Walkthrough of my Mustang fender repair

[Stanger]

I started to repair the rust on my dad's '66 Mustang a couple of days ago and thought it might be cool to take pictures along the way and kind of document the repair. It was kind of a hassle to take pictures after nearly every step so I thought I might justify the time by sharing it with you guys. I will try to make it as complete as possible so that it is easy to follow and could be duplicated if desired. Sorry if some parts are too basic or are redundant.

Tools need for repair:
Air compressor
Mig welder with gas(argon/co2) and safety equipment(gloves, helmet, etc..)
Welding clamps(small C, mid-size C, large C, flatnose)
Cut-off wheel
Drill and bits
Grinder with about a 50 grit disk
Your choice of grinder for weld removal.

This is the rust damage on the lower front fender. Notice the amateur repair done previously. This repair consisted of screening and filler. Also notice that the rust has not only penetrated the outer sheetmetal but the support brace as well. Moisture was trapped between the two barriers making a perfect habitat for rust.
http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/2446/dscf00705io.th.jpg (http://img235.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf00705io.jpg)
Here is a better shot of the damage.
http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/5581/dscf00717ji.th.jpg (http://img150.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf00717ji.jpg)
These are the fender and support brace patches. This is all you have to buy for the repair. I will only be using half of the fender patch as only half of the lower fender has damage. I find it best to leave as much original metal in place as possible while still removing all of the rot.
http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/4167/dscf00724la.th.jpg (http://img225.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf00724la.jpg)
It is hard to see but this pictures shows the marks made for cutting the area in half. I measured over from the edge the desired amount for removal.
http://img114.imageshack.us/img114/6465/dscf00738rj.th.jpg (http://img114.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf00738rj.jpg)

[Stanger]

This is the fender patch marked for cutting.
http://img114.imageshack.us/img114/6154/dscf00742cs.th.jpg (http://img114.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf00742cs.jpg)
This is the lower fender after the fender and support have been cut with the cut-off wheel.
http://img114.imageshack.us/img114/3038/dscf00751ln.th.jpg (http://img114.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf00751ln.jpg)
This is the backside of the rotted area. There was clearly no other way to repair this correctly.
http://img114.imageshack.us/img114/6131/dscf00766os.th.jpg (http://img114.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf00766os.jpg)
Here are both patches. The outer sheetmetal patch has been cut at this point and the support brace has been drilled just as the original to bolt to the body.
http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/8487/dscf00775xo.th.jpg (http://img228.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf00775xo.jpg)

[Stanger]

The outer patch is being test fit at this point and is nearly ready for a few spot welds. I will be butt welding this section. You should spend most of your time at this point measuring and re-measuring to ensure that your patch is placed correctly. Also note that your body line must be a perfect match.
http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/3249/dscf00782dq.th.jpg (http://img147.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf00782dq.jpg)
Here is a closeup of a straight edge placed along the length of the fender patch. This shows me that it is ready to weld.
http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/3220/dscf00798za.th.jpg (http://img159.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf00798za.jpg)
The patch with a few spot welds...
http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/5558/dscf00712rv.th.jpg (http://img148.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf00712rv.jpg)
This shot shows the modified support brace and the notched fender patch. These are modifications for a stock appearance. The brace has been cut down considerably as the repo brace has too much lip.
http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/105/dscf00709zh.th.jpg (http://img151.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf00709zh.jpg)

[Stanger]

This is a completed shot of the fender and patch on the car. It has been
welded and ground down at this point. A little mud and some sanding will have this fender in great shape for years to come. I apologize for the gaps but the fender is just hanging loosely in this picture.
http://img79.imageshack.us/img79/4679/dscf00757vw.th.jpg (http://img79.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf00757vw.jpg)
I will take a picture of the completed support brace tomorrow when I get a chance. This is not a hard job and took me only a couple of days to complete. One obstacle that I left unmentioned was having to roll the lip of the new patch. I cut slits in mine to relieve the stress when hammer and dollying. The overall end result of the patch does not have a seam but does need some hammer and dolly work(at least mine did). I am pleased with the results and will proceed with the minimal bodywork required.