1959 356A S/R coupe project chassis # 108625

[JTR70]

Grinding and peeling the very last of it along that heavily spot welded run.
I could not get the lap joint to release cleanly at the chassis flange. A lot of spot welds and the flange is very rusty and weak there. A very bad combination if you're trying to take it apart. One thing I've noticed through the years is that its very common to find two badly rusted panels with factory spot welds still refusing to give up. Great news for the rest of the car I suppose...
Firewall flange cleaning up But it too has some rot that will need a little attention before the new wall can go in.
I was hoping to get this junction apart cleanly but I ended up cutting and peeling up the layers that comprised it. As you can see the base flange was too rusty to get aggressive with. The forward section on the other hand was cleaning up nicely with a wire wheel.

Thanks for looking.

Justin

[JTR70]

chassis flange prep:
Now onto cleaning up the remains of the old wall along the chassis. Tightly spaced spot welds along the face will require the grind and peel method.
This side gives me a clean shot at the remains along the vertical firewall flange. Then the very last of it under that lap joint with the rear engine compartment bulkhead.
Drilled the spot welds and began peeling up the overlying bulkhead layer.
Then onto removing the last of the old closing wall remains. Lots of rust and corrosion lurking in here.
Bottom leading edge of the flange remains has widely spaced spot welds so they were drilled and am peeling and removing as much as I can before the unpleasant grinding of the rest of it begins.

[JTR70]

It is a big piece Roy and I can see were it could look a lot scarier than it really is. At this point its just a really involved process of cleaning up all the attachment points around the perimeter. Then there is the fitment of a new reproduction panel. I already knew what this entailed which is why I did everything in my power to save the other side.

[roy mawbey]

Its not often you see this particular repair taking place maybe a bit frightening to even start it. I wonder how many have not gone down this rusty road when they really should have?

Roy

[JTR70]

Sail panel and engine compartment flange cleanup:
Carefully grinding thin and peeling up the remaining spot welded strip. Drilling the spot welds not an option as its attached directly to the exterior body skin. Extra care taken not to damage the surface during removal. This continued right on through into the engine compartment .
Last flange remnants cleaned and this run now ready to accept the new panel.
Now onto removing this vertical lap joint along the engine compartment wall.
Its a double row of tightly spaced spots welds so Grinding and peeling was the best shot at preserving the flange underneath.
Cleaned and just about ready to accept a new panel. To my relief only one small breach to backfill on this mating flange. Still have to clean and break it free along the chassis flange as the new panel is joint will slip in under this old one along that flange but not ready to cross that bridge just yet. Moving forward to the lock post to begin cleaning the flange strip remains along there next.

Thanks for looking,
Justin

[JTR70]

Begin perimeter clean up:
First trial fit. A long ways to go before this is ready.
The base of the quarter window arch overlaps the lower closing wall flange so this will be the first layer of the onion to be peeled. Works out fine as it also gives me the opportunity address that rusted area along its pinch seam.
As far as I need to go. This gets me past the flange rust and clears the path to the closing wall remains. The rubber drain tube that once attached to that metal spout gave up years ago allowing the water to run directly over this area eventually rotting it out.
Onto drilling out the spots and small gas welds along the bottom of the quarter window opening to get this horizontal run out
Most of this old base run removed and now stripped back down to the body skin side flange. Chasing the rest of it down into the engine compartment then down the sides after that.

Thanks for looking.

Justin

[JTR70]

Wall removal:
Interior section cut out quickly just ahead of the mount flanges. This opens access to clean up the remains of the perimeter mount making life a little easier.
Engine compartment trimmed out next.
Lots of trimming and modifications before this new panel will go but its a nice start.
The new rib embossments are light and weak so I'll be defining them deeper to more closely match this original and the right hand side.
Now onto the real work of cleaning out the remains of the original wall and getting the area ready to accept the new panel. BTW: this shot really lays bare as to how light these cars are actually constructed. This wall removal really breaks the illusion of substantial and stout quarter panel unit. Its no wonder that these car wad up so quickly and easily.

Clean up and wall prep begin.

Thanks for looking!

Justin

[JTR70]

More closing wall assessment.
Prepping to peel this rusty top layer of the upper closing arch to see how rusty the stepped flange run is underneath. By that rust hole I'm not very optimistic. Latch cable conduit and drain tube holding tabs removed at this point.
Keeping the initial cut as low as I can and not removing any more than I have to.
No surprise, the end flange run of this closing wall is shot. Another nail in the coffin.
Going back to the wheel well area most of the lower flange of this panel is also gone and requires replacing. I peeled this portion up a while back to repair and reinstall the longitudinal closing cap that goes underneath it.
The original wall is just too rusty throughout to save. It would be a messy Frankenstein quilt at best. Besides we have this new replacement on hand for the job. While its going to be a lot of work and effort to fit and install this piece as a whole, an equal amount of time would probably be needed to save what's left now but with a far less cleaner end result. So...out comes the old wall.
That next...

[JTR70]

Left side gusset removal and closing wall assessment.
Gusset removed and much to my surprise no massive rust hole found underneath.
Turns out all the breaches where only around the foot of the gusset. Even though its not gone through its still thin so the size of the final patch will be determined as the cutting progresses. Now onto figuring out how much of that vertical closing wall can be saved. The section pictured just above here where the gusset was is very thin with a lot pin holes.
Viewing it from inside the wheel well highlights how wide spread and numerous the holes are. Looks like the night sky...
The breaches continue down the panel above the shock mount area.
The final section of this panel visible from inside the engine compartment highlighted by the rat tail file. More of the same making the salvageability of this panel looking less likely.

[JTR70]

The Parcel shelf on these cars is 22gauge like you described and very tough to weld without blowing it out. This side panel might be the lighter gauge too but for sure it was rusty and now very thin overall. Its a tricky balance as I can't throw a lot of heat at it nor can I stay on the trigger. I can only lay down quick bursts then as it blows out I have to corral the new hole with weld and back fill. This makes the weld seam very scabby and inconsistent but the goal is just to get it stitched up first. I know that you know the routine Phil. Thanks BTW! Justin

[JTR70]

Bouncing over to the left side With the right side wall repairs winding down.
The gusset is completely toast and as you can also see with some heavy rot to the top of the "chassis" around this gussets base.
Engine lid pull cable conduit is very rotted and not sure if it will be repaired but either way it has to be removed for now.
Removing the gusset next to see how much rot is hiding under there.
New gusset sections cut out to basic shape from this cars original left door skin.
BTW this is all that pretty much remains of that old damaged skin. Its been nice to be able to repurpose this original metal back into this car.

Gusset removal and assessment as to how much of this left closing wall can be saved up next.

thanks for looking.

Justin

[JTR70]

New repair section all stitched in.
Stitching up this long run in between the tack welds.
Grinding the shoulder down as it went to break up the monotony . Only the vertical run remains to be closed. It came up a touch short so some slivers of steel will be inserted to bridge this gap.
All stitched in with only a few minor holes left to back fill. The OG panel is very thin so I had a lot of issues with blow out. Could not throw any real heat at it and I was continually backfilling thin spots where the metal blew away as welding progressed. Made for a very rough and choppy weld seam but I was just trying to get though it by this point.
Double duty here as both sides of the weld joint need to be clean. Chasing the weld joint with my torch to ensure a thorough meld. Hammer and dolly next to plannish the area and get the contour shape back.
A little more cleanup and small hole filling remain but its 90% there. A lot of work to get here but still less involved than replacing this entire panel as a whole.

[JTR70]

Its a bit rough working up in that wheel well Roy but I have the great luxury of being able to rotate the body; Can't imagine doing this upright. Thanks Roy!

[roy mawbey]

Well done Justin not easy repairs at all.

Roy

[Phil Planck]

On foamcar that is the thinnest metal I encountered. 22ga. Harder to weld. Looking good Justin