How about a real "tech" update?
Since the Camaro is finally tuned and trustworthy enough for continuous use, I'm ready to start giving some the other cars some of the loving they deserve. I put the tailgate issue on hold until today because my C30 hauls groceries just fine, and having another functioning hatchback just wasn't entirely necessary. However, today felt like the right day to dive in.
First I prepped the area for welding, grinding, and painting. A Harbor Freight fire blanket worked well here. I also appreciated finding out that a 6' ladder fits perfectly under a fully open 245 lift gate.
Then I knocked the galvanization off an M8-1.25 nut and a couple washers for welding.
Yes, it's ugly, but only we are going to see it! I added an extra washer because I noticed that the ball stud has a pretty long shank before its threads start. This is due to the thick metal used on the D-pillar.
I enlarged the hole using a step bit. An unintentional benefit of the step bit was the chamfer it created which will make welding a lot easier.
I wanted to make the hole just barely too small so that the washers would be a press fit. The D-pillar is super thick, so deforming it would not be very easy. I just needed to make sure that I go slow with the step bit, checked the hole size often, and ground the welds on the nut so that the washers remained round. To make it even easier, I used a bolt as a handle for keeping the nut straight while I hammered it in. A jam nut would have been wise in order to lower the risk of damaging the threads, but I didn't have an issue.
I should also add that I sprayed the nut and washers with weld-through primer before pounding it home. This was done with hopes that it doesn't rust later. I could still use some of the frame channel paint to get in there, but its a mess that I don't want to risk getting on the carpet.
Ready to weld
As I learned while welding the quarter panel, I welded this slowly. Again, this is thick steel, but I still took care to prevent warpage. I only made two small tacks before re-preparing the metal and blowing it off with compressed air. You don't want to continue welding until everything is cooled down a bit.
Um. Ew.
A couple filler welds and some grinding later, I'm calling it "good enough". For tight areas like this, I use a flap disk on my dremel tool to grind the welds down. I was happy with the quick results. Afterward, I needed to clean a little bit of slag out of the threads with a pick. A thread chaser was then used after that.
Why am I happy when there are still little pores? Because sandable primer is my friend. Automotivetouchup.com supplied me with this, matching base coat, and clear in rattle cans. After two coats of each and a little sanding between primers, I'm thrilled with the results!
I don't want this sucker coming out again. Red Loctite will make sure of that.
It sits nice and flat. Anything less than flat is going to create risk of ball stud failure.
After a bit of vacuuming, Moose is officially back to being better in every way, shape, and form than how we found him EXACTLY a year ago today. It's crazy to think about how much work I've put into this thing since it pulled into the driveway.
Those tiny welds are kinda pitiful for they load they need to hold.
