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A proper 3-dimensional measurement means to setup the vehicle in pinch weld clamps and measure the center section of the vehicle and the damaged area only.
It is preferable to remove the original factory spot weld and also drill a hole through the inside flange that is going to remain on the vehicle.
When removing a panel from a vehicle such as a welded-on rocker panel, a plasma arc-cutter should be used for accurate removal.
After the outer rocker panel has been removed, the next step in the process of preparing the flange is to grind the weld nuggets off and all the factory e-coat on the flange to get ready for weld-through primer.
When using weld-through primer, apply a coat of weld-through primer on bare metal for proper corrosion protection, then weld through the weld-through primer.
Wash primer or acid-etch primer is the best primer to use because it works very well for all areas of repair on the vehicle.
Acid-etch or wash primer should be used under the seam sealer for the best corrosion protection.
After removing the welded-on panel, the e-coat on the flange of the vehicle should be ground off and weld-through primer applied.
When using seam sealer on newly installed welded-on panels, seam sealer should only be applied to the areas applied at the factory.
The primer that is closest ot the factory (OEM) e-coat is Epoxy.
A welded flange is being prepared for installation of a new part. It should be ground off completely and weld-through primer applied to the flange.
If the vehicle maker did not have seam sealer applied to the seam, the seam will still need to be sealed, paying careful attention to smoothing out the bulk of the sealer to make it largely unnoticeable.
Epoxy primer can be used to cover the inside flange that has bare metal prior to welding.
Using weld-through primer is the best corrosion protection that can be put on the vehicle and can also be used as a primer over the top of the welds after they have been completed.
Corrosion protection inside the frame rail is not necessary because it will not come in contact with any water.
All vehicle manufacturers recommend and have procedures for using adhesive bonding materials on quarter panels.
MIG welds must be placed in the same spot and have the same number of welds as the factory spot welds.
If a quarter panel on a vehicle that has no roof seam is installed, the panel replacment time in the estimating system is to replace the entire quarter panel, not section it through the sail panel.
Overhaul (O/H) means to remove only the parts off the assembly that are needed to do the proper repair or replace parts.
If the damage on a frame rail is major, but it can be pulled and plastic filler (Bondo) applied so that it looks OK, then this is the correct repair.