Listers...
I just received a videotape from Eastwood titled "Car Bodywork Repair
by Welding.
I thought a quick review might be of interest since a few folks are
dealing with this just now.
First off...the tape is produced in the UK...surprise! The subject
car is a yellow '70s Cortina that barely casts a shadow. Already I
sensed that repair techniques employed might be lacking the TLC we try
to use on our cars. I was correct. :-(
An example of this was the replacement rear wing lower section. While
they took the time to cut out most of the old metal, they simply laid
the new section on top of the old edge. No attempt was made to flange
or "jod" the sections so they lie flat. "Filler" would take care of
the mismatch said the instructor. The same technique was used to
replace the rotted strut tower. In this case though they never even
bothered to cut the old rusty piece out. :-(
They did eventually demonstrate a small butt weld patch and seeing the
gun technique "live" on 20 ga. was helpful. I'm just a bit surprised
that Eastwood would market this particular tape given the thrust of
their "perfect restoration" product line. Also, keep in mind that this
tape is not intended to cover the basic set-up and adjustment of the
MIG...they offer another tape that claims to cover that.
My feeling is that this tape is a good representation of how a typical
body shop might fix an old beater so it passes inspection. <MOT>
A car enthusiast would probably not be happy with the quality of the
work though. Okay...JACKSON might be happy, but for the rest of us...
:-)
Cheers!
Tom O'Malley in Southbridge Massachusetts
'74, '77 Spits
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