B-Man Posted January 20 Author Posted January 20 An update on this topic. I just ordered and received panels E, Y and C from the Rust Replace web site. Wow, those guys are ON POINT there at Rust Replace! You have to email them to tell them what you want. And then they get back to you with confirmation and A TON of great information documentation about what you're taking on! Really incredible. My buddy is bringing over his Harbor Freight welder so we can give that a hack. In the end I will finish with glass and microspheres. But having these panels in will give me a lot more structure to work with in that ugly lower left corner! I also ordered a rear window install kit, which includes new trim clips, time clip screws, a new window seal, instructions ... everything you need to put a rear window in properly! And the prices are fantastic too! Definitely hit these guys up for any relevant needs. I cant say enough about them. Great products, great service! https://www.rustreplace.com/home/1970-1972-monte-carlo 3 Quote
B-Man Posted March 2 Author Posted March 2 Today I was finally able to turn my attention back to this task, from all of the others that I have going on (see other threads). I used my pneumatic needle descaler to get rid of as much rust as possible. Then a good run with the shop vac. I test fit the new trunk / window valance panel and did some trimming to get it to dry fit just right. Once I liked the way it all looked (good enough for who its for!!) I went at it with the POR15. I treated all of the rusty areas and some surrounding places associated well. I plan on painting the whole trunk with brush / spray Rust-Oleum in the near term. It's just too expensive to waste the POR15 on non rusty areas. From here I have some welding to do in order to stiffen up the sub panel that the valance attached to. I have a borrowed Harbor Freight 120VAC welder and have been around welding a bunch, but have NEVER actually welded myself. So this should be fun!!! I only need a couple of small zaps. No real seams or beads to lay down. After that I'm going to use the 3M panel bond to finish the valance install. It will be interesting to see what "done for the season" looks like here. I'm only planning on doing enough right now to make it drive able for the summer. Then back at it next winter 1 Quote
cny first gen 71 Posted March 2 Posted March 2 Do some practice welding first especially if it a solid core flux mig welder. I used to be a very proficient mig welder with shield gas but solid flux is different. 2 Quote
B-Man Posted March 16 Author Posted March 16 Welding is hard! Particularly with only YouTube instruction and some over the phone tips and tricks from a REAL welder buddy of mine in upstate NY. Welding with the borrowed 120VAC Harbor Freight flux core mig welder is a really hard way to weld according to him. He has a friend up there who builds really nice trailers with one. So not impossible. Given the thin sheet metal, he suggested, and was correct, NOT to try and run a bead but use quick 1 1/2 second zaps while moving around. That was definitely key. I even learned how to fill in large (like 1/2in diameter) holes! Have to go right at the edge, in plane with the metal and switch side to side. I am definitely the best metal fabricator currently in my garage and I'm happy with the outcome. It's all getting covered with resin and micro spheres for shaping and fill. But now I have an all-metal rear window channel to work with. Yay!! I can't say enough about those patch panels from Rust Replace. They are a god send! Up next are the new window trim retainers and hardware from Rust Replace. Followed by 'finish paint' of the window channel, a new window seal from Rust Replace, and reinstallation of the window. Lack of a rear window has been the real hold up for me being willing to get back on the road. Not needed of course, but handy! 2 Quote
jft69z Posted March 16 Posted March 16 Just a note....Flux core MIG is not recommended for auto body repair. The flux will likely lead to corrosion/rust down the road. Same principle as brazing, you'll never get the flux cleaned out enough & leads to trouble down the road. MIG with shielding gas is the preferred method. 3 Quote
B-Man Posted March 17 Author Posted March 17 19 hours ago, jft69z said: Just a note....Flux core MIG is not recommended for auto body repair. The flux will likely lead to corrosion/rust down the road. Same principle as brazing, you'll never get the flux cleaned out enough & leads to trouble down the road. MIG with shielding gas is the preferred method. Flux corrosion in the mig welds would be the very least of anyone's concerns on this Monte. The roof, sail panels, trunk, etc are / were so unbelievably rusty due to the former vinyl top. They're the real issue, and will most certainly rear their ugly heads again during my tenure with it. But I have no interest in spending $20K on metal work to build a show-quality, OEM-exact car. I just want a really nice driver for as little dollars as I can get away with, while minimizing the hackery. And have fun and learn of course! I'm in to this whole roof situation for maybe $300 at the moment, plus a bunch of my time. That's a win for sure! And fortunately for this particular rear window area I can get to both sides of the metal. I cleaned out all of the rust, left as much metal as I could - for structure and contour - then etched, encapsulated, primed, painted, etc to protect the metal on both sides as best I can. Even those hack mig welds got some attention on the under side. Anyway, having fun and making progress. The 1st stage of contouring the micro is complete. I've got to fill in a few spots and recontour. Then I need to patch the remainder of that large hole. I can get a thick layer of fiberglass on both sides fortunately. So structurally it will be good as new and able to withstand any body torsion without cracking. It will certainly be interesting to see when and where any rust comes back through down the line. Quote
jft69z Posted March 17 Posted March 17 47 minutes ago, B-Man said: Flux corrosion in the mig welds would be the very least of anyone's concerns on this Monte. My statement on the proper welding equipment was more for other members who may be considering metal work in the future. I know what your intent with this car is/was. 2 Quote
B-Man Posted April 6 Author Posted April 6 I'm getting ready to reinstall the glass at last. Yay!! I just installed the Rust Replace window trim clips along the top and sides. I still need to panel bond in the rear window / trunk valance before I do the lower clips. Rust Replace does SUCH A GOOD JOB with their products. So easy to work with. It does look like I made a significant error when I welded in the left window channel. I didn't consider that I needed to maintain the height of that channel to accommodate the clips. After welding I recall grinding off a good 1/4 in of channel height. And no the clips sit high. Dang. I'm going to have to modify the clips. There is no reasonable way to raise the height of that channel. We shall see. Fun stuff though. And I'm happy with the progress! 2 Quote
B-Man Posted April 12 Author Posted April 12 Final primer sanding and paint should occur tomorrow! I used some older primer and it's a little gummy. I cranked the heat up in hopes that it cures for some smooth sanding tomorrow morning. Fingers crossed I'm REALLY happy with the outcome here. It's definitely taken a lot of hours. But not many dollars. The Rust Replace patch panels were the only real cost, and well worth it! Window and trim installation after that. 3 Quote
B-Man Posted April 13 Author Posted April 13 The first coat of satin black is applied. On the home stretch now. This picture was taken when the paint was wet of course. Again, I'm pretty satisfied with the result. Almost road ready !! 2 Quote
420ponies Posted April 13 Posted April 13 (edited) Looking good Brendan !! I can remember years ago at the differences as the car came back to life. Every step is 1 step closer to the finished product, 1 fine First Gen !! You've done very well so far, keep up the good work! Edited April 13 by 420ponies spelling 1 1 Quote
B-Man Posted April 15 Author Posted April 15 Well, I'm just about done on this thread for the season. I rattle canned some satin black onto the roof and sail panels. It's glossier than I would have liked and shows more flaws than I expected. I wish I would have applied a thicker layer of sandable primer to fill in the sand paper scratches. But oh well. I will address it next winter when I paint the whole car. It definitely looks a lot better than when I started, and it will no longer rain inside!! I used the 3M panel bond to install the rear window / trunk valance. Holy crap!! That stuff is amazing. Will definitely use that again in the future if needed. I still have to install some more window trim clips. Then get the rear window and trim installed. And of course, the trunk lid has to go back on. I need to treat some rusty areas of the lid with POR15. And replace the trunk lock too (new set matching the doors). I have a bunch of peel and stick sound mat to go into the trunk too. But that should be pretty quick. Almost!!!! 4 Quote
B-Man Posted April 17 Author Posted April 17 Rear glass is in! The Rust Replace kit was really handy to have, along with the instructions. I'm glad I bought that kit when I bought the patch panels. Can't say enough good things about Rust Replace for this adventure. As expected I will have some issues with the trim where I left the window channel short on the driver side. Unfortunately I think I'm going to end up with a bead of black caulk under there. Ugh. Hate that. And in general I should have paid A LOT more attention to the depth of the channel all around the window. The tube of sealant in the kit was plenty to put a high bead around the whole window. But I still had to go in with a flat head screw driver and dollops of sealant to close some gaps. It got messy for sure! But the trim will hide all sins. More updates later when the trim is in and the trunk lid is reinstalled. Can definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel here. 2 Quote
B-Man Posted April 17 Author Posted April 17 The trim is in ... mostly. A few of the Rust Replace clips don't want to participate. But the trim should hold and I will muddle with it some other time. I have a few of thr original clips and they might be better for the locations of the non participatory clips I'm a trunk lid away from going on a road trip!! The latch and new lock is giving me a hassle, of course. I will win that one though 4 Quote
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