DPDISXR4Ti Posted November 2, 2004 Share Posted November 2, 2004 Let's face it, the Brat bed is sorta whimpy. The thing that bothers me the most is the way the factory spot-welded the inner to outer sheet metal, leaving that exposed seam. That type of joint is meant for the BOTTOM of a car, not the top! Oh sorry, they did put some cheesy trim over it that easily gets damaged the first time you lean something more than 10 pounds on it! Has anyone built anything to go over that seam and make it a bit more "industrial strength", both in appearance and function? Unlike a conventional truck, the challenge with the Brat is the way that seam zig-zags right up the roof line. I've thought about using diamond plate panels that cover the inner sides of the bed and tailgate, and then make a 90-degree turn, butting up against the seam. Can't say I'm thrilled with that idea - I'd need to finish it off towards the outside somehow. But again, that approach would only be viable for the section of the bed where the seam is horizontal. Maybe I use the cheesy OEM trim from that up and over the roof? Can't imagine I'm the first one to contemplate this. Has anyone done anything unique and/or even given the idea some thought? One additional note, just to raise the bar a bit... I do still want to be able to use the cap on occassion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4RnrRick Posted November 2, 2004 Share Posted November 2, 2004 Why not fully weld the seam? If the shetmetal is already overlapping, should be a piece of cake to sticth weld with a mig. That will make it alot more durable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPDISXR4Ti Posted November 2, 2004 Author Share Posted November 2, 2004 Why not fully weld the seam? If the shetmetal is already overlapping, should be a piece of cake to sticth weld with a mig. That will make it alot more durable. I think that would help, but only a little, as the two pieces of sheet metal, now made "one", would still be sticking up in the air looking silly and vulnerable to bend-over damage. Thinking about it some more, a better idea with the diamond plate might be having it come up from the inside and then put a "box" over the seam (two 90-degree bends). The edge that touches the outer body would get a piece of rubber molding over it to protect the finish. Again, I'd have to stick with the original molding up and over the top. Keep the ideas coming.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subiemech85 Posted November 2, 2004 Share Posted November 2, 2004 cut off the box and put on a flatbed, it's been done before Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4RnrRick Posted November 2, 2004 Share Posted November 2, 2004 Anybody got a good picture of this seam.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LUVMYBRAT Posted November 2, 2004 Share Posted November 2, 2004 I think what really he's talking about as far as welding is this: with a cutoff tool cut off that seam( its called a pinch weld) then weld at that point a butt weld, grind smooth and paint ie: no seam no trim. only problem is metal is thin, heat transfer can and will warp the surrounding area making for more body work. time and patience and the job will turn out good, haste makes waste and alot of warped metal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4RnrRick Posted November 2, 2004 Share Posted November 2, 2004 With the type of body modifications I've done to other vehicles, I've learned the hard way when it comes to welding sheet metal. What I do is I weld with a 110 Mig with 75/25 Ar/O2 mix and .023 solid wire. you MUST prep the sheetmetal by grinding all the paint off. If the sheetmetal is rusting, you might even have to cut that all that crap out and replace it with good metal. a flapper wheel on a die grinder works great for prep work. Then make very small tack welds along the piece to be welded. Say every 3 inches or so. then I go back and weld 1/2" at a time down the seam starting at every other tack weld. And when you weld all you are doing is a bunch of tack welds just slightly overlapping the last one. that way you get that pretty little circles and good penitration. on sheetmetal you typically can't keep the weled on for more than 1/2 second otherwise you will blow thru. This will keep the heat down. Also you might have to take several 10 minute brakes to let everything cool down to a uniform temperature. Basically you just have to conrol the heat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPDISXR4Ti Posted November 3, 2004 Author Share Posted November 3, 2004 I think what really he's talking about as far as welding is this: with a cutoff tool cut off that seam( its called a pinch weld) then weld at that point a butt weld, grind smooth and paint ie: no seam no trim. only problem is metal is thin, heat transfer can and will warp the surrounding area making for more body work. time and patience and the job will turn out good, haste makes waste and alot of warped metal. Okay, gotcha'. I was just figuring that seam was done that way for strength. I can't imagine a butt weld would be nearly as strong as an over-lapping pinch weld. However, if I was to clad the inside panels with diamond plate that came up over that shoulder, it might make it into a non-issue. It would also mean the diamond plate would just need a single 90-degree bend. Again however, this approach only works if I just address the area where that seam is horizontal. As far as welding and warping is concerned, this might be a good time to consider using a panel adhesive instead. The stuff that's on the market today really is incredible, and we're not talking about a structural panel here, so it's do-able. I'd probably use the access panels to lay a bead down from the inside before cutting the pinch weld off. Too bad I don't have a rotisiere to roll the car upside-down for that task, and let gravity be my friend! Appreciate the feedback - keep it coming... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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