Unpopular opinion: I still weld rusty panels back together instead of buying new clip-ons

Been patching this 2004 Chevy Silverado fender for a customer in Phoenix with a $40 spool of wire and some patch metal, and honestly it's held up better than two of the aftermarket replacements I've seen crack in the same spot - has anyone else found that OEM crust actually outlasts the cheap stampings?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_simon23d ago

The trick is finding the right balance between how much rust you cut out and how you prep the patch. In Phoenix the dry heat actually helps because you don't get the same rot issues you'd see up north. I always run a grinder with a flap disc on those fenders before welding to make sure the backside is clean too, otherwise the crust just starts creeping under the new metal again. Aftermarket panels are a gamble with the metal gauge being thinner half the time. If the OEM piece still has solid structure around the rust hole and you're not trying to fill a rotten quarter panel, patching it right usually beats throwing a cheap stamping at it.

alex30722d ago

I was reading a piece in one of the welding trade magazines last month about how the metal composition on older GM trucks actually has more carbon content than the stuff coming out of the offshore stamping plants now, and that lines up with what you're seeing on that Silverado. The aftermarket stuff is made to a price point, not a durability standard, so it's no shock you've seen cracks in fresh panels. @the_simon is right about the backside prep being the real factor, I've had patches fail years later purely because I got lazy with the flap disc and didn't chase the rust line under the lip. That dry Phoenix air gives you a fighting chance too, the salt belt guys would be replacing that whole fender by now. I'll take an hour of patch work over a Sunday afternoon fighting a warped aftermarket panel any day.

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