.
I think so too!
I love that you are de-modifying parts of the car. Keep picking at it and drive it.
Marty G
Nice job Lee 👍 I can’t believe that someone would delete the AC option 😂😂
Noticed as you make pieces that work in your builds from the plasma table, you then sell them....very smart$$$$$$$
Thanks.
Where there’s a will there’s a way 👍 very clever Lee 😎
!!!! Wow Lee crazy man ya think ya done lots of these mighty fine Lee nice to be on board for the trip my 28 Essexx has one needs lots of TLC so glad found ya too help out on mine is a 2dr suide doors l,m going to try wooden roof with vinyl black or white what ever makes it shine lots to do thks for sharing your project with us from Canada 🇨🇦 SK later drive on 😊
I am a firm believer in weld trough primer, another channel I don’t watch much anymore didn’t use it. I find it welds much better when I use a 1/4” fluted carbide tool to clean the weld trough primer and any mill scale from the parent material in my plug welds.
Got my stickers this week. They are great! Keep up the good work, you have fans all over the planet.
Thanks for the support!!
I’m 65, started doing body and metal work when I was 16, started out gas welding, then brazing, and finally mig. Never learned to tig weld but always wish I would have. Finally gonna have to hang up the mig because with bifocals I can no longer see well enough to follow the seams for the continuous spot welds. I can’t even follow a seam to do regular mig welding.
Gas welding and tig welding are very similar. If you can gas weld sheet metal, you’ll pick up tig welding sheet metal with no problem
Cute baby. We a seven month old grandson. Fun.
Congratulations on the arrival of you and Shannon's son!! Future car guy!!
Thanks!
I used clecos a lot in aircraft repair and some in auto body repair. They work like a clamp and alignment pin at the same time. They provide you the ability to take the panel off and on several times without the holes getting messed up. Screws after a few time on and off will make the holes sloppy and the alignment isn’t as good.
The on and off makes sense. I guess I’ve just never taken the panel on and off enough for the screw holes to get distorted.
The last project I was working on was a 1970 VW that needed a windshield lower section replaced. It is a compound curve requiring slow trimming starting in the center and working outwards. I used the clecos with alignment tabs as I worked the repair panel. I could mark a short section to trim, remove and trim. Then re-instal to check fitment and marking the next section. The panel went in and out numerous times before I started welding it in. The clecos worked perfect for me. On aircraft I found panels with multiple cures and shapes makes it more complicated to fit properly and they have to go in and out many times. Hope this helps.
Great video. Simple and straight forward repair. The C.H.R. write up was spot on. Reminds me of George Burnsides 65 Fairlane. The stories that car could tell.
George’s car is rad! He gets it
Awesome fabrication
Bill Queensland Australia 🇦🇺
Cool man ive never seen iron trap do one of these you one upped him good on you
..hi Lux, Shannon and Lee.....the problem with fabricating and installing something as nice as that cowl vent, is that now you have set a standard for the rest of the body....looking forward to the rest of the build.........
Haha thanks.
Great job, love tin work. Learn as you watch. Cheers.
Thank you! Cheers!
The school of thought on mig welding sheet metal instead of tig is heat warping the metal
Nicely done my friend , you would almost think that you knew what you were doing ! lol looks great , I noticed at the very end that you even have your initials on the bottom of your monitor ... 😜
Thanks Mike!
What a awesome job man you make it look so easy awesome job Lee 🇨🇦🛠️🇨🇦🛠️
Thanks Badge!
Nice job, I love the way you explain things.
I appreciate that!
Thanks for sharing, always interesting!
Interesting method! Kind of a variation of the "cut and butt" of your Compatriot Fitzee. I too always tig replacement panels. My question: have you tried just tacking the replacement piece to the original panel before you start the cut and butt weld transformation, instead of using self tapping screws? Once you have a couple valid butt joint tacks those others can be grinded away. Filling in holes is not a big deal but always prefer to eliminate extra steps... Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
I’m sure tacking it would work too
Nice job Lee!
Thanks dude!
Nice!
Great work!
Thanks!
Hi Lee , Shannon , and Lux ! Very nice cowl vent . Amazing how once upon a time there were magazine articles on filling cowl vents . How's Lux with his once upon a time stories . Great new article in Canadian Hot Rods Magazine there Lee , could not have said it better . Nice to see your buddy's green Model A coupe with the Cadillac engine in the issue as well , must have seen it twice in your videos ... very nice hot rod . Have a great week !
Thanks for the kind words! Kevin’s coupe is great!
Nice job as always.
-Spanky
Thanks again!
Looks just like Henry made it!
Marty G
Almost! Although all the cool early Fords we’re actually designed by Edsel Ford, not Henry.
If it was up to Henry Ford, we’d still be driving black Model T’s.
Nicely done, 💯🆒
Very nicely done. I'm surprised as long as you've been fabricating that you are still F'n around with pliers to operate your valve on your shop press. Jump on the lathe and make a shop tool for that task.
I’ll have to get a lathe first.
Really really nice work.......
Thank you! Cheers!
I hate to leave another comment question but this video so closely resembles what I am working on. If you could not MIG plug weld that curved flange on there, and had to TIG it, what kind of rust prevention treatment would you put in between the pieces? I have tried zinc based weld thru primer with TIG and it is a splatter contamination disaster...unweldable I had to grind it off and start over. I resort to using rattle can rust converter primer but even that smokes and creates a mess. If you have a better idea it would be most greatly appreciated. Thank you.
All weld through primers react with tig welding. I don’t have a solution for you unfortunately.
Love car/chop. How much chop is that or do you now. Thanks Coxy
No idea haha
I haven’t been able to measure a stock one to compare yet
You said when the joint is welded it shrinks. When still hot could you use a wet rag to pull the metal back up?
All the wet rag does is cool the metal to reduce the shrinking process. But it still shrinks from the time you start the weld until you apply the wet rag
@@LGKustoms Thanks
Tacky very tacky. LOL!! Nice work.
Thanks!
Excellent episode….cowl vent or Vintage Air?…..??…$$.?
👍😊
LOOKs good to me. Moma loves her baby. Someday he will care.
Good work with the cowl vent! Whats your plan with the top wood? A new wood kit or a metal bracing?
Not sure yet. I like the idea of a wood kit. But not the price haha
Im liking your channel better matt does things on whimsy but you have to make a living so you do things with purpose
weld that with a cutting torch?👀😬🤣
brooksville stuff is hand made after it comes out of the stamper make one see how much youd want id say for as elaborate as it is it was a good deal dont be such a cheap prck screws stretch the metal
We should play drink game eveytime a welder or a fabricator says 'whoo thats still hot' on youtube.
😆
What if a guy wants to do similar sheetmetal repair and is currently inept at TIG welding? 😂
Practice on some scraps and remember, it’s only metal. You can always cut it out and do it again!
Hey man before your new baby boy did ya ever put in all nighters?
I used to in my twenties. It’s been close to ten years since I’ve done that haha.
Boy -------that Cowl Vent was expensive ----- Makes one wonder what can be done on our own ---- with a lot of time on our side ---- it does look good sitting up there ----- I'm for leaving them on ------------- The look on Lux's face ------ is saying Dad ----- You know better --NOT -- to cut straight down ----- hold your grinder at an angle --- so when the two pieces come together --- it is a nice tight fit then --------- You look at that clip of his face --- and you can see --- He is telling you -NO -- NO -- NO ------ take a look ---- read his lips ------ He's going to be Good when he gets older ----- He knows his stuff ------- You Take Care Lee ---- He's looking over your shoulder ---- to take the LGKustoms to a new and Higher level -------- See Ya --- on your next one --------------- Rodney
you can hammer any weld if you domt have twigs for arms!!!🤣🤣tack the panel cut with your grinder layed ovet 45 degrees you get a perfect over lapped seam wich allows for tig fusing no filler almost 0 distortion! tacking the panel first gives you real structure less chance for it to go all catty wonkus i could have put 10 of those on by time he got done saying why hes all that 200 amp? holy fk 55 or 60 amp max 1/16" tungsten
Mr. wilfong needs to post videos of his work and techniques before ripping someone else's work.
He’s too busy jumping around with his mig
Mig it cool it off with compressed air 😎
Why make so many dumb comments? If his methods bother you that much, don't watch and move on. You must not do much in the shop.
To me there is too much pin stripping on the firewall. Pin stripping looks best when it's minimalist. Less is better. The firewall looks like it's been scribbled on because there is so much going on the firewall.
No you jump around so you don't put all the heat in one spot because of warping especially when using tig and the hammering is actually peanning the medal
Any chance you could steer me in the direction of your metal work so I can see the superior methods you use. 🙏
@@onesilvergrey Can't wait to see also
You spelled metal wrong.
Where do you see any warping? He metal finished it near perfect.
Tig is the far superior way to do this job. Mig will work but as he said it quirk hardens and can crack. Just because YOU can't do it doesn't make it wrong.
@@onesilvergrey His metal work is all done with his keyboard sitting in a chair.
Self taught bad habits
Utube welder
Yes you must be in demonstrating your lack of knowledge by your comments. Oh and it;s "UA-cam" not Utube, maybe you'll get something right one day. 😂🤣😂
This is not how you do it put your new panel on trace it out cut it out replace it with new one the term hammer welding is joining two pieces together with heat hammering the two pieces together
Oh it’s not? Cause this worked perfect. The car is now in primer, and this area has absolutely no body filler in it. Just sanded the welded area to 120grit and primed right over top. And now that it’s in primer you can’t even tell there was a ever a panel welded in. But you’re probably right, this is “not how you do it” 😆
You can’t be serious with this comment… there are hundreds of way to do something and at the end of the task if it looks as perfect at this cowl vent then I say he did it pretty damn right. If you don’t know what Lee is doing by hammering his weld to control the heat and movement of metal then you prob shouldn’t be commenting on it
Although there are several ways of welding in a new panel, TIG butt welding usually results in the nicest finishes product. A little more work up front but the end results are superior. Ask Walden, James, Bleed and any other professional in addition to Lee.
There is a lot more to replacing a panel than just tracing it out and replacing it with a new one. To understand and appreciate this video you need to actually try replacing some panels yourself and then you will appreciate the tricks that go into the high quality panel replacement that is demonstrated in this video.