1959 356A S/R coupe project chassis # 108625

[roy mawbey]

Thanks Justin all is clear now , that's a nice repair to have made so easy to have just filled a few holes and not realised what you were covering up ! Looks really strong now!
Roy

[JTR70]

Thanks again Roy, It was getting closer little by little...

[JTR70]

Gusset install with further wall preparation details.
Forward gusset member plugged in.
Wall back in to make sure they fit together.
Wall is allowed to come in where it needs to be with the top of this flange swooping in and laying in against it nicely. All set with no more changes to this piece needed other than some weld dressing. Side note: The twin tack weld detail at the weather strip channel added. All the original gussets received two along here; these replicated right over top of the originals. Back to panel wall prep.
Ready to trim away the excess along the quarter window base. Etched in the fold line along the top of this lip first.
Need about another 6mm left above the etch line to complete the fold cleanly.

[JTR70]

Last of the prep work along the top of the new closing wall.
Excess trimmed and adding in the 90 for the eventual wrap now.
All set. Been a long road but the entire top run of this wall is now actually ready to be installed.
Onto a bit more vertical flange correction.
A touch more lower flange trimming and shaping..
and plug weld hole punching but its getting dangerously close to final install time.

Thanks for looking!

Justin

[JTR70]

Last of the closing wall prep before final installation.
Doubled the plug weld holes along the vertical run of the lower flange to better replicate the amount of spot welds that where there originally. Tedious , the time was also now to back fill the securing holes in the rib reliefs.
A quick comparison photo of the basic panel you receive and how much prep and torture it has to go through before its ultimately ready to go into the car.
Lock post prep. Plug weld holes where drilled to the upper portion for welding to take place on the outside so I get a clear shot of the weld heads for finish grinding. Much more pleasant than trying to get down inside here to both weld and grind finish. The remaining run below the striker will be welded to the inside as I can get to them easy enough.
Plug weld holes added to the panel side to finish off the attachment to the striker. I had the bottom flange run heeled over for fitment and trimming purposes but decided to hammer it back out flat now that its established. The upper run will welded first then I'll hammer it over again for much cleaner and tighter final fit against the chassis. This panel was now getting dangerously close to going in for good. There is so much going on at once that I kept racking my brain to make sure I wasn't over looking something. Then I remembered...
I had to get this last remaining bits of the upper closing arch flange. Peeling it off of the firewall flange here. Access was very limited and impossible with the new wall installed so the time was now.

[JTR70]

Overlapping arch repair panel:
Decided to go ahead and make this closing panel before the wall went in; Just to be sure it would fit together before I committed.
Paper template set and moving onto steel. Repurposing some more old door skin.
basic part cut out in steel and test fitting with the new wall to make sure it had enough room to slide in between it and the firewall flange without distorting the sail panel skin. A snug fit with no deformation issues.
Sunroof drain hole hand sheared in with the same rough cut treatment as was done originally. A bit for fine fitting to do but I've chased as far as I can for now.
And now, at long last the new closing wall was mounted for the final time! Set screwing it in working from the center outward and making fine adjustments as was needed.

Thanks for looking!
Justin

[roy mawbey]

Well done indeed Justin !

Roy

[JTR70]

Thank you Sir!

[JTR70]

Begin wall welding and other peripheral repairs:
Began welding from the center outward with the intensive task of leap frogging between set screws, tapping and retapping with a hammer and at times adding more screws to ensure it was as tight against the frame as I could make it.
Completed the forward run first.
Then moved out back. Just begging to test hammering the flange over here.

That was a long run of plugs but its done and now onto hammering the rest of it over tightly.
Not surprising to find that the final fit had changed slightly from my earlier try so some additional trimming in sections was needed.

[JTR70]

Entire lower run now trimmed and hammered over tightly.
Began the welding up front first since there is little chance of any bunching or change on such a short lead. A few plugs welded and dressed along with a replicated gas weld to the leading edge at the corner.
I needed a mental break from that process so I moved onto finishing up the cap for the gusset; it all has to be done eventually. 90 degree flange added with plug weld holes punched here.
The originals have a slight flange added to the top edge to ensure a flush fit against the wall. Using my heel dolly here as hammer form to follow that curve.
Gusset complete and set screwed into final position.

[JTR70]

Once I coat the cavity in sealer this will be ready to install for good at any time.
Moved into the engine compartment to weld up and attach this corner that lies underneath the arch overlay so I could finalize that repair patch.
New patch in its best adjusted position and now ready for its final trim to replicate the original.
Cut to size and set screwed into final position. Again, once I get the cavity behind it coated this too can go in at any time. Once I have all my dominos in a row it gets knocked out pretty quickly but building up to this point is where all the time goes.

Thanks for looking!
Justin

[roy mawbey]

All I can say is, although I did some fabrication and welding in this area near the rear torsion bar, I don't think I could ever have coped 45 years ago, with what you have managed above Justin. You have a lot patience to get that great standard of work. I can say this work is so demanding in every respect to get right. Its no wonder a rusty 356 can cost so many thousands to repair properly but so good you have the photographic truth to show anyone at any time what you achieved.

Roy

[JTR70]

Thank you very much again Roy, we are in the same boat. I did the rust repairs on my own car several years ago and got it close but with my eyes now I see where I could have gotten it better. However, just like your car it would be foolish at this point to tear mine down again to chase out a few minor short comings.
For instance that wrinkle detail at the firewall junction to allow for drainage, I repaired this same area on my car but missed it. All I had to do was look at the other side but I just didn't "see" it and welded it all up tight. Certainly not a big deal and most people would look at you side ways for worrying about it but I have a tendency to sweat the details. Its an education that just comes with experience, no shortcuts about it; at least not in my world. I'm still learning...

[JTR70]

Closing arch panel installed:
Heavy coat of sealer bushed onto both sides of the cavity. After all the welding is over I'll be able to shoot more sealer into this area for more insurance.
New patch panel mounted in for good. The weld joint area is irregular and a tricky concave shape so I curved some heavy stock to help press both sides into close alignment.
Weld joint all stitched together and dressed as cleanly as I could hope for. The plugs were next and are no brainer so I wanted this joint out of the way first.
Plugs welded and dressed. This new panel is all but in. Adding in some spot weld detail next then trimming and fusing its leading edge at the opening as it was done originally.
Again the firewall junction drain detail was a replication of the opposite side.
Continuing the welding installation of the new closing wall.

Thanks for looking!

Justin

Thanks for looking.

[JTR70]

Left side engine compartment repairs complete.
Final spot weld detail, upper edge fused completed the install in this corner. Some minor clean up but for all intense purposes complete.
Moving to the inside of the fire wall you can the continuation of that new panels excess just needs to be nipped off even.
That excess trimmed and finished. Now onto weld up the rest of this inner sail panel attachment.
This run all welded up with quarter window junction sealed with a gas weld as found. Plug welding completed and dressing the heads level next.
Once a few minor rust repairs to this flange are completed it will be ready to reinstall. Initial fitment along the new closing wall's should is good.

Thanks for looking!

Justin

[JTR70]

Going to leave the sail panel area for now and move onto the pinch flange along the bottom of the quarter window opening.
Excess on the flange trimmed back and in process here of heeling it over the body's edge as it was done originally.
Had my first clear look at the sail panel skin post welding with the body up righted. Some mild deformation from the heat but all very localized and minimal; the best that I could have hoped for. Lost a bit of the old lead in the corner but will add that back in during the bodywork phase.
Pinch flange just about set here.
By this point the entire top run of this new panel was installed and set. Upon further comparison with the other side an overlooked discrepancy began to jump out.

[JTR70]

I began to notice that as the flange moves forward to the B-pillar it runs "down hill" and gets taller. By contrast the new panel runs evenly across.
My earlier T1 coupe shows the same feature.
Once a garnish rail was added it became clear as to why it tapers wide at the B-pillar.
Rail is allowed to seat flush and even with the window opening.
With no tapered clearance this where the garnish rail is sitting on the new panel.