1959 356A S/R coupe project chassis # 108625

[roy mawbey]

Those 'Gaps' are coming along fine Justin. None of these jobs are easy though and those gap clearances are so important to be right !
Well done!

Roy

[JTR70]

Man, this rocker fits like a glove around the edge of the door. Very little modification if any to get a nice uniform gap around the bottom of this door. A nice surprise.
The usual contour issues with the wired leading edge. Anticipated this and will make it flow together before its all over.

Again nice door gap right out of the box up front too. I'm sure the wired leading edge up here will also need work though the front fender is on just yet to confirm this. Marked a cut line even with the end of the mating flange so I can trim off that corner on the repair section.
Trimming it off right about here...
Trimming off the excess along the leading edge wrap as fitment continues.

Thanks for looking!
Justin

[JTR70]

Rough skin mock ups:
Flanged trimmed back for the needed clearance to create the new gap.
Now I can begin shaping and trimming this new repair section to fit. Promising basic contoured opening shape against this door.
This lower corner however is already well short. Actually I don't know why they added this feature in.
This corner is part of the rocker assembly so not only is it in the wrong position but it shouldn't be on the fender side in the first place.
Moved onto an initial mock up with the new rocker skin. My initial aim was to save and reuse the original rockers but this side is too bent up and the other side too rusty. We will save and reuse the original thresholds so just the outer skins were ordered. So far so good. Nice 3mm gap with good clearance and reveal with the jack spur.

[JTR70]

Begin rebuilding the body around this hinged and latched door.
Latched door runs 80% even down the edge of the quarter panel but stands a little proud at this upper corner. Not horrible and will be ironed out eventually but again my main concern at this point was making sure to top of this door carried on the line of the rear quarter opening.
Gap closes towards the bottom but as you can see it old lead so this discrepancy can be easily corrected with some filing.
Front gap in this corner is a touch wider than 3mm. A little shim adjustment can be made as panel building develops.

After reskinning and other repairs this door just sits tightly against this flange now. Attempts to push it back only created clearance issues with the lock post. This is where in now needs to be.
The answer was to trim back 5mm from the edge of the door to compensate for the eventual folded edge of the fender and to leave a 3mm+ raw gap when finished.

[JTR70]

Hinge base set completing the lower door well repairs except for the eventual threshold.
Seam welding up the leading edge all but completing this reinstallation.

Almost done just have to add in the bottom inch of the seal channel that mounted against the base.

Seal channel section added back on. Welds dressed with a gas weld detail added to the closing wall's edge as found originally. Done in here for now.

Door remounted for another test fit to confirm nothing changed dramatically after all the welding and heat.

Thanks for looking!

Justin

[JTR70]

Lower hinge base install:
Sight marked the base back into its original position as closely as possible using drill marks and edge breaks where I had cut it free. Makeshift holding jig making sure its surface is running parallel with the upper mount. Ready for a tack weld and then a door test before a final stitching.
Initial door test fit.
Pretty close but after a bit of wrestling, adjusting and readjusting the door now sits right at the edge of the flange.
Rear gap is okay but closes down towards the bottom. I've reskinned this door so between all the repairs to both the closing panel and the car itself the fitment just changed. Adjustments have to be made as it goes back together. The most critical issue for right now was that the top edge of the door carried on into the quarter window opening. Well within range.
Last little confirmation was that the original hole in the lower base still lined up with the cover plate. As close as I can get it; Ready for final welding.

[JTR70]

Thank you very much once again my friend! Yes, had I not needed to remove the fender and exposed that area clearly I may not have seen it but a clean repair would have been extremely difficult with the skin still capping the area. The repair was tough enough with the limited access I did have. The reality Roy is that all of these old cars still have rust lurking somewhere. My "rust free desert car still has some and this car will still have rust somewhere down deep when its all over. All those untouched factory lap joints still have rust lurking in between and so do the frame's deep in the recesses in and around the rear torsion areas. Its just the nature of the beast. I've described all these old cars as Cancer survivors in only partial remission. No matter how nicely repaired the owners all must take care to limit their exposure to any moisture. Thanks again Sir! Justin

[roy mawbey]

Justin what a session of work you have had these past few days. I have always disliked these hidden areas of panels you cannot see or touch. I have wondered many times looking at fully restored 356 cars just how many have the same rusty panels you have found. Likewise mine are original and although my car has not seen rain hardly at all since the mid 70's and not that much from the late 60's when I did drive it often I still wonder. Looking in the front hood compartment all the sides of mine still have the original factory covering so you cannot see rust damage. All of it though is really sound no sign of damage at all.

You have the right approach to attend to this Justin. I just hope you advise the owner it has to be done and this car needs those repairs. I think you are doing so well its not easy. Even having to realign door hinges all these jobs take time. I have never seen before photo's of these panel repairs that have rusted out. Books are okay and helpful but his session of yours is something else Justin. As I have said before to even photo everything you are doing and then fully explain your methods of repair on here are really special. ( actually they are exceptional )

Keep smiling

Roy

[JTR70]

Everything is built around the closing panel so I've got to finish remounting this left door first.
I got tired of working down in this corner so left this loose end some time ago and moved onto the floor installation. No choice but to finish up this repair now.
My final frustration in here was that my weld joint closed up and began over lapping right down in the corner. Using a hacksaw blade here to rat tail file it back open for a butt-weld.
Very trying to both weld and finish grind down in here but its done. Also wrapped up the upper corner of the longitudinal area under the eventual hinge mount.
Finally adding the hinge mount back on. Locating back into its original position.

More later...
Thanks for looking!

Justin

[JTR70]

If this panel was free I could have messaged the shape back out on my work table but with it mounted access to the back is limited so it was faster and cleaner to install a new one. Cored out the old with my step-bit and cut out a donor from an old dead panel.
Embossment installed. Again, wouldn't have worried about it if it was up higher but its always visible.
turned my attention towards left fender's leading rear edge. Wanted to see how much if any of it I could save.
after some wire wheeling it became apparent that it made no sense to save any of this run even though the rust had not gone completely through. Too pitted and weak to save.
So with that here is the left side jigsaw puzzle I'm putting together now.

Thanks for looking!

Justin

[JTR70]

New channel fabrication went a little quicker as I had my hammer forms were ready from making the other side.
New channel installed completing this repair.
Original seal is petrified so will have to come up with a suitable replacement.
Cleaning and moving down the panel. Some minor pin holes cropped up as the heavy scale was removed along the flange. These will be easily closed up with my torch. Though pitted this flange itself is reusable.
This lower embossed shape has been deformed from previous repair work. If it was higher up I wouldn't worry about it but its always visible in the wheel well so it needs a little cosmetic help.

Thanks for looking!
Justin

[JTR70]

Upper closing wall repair:
Rotted upper flange run of this main closing wall cut loose.
Recycling more of this cars original metal for the new repair section.
Flanged over and new section tacked into position.
All welded in with splash pan reattached closing out the door well once again.
Inside view shows the lap joint/flap as found originally.

Thanks for looking!

Justin

[JTR70]

Another rust repair detour:
Began removing that cancered out inner flange run. Lots of heavy rust scale down in there.
Once the scale began coming loose it revealed the rot had also gone through the main wall as well...F*&*K! Rarely is it ever easy.
A view from inside the door well. There were no obvious signs of this breach in here before I started messing with it. Glad it was discovered now before the fender skin went back over the top of this area. This area would have bubbled up shortly after final paint I have no doubts.
I also have a few more small breaches to patch down deeper just above the speaker housing. Little repairs like these almost seem endless and can try your patience.
Began drilling and detaching the splash pan from this rotted portion in preparation for cutting and removal.

More on this coming up.

Thanks for looking!

Justin

[JTR70]

Splash pan clean up and prep:
Before I can even think about mounting or refitting fenders I have address the panels they mount directly onto. Begin cleaning up this right side first by removing the remains of the rusted out skin section to see how much if any of the pans mounting flange is savable.
Skin section cut free
Heavily rust pitted but will see whats left of it after an acid bath.
While the right side soaked I began clean up on the left side panel.
Once I started really looking at it I finally noticed that the inner seal mounting flange was rusted through and swollen. I had already replaced the right side so I already had a plan to fabricate this piece.

[JTR70]

Taken the nose about as far as I can. Onto introducing the fenders to confirm the flow and fitment from them to the nose; and with the edges of the latched hood. Alot going on at once.
Out of the gate the right side is a natural transition.
The left side by contrast needs a bit adjustment. This side also leans back about 5 degrees too much as my angle finder confirms. These are all the variables I want figured out before I commit to welding the nose on.
Before the fender refitment can go forward I have to repair the rearward flange and the splash panel it mounts to.
Prefab repair sections will need shaping ,trimming then welding. While I'm at it all that old crash damage will also need to be ironed out. Again a lot going on.