wenisman

Thanks @pogopins, that's handy to know. I will continue my hunt then, if anyone has a recommendation then please let me know.

But as I draw closer to having the repairs to this tailgate done I am starting to think about some of the requirements/upgrades that I would like to have for this tailgate. - but more strength : I will put some extra bracing in the door frame as previously I noticed how bouncy the panel was. I have a plan for this one so stay tuned 😉 - Central locking : this will take some thinking. I'm open to suggestions - rear window wiper + nozzle : I will try get a kit and see what it looks like. I know the VW/Audi hatches have the nozzle in the spindle for the wiper so this could a neat solution - reversing camera : this should be easy enough, but I'm just thinking of a way to mount it cleanly beneath the Toyota badge. Most of these will require some modification to the tailgate, but this is the perfect time to plan for them

The finished product turned out ok, it was a bit funky welding at different angles as the replacement panel bent over curves. So my welding went a little astay in some sections. But a little grinding to get everything flush and I will need to go over the whole thing and get the file finish I'm looking for. But the front turned out ok, The back I'm still working on but you can see a little warping in the bottom of the panel, but I'll be cutting this but off anyhow.

Well I took a clean template from the side I haven't touched yet before I started to weld the pieces in. Once the measurements were taken I then grind flush the tacks and did my stitch weld process to minimise the heat in the panel This is also a good time to get the hammer and dolly out to lightly tap the weld and release any tension that had built up. Then I went back over and completed the weld

Heya, I do watch cutting edge engineering as it's amazing to see how they repair such massive pieces of equipment. I have seen those helmets but you are right they are not cheap, but they are required if you are a professional welder or if you weld over 300amps (you will need to check me on that, I'm not in that league so I'm not totally sure. Could be more or less...). But for me the thing is to keep the metal clean before welding. They means sanding the paint off and I usually Scotch Brite right before I weld. If parrot is working on a scuttle he may not be able to clean the back side so the fumes could be burning paint, but a respirator helmet is a few hundred and could be worth it.

Thanks parrot, glad you are enjoying this thread. I'm still learning a lot and there are mistakes a plenty, but I'm just taking my time to make sure the work is still of a decent quality. are you using gas shielded mig or gas less mig? If you are running the argon CO2 mix you might need to move the fan, it will blow the argon from the weld area and can give you a poor weld.

So here is an example, I'm using 0.8mm cold rolled steel. Starting on the right I went too fast and you see the weld is proud and almost shiny. Then I slowed down and let the puddle form and you can see the change in the weld, goes flatter and the filter rod flows into the parent metal. There was no change to the settings, no change in gas, I just slowed down a little. Flipping it over, again right to left with the metal butted hard up against each other I didn't get penetration because I was too fast. but then looking right to left you can see I get good penetration once I slowed down. Hope that made sense and it helps

I usually have panels fairly flush, no gap bigger than 1mm however I like them hard up against each other. but I'm using tig so I can control the heat and get the right penetration because I can watch the puddle. If you find you aren't getting the penetration then you can up the Amps for TIG, or voltage for MIG. however a much better welder then me well have more advice.

And the finished product for today... One corner peice tacked in place Next time I will get the bottom radius from the better corner and trim the bottom to shape 😉

So armed with my very rudimentary tools I notched a small divot from some timber and with a soft jaw clamp got to hammering Then with a few minutes I was getting close, I know many people will be upset with how I'm doing this but I have to work within my tools. However the result is starting to get close

After what seems like forever, my life is somewhat back in order and my torn ligament in my left arm is still painful but healing. So it's back to it... Started where I left off, the corner. It has a step on the side, unfortunately both sides of the tailgate are damaged and so getting an accurate measurement is proving difficult. But with some pliers and a small hammer I have it fitting back on the skin of the door well. So I'll run with this guestimate of how it should look. I then took a few cardboard templates and cut some steel. You can see the profile of the lip for the frame edge here, and some small templates to give me some references

With much trimming and fettling I got to a point where I was happy with the patch panel. So I tacked the new peice into place Looking along the edge of the bend it still needs some work but it came out ok in the end So the next task will be to make the corner peice.

So I then cut out the old rusted section and I am again manually adjusting to get it to fit. But there is a curve to the bottom of the tailgate, so I will need to use a shrinker to get the right curve. But it's getting close. I have had to straighten the bottom a bit more but it's looking ok at the moment, considering it's just hacked up tools at home

Well I took a short break to switch jobs, but I spent that time thinking on how to proceed. So using the old steering arm, some wood and a vice I made a bend with the right radius. With a few manual adjustments with my favourite hitting stick I think it will fit. So I checked the radius on the other side and I think it will work.

This post isn't really car related, but I'm doing the cycle challenge this month in order to raise some funds for kids with cancer. So I made a stand for the front wheel, I needed something that could articulate to counter the compression of the front forks. So some square tubing, 3mm plate, a rose joint and a mount from a car rack

So I started on the side of the frame which was also buckled. When I painted stripped it I could see that the original repair had just welded the frame to the skin as the two were different sizes. After a little work it was at least the right size again. And then a bit more hammer and dolly work and it's looking mostly back in line I also straightened out the crease a little further up whilst I was at it.

I then decided to try and straighten the frame... it's been a small odyssey. I started with the bottom. You can see the crease mark to where it was originally pushed into. I have had to massage it a long way out but the metal is literally falling apart So I marked out a battle plan on what peices I need to remake for that bottom section. You can see where chunks of metal literally broke off the bottom. I have had several attempts at home to get these right, but I just can't seem to make it how I want to so I'll have to go back to the workshop for some professional advise

So I decided to weld the hole in the window sill with mixed results. But it was better than trying to hold the small peice in place as it would have just melted away. But once it was linished back it looked reasonable

Thanks banjo, I know it's funny but when I started the restoration 18 months ago I had never welded or done any form of metal shaping. I know I took Tafe courses and spent time at a professional shop to learn the skills, but for a complete novice this is a daunting task. All that said I do really enjoy it, you're right in that the process is gratifying to see how this is turning out. But it's funny to think I'm now doing the work at home, and hopefully someone will read this blog, my journey of learning and it inspires them to restore their car. Because if I can do it, well anyone can

There are still some sections that are very thin, even after welding. So along the edge of the window sill I started grinding out the thin material Then a very small patch was made, using my rudimentary tools but it looks like it will do the task. It's tricky to try and tack in place, I will head to Bunnings and grab some very small fridge magnets or thin jawed vice grips to hold it.

Well the linishing back of the welds is done The window sill turned out pretty well. You can see the ripples in the light so I am planishing out with the hammer and dolly.

And then the window sill was welded into place The weld started well, but then there were sections where the parent metal was still corroded so I had to fill large gaps with filler rod But now the main welding is done I'll linish things back and straighten the weld area.

I have had as to take a small break but I'm now back on the tools. I started by welding the bottom of the tail gate in fully. Took a little trial and error as I haven't used tig on my home welder before. But with a little fine tuning I was happy with the result. To try and minimize the warping I did a stitch weld tactic. I welded between every alternate tac, then let it cool before I went back and did the finishing pass.

Just a quick update as I have been busy with work and family life. But I have taken a wire wheel to the frame and skin to remove the loose rust, and completed the first pass with some Scotch Brite. So now that it's clean I have linnished the tacks back so that it can be welded up. But there where some more tears in the steel around the edges, so I have tacked those so things don't warp out of shape before the final weld

And on a side note, after seeing some cars and doing some internet searches I have seen this as a fuel cap/flap option. https://www.haganauto.com/product_p/fd45rqp.htm Would take some work to make it fit Kevin but it's certainly an option.