Type 65 - Additional Aluminum Panels

[JTG]

For those of you that are adding aluminum panels beyond what FFR provides, how are you addressing welds where the panel sits on top of them?

If the welds are spec'd as "CJP" (Complete Joint Penetration), I suppose you could grind them down but I don't feel great about that. It's common practice to grind welds flush assuming good penetration but that has to be figured into the initial engineering of the assembly. Since FFR didn't grind these welds flush, I'm inclined to believe they should be left as-is. That would be a hard mistake to fix especially because neither my un-drill, un-cut, or un-grind tools are working :rolleyes:

Any thoughts, suggestions, advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!
Jon

[PNWTim]

I don't have any of those tools either - mine all work the other direction. Full transparency - you have put far more technical thought into this than I have. If I found an offending weld I ground it flat if convenient. I have many panels that have small reliefs or notches to clear welds where it didn't make sense to grind and paint. The ones that stand out to me the most are those on the DS and PS forward upper rails which I ground relatively flat to ensure my trim panels lay flat.

I honestly assumed F5 didn't grind any of the welds or remove the spatter for cost savings. The CJP situation you note above is not something I considered or know anything about. Probably a question for F5.

[JTG]

I don't have any of those tools either - mine all work the other direction. Full transparency - you have put far more technical thought into this than I have. If I found an offending weld I ground it flat if convenient. I have many panels that have small reliefs or notches to clear welds where it didn't make sense to grind and paint. The ones that stand out to me the most are those on the DS and PS forward upper rails which I ground relatively flat to ensure my trim panels lay flat.

I honestly assumed F5 didn't grind any of the welds or remove the spatter for cost savings. The CJP situation you note above is not something I considered or know anything about. Probably a question for F5.


Tim,

I was looking at those welds on the upper rails in the engine bay last night, which is what prompted the question.
I was considering either buying from Snakebite or making the "Engine Bay Frame Rail" panels and looking to see what had been done by others.

So there's one vote for grind flush!

Thanks,
Jon

[Sharris2]

The interfering welds; I grind them down and try to match the paint to have a flush fit

[Papa]

I typically trim the panels and leave the welds alone. In cases where that doesn't work, I've ground the weld and used SEM trim paint to touch up the color.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=219649&d=1759365403

[JTG]

I typically trim the panels and leave the welds alone. In cases where that doesn't work, I've ground the panel and used SEM trim paint to touch up the color.



Thanks, I'm leaning towards grinding the welds even though it makes me slightly uncomfortable as an engineer and welder. It's either that or I'll have to get a little more creative with how the aluminum panels are laid out.