1959 356A S/R coupe project chassis # 108625

[JTR70]

LOL! Same car John, I'm just putting the roof back on.

[JTR70]

3/1/18

Subframe/ Holding Jig installed.

out riggers repaired

Along with a few adjustments needed to get it to sit down square in there.

through the coupster build this design pretty much stayed out of my way

but this being a coupe once the longs and floors are all welded in I don't see the need to keep it in for the duration. Getting closer to rotisserie time.
Thanks for looking!
Justin

[jjeffries]

Justin, since those vertical inner panels are crumpled but not rusted, couldn't you just straighten them on a frame machine**, by putting a large clamp on the leading edge of each damaged panel (obviously one at a time), applying a gentle pull, and maybe some heat while tapping the panels back into shape in conjunction with the forward pulling force?
**Granted that would require a frame machine!
Disclosure/confession: I'm not a pro bodyman but I spend some time in bodyshops for my work.
I'm just thinking about how best to save original metal. Thanks for this thread and for the whole forum. John in CT.

[jjeffries]

Is Justin on vacation? I'm so used to his quick responses that it just made me want to verify he's OK. John

[bbspdstr]

I know that weather here in PA has put a load on my time for the last month and I have participated very little here in Justin's site,
Did he go to the Lit Meet? Maybe he just got "busy."
Whatever, at very least Justin is entitled to a break....he has put incredible hours into this effort.

I do notice that he is the primary one who keeps the energy up here on a regular basis but have also noticed over the years I have participated here that there is always an ebb and flow in each section.

A good ebb without recent flow is the Registry war.....of which I was too often a participant. It was a hard break after 40 years in that group, and it took some getting-over. Justin's site made that a LOT easier after the Samba cut off the bitching many of us ex-R's needed/wanted to do.

Just my $.02
-Bruce

[jjeffries]

Bruce, here in Connecticut we're also wondering when Spring will arrive. At this rate it'll likely go from 30F to 80F in one fell swoop.

I still find it fascinating how communities like this one, created first by Justin, added to by all of the contributing members, become something so valuable to each of us. We congregate here, as if we're stopping by a garage (Justin's) to hang out, share stories, pass on skills, commiserate and celebrate together. I don't even own a 356, yet I love stopping by.

That's why I hope everything is ok. John.

[Trevor]

I emailed with Justin, he's fine. Doing what I call the shop shuffle, re-organizing a few of the cars around his shop. I think he just needed a much needed break.

[jjeffries]

Good news. Thanks Trevor.

[bbspdstr]

Thanks, Trevor. I needed to hear that.

You wrote: "I think he just needed a much needed break."

I also sent an email to check on Justin and suggested that he may be needing a break. I got no reply perhaps because I didn't include enough of the word "need." If I followed my wife's penchant for overemphasis, Justin would "really, really" need a much needed break.

Is it true that in ancient Nevadian, the name "Justin" means "he who burns candle at all three ends"?

-Bruce, needing a break, two

[JTR70]

Hey Guys,

Thank you so much for the concern and the nice notes I really appreciate it! As Trevor mentioned I've had my shop literally turned upside down for the past few weeks and with the time change and loss of an hour I was just too beat to log in and reply. I kept saying, I post tomorrow, no tomorrow and so on. You know how that goes. I finally got everything back in order these past couple of days so things can finally get back to normal.

With the coupster project now gone I had the room to bring my Vette home and my fathers '66 which was at a buddy of mine's place. Due to my limited amount of space and growing piles of crap and cars meant some serious logistical planning...then there was the actual moving of everything. Had two main goals: Preserve a workspace for this SR project and keep that silver paint on my coupe relatively isolated and out of harms way as it still remains damage free through all of this. This was my best configuration. All the cars are stored where I used to work and with a good buffer of space in between; more than I had expected.
My coupster project was pushed to the other side and is now entombed with boxes and other loose crap in and around it.The 66 provides a nice barrier of protection for the '57 though I don't want to see the 901 damaged I prefer it take the hit if I'm choosing.

Forward bay of the shop is now my new work station. This was always just storage so lighting was poor which now required hanging some more while I was at it. All that loose crap on the floor was moved forward to begin with and now moved back with the coupster with everything reset back there. I kept asking myself "why do I keep all this shit around"? Because I'll need something from it once its gone.

As of last Wednesday I finally had a new home for that crap. Now All that remains is that floating pile of scrap metal that I still need to pick through but I know most of it needs to go. Just about ready to get refocused and mount this car on the hoist; That next.
Thanks again for looking out for me guys! I got back to you Bruce, sorry for the late reply.
Justin

BTW John to answer your earlier question about a frame dozer to pull the battery box walls out. The chassis between the front and rear beam in its current state with open longitudinals and missing floor is in no condition to handle the forces of being pulled on. I may have to use a puller on the front beam but I need the chassis behind it to be rebuilt and set again first to ensure what's still square stays that way.
Thanks again for asking about me and so glad to hear how much you enjoy visiting this site. That's what its all about...Fun.
Justin

[JOP]

[JTR70]

Thanks Per! Yes, it was a ton of ceremony but it had to be done. I'd love to get one of those lifts but the problem is the limitation of a 9 foot ceiling You'll have to convert that to meters.
Thanks again!
Justin

[bbspdstr]

Justin, if I were to show you pictures of any shop I have had when moving in vs. what they look like a few years later...when one can hardly move.....you would see empathy for your absence from your site.



For the last 18 years in my current shop, I have only a ceiling that is ~11'6" (~350CM) and was not high enough for a traditional 2-post lift, so I have several mid-rise lifts that are moveable. I use one for mechanical/assembly work and another for bodywork. They are also great for painting. (We all know how painter's hate to bend down.)

These lifts economize floor space, as a car can just sit over it, or it can lift a chassis dolly that takes a car in process a bit higher. It can also lift or lower my Celette bench without it's wheels. It's amazing how much of a positive difference actual work can be with the benefit of height opinions. Ah, also rotisseries.....great access for better work.


For the closeness of cars, especially finished cars, a cover and a big piece of cardboard can be sufficient. The movable partitions help as well. (That's also a silver 356 under the cover.)

Two thousand square feet is a far cry from 11,200, my largest shop.....but in "downsizing," it is still all about paying a lease based on cost per square foot. That's why my own tool boxes became the shop toolboxes with only one key employee having his own box taking up valuable space....and even a work bench and work table are on wheels and go outside when not needed.

Yes, it's a lot of work to have this kind of "fun."
Glad you are OK, Justin.
-Bruce

[JOP]

Heay Justin,

Thats atleast TWO 356 that can be stacked in that enormous space

I have a Celette mobil lift max 1400 mm and bought a new mobil lift 1900 mm in my place today plus in the picture is a solution I did many moons ago of old warehouse pallet rack... got it welded to be able to get my old Porsche 914 parked under it

Just a tip on a cheap way of getting more space IF you dont need the top car daily

[JTR70]

Hey Bruce, Of course I have limited amounts of "stuff" compared to what I'm sure you still have after all these years. I was whining relatively speaking.
That floor lift looks amazingly handy and could spoil a guy really quick I can see. The cardbaord barriers are a great idea and I just might cut up a few of those large boxes to make some.

Hi Per,

Looks like you've made the most out of your shop space. A lot of projects BTW. I'm beginning to beleive that you can never have enough Lifts and shelving no matter the size.

Justin

3/24/18
Body mounted to the hoist. The real "fun" begins.

Rear ready and set up into the bracket mounts as before.

My front has always worked off the brackets too but seeing how this one doesn't have a battery box yet a new sub-frame carrier had to be made.

Basic frame tacked together here and all made from scrap metal. Triangulating to those rear uprights next.

Triangulated and all welded up. Uprights clamp to the upper beam to keep the sub-frame from rolling or sagging.

Begin lifting the front into position.

My initial plan was to begin hoisting the front up then have my friend and his forklift simultaneously pick up the ass end. However as the front went I could see that the cart was high enough to allow the front to tilt high enough to be mounted without the rear apron touching the ground. Didn't have to bother my friend at all, I could take it one end at a time. Very slow and cautiously though.

Mounted and ready for the first flip.

Dolly removed and the major rust repair begins.

First clear shots of the longitudinals

both about equally as rusty. Both heater conduits are nice so that's something.

Begin carefully removing a rocker panel next.
Thanks for looking!
Justin