# NA/NB Seam Welding > We would always perform seam welding and additional spot weld reinforcement on our V8 conversions in years past, but as long as you don't mind putting in the... Source: https://help.flyinmiata.com/en_us/lots-of-pain-a-little-gain-BkYvAnA3s Last updated: 2025-10-01T17:09:54.284Z * * * The first question is, should you? This video will help answer that one and if you say yes, please follow the steps below.   We would always perform seam welding and additional spot weld reinforcement on our V8 conversions in years past, but as long as you don't mind putting in the time, it's a good thing to do on any build if you're serious about performance.  To put this another way: If it's your daily driver and you don't notice the subtle differences in tire pressures and minor shock damping adjustments, seam welding the chassis is probably not worth your time.  You'll need the following to complete this project: 1. Welder and welding supplies 2. Spot welder 3. 4" grinder with some flapper discs (60 and 120 grit) 4. Various sizes of wire brush attachments for a powered hand drill 5. Dental picks 6. Primer and painting supplies 7. PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) 8. Patience! Our pictures are primarily from our V8 projects, so you might not need to remove the doors or the engine to weld these areas.  If the footprint of the spot welder is small enough to get to the front of the forward door jam, you shouldn't have to remove the doors.  This article doesn't cover every nut and bolt you'll need to remove, so you'll need to use the pictures to reference what you'll need to remove to gain access for welding prep, welding, and finishing up with some painting.  To get a good weld, you'll need to remove all paint in the area that you're going to weld, and don't forget about the seam sealer in the engine bay area around the shock towers.  You'll need to use picks and wire brushes to remove it the best you can.   Don't forget to wear the correct PPE for air quality and spark protection when you're welding!  There's a high chance the fumes will be unpleasant, and there will undoubtedly be some welding splatter. * * * In the door frame, it's best to lay down some heavy tape to prevent scratching the door sill and other areas before removing the paint on the pinched layers of steel.  If you remove the paint to the bend, you shouldn't have any flare-ups from welding, and you'll have a good tape line to keep your work hidden well under the weather stripping.  You'll want - at a minimum - to double up the spot welds, as shown here.  A few sections have three layers of metal, so ensure your settings are correct on your machine to get good penetration.  ![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5eaadd5b7ea1da00197e0989/ea27f4c7a2459efb4587de708d2764e4.jpg) ![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5eaadd5b7ea1da00197e0989/5e4e764f30c0d0ffc49bdc4aaa9fde91.jpg) ![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5eaadd5b7ea1da00197e0989/22ca4a5e41fba0a787d7866a8447ad97.jpg) * * * The next focus is going to be on the inner fender, just in front of the doors: ![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5eaadd5b7ea1da00197e0989/dab479ab68aea3e9d0c277d5c4227367.jpg) ![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5eaadd5b7ea1da00197e0989/3db21da2e8df904a3c739a02902c45da.JPG) * * * And now the lower portion, as viewed from the left side of the car.  This will be sprayed with undercoating, so you don't have to worry about scratching other surfaces near your work area.  ![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5eaadd5b7ea1da00197e0989/d53442f98ed15a04f51f1681a0509435.jpg) ![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5eaadd5b7ea1da00197e0989/ecac84630ca388e881ff982708a877b8.jpg) * * * The engine bay will have the most seam sealer, which is a pain to remove.  If you're struggling with your welds in this area, it is because you haven't removed enough of the sealer, causing contamination in your welds.  Below are pictures of the upper shock mount area on the right side of the car.  We'll apply seam sealer to all the areas we've disturbed once done and shoot the whole engine bay with a fresh color coat.  ![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5eaadd5b7ea1da00197e0989/d02b6c88b044b2c61636917db130bc53.jpg) ![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5eaadd5b7ea1da00197e0989/895bf073debc3504d73185cda3e5dce5.jpg) * * * The sections covered above are the main areas where we felt the most improvements in chassis rigidity.  However, if you want to have more fun, you can hit this last spot inside the rear portion of the cabin area.  There's a lot of seam sealer there, so be prepared to spend more quality time with the wire brushes and picks! ![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5eaadd5b7ea1da00197e0989/53a8d0fb1660a438e46c94b5068fac0d.jpg) It's usually best to wait until the end of the welding process to clean, prep, primer, and then paint the areas you've improved.  This way, you can prep the entire car for each process once, and the end result will look more cohesive.