1959 356A S/R coupe project chassis # 108625

[JTR70]

It sure does Roy and its one of the great pitfalls once you start in with these old cars. A harsh reality of production restoration work is that sometimes they have to leave some rust behind. They bid a job only to find additional rot they could not foresee and well, I'm sure more often than not a body or two stays buried or entombed behind a fresh panel or liberal amounts of seam sealer and uncoating. This is why I couldn't do production work ... I have to feel good about the repair once its complete. Thanks again Roy!

[roy mawbey]

Justin one job just leads to another!! But so good you are just not covering it all up with new metal. I often just wonder how many cars with similar old rust problems still have the problem under the new welded in repair? You have to have a lot of patience to do the correct thing with this work!

Roy

[JTR70]

Getting the chassis ready to accept the right closing wall.
Very unpleasant task of grinding away the remains of the original closing wall flange as there are too many spots too close together to peel up. A short cut would be just a quick surface grind and entomb the remains behind the new flange but thats not right and besides I want the rust cleaned up that I know lurks in between there.
The new panel is going to lap this corner. I fixed the obvious rust on the lower corner...

but I overlooked another problem spot up top here.
Thought I'd get away with welding it closed from the outside but the corrosion was well advanced between the outer wall and this seal flange. Removal and cleaning next.
The flange turned out to be too rusty to repair. This piece is thinner 22 gauge so combine that with rust and there isn't much left to weld onto. I have some old sections of 22 gauge so it was much simpler to make a copy.

Thanks for looking...

Justin

[JTR70]

Wall dismounted once again. Ready to begin heating and hammering in needed change.
Remounted with the initial reprofiled shape.
Relieving to see that gap slowly closing up.
More heat and hammer forming into the host metal. Wall was removed again to add an additional bend into that lower section.
Now within striking distance. Have the basic shape and will tidy it up further as the final installation of this panel progresses.

Thanks for looking!

Justin

[JTR70]

Right side closing wall final mounting prep:
This gap behind the shoulder relief has been an issue since fitting began. The shoulder will need to be reshaped and hammer formed into the host section along with a more definite turn in the panel's profile just ahead of this section.
The run ahead of it by contrast snugs in tight.
The provided shape turns a little too quickly. Sweeping it out wider will both help to backfill the gap issue and make it more closely match the original.
Original has much wider sweeping arch back here.
A shape detail easily overlooked unless you have to deal with it directly or copy. Just a very nice sweeping arch.

[JTR70]

Thank you Roy! There is a lot going on in and around the latch mechanism and with no real adjustment options after its all welded together extra attention has to be paid otherwise it will punish you in the end. I've said it before; I'd be lost without original reference examples.

[roy mawbey]

Justin, that work is so well done really impressed with your effort there. The detail work even to install the jack mountings has to be right and I know there is never much clearance when you have to get it in place ! Sio useful again to have the other 356 to compare.

Super work!

Roy

[JTR70]

Last of the inside battery box detail work before the upper closing walls go on for good.
This vantage point highlights why now was the time to get those perches in before the upper closing wall. Not impossible to mount afterward but why make it more unpleasant than it has to be.
One final detail I wanted done before the upper wall installation was this gas weld detail at the rear corners of the battery floor.
According to my original reference no gas welds at the front inner corners. Only the rear and lapped the lateral bulkhead flange. Much easier to do this now with the closing walls out of my way.
Back to weld finishing all the relief cuts along the trough. Some fine finishing remains but will chase all of that out once the nose is mounted.
Begin final adjustment changes to the new lateral wall in preparation for its final installation. That up next.


Thanks for looking!
Justin

[JTR70]

Jack perches mounted:
Perches are not centered on the wall; they favor slightly to the right side.
Minor tweaking required as it went get that representative bar stock to sit square and level.
Perches fully welded up. Plug welded from the outside preserving the old spot weld details at the footings. Again a T2 mounting position just to the inside of the rib relief.
Top side gas welded as found originally.
Quick mock up to ensure ample clearance with the latch base. These are all the little things can come back to bite you if you're not watching it.

[JTR70]

Back to finishing up the last of the inner battery box details before the upper closing walls go on for good.
Reusing the original Jack storage mounts. A bit of old accident damage to unwind and the contact points need to be cleaned of the old wall remains.
Twists and deformation all but out by this point. Trickiest part was securing and preserving the saddles as the straightening progressed.

Basic matching shape here. I'll plug weld from the outside to preserve the old spot weld details at the bottom of these mounts.
Referred back to my original example and found that my bends needed to be a little tighter. Some trivia: Note the placement of this footing down into the relief rib. This seems to be a T1 detail as my other T1 has it in the same position. All the later T2's I've seen have it mounted just to the inside of this relief shape. The original wall from this car also had it mounted off to the side.
Begin positioning process on the new wall.

[JTR70]

Checking the angle with my original reference car which is part of covering all those bases again.
Matching the right side.
Lots of stitching ahead but everything within striking range.
Line off of the hood close but a little more hammer work to do as it goes back together.
Improved fitment with each attempt. This is the best I can hope for.
Thanks for looking!

Justin

[JTR70]

Among the many adjustments yet to come the trough will need to tilt slightly forward as the shoulder is into the latch release.

As you can see the original sat a few MM's higher around the tube and that mechanism base flange at its lip. Once its corrected to this height the clearance issue with the catch on the underside will taken care of as well. Stitching and cleaning up those relief cuts in process.
Another test fit with the nose.
Checking the headlight opening once again.
Remains just a touch "wall eyed" which is just fine.

[JTR70]

Thank you Roy! There are a lot of balls in the air at once, most definitely. Since I'm shooting for minimal amounts of filler, lead or plastic once its all welded up there is really no other way around it other than to cut the sections that need correcting free and begin again around the shape of the latched hood. The only other option is to install it in its provided form and use filler to overcome the shortfalls. Its overwhelming and times Roy and I have to constantly reassess but it just a matter of taking it in small bites at a time. Thanks again!

Justin

[roy mawbey]

Justin, this last episode of work is amazing to read let alone wonder how on earth you proceded to attempt it all. This is not just some panel work repair its well beyond that, with so much to consider all the time you are working on just one aspect of it. To see that 'gap' clearance coming into place after that gutter removal , has confirmed to me there is so much involved in bodywork repair you have to have in-built confidence in yourself to even attempt it, let alone with people like me also watching your effort.

I wonder if other's looking on feel the same as me? I really think you are doing so well to correct all this Justin.

Roy

[JTR70]

Drain tube install:
Tube hole punched in the wall and onto getting the top end aligned into the trough.
Quick shot of the profile shape of the front wall; a lot of manipulation to get that to lay in there where it was needed.
One more piece of the puzzle and the nose is a little closer to going on for good.
Back to work on the trough again. Just another shot of the going's on under a 356 nose panel.
More welding and shape clean up to come but the pieces are fitting better with each session.