spot welds

channi · Jul 7, 2015

Hi guys, hopefully going to be doing the bootfloor next week,I'm in too minds how to do the spot welds I was thinking spot weld drill bit but I don't want to make holes right the way through,is there a way so as not to break through both panels as I've never done spot welds before or would I just be better off putting a grinding disc on and just grind them out

Cheers guys

ronsealdeath · Jul 7, 2015

Use a spot weld bit with retractable tip to give a good score to the top panel then I would use my air hammer to split them. However, if you are using an air hammer you end up with holes everywhere as it tends to loosen the rust! So a sharp bolster and hammer should work or prise open with a crow bar/big screwdriver.

Grinding them out will do the same thing, you just want to get the bond thin enough to allow you to prise the two panels apart. You may find you make a mess of the z strip if you don't drill far enough.

Remember that you need to plug weld it back on according to the MOT rules, despite what people say about testers passing bonded or bolted floors. Yes it may pass but only if the tester is not doing their job properly and you can't exactly risk that with such a big job.

haigy · Jul 7, 2015

Grinder them

channi · Jul 7, 2015

cheers guys, im going to use a old wood chisel and mallet to spit them hopfully

Chrisw8 · Jul 7, 2015

Wouldn't it be easier to cut support strips and replace, thats what I intend doing with mine.

Bit of a ball ache to drill through all them spot welds and find supports need replacing anyway.

And Dont forget yer fuel tank is plastic!!!

channi · Jul 7, 2015

Chrisw8 said:
Wouldn't it be easier to cut support strips and replace, thats what I intend doing with mine.

Bit of a ball ache to drill through all them spot welds and find supports need replacing anyway.

And Dont forget yer fuel tank is plastic!!!

Probably yeah but the floor is only gone by the seatbelts I thought I may as well replace it now rather than patch it and have to replace it at a later date plus money is tight at the moment so I need to save as much as possible I've got plenty of plate if I need to replace anything else (hopefully)

Chrisw8 · Jul 7, 2015

Fair enough.

Don't forget to post loads of piccies !!!!

haigy · Jul 7, 2015

If its only a bit and moneys tight use what you have and plate it up then. And replace when you have the money

channi · Jul 7, 2015

iv'e bitten the bullet now and bought the new floor

channi · Jul 7, 2015

iv'e bitten the bullet and got the floor, just gotta get my ass in gear now

colingo · Jul 7, 2015

The Best way from experiance is to use a spot weld bit. if you can wedge something in between or get parting pressure to seperate the two parts this helps as soon as you drill through the surface you wil feel the surface release. possibly the worst way to remove spot welds is by hammer and chistle alone. you will end up with a mangled mess that you will then struggle to get flat to on to.

deanog · Jul 7, 2015

Spot weld drill bit gets my vote. Usually when the drill bit gets to the final bit of cutting, the drills revs drop a bit giving an indication to ease off the pressure. You can then either carry on with light pressure or get a cut down putty knife and hammer to split the panels

channi · Jul 7, 2015

colingo said:
The Best way from experiance is to use a spot weld bit. if you can wedge something in between or get parting pressure to seperate the two parts this helps as soon as you drill through the surface you wil feel the surface release. possibly the worst way to remove spot welds is by hammer and chistle alone. you will end up with a mangled mess that you will then struggle to get flat to on to.

Yeah I was only going to use chisle n mallet after either drilling or grinding

deanog · Jul 7, 2015

If your going to grin it, then try to get hold of a belt sander so you can focus the end of the belt onto the spot weld itself. A grinder with a flap disc will 1, wear out the pad too quick due to the surface area it covers and 2, possibly, due to the location of the spot welds, take too much metal off the adjoining panels

channi · Jul 8, 2015

cheers for the advice guys

spot welds

channi

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