Welding trim holes on 1970 Dart

-
jrlegacy23

jrlegacy23

68 Barracuda
Joined
Jun 27, 2006
Messages
2,626
Reaction score
336
Location
Laurens, NY
I have been welding up the vinyl top trim holes, and then whizzer wheeling them down flat. Everything has been coming out perfect without any plastic filler. I am now at the point of filling the holes where the trim is on the body line (see picture). Does anyone have experience with these holes? I can not quite tell if they are directly on the body line, or slightly below the body line.
Would I just weld them up and have to reshape the body line with block sanding? Any help is appreciated.

trim pic.jpg
 
If you are welding on the quarters you are definately going to have to use a little filler and block even if you don't warp, be careful on the quarters as they will warp much easier than the holes around the window, be sure to quench your spot weld with an air nozzle immediately to minimize any warpage. Use a piece of brass on the backside. Patience is key when welding on quarters. Haven't welded holes on a Dart but I have done alot of other cars up here in the rustbelt, lots of quarter panel repair and replacement over the years. Nice looking car btw.
 
Last edited:
Depends on how big they are. I used nails and then chopped them off. Much less heat than filling the entire hole. And they are easy to hold and tack in place.

IMG_0440.JPG
 
Those trim studs are contact welded to the body, just like the studs for a high end dent puller. If you grind them off they don't leave a hole. Takes longer to remove the studs, but it's a lot faster than having to weld all of those holes.

Of course, if someone already pulled them off and left a bunch of holes (like on my poor EL5 GT) you're stuck welding them. They are right on the body line. Go slow, don't do a bunch right in a row all at once. But even if you succeed in preventing any warping they're still right on the body line, which makes the skim coat more difficult. And if the turkey that removed the trim studs did an especially crappy job (like on my GT) you'll have dimples and dents in addition to the holes. :BangHead:
 
I did the other holes by taking a 3/8 drill bit and just counter sinking the edge of holes for something more for the weld to bit to. I did one of the quarter panel holes, it came out well but then got nervous about the body line. I am not to worried about the warping because I have been just zapping a little and moving to the other end of the panel regardless if the hole is filled or not. Once it cools, I go back and tack another. The welds are solid, and no seem once ground down. I will take some pics.
**Note** do not use a grinder, too aggressive. Stick to a wizzer wheel type of airtool

Thanks for the compliment, Carnut.

72bluNblu, there are holes only on mine, because the trim is bolted on. I have no trim studs at all on the 70 Dart
 
jrlegacy23 said:
72bluNblu, there are holes only on mine, because the trim is bolted on. I have no trim studs at all on the 70 Dart
Click to expand...

Huh. Mine only had screws at the ends. The rest is little trim studs, probably every 6" - 8" or so for the little plastic clips. Same on both of my '71's and the '71 parts car that provided the fenders for my demon.
 
Here are what mine looks like. I welded the holes, ground down, and sprayed sealer primer on them to protect from rust. No filler in the car at all so far. The first pic I filled one of the holes in the quarter. I also attached a pic of where I welded the holes for the swinger emblem:

trim2.jpg


Trim3.jpg


trim 1.jpg


wheels.jpg
 
Huh. Not sure if this is big enough, only one I have at the moment. You can see the little studs and one of the plastic clips.
9de5_3copy_zpsdfb019f6.jpg
 
holes in 1970 not studs - to answer the original question there is no body line where that trim is. There is a body line above it with a kick below the rear quarter window and two below it, but where that trim sits it is slightly convex, but nearly flat, which is MUCH easier to deal with than if there was a body line there! Mine came out really good when we ditched the side trim, but I have seen plenty with distortion at every hole - it will never be right...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top