There was alot of miscellaneous rust to deal with. Yeah, sure, buying full panels would have been easier, maybe, but they are expensive. We already had some 16 gauge sheet metal lying around so we decided to turn the tub into one giant puzzle.
The factory tire carrier included a plate on the inside of the tub for strength that held moisture and caused rust.
After making a paper template, we traced the pattern onto sheet metal and cut it to leave around 1/32 gap on all sides. Harbor Freight body clamps helped hold it in place while tacking.
This was actually my first attempt at welding, and stitching in a non-structural patch panels is as good a place to start as any. The idea is to limit the heat input in any one area to prevent warping.
After filling in the gaps, we ground the weld down and were left with a reasonable smooth surface ready for primer and body filler.
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