SJs 66coupe

I am thinking about replacing my fender apron under my battery tray. I am also kicking around replacing the radiator support while I am at it....42 years of battery acid is not a metal surface's friend to say the least.

Yesterday I was looking at the fender apron where it attaches to the shock tower and there seems to be a spot weld about every half inch or so....that is a whole lot of spot welds.

Is there any faster way to get the old metal out besides drilling out all those spot welds one at a time?

fakesnakes

No, but it goes pretty fast. I drill completely through both panels with a 1/4" drill bit and then use a panel knife and hammer to separate any remaining weld I missed with the drill bit. The holes in the remaining panel then become convenient spots to "spot" weld the panels back together. Once I stripped out the battery, tray, and electrical wiring and components, I removed and replaced my inner fender in 2 hours. Good luck!

SJs 66coupe

Thanks fake....I don't think it looks that hard...seems like it is going to be a real labor intensive pain in the you know what to remove the fender(s), etc first and then put them back on but sounds a lot better than paying a fortune to have someone do it. My radiator support seems in pretty bad shape on the one side so guess if I replace that I'll be removing fenders on both sides. I would really prefer to just replace the fender apron but guess while I have it that much apart....the rad support on the drivers' side is really solid and sure wish you could replace just the bad half.

You have a great idea regarding drilling all the way through then using the holes for the new welds. I had kicked that one around but all the articles I had looked at had them drilling holes in the new panel to spot weld it in...that sounds like a lot more work.

My thought was to remove the old panel, get it exactly where I want it then put a few sheet metal screws in it to hold it in place. Do my spot welds then remove the screws and weld up the holes and call it a day.

Call me lazy but I like the sounds of the way you did it much better then some of the articles I had looked at.

109jb

You can replace just the bad half if you wish. Just cut the section of the old one out that is bad and cut a matching piece out of a new support and butt weld them together. Grind the welds smooth and paint and you will be good. Just like they do for quarter panel skins. Having said that though, you may run into problems with the repro support not matching the original exactly with bends and such not lining up exactly. Cosmetically that could cause you some problems. I guess if it were me I would replace the whole thing, but then again my car has everything new forward of the firewall. Good luck whatever you decide.

ThongsareSweet

I got the same problem on my Apron where the battery sits. Iam going to do what fakesnakes said. I would suggest replacing the whole piece because patching it looks like a bigger pain in the butt honostly. Right now iam hunting for the apron piece to weld back in and also looking for a buzzbox because the one I had before crapped right out. To me it seems more crucial lining it all up because i couldn't imagine how pissed I would be if the fender didn't sit properly on the apron after..

SJs 66coupe

The apron piece is easy to find...a little over $20 at pretty much any Mustang parts place.

The radiator support is running about $70 at most places.

I figure it is easier to just replace the whole thing on the apron myself.

I had thought yesterday about replacing just half of the radiator support but I am afraid that would be a real pain to get lined up...besides if you cut the new piece in half and then it doesn't work out it will cost another $70 plus shipping to get a new piece.