g741.org

Hi Paul,
I suppose it depends on availability and funding. At times I envy our members "back east" when I see some of the vehicles, trailers and parts available as opposed to waiting for something "local" to become available, or at a relative price out here in CA.

One of our vendors in NoCal is an example: closer to me than Antelope Valley Truck in SoCal, but the NoCal vendor wants a fortune for items I can get for half as much (like $500 for a take-off M37 hood), even with shipping from SoCal.

I'm not yet good enough with my MIG to try the patch panels and am fortunate to have secured a decent replacement pair (hey, that was from Antelope Valley!) so I intend to swap them this spring (and maybe then I'll try welding up the old ones with the patch kits....)
Gary

Paul in Kempner, TX wrote:You are probably the only visitor to this Forum who would rather do the patches instead of going 100 yards out of your daily drive to work to check out a pair of rust free fenders.

Good luck with those patches.

I'm sorry I don't have all the information here I mean for all I know you all could be the Hatfields and the McCoys, but just reading the post it looks like there might be a good reason why he is trying to patch the pannels instead of getting the other ones you speak of. Maybe it's because you two are like the above stated parties and he'd rather tinkle on your grave than get parts from you...I don't know....Maybe it was less out of pocket to fix what he had than to get the above mentioned fenders....I don't know.

What I do know is that sometimes someone needs to do it their way. Maybe it's the challange of the repairing it themselves, or the wanting to learn a new skill or task that is motivating them. Sometimes it is a personnality conflict that keeps two parties from making a transaction and sometimes it is a case of 'his stuffs to expensive'. Some people in this hobby think that their OD green is just another name for gold. Again I am not saying that this is the case here, but just pointing out that there may be many reasons why the person chose the path they are on and who are we to decide that they took the wrong one.

Paul in Kempner, TX wrote:You are probably the only visitor to this Forum who would rather do the patches instead of going 100 yards out of your daily drive to work to check out a pair of rust free fenders.

Good luck with those patches.

What exactly is your point? Patches work just fine. Are you saying that you have never patched a panel that was in good shape other than a rust hole? Give me a break.I guess its easier for you to write a check than use skills. I'm VERY good at patch panels,and have done it many years. Do the job properly and you'll do just fine. Do it the wrong way,and you'll get to do it twice. No luck required,just skills and common sense. Not everyone has nice new,or slightly used fenders 100 yards away Get real.

Paul, thanks for the offer, yes some of still need to work to pay for our toys.....we dont spend hours in the local cafe drinking coffee all morning LOL

but i have the fenders already off the truck, and have the panels and will drive forward to get these patched and primed then painted and put on the m37 ........then she will be finished ..........cj

For Cal_Gary:

This is me hauling two Power Wagons from a field near Austin, TX. I moved them to my Kempner Power Wagon Museum and stored them for one of the southern California guys until he could come get them and take them west. Not pictured is a third truck on a trailer behind another CA guy's tow vehicle that that will make the trip west. Three round trips needed to get these trucks to CA was a total of about 10,000 miles. I hauled two WWII carry-alls to Petaluma, CA, and returned with a WC12 and a WC62. That was a round trip of about 4,000 miles. I hauled another WC62 home to Texas from Puyallup, WA, a round trip of over 5,000 miles. I found a nice winch in Jackson, MS, round trip 1,100 miles. The fenders discussed here were only 350 miles away in Louisiana, a 700 mile round trip. I can assure you every trip cost money. And that cost has to be added to the price of any vehicle or part. I would be happy to drive from NO CAL to SO CAL since that would be shorter than a lot of my trips. By the way, I don't remember meeting you at the 2005 CA Power Wagon Rally. I made that 3,200 mile round trip just to meet some of the CA folks.

For k8icu: Chris and I are good friends. I was ragging on him for not stopping to visit with me since he drives right by my house every day. It's an ongoing private joke. Actually, I'm usually at the neighborhood restaurant having breakfast when he is driving to work. Hey! I wave.

For Chunk: I'm so sorry you cannot write a check. I suppose that is reason enough to "unload" on folks who can write a check. I'm happy you have your skills to rely on. Most of the money in my checking account came from serving my country and retiring after 20 years in the US Army. Thanks to the GI Bill, I was fortunate that I could write a check and earn an Associate's Degree in Auto Body Shop Management and Auto Body Repair. That included training in welding patch panels. That was just one way I learned the various aspects of vehicle restoration. I wonder if you have visited my Kempner Power Wagon Museum web site. I am proud of the compliments I have received for supporting our hobby. By the way, offering parts to a friend is about as "real" as it gets.

For churtle: Hey buddy, thanks for leaving me hanging out here where I could be straightened out. I was hoping to con you into helping me replace one fender on my good M37. Oh well, I'll have to plot and scheme some more.

Oh to be retired with the cash in hand to travel... I'm envious in some ways

Thanks for saving the trucks, and parts Paul...

Paul, I wish I was retired like you. I would like to be able to devote more time to my favorite hobby and travel around saving parts of history. Unfortunately I'm not of retirement age for a number of years.

Keep up the good work.

This thread was a better read than most of the Harbor Freight rants.

k8icu wrote:

Paul in Kempner, TX wrote:You are probably the only visitor to this Forum who would rather do the patches instead of going 100 yards out of your daily drive to work to check out a pair of rust free fenders.

Good luck with those patches.

I'm sorry I don't have all the information here I mean for all I know you all could be the Hatfields and the McCoys, but just reading the post it looks like there might be a good reason why he is trying to patch the pannels instead of getting the other ones you speak of. Maybe it's because you two are like the above stated parties and he'd rather tinkle on your grave than get parts from you...I don't know....Maybe it was less out of pocket to fix what he had than to get the above mentioned fenders....I don't know.

I know for me, I'd always consider patching before I'd attempt to remove a large panel that more than likely has been in place since the vehicle was built. Much less trouble IMO to cut out the rot, then weld in the patch, than to try and attempt a removel then refit a replacement and hope it fits right. Cause lets face it the term "interchangeable parts" is total BS from a body panel or fender panel standpoint. Tweaking a replacement will take 3 times more effort than simply cutting out rot and welding in a replacement patch.

Cal_Gary wrote: I'm not yet good enough with my MIG to try the patch panels

Aw come on man, a couple passes on a piece of scrap and you're good to go. Just use the lowest voltage on the thinner panels and tack weld a 1/4 inch at a time to avoid warpage. ......"Do your best and grind the rest!" Can't get any simpler.

Hi Paul,
That is one impressive photo! No, we haven't met, but I plan to attend the MVPA National in Topeka this July and would be happy to meet you and any other forum members who can make the jaunt.

Hey Nick,
Sounds so easy when you put it that way-I may give it a try!
Gary