Re: Replicating Factory Spot Weld Appearance
 

I used the pencil eraser in wet primer to start with but wasn't really satisfied so I used a hole punch and punched out some sandpaper discs that I used with a Dremel tool. The factory welds were pretty sloppy looking on my car so my fake welds will be okay. I tried a drill bit but couldn't keep it from wandering all over the place. Good luck.

Re: Replicating Factory Spot Weld Appearance
 

The vice grip tool I made works well, and you can control the depth of the divet as well.
The punch thing would be alot of trouble IMO, unless you used heat and had a helper back up with a dolly.
I will post some pics later today of a Nova I did it on.
The lips gad been cut slightly https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/no.gif for tire clearance and some of the original spots were gone.
Also the vice grip tool upsets the metal on the inside and it fells alot like the originals.
I have noticed on differant cars that sometimes the welds are shallow and somewhat smooth, others are vwry deep and even tend to distort the metal. These were not robot welds as far as I know. So they will verry from car to car.

Later Mike https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...ns/scholar.gif

Re: Replicating Factory Spot Weld Appearance
 

Thanks Mike. On your vice grip it looks like you layered up 5 pieces of something to make the dimple side of your die. What did you use for that?

Re: Replicating Factory Spot Weld Appearance
 

Looks like a piece of threaded bolt to me, https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/dunno.gif

Re: Replicating Factory Spot Weld Appearance
 

Yea, piece of a bolt !

Mike https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...ns/naughty.gif

Re: Replicating Factory Spot Weld Appearance
 

68bird400HO
Here are a couple of shots of the wheel well lips I did with the tool pictured in the previous post.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...eldtool011.jpg



http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...eldtool007.jpg

Today I made another tool that I like even better, the fe male bushing i used has a tighter ID and the male part of the tool is the end cut off a car door hinge pin.
I also put a nut into the bushing to control the squish out on the back side. Check it out.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...eldtool019.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...eldtool017.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...eldtool022.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...eldtool020.jpg

Hope this helps, have fun.
Mike https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...ns/burnout.gif

Re: Replicating Factory Spot Weld Appearance
 

Wow! That looks really good! I like it! Nice car too!

Re: Replicating Factory Spot Weld Appearance
 

Factory details are the Mother of invention. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...mlins/flag.gif

Re: Replicating Factory Spot Weld Appearance
 

I have to agree, that does look really good. Especially the ones made with the newest tool. What did you use for the female side on the one you just made?

Re: Replicating Factory Spot Weld Appearance
 

It was just a bushing I found in my junk, just cut off what I needed. This bushing has a thicker wall and it does not distort the metal as much as the first on I made.

Mike