Inner Rear Fender Apron removal

[waketek516 10]

Hey guys,

 

I have to replace these on my car, and already go the new metal from CJs. I can see that there are a series of spot welds where it meets the shock tower and upper frame rail, but how did Ford attach it to the firewall? Is that just seam sealer??

 

[jmlay 80]

It is spot welded to the firewall as well. To see the welds you will need to look at the firewall from the inside of the car &/or the wheel well. I have used 3 different types of spotweld cutters & by far the best

 

If the only damage you have is to the hood hinge mounts you may want to consider cutting out the section for the bolts & weld that in rather than replacing the complete apron.

 

 

I have used 3 different types of spotweld cutters & by far the best is the Blair. I always center punch & then start a small hole , not drilled all the way thru, for a starter, preventing any walking. Walking will open you to the possibility of breaking the cutter.

 

Blair 11093/11094:

 

 

http://www.blairequipment.com/Spotweld_Cutters/Spotweld_Cutters.html

Edited February 7, 2014 by jmlay

[det0326 179]

Unless there is other damage that I am not seeing, I'm with jmlay I would repair it. The drivers side could certainly be repaired with very little effort and the passenger side I can still see a portion of the square where the nut is welded in so locating the correct position would not be an issue. If you have good welding skills I would go for it if not maybe recruited a friend that can. When I say repair you could get the repair patch or fab your own. In my way of thinking I believe you could fab your own easier since you can still see the nut locations. And if this is a daily driver when you put the hinge back on you want see the patch anyway.

[Mike65 476]

 

CJ's also sells the replacement nuts for the rear inner fender panels to repair those sections. It is part #- F-1482, hood hinge nuts (in fender aprons) (6) 68-70.

[maxum96 32]

I too would say that barring other damage, just weld new nuts in. But if you're determined to replace it, you can get spot weld cutters at Harbor Freight that is a fraction of the cost of the others. If you center punch the spot weld first the HF cutter will stay put and less likely to break teeth off. I also lubricate the cutter while I'm cutting to help make the cutters last. I can get those cheap cutters to last quite a while. And when it does break, I'm only out a few dollars.

 

$4.99 at HF

 

[jmlay 80]

I have the harbor freight also but it is far more sensitive to walking & tooth loss than the Blair. It is a must to pre-drill a starter with the HF in my opinion. Low cost tools have therir place & I do buy them. HF might work for a small job but if you have allot of spot welds to cut Blair is the way to go.

[waketek516 10]

I have both Blair, and HF cutters so I'm not worried about it if I have to remove it completely.

 

Is the best way to patch it to cutout the damaged part and use it as a template on the new steel? Then stitch it back in?

[moodster 55]

I have both Blair, and HF cutters so I'm not worried about it if I have to remove it completely.

 

Is the best way to patch it to cutout the damaged part and use it as a template on the new steel? Then stitch it back in?

 

Yes, that's exactly what you do. Since you can easily get to both sides then you should be able to grind/hammer/dolly the patch so that it looks as good as if not better than new.

 

david

[jmlay 80]

I would work the smallest area as possible, replacing one at a time unless it is easier to the complete section & replace.

[stick 10]

Ive used two different Blair models and both worked very good when lubed with Brute lube. But the best spot weld cutter Ive used is the carbide Weld Hog for half the price of the Blair , it doesnt require lube. So far its cut probably four times the welds than either Blair that Ive used, and still goin.