First Floor Patch Complete!

Well, today is Mother's Day.  After lunch, the moms decided to go tour some historic homes.  While they were out I decided it was a good time to get a little work done.  I took a sheet of 18ga steel and started making a patch for the hole I cut in the driver's side floor a few days ago.  It's hard to tell from the pictures, but the contours of this piece are somewhat complex.  I probably could have done it in one piece, but I thought doing it in two pieces would make it a bit easier.

As with other areas of the car, welding the original metal is tricky as it is thin and the thickness isn't perfectly uniform.  So, I do a lot of stopping and starting to try to keep it cooler and reduce burning holes.  This method works, but doesn't yield a nice smooth bead.  I'm sure by the time I'm done with the car I'll have figured out the magic formula of settings, wire size and gas flow rate to make more attractive welds, but these are strong and are getting good penetration, so that's the important part.  Besides, they'll be below the sound deadening and carpet anyway.  :)

It's a small start on the interior, but it still feels good to get a start in there!

New 18ga steel

All welded in!