Welding new panels - metal ?

When I was taking out the rear windshield washer resivior a while back and redoing the drain pipes, i rather large chunk of metal that was rusted fell right off right behind the drivers side wheel. I patched it with something or other and never went back to fix it for good. I looked around during this summer and there were other places that were in pretty bad shape also. I blame Chicago and their use of salt in the winter. And a leaky hatch.

Long story short, I want to fix all of this in the summer. I have a welder these days so I can do the work at home. I'm going to cut out the rusty pieces, sand down everything, welded new sheet metal in place, sand and paint it all nice. And of course fix the leaky hatch.

My questions are... what would be the best thickness for sheet metal for something like this? I want it to be strong and sturdy, but I need I need to be able to cut it and flex it the shape I need. Any suggestions on the metal?

Or any suggestions on the process itself? I've seen some people on Tuners basically cut out the whole hatch and weld in sheet metal for full drag cars and it doesn't look too bad.

I work with alot of 11, 14, and 18 gage(not gauge) stainless. These are the most common to use. 11 would be overkill at about 1/8" thick. I would look at 14 or maybe 18 depending on what your welder can handle. I know you showed me when I was out there but i don't remember too much about it.

I work with alot of 11, 14, and 18 gage(not gauge) stainless. These are the most common to use. 11 would be overkill at about 1/8" thick. I would look at 14 or maybe 18 depending on what your welder can handle. I know you showed me when I was out there but i don't remember too much about it.

Cool cool. I'll find a link of my machine later. Do you know thick the 14/18 would be? Also, wouldn't that be getting pretty flexible then? I still want a good deal of support when these go in. Thanks Tim.

I believe 18 gauge is about right, that's what most people shave door handles with. If you get too thick, you won't be able to shape it how you want, but if you get too thin you'll lose the strength of the metal. I wouldn't go ANY heavier than 16 or any lighter than 22 though.

I'd do a bunch of research before you actually replace them though, you can very easily warp and burn through thin metal. The right way to do it is a bunch of tack welds all the way around, letting each one cool before you do the next. Just be careful not to A) burn through the metal itself, and B) don't burn through the backside (painted side) if it's a panel adjacent (or close to) to an exterior panel

I believe 18 gauge is about right, that's what most people shave door handles with. If you get too thick, you won't be able to shape it how you want, but if you get too thin you'll lose the strength of the metal. I wouldn't go ANY heavier than 16 or any lighter than 22 though.

I'd do a bunch of research before you actually replace them though, you can very easily warp and burn through thin metal. The right way to do it is a bunch of tack welds all the way around, letting each one cool before you do the next. Just be careful not to A) burn through the metal itself, and B) don't burn through the backside (painted side) if it's a panel adjacent (or close to) to an exterior panel

True that. Don't want to burn through anything. I figure most of it will probably be flat sections but we'll see once I rip down the hatch and see how bad everything is back there. Probably be moldy too. Stupid spoiler lets water in and goes in the hatch. Have to redo that too.

my bet is on 18 gage, thats what the majority of the sheet metal is already on the car, so just cut out the old, clean up the edges with a grinder, so you have a nice surface to weld to, and weld in your new piece. that's how i would go about it! take LOTS of pics! and keep us updated! best of luck!