[NJCJ7]

okay, it's cut-n-weld time to patch some of the gaping holes in the CJ... what thickness or gauge or whatever sheet metal should i be looking to buy? thanks...

[cjryder]

Originally Posted by NJCJ7

okay, it's cut-n-weld time to patch some of the gaping holes in the CJ... what thickness or gauge or whatever sheet metal should i be looking to buy? thanks...

I think you want 14 Ga. steel. Also, unless you are really good at welding, you should just tack weld the piece in.

[aviator]

14 guage???

the body, from the factory is 18ga.

I found that patching with 16 guage is about all she can handle before your metal thicknesses are so far out of whack that you begin to warp the body on the CJ. 14 guage is so thick that it would take too much heat to get the two pieces to weld together, creating either massive holes or serious warpage.

Whatever you do, stay away from JC Whitney - their pieces are junk. I know first hand.

[NJCJ7]

Originally Posted by aviator

14 guage???

the body, from the factory is 18ga.

I found that patching with 16 guage is about all she can handle before your metal thicknesses are so far out of whack that you begin to warp the body on the CJ. 14 guage is so thick that it would take too much heat to get the two pieces to weld together, creating either massive holes or serious warpage.

Whatever you do, stay away from JC Whitney - their pieces are junk. I know first hand.

So 18 ga? I am assuming this is like wire? higher the # the thinner the steel?

[crazandy]

Yup, just like wire, 14>16>18

[jadams68]

Why 1/2 *** the process? I mean if you have one or two holes, I can understand, but if you start digging and realize like I did that the rear fender wells are like swiss cheese with dozens of small, medium and large holes, I suggest going to

www.trailquest.com

and ordering the factory OEM thickness panels. It came out great and will hold up much longer than a patch where you may or may not get all the rust.

Consider it...they aren't expensive.

Here's a before shot with the panels about to get welded on:



And here is what it looks like today...