Gerahead's 71 Dart

It feels like it has been forever since I have been here for an update. I see from the date of the last post, that it has been!! Life has gotten in the way in a big way, but hopefully it has returned to more of what most people would consider to be normal.

I had a chance to spend some time on the lonely Dart a couple of nights back. There is a boo-boo on the passenger side rocker. I had originally planned to cut out this part and weld in a patch from the sheet metal that I had cut out with the quarterpanels. Since that time, I had acquired a stud welder and decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to give her a whirl.
I had borrowed a HF stud welder from a friend of mine some time ago and for anyone who is contemplating buying one . . . forget it! The slide hammer sux and no matter what I tried, the studs did not weld with enough strength to hold squat. I bought a Magna Spot welder and what a difference!!!! It is a heavier unit and once welded on, very few of the studs pulled loose. The slide hammer worked great even when only hand tight.
The dent was both pushed in on the lower side of the rocker and the outer side of the rocker is both pushed in and buckled outward. I ended up with quite a few more studs welded on that n shown in the picture, but you can kind of get an idea where the low spots were. The crease ran diagonally upward between the "pin cushions". Between pulling the studs and beating with a body hammer, I got it looking pretty good. I shot some gloss black paint on it to protect it from surface rust and I can see from the reflections that I have a little more work to do, but I am calling this experiment a success:blob:
More fun to be had. L8r