Fitzee, I served an apprenticeship as a mechanic rather than a body man and was taught to do a basic patch using gas welding only. So when my Trans am needed both B pillars rebuilding at the joint between the roof/quarter panel I was dreading it especially as I only had access to a Mig, and being in the UK had no other T/As for reference (a lot of the joint had rusted out). Using your tips and tricks (cut and butt, thicker patch metal etc), I have just successfully completed the first part of the joint rebuild. I know in the great scheme of things it isn't like I've rebuilt a car from scratch lol but I just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to do your videos, they have been invaluable mate.

that tip with cutting on the angle just blew my mind. i learnt more in a 20 minute video than a full week of a body repair class ahaha

I cant thank you enough fitzee,i am restoring a 1968 nova and your videos are spot on to everything i have had to weld and fabricate..You rock!!!..Thank you and god bless!!

So i have been studying patching with a mig and a few others that also zip cut around their new metal but then they fumble around with the entire new piece floating. Your method is the best and simple. So i've done body work many years ago including rust repair but with gas only. You gave the final tip i needed. Retired now from another profession and getting back into some body work and a project. Thanks, you help a lot!

I come back to this video every so often. I don't weld patch panels often, but when I do, this is so much easier than the way I have done it in the past.

This guy is amazing. He is skilled, he understands what he is doing and why, he explains it well. And he throws in a little humour every new and again. You just have to concentrate on what he is saying because the accent. It is wonderful. Bless you Fitzee for sharing your amazing talent with us mortals.

EXCELLENT VIDEO! A+ in clarity. A+ in Video and Sound. A+ in dumbing down ALL the aspects (most youtuber instructors assume the audience should know things, they don't).

As an old bodyguy that did mostly collision work I'm enjoying your videos and picking up a few tips. My eyes closed every time you pulled the trigger. lol

One advantage of this technique is it forces a guy to go SLOW. Changing back/fourth between grinding and welding let's the metal cool down and therefore helps prevent warpage, due to overheating (a very common problem for guys installing panels). Very nicely done!

The thing is that when he's done, the average person won't know that there's a newer style gas lid in a truck that had it's tank in the cab. But for us car guys, that is awesome. Great job. Hope that you young bloods pay attention, it's a skill, not just replacing panels doing insurance jobs.

“Stick around” are you kidding? I can’t stop watching!

LOL! I hate getting old! I was watching this thinking you were putting the door in the passenger side rear facing forward.... DUH! Thanks for your tutorials! It's always fun watching you work! All the best to you!!!

I did this at the weekend and it worked perfectly! FANTASTIC!!! I'm a beginner and struggling with fitment, taking hours to do a basic patch. what a revelation! Amazing. I had the old rust cut out of curved section on Hood/bonnet., patch formed and welded in, ground flat and, filled, primed in 3 hours. All outside in my yard in between rain. Thankyou Fitzee!!!

I'm genuinely quite annoyed with myself for how much time I've wasted over the years fitting up sections and holding them in position. This is a really, really good idea - thanks for sharing.

When I first started watching, I thought, "That's not a butt weld", but then I kept watching. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT!!!. I just finished restoring a car and did it all the hard way, flanging where I could, and magnets where I had too. I WISH I had seen this before!!!!

This has to be one of the best craftsmen that I've watched.

At 9:06 I literally said out loud "You're a freaking genius" I have been doing metal fab for more than 20 years and I never saw that one before, Well done my friend, well done !

One of the best tips I’ve ever seen on panel welding

I feel like I need to pay for watching this! Thank you so much for the tip about the 45 degree cut

WHEN YOUR A CRAFTSMAN YOU NEVER STOP LEARNING YOUR TRADE, IT'S A LIFETIME POSITION. IF YOUR LUCKY, YOU WILL FIND AN OLD-TIMER WHO WILL PASS ON HIS OR HER KNOWLEDGE TO YOU IF YOUR WILLING TO LEARN!! GREAT JOB MY FRIEND, THANKS FOR SHARING WITH US.🇺🇲✌️🙂👍

Like the other comments, I’ve been welding all my professional life and have never seen a brilliant fix like that. Hats off to you sir. This is the good part of KZfaq.

I have watched several of your videos and found this one to be truly exceptional. Not just the 45 degree cut idea bu the cut weld, cut weld a bit at a time to ensure a tight seam. I've replace panels about every way possible , with backing metal and stepping a lip in the backing metal, but this is a FAR better approach to a lasting panel repair. I have several critical door panel replacements to do and this really improved my confidence that I can do a fine job on those. I would love to hear more about your cutoff wheel details, I assume a .040 ? I am going to go practice on some metal right now. This is the sort of shared information that makes KZfaq truly useful. Thanks for sharing you are an awesome individual to make this video for us!!

Dang! Just learned more in 20 minutes, than 10 hours of other videos! Subscribed two minutes in ! Sometimes you just know your on to something GREAT!

This is the kind of stuff they would teach in High School shop classes. no more unfortunately, Thanks for another great video!

This was like a tip on a tip on a tip. The 45-degree cutting is used in woodworking making intarsia and marquetry (think fancy wood inlay). Because of the relative thickness of the wood and width of the blade, it leaves no gaps when the two pieces are assembled. - Using the old fender to support the new piece during weld-up is like a 10th-degree blackbelt genius.

Tip from an old fabricator: grind the paint off the part to be welded BEFORE you cut it. That way you run less risk of thinning the very edge of the metal. Yes, you'll have to lay out the cut lines (again?) AFTER you remove the paint...... Also, when you are making the 45 degree angle cut with the cutoff wheel, cut .060" INSIDE the edge of the patch-piece. That way you don't have to make a very precise cut to get a nice mating joint. I like the 45 degree cut!! One thing he didn't mention, but that he DID, was put the end of the hammer handle against BOTH pieces. That way they are tack welded flush with each other. Great video from someone who obviously knows what he is doing.

I never thought of going in at a 45 with the cutoff disc. I love the reciprocating air saw for these because of the extremely small blade kerf. I'm going to give the disc a try at a 45 when I do some rust repair our daily driver this week. Thanks for the tip.

Я из России. Смотрю ваши ролики с особым интересом. Вы для меня роднее всех остальных иностранных мастеров по нескольким причинам: редко используете дорогстоящий спец инструменты и станки, напротив показываете как обходиться вовсе без них. Свариваете без маски а нередко даже без перчаток! Часто используете именно болгарку ( ушм) а не хитрые буржуйское ножницы. Мастерская не больших размеров(во всяком случае не ангар) вполне соизмеримо с моей. В мастерской порядок, но не абсолютный, естественный рабочий порядок. Руки не в татуировках, во всяком случае их не демонстрирует. Мне тоже нравиться прижимать заготовку перед сваркой рукояткой молотка. Тяжело дышите на камере это слышно. Плюс дырка на комбенезоне) Вобщем спасибо за ваш труд! Чуть не забыл, ещё самодельный листогиб огонь!

What an absolute craftsman. Unfortunately skills such as these will be a thing of the past. It's great having videos like this which demonstrate how the professionals achieve these amazing results. Thank you. 👍

I'm never too old to learn and my late father always told me to learn from those that do, not those that teach. He was right. Thanks for sharing.

Beautiful work. Thanks for not putting goofy music in the video too

Your teaching abilities are such a pleasure to watch. I sat though the whole video then subscribed and I don't even do body work. Thanks

just love it when a true craftsperson shares their hard earned skills. your vid gets an A+++ from me.

I was always afraid to weld sheet metal you make it look easy I’m Going to start doing it you are the master

I am a french Canadian and I understand everything you say with that beautiful accent and expressions from Newfoundland. Keep those video's coming.

Interesting tip...cutting at an angle. I do that for drywall but, I would not have thought to do that for thin metal. Thanks for the tip!

This is one of the most useful videos I’ve ever watched. I do collision repair work and when I weld in panels I have the hardest time getting a flush butt weld, I normally have to weld in a backing piece and use it to help fill in gaps that are too wide. I will definitely be using this newfound technique to help improve my welding

Fitzee is the best welder on KZfaq hands down and his videos are all excellent and very educational.

Thanks for the instructions! I wish someone like yourself lived close to me so this old dog could learn more.

45 deg cut is a great idea. First seen on this channel.

I've been a welder/fabricator since the 90's; that is a beautiful technique sir.

did this for 43 years- learned new trick- thanks.

The explanation at 8:25 is what earned the video my two-thumbs-up like. Thanks!

Been doing body work for 40 years and that is way too cool. learned something new today. Subscribed

Saw so many of the same habits I've got as well 😆 especially using my gut as a 3rd hand to push a body hammer

The more I watch, the more amazed I am . A true craftsman!

At first, I thought you were nuts, but I had to eat it. You definitely knew what you were doing. Nice Job🙋‍♂️

You know that moment in life, when you see something and just walk about calling yourself a dumbass for the rest of the day. 45 gives a smaller gap, honestly, right in my face the whole time. off outside to have a word with myself.

Been fabricating with metal for twenty or so years. Not a lot of body work, but enough to know that you make it look easy. I’ve used this method with fitting wood together using a thin saw blade, so when I saw you start explaining the angle of the cutoff wheel, my mind put off just a little bit of smoke. Nice work my friend and very nice video production👍

You learned this technique being a fabricated for years .Tricks come with wisdom. Thanks for this , it's a new idea and weapon to my arsenal. That's one of those tips I joke saying that you should get paid for !

I just used this method to buttweld a lower half of a door, and it worked like a charm!! I wish I knew this method 25 years ago.. Never too old to try new tricks!

For everyone that said the door is in backwards, go back to 5:20 and you'll see that he is working on the side panel in front of the rear wheel. Which means the wind will blow the fuel door closed if the owner forgets to close it.

15 years old and restoring my Saab. I can guarantee that trick will be used to patch my quarter panel. Amazing!

Great detailed instructions Excellent job. After 30 yrs you tend to find short cuts 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

You are a craftsman sir. Thanks for this excellent video. I am just about to start on the bodywork of a 73 triumph spitfire that has the usual rust! Cheers, Steve in the uk

Thank you for posting this tutorial and excellent technique! I have never seen this style done nor so well explained. I will do some practice on scrap sheet metal and then have at it on my 66 Bronco! And I have fuel doors, old filler neck holes in quarter panels and terrible speaker holes in my doors to repair. Thank you sir, great job!

I love learning new tricks! I always say to the youngns never piss off an older coworker because they'll never show you their tricks. Then you'll be stuck learning the hard way by trial and error!!! Thank you!!!

I can understand you very well, i lived in Freshwater for 2 years in the 1963-64. GREAT VIDEO

I have an old '86 Datson 1400 ldv that I need to do a lot of metal work on. I am a novice. I find these clips most educating. Thanks.

You, sir, are an artist! I've never welded before because it seems overwhelming but now I find myself pricing welders. 😁😁

Agreed. Amazing. Thank you Fitzie for taking the time to teach us all a thing or twelve about a thing or two. Just did my first “butt n cut” on my old 51 F1 and it went really well. Not perfect but I am just getting started on my fabrications. Thanks again sir and god bless.

I love the accent. And the craftsmanship is second to none!

I sure wish I had known about cutting with a 45 degree; I could have saved me a lot of headaches and extra time welding and grinding. This was a great tutorial.

Now that is "trick". This is one of those videos that is remembered because it is so simple & useful and you wish you'd have thought of it yourself. Thanks Again! JD

Love Newfoundlanders! One thing Newfoundland has an abundance of are skilled craftsman and craftswomen! Wish there were more helpful videos from 'The Rock'.

I followed Fitzee's Cut & Butt method on a floor pan patch on my `70 F250, and it worked beautifully! Thank you so much for sharing your genius techniques!!

Thanks sir! Every video I watch that you have done, I learn more and more. Really appreciate these videos.

Only video worth watching on KZfaq so far. Just amazing.

Just wanted to thank you for sharing your knowledge.

If you want to further control warpage,pin holes and hard welds. 1 do not quench with air or water. It further hardens the weld. 2 stitch weld 5 to 7 welds. Then grind the stich weld. Immediately. Three things happen. You temper the weld. Making it sorted. You eliminate pin holes because you resume welding slightly on top of the weld you just ground eliminating the gap that causes a pin holes. And eliminating extra heat back into a cool panel fixing pin holes. And you are releasing heat in a controlled manner. Grinding is a process of melting metal and send it off in a spark. If you grind the weld when it's hot. You only add heat once in that area. If you wait and grind. You have added heat when you welded. Then initiated heat again when you grind. Heating the panel again. Try it. It works. I have taught this process to many people and it has helped. This is a very good video. One if the best I have seen. Just wanted to help more people. Hopefully the author will try it and like it and do another video.

A new welder here and I will be using this method on my 61 Chevrolet rampside restoration. Thanks for sharing.😎👍

This was crazy to see. Recently got into welding and metal working as a hobby. I've only got just one semester of a high school welding class under my belt and that was a few years ago, so I'm not very good and have struggled with sheet metal welding a lot. Very helpful thank you!

Fitzee you are such a natural at teaching, I look forward to watching all your videos and take notes, from this technology teacher I give you an A+ with honors. I'm watching your videos like it was Netflix, (in NJ still in shelter and teaching class online). I can't wait till school is out and I can get my MIG out of the garage.

It's the little things like this they don't teach you in school, genius!

excellent method for many reasons. and little to no silly putty. No lap joint to harbor rust. Great idea. well done. Thanks for the lesson.

Doing it that way makes one heck of a lot of sense , I love it. Thank for the information.

Damm I been fighting Panels for years not any more Thanks Fitzee's I owe you a Bottle of Great Scotch and a case of your Favorite Beer..

Single best tip on welding I’ve ever seen, can’t wait to try it out. Thank you very much for sharing.

Whale oil beef hooked! This is by far the best panel weld idea so far. Great vid.

That's Genius. Will definitely use this technique on a future project.

The industrial-scale rattling you’re hearing is all the pennies dropping inside my head. Awesome.

Been welding for years up to 6G coding but you learn something new every day. Or at least I hope you do as life gets boring. This has taught me a new trick after 50 years of welding. Cheers, It's not often THAT happens! :D

I love you Fitzee. As a southern resident, I noticed that your accent is different from mine. But you understand that some people didn’t or don’t have anybody to teach them anything. You do a better job than any shop teacher that I had.

Hey, I use magnets from inside old hard drives to hold things flush. They're strong as buggery and perfectly flat. Great vid btw. Makes me want to start another project.

This is a great way to do patch panels. One thing I do differently is that I use the cut-off wheel on an angle to make a small cut through the sheet metal, after that I use an air saw which creates even a smaller gap that is easily welded. .

So smart and simple! 30 years of learning distilled down. You have saved me years of frustration!

A big thanks from a fellow Canadian, this video and your tips and tricks made it a lot easier when I welded in new wheel arches on my pickup this weekend. Keep up the good work

Wow, this would've made my floorboards so much easier, quite brilliant.

New saying around the shop "how would Fitzee do it?" Then we watch him to get the answer -- the kick-ass answer...

Hey fitzee I am a Journeyman red seal welder.. I have been building cars in my spare time for the last 25 years or so. I’ve used a form of the cut and but in the past but the 45% cut is Genius...I have to say I love your channel. I stumbled on it a few months ago and have gone back and watched all of your videos.just wanted to say thanks from British Columbia Canada.awesome content!

Very clever...that is what real craftsmen do!! Thanks!!!

9:40 perfect. I’m an old tinman from the 60ies. You just showed the best representation of how to do a tough job the easy way. Kudo’s to you!

Absolutely Magic, now I know how to replace a large portion of Turret on my '53 Ford Customline. Thank you Sir.

First time viewing and picked up loads of information to apply to my Landrover renovation. Thanks for uploading 👍😎

I was a 17 year old high school drop out. Going to trade school for auto collision repair. An old guy that was taking the class taught be the 45 degree angle thing. Never forgot it. I also learned something else that day. When a older gentleman decides to share his knowledge with you. shut up and listen.

I've always avoided sheet metal repairs, the fear of watching the gaps appear, and the blow throughs, never stop learning.

That's a brilliant system and so well explained and demonstrated to perfection, I have not done any of this yet but I have some rust to cut out of a Truck roof/ Windscreen area that I was putting off for ages because I did not know how or where to start. Cheers From Garry In Australia

Fitzee, you are a genius! Thanks for your time to produce the video. Much appreciated.

Tried this technique today and it was a game changer for getting flush butt welds! Thanks

actually in the 70's a hadyman i worked with showed me that when joining lengths of wood trim same priciple different material but good to know.