1959 356A S/R coupe project chassis # 108625

[JTR70]

4/5/18

Begin perimeter flange repair.

Out of sheet steel until next week so I'm switching gears to keep things going; it all has be done.

Just glad I had this kit on hand which I had ordered just as a spare some time back.


Again the OG section is wider through this area. I did confirm that it narrows to this standard width as it makes its way back but I'll replicate this width up here.

Very little of the vertical wall on this project needs to be replaced so what would be scrap will provide the flange run I need. What's nice is I'll get double the mileage out of these sections. I found a bunch of other uses for these sections on the coupster project as it went so these are very handy indeed.

Continuation width I was looking for.

Establishing the flange height for the cut-off line.

Again the vertical wall is pretty good so just less than an inch of the bottom of it will need replacing. At least so far.


begin stitching the first section in.

Nice little short run to begin with. Original lap joints along the wall will be replicated.

Quick test fit against the outer closing section. Flange height seems fine.


Wasn't sure whether I'd have to replace the entire flange run all the way up to the end but as you can see the rust gone through up here as well.

Also noticed this buckle in it from that old front end collision. This is the side that bore the brunt of it so just more confirmation that the beam has shifted a little. But a silver lining is that its localized here and does not go past this bulkhead wall. This confirms further, my plan of attack of building everything from this bulkhead wall rearward and leaving everything forward of it loose until I can get it on a frame jig to make any adjustments needed to get the beam back into square with the rear beam.

Begin forward flange repair prep by opening the reinforcement gusset.


A lot of heavy thick scale in here. This was full of water on more than one occasion.

Continuing on with this section of the flange.
Thanks for looking!
Justin

[JTR70]

4/17/18
Right forward flange section

Forward flange section removed

Going to save most of the original gusset except for of course the bottom and about a 1/4 inch of this vertical wall where its gone through.

Hard to see but at this angle it made a nice holding tank so I pooled some acid in there to begin clean up.

Continuous bathing as it slowly dissolved the scale.


First round of it showing good solid steel underneath.

As I said before its a mixed bag. This forward section got so bad that the last bit of heavy gauge flange of the suspension that the wall attached to has gone.

New runner section trimmed back to the width I need.


Now its got to make the turn.

Always used a series of relief cuts for this bends on my previous attempts but I went with heat this time as I get more and more comfortable using the torch.

Several rounds of heat and refits but I eventually dialed it in. Like this much better than the cuts.

close with a good weld joint up here.

Brain faded and forgot to take into account of the lap joint offset so the gap is a little wider back here. Just have to backfill it.

Close enough as I can fine tune it as its tacked on.

Final cut on the gusset.

cavity pretty much cleaned back out.

I was just about to begin tacking this flange on then I remembered that forward bulkhead wall flange will be harder to weld and dress with the new lateral flange sitting on top of it.

The time is now to get this portion of the bulkhead wall repaired. I have found installation much easier by cutting this new section in half. Once its complete that weld joint is buried and supported a couple of times over.

Will be cleaning and prepping this forward center next so I can get this half of the new flange in.

Then I can go back to installing the lateral flange section it hides under.
Thanks for looking!
Justin

[JTR70]

4/19/18
Almost ready to button this corner up.


Much easier and cleaner to weld this inner corner up first than to do it with the new flange runner over top of it.

Began trimming a relief in the flange to allow the inner mating lip to come in enough to reach the vertical wall.

As this progressed it began to dawn on me that this flange and corner relief wasn't shaped quite right. At least not for my purposes.

Also noticed that the drop flange relief is a little too strong compared to the OG.

Step relief on the OG runs approx. 22mmm

This new one was coming in at well over 8mm higher.

Even taking into account the eventual additional layers of metal the drop was still too much. Maybe not the end of the world at this point but if left alone this feature will cause a definite fitment issue once I begin fitting the new floor section in. The relief stamping in it would never allow a tight uniform fit without a fight and lots of heat.

Besides the original shows me that this step is not that strong.



Relief cut to begin lowering and softening that feature.

Just relaxed the curve to allow the mating flange to come up.

Test fit to dial the new height I'm looking for.

Coming in right around 20mm. Close enough...

Carries the line and attitude of the original section in the background.

While I'm at it I can use the excess metal to widen the mating flange.

Lowered widened and welded up.

The other half( on the left) will get the same treatment eventually.

Immediate improvement.

New mating flange width now reaches in flush without the need for anymore relief trimming to the outer flange run.

In the not too distant past I would have mounted pieces like this in without question. "this is the way they made it, so it must be correct" Leading to all sorts of fitment issues later on. This where having a reference car or original reference sections is so vital otherwise how could you know until it was way too late setting off a chain of new and unfortunate events.

Prepping to install this new bulkhead flange next.
Thanks for stopping by!
Justin

[roy mawbey]

Wow Justin,

What a lot of work you have done there!! Well done indeed. Great photo listing as usual and explanation.

Roy

[JTR70]

Thanks again Roy, glad you didn't mind sifting through all of that. but wait there's more

4/20/18


Begin cleaning and straightening these flanges for the new section

Ready to accept the new piece. Again a mixed bag; just the fact that these flanges survived is amazing.

The initial remover got a little aggressive and burned through the shoulder so it will need some love a bit later on when I'm ready for the new floor.

New section seats in just fine.

All set and ready to make my final cut.

All tacked in

Begin stitching up the corner I had to complete before I could mount the new perimeter flange.

Stopped at about half to get back on the flange.

The inside will clean up fast. Once I run across a few gas beads this transition will be hard to detect.

Again would have been impossible to clean up that corner weld joint with the flange hanging over it.

All plug welds punch and was about ready to start welding this on


Then I remembered there was one more loose end to tie up. Had to repair the lower corner of the suspension flange with some heavy gauge.

All set. The end of the new flange has to have something to hang onto. Also cleaned and remove the remains of the old "K" brace on this back corner.

Okay, now I can finally begin welding this on.


Plug welded and finished out the joint along the bulkhead.

Sticking with my plan I'm going to leave everything ahead of the bulkhead wall loose until I get the front beam squared. That set screw at the front will have to do until then.

Joint seam along the bulkhead finished out smooth. Onto stitching up the joint along the new lower flange. That next,Going to be a long one.
Thanks for looking!
Justin

[JTR70]

4/22/18
Right Corner repairs complete.

This forward corner of the cockpit weld finished and completed. Gas weld detail at the leading edge of the bulkhead flange replicated along the way. This small portion ready to accept a new floor pan. Small area but it was a win today. Moving rearward to continue the rest of this flange repair.

Thanks for looking!
Justin

[JTR70]

4/25/18

the rest of the right forward flange section complete and prep for the next section.


The rest of this run welded up and dressed. Lap joint details replicated carrying over the lines.

Same treatment for the backside.

I'll close and add the new gusset floor once the front beam issue is addressed.

Another mock up with the new closing panel just to see.

Next section runs the entire length all the way back under the heater tube elbow and embossment detail. However the new replacement section isn't that long which is just as well as there is a lot of work ahead to repair in and around the elbow.

I'm going to the make the break under this outer lap joint. A perfect place to quit as it will be concealed and supported under this lap panel.

New section overshoots this eventual joint by only a couple of inches so its almost the perfect answer.

Original flange(X) is the same width as the standard issue back here so all I need to do trim away the excess.

Like before cutting just at an inch above the flange line. This portion is actually still good all the way down the flange itself but its got to be weld repaired somewhere so I might as well keep the repair uniform.

Almost there....

Section removed after carefully cutting around and breaking loose from the bulkheads. Prepping new section to fit next.
Thanks for looking!
Justin

[JTR70]

4/26/18

Right lateral section in.

New section cut to basic length for a flush fit.

Now positioned for needed flange height.

Ready to etch my final cut line in and trim.


Cut to final width and clamped into position with a good tight joint. Begin tack welds.

Securely tacked

The end shape trimmed to continue that Delta-V relief shape.

Quick paper template as now is a good Time to fill that hole.

Lap patch all welded and dressed.

Its subtle curve and flange shape made for a smooth transition between the two flange widths.

This area about ready to accept a new floor pan. I'll finish stitching up the rest of that run a little later on...

as I'm going to switch gears and get back to finishing out this corner repair I started with.

I got my hands on a couple sheets of 20 gauge and one sheet of 18 gauge for various chassis pieces where needed.

Back on this repair tomorrow.

Thanks for looking!
Justin

[JTR70]

4/29/18

New door well tray/floor installed.

Just about ready to tack this in. I wanted to as much of that secondary wall as I could but as it stands now its in my to get a clean shot at the most inner part of the weld joint so no choice but to cut a little higher or lower in this case.

Wall trimmed back just enough and began stitching it in.

Nice to get more structure back in there.

Begin template for the new inner splash pan/closing wall.

Flange of the new pan will eventually join onto it. Ideally I would have had the weld joint run through the middle of this flange to both conceal and support it but the rust went just a little higher on this one.

Eventual wall patch should butt up nice and tight against the new pan. Working on this next.

Thanks for stopping by!
Justin

[JTR70]

4/30/18

Abbreviated session today but one more piece to the puzzle made.

Secondary closing wall repair patch.

Able to use the remnant section left over from the front bulkhead wall flange repair from earlier.

Folded and trimmed to basic shape before I ran out of time. Final shaping and tack welding next.
Thanks for stopping by!
Justin

[JTR70]

5/4/18

Secondary closing wall patch in.


Final trimming and shape all but there.

Final trimming on that butt joint eventually dialed in with plug weld holes punched. Ready to weld. Very tricky patch as the flanges come in at specific angles and the wall itself has a slight lean to it making dialing in all the lines for a clean fitment all the more difficult.

Would have been impossible to repair this area cleanly with the hinge boss in the way.

Getting ready to weld that inner vertical flange section from the outside. Loosened the rest of it up to ensure a tight fit. A lot of planning ahead had to be done as its almost impossible to dress any weld slop down in that deep corner.

More fine finishing to come but its at least in for good.

Thanks for looking!
Justin

[bbspdstr]

"Very tricky patch as the flanges come in at specific angles and the wall itself has a slight lean to it making dialing in all the lines for a clean fitment all the more difficult"

This is why I have always saved empty cereal boxes and tablet backing cardboard. I buy a LOT of 3M green masking tape and among a plethora of other uses, that sure comes in handy in adding that sliver more of an angle without re-cutting more cardboard with another try at a "specific angle".... missed the first time.

Jus' sayin'

-Bruce

[JTR70]

Everything gets a paper template first. I'm not good or lucky enough to go straight to metal Bruce. That patch was so tricky the template itself went through some evolution. My template material of choice are those white rectangular gift boxes for clothing that one gets around Christmas time. I save mine and everyone else's.


5/6/18
Right front longitudinal end cap.

New secondary wall pretty much set and dressed. Had a really hard time reaching down into that corner but going to leave well enough alone for now.

Onto the new end cap. A little tougher to work with 18 gauge but now that I have it on hand I want to try and make most all "chassis" related components from this instead of 20 gauge.

Cut to basic and slightly oversize shape

Rough mock up with the new longitudinal section to trim back a little closer. That new simonsen piece is made of 20 gauge which I'm not really thrilled about being such an integral component of the "frame" but we have the triangulation of the roof so it should live.

I will however reinforce it where I can.

Begin rolling in that curved leading flange detail.

Final trim and shape along with all the plug weld holes added. Ready to mount for the final time.

Carries on the flange line from the OG section

Inner wall and overlap detail as well.

One more test with the long just to make sure

I'll add in more plug weld holes before I join these together for the final time.

Begin stitching it on.

This pretty much completes my repair prep up here to allow that new closing panel to go on.


Onto the back half next. Should be fun.
Thanks for looking!
Justin

[JTR70]

5/7/18

Final finishing first

Fully welded and dressed

Relieved to have the heavy lifting completed in the confines of this corner.

Marking for the eventual spot weld details and the final splash pan patch overlay after the longitudinal cavity is fully welded and all closed up.

Gone as far as I can up here for now

Began planning the repair in and around the heater conduit. While this rear closing wall is in pretty solid shape it is in my way.

I hate to disturb it but its going to have to come out to get a clear shot at the end of the tube.

That up next. Thanks for looking!
Justin

[JTR70]

5/9/18

Begin work at the back in and around the heater conduit.


Cutting rear closing wall free

Hated to do it but things got immediately accessible.

Begin peeling this onion by carefully removing each layer of steel or at least what is left for info and templating purposes.

Bottom outer embossed layer which is directly welded to the tube cut free first.

Carefully removed the remains of the second layer. Again for copying purposes.

What is left is the remains of the inner most flange/wall run that welds to the end of the inner exit tube section. To the right of it are heavy gauge angle flanges off the torsion housing that were beefy enough to have just survived. I think, I'll know more once I start cleaning this area up.

Inside view that inner most wall and as you can see the rot runs deep.

To get a clear shot all of that will require the elbow of this conduit to be removed. No surprise of course.

Taking it right at the factory weld joint.

Tube section free

exposing more of what lies beneath

This is really cutting deep and though I've got the roof and a sub-frame Jig in there I still got a little spooked so I added that tubular bridge strut there just to make sure it did begin sagging. A lot of leverage running through here with the weight of the body hanging off each end.

Sort of hard to make heads or tails of these crispy little guys but since I watched it come apart I think I can still reverse engineer it.


So gratefully just to have those rough examples because as you can see that information no longer exist on the left side.

It turns out the side I'm on is the "cherry" side.

Begin paper templates.

Thanks for looking!
Justin