Dressing GMA Welds

Posted on 03 April 2013

There's a lot of information in the field on making and testing GMA welds, but not too much on dressing the welds after they're made on a vehicle. Any GMA weld usually requires dressing the top surface of the weld.

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Front Lower Rail Section With No Welding

Posted on 27 February 2013

If there is a sectioning procedure on a front lower rail, GMA welding across a seam is the usual method for attaching the new joint. On at least two late model Porsche vehicles, however, there is a front lower rail sectioning procedure that uses no welds at all. The rails on the Panamera, since 2010, and the 911, since 2012, both have aluminum construction.

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Necessary Culture Changes For The Blueprinting Process

Posted on 03 December 2012

Blueprinting is a term often heard in the collision repair industry. Blueprinting means different things to different people, but blueprinting really is establishing a standard operating procedure (SOP) that allows for the discovery of all the damage before repairs begin. As part of the blueprinting process, all the parts should be identified right down to the blend panels and the clips that are needed. The correct repair information should be found along with any color matching that needs to be done. Following these steps and others, before repairs begin, will eliminate the problems that arise from finding additional damage during the repair process, which can interrupt and delay the repairs on that vehicle. Worse yet, is when the vehicle is repaired incorrectly because vehicle maker repair procedures were not followed.

One of the biggest challenges to implementing the blueprinting process may be the staff's perception of what will be involved. To be successful, those perceptions must be changed.

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General Motors eAssist Electric System

Posted on 11 October 2012

Another version of electric-assist vehicle technology is showing up in collision repair facilities. General Motors in 2012 introduced what it refers to as "light electrification" technology on select models. This system is called eAssist, and is available on some 2012 Buick LaCrosse, Regal, and 2013 Chevrolet Malibu models (see Figure 1).

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Revised I-CAR Training and Certification: Steel GMA Welding Course

Posted on 22 August 2012

The challenges for vehicle makers to make vehicles safe and strong as well as lightweight have resulted in material variations. Many of today's steel-structured vehicles use steel in the range of 0.70 mm thickness for the outer panels, and a thicker, and in many cases higher strength, steel for the structure. This has resulted in I-CAR revising its Training and Certification: Steel GMA Welding to more accurately reflect the thicknesses of steels being used.

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General Motors Overlap Sectioning Joint

Posted on 31 May 2012

Until recently, General Motors has generally specified butt joints with backings when sectioning parts of a uniside. However, an overlap joint is now being required for some uniside sectioning joints. This is being done to reduce the transfer of heat from GMA welding into heat-sensitive high- and ultra-high-strength steel reinforcements. The concern with a butt joint with backing is that the backing piece does not extend to the pinchweld flange, and leaves the reinforcement exposed. As a result, a GMA weld is made on the pinchweld flange area of the reinforcement (see Figure 1).

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Bonding And Rivet Bonding Technology On Steel BMW Vehicle Parts

Posted on 26 April 2012

As BMW Groups' vehicle construction technology advances, so does the repair process required to fix them properly. Conventional welding, which has been used primarily in BMW Groups' repair processes in the past, is slowly becoming the secondary method to bonding and rivet bonding technology. BMW currently recommends primarily using bonding and rivet bonding to replace exterior body panels, structural parts, and sectioning specific locations in conjunction with VIN-specific repair procedures. Changes in recommended repair procedures affect all current production models. This does not mean that all models, and all parts, are affected though. Consulting VIN-specific repair procedures should always be the first step in the repair process. The same is true for Mini and for Rolls-Royce vehicles (see Figure 1).

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Oil Spill At The I-CAR Tech Center

Posted on 06 March 2012

A small motor oil spill incident at the I-CAR Tech Center in Appleton, Wisconsin in the spring of 2011 has raised our awareness of the many considerations involved with a material spill into the environment. What started as an accidental collision between a snowplow and a 55-gallon drum of waste oil on an adjoining property resulted in an experience we would never want to repeat.

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Ford F-150 Body Mount Cage Nuts

Posted on 22 December 2011

Beginning with the 2009 model year Ford F-150, the cab body mount bolts are secured with a cage nut. The cage nut is held in position inside a cage nut retainer that is attached to the inside of a floor crossmember. The crossmember is attached to the underside of the floor pan, which creates an enclosure for the cage nut. The retainer has two nut retaining tabs, one on each opposing side of the nut that are folded against the nut to hold it in place (see Figure 1).

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Don't Section Ultra-High-Strength Steel - I-CAR Repairability Summit Identifies Best Practices

Posted on 10 October 2011

Unless specifically recommended by the vehicle maker, parts with a tensile strength over 600 MPa should only be replaced at factory seams. This is just one of the "best practices" identified at a Repairability Summit hosted by I-CAR. Summit attendees consisted of subject matter experts from vehicle makers, tool and equipment makers, collision repair facilities, insurance companies, and the American Iron and Steel Institute.

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Three-Dimensional Measuring Equipment - Is It Really Necessary?

Posted on 08 September 2011

I-CAR has been emphasizing the importance of three-dimensional measuring since its founding in 1979, but is it really required to repair a vehicle? After all, three-dimensional measuring systems are considerably more expensive compared to the much more affordable tape measure or tram gauge (see Figure 1).

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Corrosion Protection To Structural Part Interiors

Posted on 04 August 2011

There has been a longstanding recommendation to apply epoxy primer, as well as anti-corrosion compound, on the inside of rails and pillars and rocker panels as a last step for structural repairs. Going back as far as the July/August 1988 I-CAR Advantage, in the article "Restoring Corrosion Protection," is the following step for providing corrosion protection to enclosed interior surfaces: "Apply primer. Two-part epoxy recommended. Then apply anti-corrosion compound." The reason given, is that on areas where the coatings have been entirely removed, this is a two-step process that is replacing the two original coatings, zinc and E-coat.

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2012 Ford Focus Active Grille Shutters

Posted on 29 June 2011

When making collision repairs to the 2012 Ford Focus, be aware that the vehicle may be equipped with an active grille shutter system (see Figure 1). This motorized system is located in front of the radiator, which places it in a vulnerable position during front-end collisions.

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Thin-Film Technology Comes To Collision Repair

Posted on 28 April 2011

If you were asked for a short description for anti-corrosion compound, the material that is sprayed onto the backside of panels and inside rails after repairs, it is likely that "thin film" and "fine mist" would not be included in the wording. However, that is exactly the description given to a new type of anti-corrosion compound now available that uses what is collectively called thin-film technology.

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Nitrogen Hot Air Welding

Posted on 30 March 2011

Hot air welders have been around for a number of years and used mostly in bumper remanufacturing facilities. A hot air welder works by passing compressed air over a heating element and heating the air to around 345°C (650°F) to melt the base plastic and filler rod/ribbon together. This type of welder does not use a flat shoe or feeder tube-type tip. A V-groove is cut into the part, the rod is laid into the V-groove, and the two are melted together. Whenever using this type of welder, it is important to have airflow over the element at all times no matter if it is preheating, welding, or cooling.

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