Ford Fusion: Body Repairs - General Information / Joining Techniques. General Procedures

Special Tool(s) / General Equipment

Materials

Repair

NOTE: Weld Bonding - Squeeze-Type Resistance Spot Welding (STRW) Method

1.   WARNING: Before beginning any service procedure in this section, REFER to Safety Warnings in section 100-00 General Information. Failure to follow this instruction may result in serious personal injury.

   Refer to: Body Repair Health and Safety and General Precautions (100-00 General Information, Description and Operation).
   

1. Verify the vehicle is dimensionally correct on a frame machine. Straighten if necessary.
   

1. Remove damaged panel. Remove only large portions of the damaged panel. Avoid cutting into mating flanges or adjacent parts.
   Use the General Equipment: Air Body Saw
   Use the General Equipment: Plasma Cutter

1. Drill out the spot welds and remove the remaining portions of the panel to be replaced.
   Use the General Equipment: Spot Weld Drill Bit

1. Prepare any damaged flanges on the vehicle using hammer and dolly.
   

1. Grind the mating surface of the original flanges no greater than 25 mm (0.9843 in) where the metal bonding adhesive will be applied.
   

1. Be sure to remove galvanizing on metal. Metal should have a shiny appearance. Be careful not to damage the corners or thin the metal. The E-coat should also be removed on the opposite side of the flange only where the spot welds are to be placed. Clean surfaces with surface prep.
   Material: Motorcraft® Metal Surface Prep Wipes / ZC-31-B

1. Dry-fit and clamp the replacement service parts to verify a correct fit.
   

1. Remove the service part after verifying correct fit and alignment.
   

1. Prepare the adhesive. Dispense a small amount of adhesive from the cartridge to make sure of an even flow of both components. Attach the mixing tip and dispense a mixing tip length of adhesive to make sure of a correct mix ratio.
   Material: Metal Bonding Adhesive / TA-1, TA-1-B, 3M™ 08115, LORD Fusor® 108B

1. NOTE: Welding can be carried out anytime during the adhesive curing process, or after the adhesive is fully cured. Welder settings will vary when welding through wet adhesive versus welding through fully cured adhesive. Refer to welder manufacturer's recommended settings for welding through fully cured adhesive. It is recommended to place a shunt weld in an area with no adhesive to make sure of conductivity, particularly when welding through fully cured adhesive.

   NOTE: Refer to the product label for handling and preparation instructions.

   Create a test sample.
   

1. Prepare the metal and adhesive as described. Apply a 6 mm (0.2362 in) - 9 mm (0.3543 in) bead of adhesive and weld the sample.
   Use the General Equipment: Resistance Spotwelding Equipment

1. Place the welded sample in a vice and carry out destructive weld tests by peeling the scrap metal apart using large lock-type pliers. Measure the weld nugget to determine that the nugget meets Ford weld nugget requirements. If the weld nugget does not meet required size, adjust welder settings until the correct weld nugget size is achieved.
   Refer to: Specifications (501-25 Body Repairs - General Information, Specifications).
   

1. Apply a 6 mm (0.2362 in) - 9 mm (0.3543 in) bead of adhesive to the vehicle prepared flange surface.
   

1. Place the service part(s) in the correct position on the vehicle.
   

1. When positioned, do not pull the component away from the vehicle. If repositioning is necessary, slide the service part(s). This will make sure of correct contact between the components and adhesive.
   

1. Clamp evenly and tightly. The adhesive contains glass beads which will prevent over-clamping the component.
   

1. NOTE: Refer to the product label for cure times and handling instructions. Clamps may be removed immediately after the component is welded.

   Wipe excess adhesive from the panel before it cures.
   

1. NOTE: The ends of welding clamps should be insulated on the ends using tape or similar material when welding is carried out.

   Complete the spot welding process following Ford recommendations and welder manufacturer procedures and settings.
   Refer to: Specifications (501-25 Body Repairs - General Information, Specifications).
   Use the General Equipment: Resistance Spotwelding Equipment

1. Finish any cosmetic section seams with fiber-filled body filler. Rough sand the filler, apply conventional body filler after the adhesive cures and block-sand the area.
   

1. Mix and apply primer surfacer per Ford-approved paint recommendations.
   

1. Seal wherever a cosmetic seam sealer is required.
   Material: Seam Sealer / TA-2-B, 3M™ 08308, LORD Fusor® 803DTM

1. Mix and apply basecoat per Ford-approved paint recommendations.
   

1. Mix and apply clearcoat per Ford-approved paint recommendations. Refinishing materials may be force-dried following paint manufacturer's recommendations.
   

1. Refer to: Corrosion Prevention (501-25 Body Repairs - General Information, General Procedures).
   Material: ValuGard™ Premium Undercoating / VG101, VG101A
   Material: ValuGard™ Rust Inhibitor / VG104, VG104A

Repair

NOTE: Weld Bonding - Metal Inert Gas (MIG) Welding Method

1.   WARNING: Before beginning any service procedure in this section, REFER to Safety Warnings in section 100-00 General Information. Failure to follow this instruction may result in serious personal injury.

   Refer to: Body Repair Health and Safety and General Precautions (100-00 General Information, Description and Operation).
   

1. Verify the vehicle is dimensionally correct on a frame machine. Straighten if necessary.
   

1. Remove damaged panels. Remove only large portions of the damaged panel. Avoid cutting into mating flanges or adjacent parts.
   Use the General Equipment: Air Body Saw
   Use the General Equipment: Plasma Cutter

1. Drill out the spot welds and remove the remaining portions of the panel to be replaced.
   Use the General Equipment: Spot Weld Drill Bit

1. After removing the damaged sheet metal panel(s), repair any damaged flanges on the vehicle using a hammer and dolly.
   

1. Using an appropriate grinder, carefully grind around the entire receiving flange area following the original welds. Be sure to remove all E-coat, paint or galvanized coating from the mating surfaces of the joint.
   

1. Be sure to remove galvanizing on metal. Metal should have a shiny appearance. Be careful not to damage the corners or thin the metal. The E-coat should also be removed on the opposite side of the flange only where the spot welds are to be placed. Clean the surface.
   

1. Repeat the procedure from on the mating surface of the replacement service part(s).
   

1. Prepare the new service panel for plug welds.
   

1. Using the original panel as a reference, drill or punch holes in the exact number as the original spot welds. The holes should be positioned as close as possible to the original spot weld locations, without lining up exactly on top of an original spot weld site. To make sure of correct weld performance, grind the immediate perimeter of the plug weld hole. Grind only in the area of the plug weld; this will keep the potential of corrosion to a minimum.
   Use the General Equipment: 8 mm Drill Bit

1. Clean all mating surfaces on both the vehicle and replacement panel.
   Material: Motorcraft® Metal Surface Prep Wipes / ZC-31-B

1. Dry-fit and clamp the replacement service parts to verify a correct fit and alignment.
   

1. Remove the service part after verifying correct fit and alignment.
   

1. The vehicle prepared flange areas where plug welds will be located must be kept free of adhesive. Apply 25 mm (0.9843 in) tape to the plug weld areas to prevent contamination from the adhesive.
   

1. Prepare the adhesive. Dispense a small amount of adhesive from the cartridge to make sure of an even flow of both components. Attach the mixing tip and dispense a mixing tip length of adhesive to make sure of correct mix ratio.
   Material: Metal Bonding Adhesive / TA-1, TA-1-B, 3M™ 08115, LORD Fusor® 108B

1. NOTE: Refer to the product label for cure times and handling instructions.

   Apply a 6 mm (0.2362 in)-9 mm (0.3543 in) wide bead of adhesive to the vehicle prepared flange surface. Remove the tape from the plug weld areas.
   

1. Place the service part(s) in the correct position on the vehicle.
   

1. When positioned, do not pull the component away from the vehicle. If repositioning is necessary, slide the service part(s). This will make sure of correct contact between the components and adhesive.
   

1. Clamp evenly and tightly. The adhesive contains glass beads which will prevent over-clamping the component.
   

1. NOTE: Welding can be carried out anytime during the adhesive curing process or after the adhesive is fully cured.

   NOTE: If welding will not be carried out immediately, refer to product label for cure times and handling instructions. Clamps may be removed immediately after the component is welded.

   Wipe excess adhesive from the panel before it cures.
   

1. Complete the plug-welding process following Ford recommendations.
   Refer to: Specifications (501-25 Body Repairs - General Information, Specifications).
   Use the General Equipment: MIG/MAG Welding Equipment

1. Finish any cosmetic section seams with fiber-filled body filler. Rough sand the filler, apply conventional body filler after the adhesive cures and block-sand the area.
   

1. Mix and apply primer surfacer per Ford-approved paint recommendations.
   

1. Seal wherever a cosmetic seam sealer is required.
   Material: Seam Sealer / TA-2-B, 3M™ 08308, LORD Fusor® 803DTM

1. Mix and apply basecoat per Ford-approved paint recommendations.
   

1. Mix and apply clearcoat per Ford-approved paint recommendations. Refinishing materials may be force-dried following paint manufacturer's recommendations.
   

1. Refer to: Corrosion Prevention (501-25 Body Repairs - General Information, General Procedures).
   Material: ValuGard™ Premium Undercoating / VG101, VG101A
   Material: ValuGard™ Rust Inhibitor / VG104, VG104A