1959 356A S/R coupe project chassis # 108625

[JTR70]

Installing rear closing wall:
Refitting the of the original rear closing wall.
Tacked pretty much back into its original spot.
Thought I was going to get away without having to repair lower seal channel but as I prepped and cleaned the area a couple small chunks fell away; Not surprised...
New closing panel fits down between closing walls very well.
Wall seam welded back in as it was originally.

Thanks for looking!
Justin

[JTR70]

Metal repairs to the rear longitudinal area are now complete. Once its cleaned and sealed in primer and paint it's all ready to close up back here.
Went over the forward weld joint with some heat to ensure a thorough fusion between the two.
Then it was onto grinding and cleaning up the inside for a final finish.
Last bit of this long weld joint just about leveled. Lap joint details replicated as before.
Installing the door well pan in next.

Thanks for looking!
Justin

[Scott B]

Some nice stitching!

[JTR70]

Thanks Scott, the appearance always improves once the excess is ground off.

[JTR70]

Prepping the cap for final installation:
Just before the door well tray was tacked in for good. Trimming around the edge to get both it and the new cap to mate up.
Once they fit together then it was onto set screwing the cap into its final position.
Begin laying down the screws working from the center outward.
I'll etch in the final trim line to the leading edge to remove the excess and will also have to add back in were it came up short at the back corner.
Removing the cap one last time to trim and punch in the plug weld holes then paint and seal the inner cavity. A little prep work to go but getting very close to capping this area for the final time.

Thanks for looking!
Justin

[JTR70]

Before the cap goes on I had to get the outer door well wall installed first.
Paper template from previous project.
Basic part in steel. Final trimming and set screwing next.
Finished out the seam along the new pan. Presentation not as clean as I'd like it to be but access is very limited down in there. Looks aside it's more important that its securely welded which it seems to be.
New closing section set screwed into its best adjusted position.
Next will be adding in the plug weld holes along the bottom to attach the walls flange. I couldn't close this longitudinal up until this welding is complete. In the old days I plug welded from the top side but the area is so tight that I couldn't dress the heads of welds thoroughly. This approach solves that issue.

[JTR70]

Part 2:
Same with the vertical flange runs... They all get plug welded from the outside for clear access. This makes final presentation so much cleaner down in the door well and makes my job of cleaning up the weld heads so much more pleasant.
Final trimming and fitment of the new lower wall section.
Area drilled and all prepped for the walls final install.
Just had to apply some epoxy to seal out this corner before I close it up. Installing the wall next.

Thanks for looking!
Justin

[JTR70]

Closing time:
Plug welding of the lower inner door well flange wall finished.
This completes all the internal repairs to the left longitudinal cavity. All ready to clean and prep it for epoxy and a final coat of paint.
Epoxy coat nearly finished with the welding surfaces back masked.
A small section added to the back of the closing panel where it was short. Then I can seal the inside surface.
Inner cavity and surfaces in a final coat and now finally ready to close this up for good.

Thanks for looking!
Justin

[JTR70]

begin welding:
A few more holes to add before it went on.
Installed for the final time. A few holes to back fill.
Synched back down with screws.
Begin plug welding working from the center outward.
To break up the monotony I'll do a run of plugs and grind them flush before continuing on.

Thanks for looking!
Justin

[roy mawbey]

Justin both inside where you can't see it and outside, that's a really great job it looks really super. Also so true, to think of the final preparation and getting tools in to get that looking good is really important. If I were to attempt another car, I would follow these pages of yours as without doubt, I think they are better than any book you can buy!!

Roy

[JTR70]

Roy, thank you very much once again, I greatly appreciate all of your positive words of encouragement throughout all of these little projects. Your the best!

Stay well over there in the UK my friend, crazy and most uncertain times we are all living through.

[JTR70]

Plug welding along the bottom run complete.
Rear plug weld run completed with initial seam weld along the back edge.
tedious chore of weld leveling completed. Going over the rear seam weld with my torch to finish out the area.
torch weld detail completed.
Repeated the cycle to finish out the remaining forward run.
Torch weld detail completed at the corner of the splash pan and longitudinal to replicate what was there originally. Moving down the sides and then onto the threshold plug weld run to finish this installation up.

Thanks for stopping by!
Justin

[JTR70]

Installation just about complete:
Welding down the front and across the door well flange complete.
Then it was down the backside.
Plugs attaching to the bulkheads where next.
Only the threshold run now remains. Began the plugs working from the center outward.
Just about ready to install the jack spur so I'll begin detailing the snout and center flange to replicate how the originals came. This detail performed to this right side spur a while back.

Thanks for looking!
Justin

[Phil Planck]

Justin
Amazing attention to how it was done at the factory. Great and tedious work.

[JTR70]

Thank you Sir! I try to get it as close as I can with what I've got available to me.

[JTR70]

Jack Spur detail and fitment prep.
Threshold run welded up all but completing the longitudinal installation. Grinding the heads back and prepping the Jack spur next.
Snout trimmed back to the edge of the seam weld as found on the originals. Taping my cut line and getting ready to remove the excess on the upper joint.
Top trimmed back with ends notched out again as found on an original.
As you can see in the previous photo only a handful of spot welds hold these halves together. A lot of guys install these as merely props these days but I want these strong and anchored securely to perform the job of raising the sides of the car as intended. Laying in some small seam runs to the inside to ensure integrity.
Upper joint details and welding complete.

[JTR70]

part 2
Lower profile shape marked out and ready to cut off the excess.
Bottom flange change details and welding complete.
Plug weld holes punched in all but completing the metal preparation for this spur. Now onto dialing in the correct location on the longitudinal.
Door and rocker were added to find the correct height/clearance from the lower edge of the rocker. Paint stick added to establish a 3mm gap for a close approximation of the rockers final position. I'll set the snout just past its leading edge.
Lateral position is 415MM from the rear lower spring plate bolt to the center of the spur as illustrated in the factory manual.

[JTR70]

Part3:
One more minor but needed adjustment. Flanges especially through the turn had to heated and stretched flatter to allow a flush fit.
Now the flange sits flush allowing maximum contact surface against the longitudinal.
I had set the right side just shy of 10mm from the edge of the rocker.
Matched that clearance as close as I could. This will of course all change ever so slightly once its all said and done but as long as ample clearance remains its golden.
Set screwing it into final position. Little by little form fitting a flush fit.

Thanks for looking!
Justin