General Motors: Spot Weld Replacement

There is sometimes confusion on how many spot welds to use when replacing body components. Sometimes you replace what you removed, sometimes you use more or less than what was removed. It all depends on the particular vehicle you are repairing and what the manufacturer requires to be done. Luckily, General Motors (GM) has a good way of identifying how many welds to use to install the new part.

When looking at repair procedures for GM, you can actually follow the illustrations in the repair procedure. If the procedure shows installing 10 welds on a panel, then 10 welds is what should be used to replace the part. If a repair procedure does not specify weld count, the number of spot welds must be duplicated from the original part.

The location of the spot welds in the manual is also accurate. You can follow the manual weld for weld, which may help simplify the repair.

Squeeze-type resistance spot welding (STRSW) is not only the preferred method for welding, but it is mandatory where accessible and where directed in the service procedure. The repair procedure specifies if spot welds should be replaced with welds, rivets, or other attachment methods.

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Article validated in 2026