1959 356A S/R coupe project chassis # 108625

[JTR70]

Rear longitudinal corner repair just about complete.
Finished and dressed all the remaining welds on this back corner rebuild. Also a miracle of miracles; the welding supply finally received their shipment so I was finally able to get a fresh bottle of oxygen. Finished out the gas weld detail along the heater tube joint here. Reaching inner most portion of this joint was tricky.
Glad to have this complex area in the done column. Not quite ready to close this up just yet but the remaining repairs won't be quite so involved.
With all the heavy lifting back here completed I can now think about reinstalling this bulkhead closing wall.
Though the bottom inner corner is rusted, the rest of it is still solid. Repairing and prepping this piece for reinstallation next.

Thanks for looking!
Justin

[Scott B]

Tieing the bulkheads together is such a great idea. Really wished I had know this when I was doing mine. Brilliant way to add strength. Nice improvement on Germany engineering Justin.

[JTR70]

Thanks a lot Scott. After opening several original longitudinals this car included I always find these two bulkheads bent away from each other or deformed from the jack spur working off this area through the years. Tying them together seemed like the natural thing to do.

[JTR70]

Repairs moving toward the front.
Repair section added onto the rear closing wall with a just a couple of small holes to back fill. Soaking it in acid to clean up the rust along the edges.
Moving towards the front while that soaks by stitching up this long flange run.
The run all stitched together at last with only some weld clean up remaining.
Begin cutting away the door well pan area next.
Looking to save as much original metal as possible so I'm peeling the rot away in stages.

[JTR70]

First cut exposing the remains of the inner most closing wall.
remains of the door well tray's floor removed.
The outer most closing walls lower flange survived for the most part and I wanted to keep the option to save as much as possible for now.

Lateral portion of the splash pan was damaged and bent in some time in the distant past so I'm pulling that out as best as I can but the relief shapes make it tricky.
I'm going to save a good portion of the inner vertical wall right down to the edge but both corners of it will need repair.

[JTR70]

begin repairs
Outer corner repair completed.
Repairs to the inner corner will be done after the lower flange run repairs to the chassis it attaches to are complete. The final lateral outer closing wall with flange that laps over this repair won't be installed until after the new longitudinal panel is fully welded in. This leaves me more access to weld and dress this flanged attachment point.
I initially wanted to save as much of this closing wall as possible but there are pockets of rot at its flange that put an end to that plan.

I'll cut just above that lifted section.
That portion now removed leaving me only one more cut along the trays vertical wall to get past the remaining rot. Just about touched the bottom in here.

Thanks for looking!
Justin

[roy mawbey]

I never cease to be amazed just how thin the rusted areas can get Justin when rusted. Its these difficult areas to work on without a spit apart from stripping more and more out to resolve it stopped many a home restoration I reckon. Its the work involved with templates and then forming all the parts that takes time too. I think the current availability of MIG these past years ,must have helped you as the thought of doing all that with my then oxy /acetelene gear I used ,would have stopped me in my tracks I think!

As said many times you make it look easy and its not!

Roy

[JTR70]

You are spot on Roy, without the availability of a MIG I'd be sunk for sure. If you only have Oxy/acetylene which was all you had at the time of your repairs you just can't attach raw lap joints cleanly or securely without a wire welder at least I can't. I experimented with trying to back fill and attach a plug weld with gas and the pieces literally turned into a hot mess before I could get it even close. Again I'm certain there are talented guys that could execute that but I'm not that guy. Thanks again for all the words of encouragement along the way. Its always appreciated. Justin

[Scott B]

So true Roy. Great work and persistence Justin. Nothing you can’t tackle with your skills and determination.

[JTR70]

Thanks for saying so and for the vote of confidence Scott!

[JTR70]

Touched bottom down in here. I had to cut just a touch higher for a clean simple joint but building up from here.
Not exactly ready to close this up yet but trial fitments of the outer panel are beginning.
So far so good with a tight fit against the bulkheads all the while not crowding out the upper mounting flange of this new piece.
Some flange adjustment as it goes for sure but pretty close for the first try.
Before I finish up the door well area I'm heading up front to cut out and clean up the remaining flange run of the chassis.
Thanks for looking!
Justin

[JTR70]

Getting past the last of the rot on this front left corner of the frame.
Trying to stay as low with the cut as I can.
Going to save as much of this original lateral reinforcement as I can; just like the other side.
Last of the deep advanced rot up here exposed and removed.
No more cutting back on this forward corner of the chassis. Building up from here.
Now back to the inner flange repair sections.

Thanks for looking!
Justin

[roy mawbey]

Looking good Justin !

Roy

[JTR70]

Thanks Roy!

[JTR70]

More forward frame flange:
Next section stitched and now ready to cap that delta relief.
New cap ready to be welded in. Now onto the final most forward flange section.
This last section runs slightly wider than the rest of the perimeter so its being cut from this wider stock.
Just under a quarter inch wider than the rest of the flange run.
New section cut to basic shape and width now onto adding the curved contour.

Thanks for looking!
Justin

[JTR70]

Forward frame repairs continued:
Started making the turn with a stretcher die.
But the flange is wider and the metal is 18 gauge so I could only get so much. Some torch heat was needed to take it the rest of the way.
Before the lateral flange goes on its much easier and cleaner to weld in and complete the forward bulkhead wall repair first.
Initial rough fitments begin to get it all to eventually fit together and with the chassis itself. The flange really limits access to the outer corner of the bulkhead wall which is why it will go on after the repairs are complete.
Lots of fine trimming and repeated test fits to come.

[JTR70]

Forward bulkhead wall repair.
Before the new bulkhead flange could be installed I had to straighten out the toe board bracket which much like the other side was all curled over and bent to shit.
Staged trimming and improved fitment of both new pieces continued. Ready to commit and make the final cut to bulkhead flange.
New flange tacked in.
Joint all stitched up
Dressed and gone over one more time with some torch heat to ensure a thorough meld. I find lots of small sections where the joint wasn't completely bonded. This ensures a thorough meld. Welding up the center of it next and adding in a new flange overlap detail for that factory extension cover.

Thanks for looking!
Justin

[JTR70]

Forward bulkhead wall repairs complete. Adding the final lateral flange sections
Center welded back up with overlap flange detail added.
Forward bulk wall repairs completed. Now the remaining flange section can be installed.
plug welding and stitching it in. Same as with the other side the stitching will stop for now right at the bulkhead until I have the front beam pulled out and reset.
Bulkhead flange relief cut to bring it down a few MM's to more closely match the height of the original. Same was done to the other side.
Perimeter repairs to accept a new floor is all but complete save for a small section on the left side of the rear seat pan. A step closer to getting this longitudinal section closed up.

Thanks for looking!
Justin

[roy mawbey]

That area looks really good Justin

Roy

[JTR70]

Thanks Roy, its getting there.