Body Repairs

[Grandpa's-Bronco]

I own an 88 full sized, 302. It was my grandpa's truck, so I want to keep it for a while. I am a fairly good wrencher, but I have never gotten into much body work. I replaced the tailgate a few years back, but now the doors, rocker panels, door post, and rear quarter are in need of some serious help. I see there are plenty of replacement panels available. How hard is this work to do? Does it require a lot of welding?

 

[Broncoscare]

It's not hard at all, its a matter of tools; if you have them or not. Doors are no biggie. Patch pannels are going to be where you need the tools; to cut, and weld up.

Trace your new patch pannel and cut just inside of line, tack weld in place. The you will have to weld small amounts at the time, always changing starting from a tack weld. If you continously weld it will worp and damage the metal. Then grind down weld beeds flush to surface (do with care!) and then bondo, prime, then spray some guide coat. Begin to sand with 180 grit and as you sand useing the guide coat will show you where to sand so that you will get a nice flush straight sand.

Let me know if you have any questions...

Good Luck /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[highboy73]

the more time you take the nicer it will turn out,probably the best tools to buy would be a sanding block and a air file(or hand).

flangers are nice for patch panels and you get one pretty cheap too.

go to eastwood co. and check out some of there stuff they are pricey but they have good stuff.

good luck

 

[Broncoscare]

Yea, highboy73 Eastwood is the place I order my stuff too, some items are a little high so just look around. Grandpa's-Bronco if its your first time doing body work I would try to do most of the sanding by hand until you get a feel for things. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[Seabronc]

You can pick up a book on basic body work at most book stores. I have done a lot of wood working over the years and don't find body work much different, with the exception of putting the pieces together. Flanging is definately the best way to join sections since it easier to blend the repair. If you don't ****** you have to feather the area out to blend it. Just make sure you cut out all the rust, or it will be back to haunt you.

Good luck,

>-

 

[Justshootme84]

Great advice from everyone!!! Items like the tailgate, doors, front fenders, and hood are simple bolt-on jobs. The parts of the cab and cargo area will require some welding whether using a patch panel or full replacement. You will also want to look underneath at the floor pan and bed area for any rust or cracks. If you have carpet, pull it up to look for rust. If you have rust-thru from the outside in a panel, there may be more rusted metal under the paint.

If you have absolutely no experience with a welder or cutting wheel, you might want to leave that work to a good "body man". Smoothing out the seams of the welds and working with body filler takes a little practice, and just Bondo will not work to cover holes or rust. Aftermarket parts do not always line-up with the original panels, so you may need to trim or fit them to work. You might want to try a small part, like a rocker panel, so you're not out of alot of money if you mess it up.

It really depends on what conditions and purpose you have for the Bronco. If it's just a trail rig, you might get by with patching or just cutting away some spots. IF you want a show-quality ride and you're going to spend a few grand on paint, it's worth the money to have a pro do the work.