Re: 51Packard's....51 Packard

Posted by Larry51 On 2012/9/20 7:30:20

Howdy 51 Packard, welcome back! (No doubt like me, you've had other stuff to do for a while).
Couple of thoughts . . . You're right, the outriggers are riveted on my '51. I don't know if they're all identical, there might be different sizes, but judging from the photo you have, looks like yours are labeled (?). Also regarding the MIG and whether it might have enough oomph, I have a 130amp gas MIG and it can handle sheet metal to 1/4inch or even thicker (- I've welded 10mm thick gussets using 0.9mm fluxed wire without gas and penetration was ok).
Are you welding onto good metal, or is it corroded and a bit thinner that the original stuff? Sure makes a difference if both sides of the weld are on good clean thick metal. It can be nearly impossible to get a good weld on even slightly thinner rusty metal, it just burns through continually.
With my '51 there was a lot of rust, and I just didn't have the skill or the time to do the repairs myself, so I paid a metal worker to do most of my rust repairs. There were some difficulties with the trunk lid, and we tried two of them to get a fit. (I think the original one had become distorted owing to the grit blasting having heated it up too much. It seemed to have stretched quite a lot, but maybe the metalworker had also misjudged the placement of the trunk lip when he renewed it).
Probably the trick here is that you just lightly tack every new / restored panel in place and check fit before 'joining the dots'. That way things can be jiggled around to get a right fit if necessary. You could even consider temporary pop riveting of some sections until you're sure they fit. Main thing is - whatever you do, enjoy the journey!