liquid steel

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Tadams

Tadams

Tadams
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I met a new neighbor the other day who is building a dragster and is patching panels in his floor with liquid steel or J B Weld. Have any of you tried to patch floor pans using this instead of welding the patch panels in place?
I told him I would ask you guys what you thought. He doesn't have a welder or the knowledge to weld so is this a viable way to do this. I told him I have a friend who is going to weld mine when I get ready but he doesn't want to pay to have it done. He has a 67 Dart which looks really good. Don't know how it will run yet but sounds awesome.
So, lets here your answers.
 
Well those patches will prolly rattle out over time or collect moisture and rot. Will they work for drag racing? Yes but it's his safety not ours.

Riddler
 
My only advise is to do it right!! If you can't do it right...pay someone to do it right for you!!! That way at least it's done right!!! Geof
 
I don't know, there are some adhesives by 3M designed for non-structural body panel installation. Clearly JB weld is not the appropriate adhesive.

You might shoot him this link so that he does it at least "kind of" right.

http://www.3m.com/product/information/Automix-Panel-Bonding-Adhesive.html

For me, I'd weld them in, and like others have said, if you can't do it right, find someone who can.

Knowing your limitations is a sign of maturity.

Regards,

Joe Dokes
 
The way hes doing it he might as well use bubble gum. I understand hes on a tight budget and cant afford to pay to have someone weld them in.so why dosnt he pop rivet the panels in.
 
Thanks guys, Thats what I told him but you know how some people get ideas. He seems to think he knows more than anybody.
 
For a little pinhole, he could get away with it.
But then again, if it's a pinhole, then there's a lot of weaker metal surrounding it.
I would say to him that he needs to cut out the bad metal and weld in good sheetmetal to do it properly, as it will add strength and make his car a better car as well.
 
You need to get it in his head; this is his life, and other peoples lives. The car is not an Erector set, or a model airplane. This is serious/ structural. Did he ever try jb on his bicycle? didn't work there either.

If you have to, shoot him in the leg, as he bends over to apply more; keep that car off the street, lol.
 
Lol, chassis shop 2 blocks from my house, mainly circle track. the owner told me that they bought a half finished car, roll cage looked good. He dinged it with a hammer, it fell apart. Epoxied.
 
A guy i use to work with bought a used circle track car i think it was a pinto or mustang some ford crap anyway when he got to checking it over and the previous owner used exhaust pipe instead of real role bar material for the cage.so he had to gut it and pretty much start over it unbelievable what some people will do to save a few bucks
 
You said this is a dragster ... I'm no racer but I'd bet that whatever class he's in would have rules about that. I'm doubtful it would certify to run safely anywhere.
 
Joe Dokes said:
I don't know, there are some adhesives by 3M designed for non-structural body panel installation.
Click to expand...
You can find many posts on similar adhesives. Many body shops use them now. They aren't cheap, maybe $40 for a tube and $80 for the special gun. They do always use the caveat "for non-structural repairs", but that could be the lawyers talking rather than a technical analysis.

I hear everybody claim how critical floor pans are to the body structure, but I am a Mechanical Engineer and don't see how one small section of rusted away floor panel compromises the car's integrity. As long as the tranny tunnel is solid and intact and there is sound floor everywhere else to keep the bottom diagonally stiff, and the sills are solid, I doubt it matters. If a 4 door or 2-dr post, it is already much stiffer than a convertible or 2 dr hardtop. If you glue a patch panel down and the glue lines don't break (assuming stiff glue), then it could as well have been a weld line. Either the glue was really strong or (more likely) there was no significant movement that it needed to oppose. Personally, I don't see the glue breaking. Of course Liquid Nails is a different story. That is fairly soft mastic, more like caulk than the referenced products.
 
Thanks Guys and Ladies for your responses. This guy is a mechanical engineer also and knows more than I do abd is quick to point that out. I really have been avoiding him lately.
 
How come nobody uses structural Scotch tape anymore? You know the stuff with the nylon strings in it… Once all is taped down real good, than just paint over it with a good mold resistant enamel. LOL
 
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