Horatio Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 I'm doing some body work on the Z. Been shaving side marker lights, fuel door, antenna hole, etc... I was sure I was supposed to pick up 18 gauge steel to fabricate my patches but it seems considerably thicker and harder to work with than the metal on the car. It's welding up just fine... just a bit harder to work with than I thought it would be. Shall I try some 20 gauge??? Found a great source for flat stock near my home. Guy charged me $15 for a 2' x 4' piece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240zwannabe Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 18 does suck to try and use for body work. I too used it and combination of probably a 22 gauge. If your just shaving stuff like that it won't matter. I only used the think stuff on the custom taillight setup I did. That is a good price on some metal. I pay about $30 for a 3*3 piece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rturbo 930 Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 The metal on the car seems to be 20 gauge, so I'd try that. That's what I'll be using. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbobluestreak Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 I second 20 Gauge. I've used it on my z and eclipse. tbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike C Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 My experience is repairs are easiest when metal sizes are the same. The sides on my M38A1 jeep are 18 ga, but most cars are 20-22. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Filmjay Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 I'd say for the smaller patches, going thinner would be ok. But for anything for a large area, I'd go thicker to help alleviate any waviness. just my .02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palosfv3 Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 You should use what is closest to the original metal your repairing. Going up the next size can make things more complicated and will not resolve metal distortion issues due to forming or welding . When the panel is formed at the factory you wind up with different thicknesses in different parts of the panel dependent on how the metal draws and streches in the die. If you have to form a crown or the like in a patch the difference will become apparent quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zclubhouse Posted November 9, 2008 Share Posted November 9, 2008 I used a 18 guage section for the rocker panels on my car and it worked great. However, I tried forming over the old battery tray rot with the same metal and I found that I couldn't stretch or pull the metal like I wanted so I switched to 22 gauge and made it happen. However, I am no body shop pro. I would assume 20-22 gauge would work fine. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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