'60 BODY METAL GAUGE

[maseratibillm]

Gotta repair some fender holes. Does anyone know what gauge metal the fenders are made of for a '60 / 62? Need to weld some patch panels and wanted to have same metal.
Thanks!
Bill

[savemy67]

Hello Bill,

Your post implies you will be cutting out old sheet metal in order to weld in new patch panels.  This will give you an opportunity to measure the thickness of the original sheet metal in the affected area.  For less than $15, you can purchase a sheet metal thickness gauge that will easily tell you the gauge of the metal.  An example of one is here:

https://www.eastwood.com/sheet-metal-gauge.html?SRCCODE=PLA00020&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_83rvPrn5wIVgZ-zCh08xgWSEAQYBCABEgJJZPD_BwE

While most body panels of the era started as a nearly uniform thickness sheet of steel, the process of stamping the panel resulted in areas of thinner-than-unstamped thickness.  This was due to some amount of "stretching" of the steel as it was drawn under the force of the press to form the contours of the panel.

This resulted in small but measurable variations in the thickness of the panel, depending on the location on the panel.  By using a gauge to measure the actual thickness of the sheet metal adjacent to the patch panel, you can probably purchase a patch panel as close as possible to what you need.

Respectfully submitted,

Christopher Winter

[59-in-pieces]

Bill,
It seems like a hundred years ago when I started my first adventure with my 59, I too was "gung ho" (?) and wanted to do every thing OEM - Kosher.

It seems to my fading memory, the sheet metal was 18 gauge.

By the way, we need pictures of your car so we can follow along with your progress - also we're old and don't play video games for our entertainment.

Have fun,
Steve B.

[chrisntam]

Agreed. 

No more advice until we get pictures!