New parts, sheetmetal, challenges

This is a most-decidedly self-motivational, learning project. My learning curve is as steep as 90-degrees! My son and daughter abandoned me and traded me for Six Flags Amusement Park for a week to start their summer vacations. I can't believe they preferred Six Flags over our Mustang project....

At least I got new sheetmetal parts and a new welder. I got me a Jobsmart Fluxcore 125 from Tractor Supply Inc. for only $99.99. It welds up to 18-gauge sheetmetal in one pass, so it should be overkill for what I need it. I might even keep it after I'm done with this project. Since my budget does not allow me a new cowl set, I ordered the lower cowl repair end panels, which cover all of the rust damage I need to fix, and more. The real challenge is going to be accessing the parts to fit and weld under the upper cowl towards the air vents. The replacement patchpanels are somewhat different than what's in the car right now (assuming this is the original, which it looks to me).  I hope it doesn't take a lot of banging and cutting to fit....

The cowl repair panel did not come E-Coated as I expected. I'll have to clean it and prime it soon. It is made in Canada by Spectra Premium Industries in Canada (http://www.spectrapremium.com/products/classic_car_parts.html).  The "hat" is attached to the panel by 6 spot welds, and does not completely seal the air intake tunnel from any water draining around it. So I'll have to seal it before I coat it....

The upper stone guard is from a metal of thinner gauge. Probably a 20 or 22 (?). It bends more easily that the original on the tabs. It is also less elaborate on the "bends" that the original. I might have to do some work to make it fit....

I read somewhere that older cars were built with 20 gauge (.036 inch) sheetmetal. Newer cars used 21 gauge (.033 inch) and 22 gauge (.030 inch) or even thinner. 14 gauge (.075 inch) could be used for fabricating internal reinforcements, but it's too thick for sheetmetal. My initial concern was that if I used a thinner gauge sheet to do my patching, it would not match well with the original sheet metal. But I was able to locate a supplier that can provide me with small panels of gauges from 22 down to 16, so 18-20 is pretty much what I'll be using. Some people have measured the original gauge to be 19 (0.042")...
http://www.onlineconversion.com/gauge_sheet_metal.htm


If it wasn't for bad luck....the cowl repair panel that I am working on right now (driver's side) is on backorder. I wanted to do and complete this side first to use the experiences learned on the other side and not make the same mistakes twice.