W114 / W115 rust repair (journey with pictures) -PART III
by Patryk Rebisz

1. Fixing rust on an old car is always a messy adventure. You need plenty of tools:
-- Welder, welding gloves, an extension cord, a welding blanket to protect parts from splatter, and a welding mask.
-- Various clamps and magnets to hold metal in place.
-- A grinder (with plenty of cutting discs and flapper discs to remove paint), eye protection (glasses and a full face shield), metal clips, and some paint to immediately protect the fresh patch.

2. I was too precious in trying to keep the original metal = lots more work for me as I cut out rust and form new patches.

Note: Magnets holding a new patch before a few spot welds.

3. I cut out the pipe used to lift the car as I'm welding shut the openings on the rocker panels. (Notice how paint doesn't adhere too well to the galvanized metal of the replacement floors).

4. Dry fit of the replacement rocker parts with some metal screws. Here, it's important to mount the fender to see that everything will align.

5. The rocker front was welded in.

6. And protected with paint (including a generous amount sprayed inside).

7. Test fitting the new front fender to confirm I lined up everything correctly.

8. This little end patch was a royal pain to manufacture—notice all the angles! After lots of struggling and cursing, all is good. Let's protect the seams with some seam sealer and weld in the front cover.

Part IV in the next post.