1959 356A S/R coupe project chassis # 108625

[JTR70]

Begin right fender repair:
Have to iron out some of that old accident damage towards the back of the fender before I can add on a new strip of 20 gauge. Only working out the obvious stuff at this point. Final planishing and shaping can't be done with the fender loose. It has to be mounted, welded up and set before I can go after the rest of it.
Begin with this bent wired edge.
After some heat and hammering, not perfect but close enough for the moment.
New strip of 20 gauge trimmed and ready to begin welding from the center outward.
Lower and flatter part of this run all welded up first. Trickiest part to come as the contour makes the upward turn. Old Reutter body badge holes saved by the way.

Thanks for looking!
Justin

[JTR70]

Much trickier as it curves around. Have to keep watching the surface contour to make sure I don't tack it too tight or too loose. If its tight the patch will bow inward and if its too loose it will flare.
Upper portion tacked and on for a test to confirm that the patch surface carries on the general line of the fender.
So far so good but I missed that upper edge and came up short. Have to back fill it later.
My only concern at this point is this new strip matches and carries on the contour of the fender and is not tucking or flaring.
Puzzle pieces fitting a little better each time.

Thanks for looking!
Justin

[JTR70]

I confirmed and now had a very basic fender fitment on this side.
I went back over to the left side to address an issue that I had been debating to correct or just leave alone.
I had overlooked and allowed this fender to droop giving the fender opening a bit of a forward lean or sweep. At the same time the top profile of the fender was not transitioning into the door smoothly. More of a jog in the shape across the gap. I had locked in this position when I added the new rear flange.
While I'm in the process of making the right side I decided now was the time to go ahead and correct this mistake. My oversight so this was on me. New section tacked on but this time in more manageable 20 gauge. I'll add the flange back in once I have the fender set its corrected profile position.
I had to fabricate this last section separately as it has a definite domed and curved contour to it. Not interested in welding in flat sections just to have sold base that would require a lot of lead or filler to be right. Shooting for just a skim coat when its over.

Thanks for looking.

[roy mawbey]

Justin very interesting this latest wortk of yours. I have a question maybe a daft one but I would like to know how after seeing that excellent closure gap between the R/h fender edge that meetsd with the door is finished. Iooked at my original door as I knew there is a formed adge to that area like for example a wired edge. Its not a wired edge but a boxed edge to give that fender closure for top to bottom some ' thickness' So the edge is about -3-4 mm thick.

Possibly I have missed somthing you have already done or have to do when you are ready. Thats why it might be a daft question!!

Roy

[JTR70]

Correct Roy, the leading edge of the fender is heeled over the flange on the splash pan creating a pinch seam. Since the fender is loose I am finding it better to add that rolled edge in after the new extension of skin is welded on. Everything shifts and changes slightly with each test fit. Not a daft question old friend.

[JTR70]

h Following the tack welds up with a the final seam stitch.
Another test fit after all the welding and hammering to make sure it will still contour snuggly against the splash pan's mating flange.
Trickiest shape is the last bit of the upper section that is both curved and convex. Final adjustments against the original to make sure it was heading in the right direction.


Ready to tack on this final section just at the center for now.

It was tacked on the rest of the way while the fender was mounted on the car to make sure it held the correct shape and contour before I locked it in with a tack weld. Would have been suicide to try and position it loose on my table as it would never have gone on there right.

[Jbrooks]

Some of those but welds would be invisible with this laser welder. I am starting to figure it out, it operates similar to MIG with way less heat, to heat effected zone. You can also use magnets to hold the material, with out effecting the weld. Spot weld are nothing more than setting the spot size and weld time, the pull the trigger. Cuts like butter, but does use allot of gas. (Nitrogen) The more we play with it the more I like it. FDA not so much.

[JTR70]

I know that machine is the future. I look forward to the day when I see that technology at Harbor Freight for under a grand.

[JTR70]

Getting ready for front end group commitment time.
I've teed up both front fenders about as far as I dare go for now. Time to get the nose mounted and set into its final position so I can add adjust the fenders to flow off of it.
While prepping for the noses final installation I figured I'd better fit and mock up the front bumper assembly as part of the process. I punched the bumper bracket holes a while back but have not opened the holes for the overrider bar reinforcement struts. I have these original '59 high examples for reference but these are only going to be my general guide. The final hole position will be dictated by where the strut actually ends up with the bumper in its best adjusted position. I want the holes sitting at center with the struts as closely as I can get them.
Dug out the bumper assembly for this car next. The bumper assemblies for my T1 (Orange) where in front of them so I took this opportunity to take a few direct comparative shots of a High and low overrider assembly.
Guards are the same height . The '59 bar just used up the rest of the remaining space left for a mounting point.
Quick shot of the rears. No difference in bar height

[JTR70]

Initial front bumper mock up on the chassis:
Prepping to mount the front bumper irons. This is an original so the mounts are a little bent with old weld repairs etc. Just seeing how it fits for now to determine if these need any rework. Threads needed Chasing though.
Mounted for the first time. I was only interested in seeing how well it mounted to the chassis at this point. Bumper sat surprisingly level with its new irons right out of the gate. I may not have to fuss with the inner attachment mounts too much if at all. We'll see.
I was supplied with two pair of struts. The silver pair are the originals and the grey the repop. A note highlighting how much shorter a low overrider strut would be.
Notable differences between OG and the repro where on the battery box end. No available adjustment on the new one.
Mounting side on the repro still had a shoulder where the original has a flat unobstructed profile for the battery box wall. I tried fitting the repops first and these two details wreaked havoc. No way they'd fit without modifications to match the originals.
More on this fitment mock up next.
Thanks for looking!

Justin

[JTR70]

Mocking up the struts:
Started with the repros and right off the bat I was running into fitment issues. The holes need to be elongated for adjustment purposes.
And the shoulder of the tube was interfering with its reach for a flush fit against the box.
Immediately moved over to the originals. Had the repros been all I had I would of course would have to make them work but fortunately I had an option.
A great relief to find them fitting and clearing with no issues.
Especially on this side as the only thing original left over here is the bumper iron mount.

[JTR70]

One clearance confirmation I did want to make before the nose went on was that there would be ample room to allow for the ultimate pitch angle of the struts with the upper corners of the chassis. All good.
Basic mock up with the frame complete. Now to see what it looks like with the nose.
After some minor tweaks it was lining up pretty well. I added the emblem to further confirm the fitment and alignment. Its a touch low on the right side but its the first try and things will change slightly as the nose and fenders fitments continue and most certainly once the welding begins.
I got out my previous issue of the registry with a '59 Cab with the high bar for further comparison. I don't know the restoration history of this car and the nose may even be all original but I noticed that emblem is slightly off center and favors to the left.
I initially drilled the holes wrong as I fell into the trap of centering the pin of the emblem instead of the center letter. When its over the point of the hood handle will line up centered with the S leaving a balanced three letters on either side.

[roy mawbey]

Justin that was interesting ! To have original items to campare against repro's is so useful. You could as you say if necessary perform work on the repro's to match the originals if you have them. But without them it would mean you would be scratching your head trying to understand why they don't fit. Sure if you don't have these original's I guess you have a basis to work with, but the people who make them should really just advise the differences so you can make your own discision if you want to alter them.

A lot to think about lining everything up toi look right.

Roy

[JTR70]

If I only had the repops I would just alter them until they fit Roy. Same process as getting all that new sheet metal to fit. Justin

[JTR70]

Prepping the nose for final installation:
Factory holes should be close enough and I thought I was going to go ahead and drill them out first
But on second thought I think its best to wait until the nose is welded and set into its final position to make sure I get these struts to exit at the holes center as closely as I can.
Began scuffing and cleaning this bulkhead in prep for some epoxy.
All the flash rust and scuffing complete and ready for a sealer coat.
Inner surface of the nose up next.

[JTR70]

New nose on for good.
Sealer coat
Thena quick top coat of black. Some of it up close to the jamb will not survive after the coming weld and torch heat but all I can do is try.
Cleaning up the underside of the jamb in prep for the final install.
Just have to drill out the plug weld holes now. Almost ready...
Plugs drilled, installed for the final time and begin plug welding from the center outward. The old girl finally has her new face.

Thanks for looking!

Justin

[JTR70]

Secondary catch:
To break up the monotony of plug welding, now was just a good a time as any to install the secondary catch. The center of this nose and its trough is now set so it could go back in.
The inner shoulder of the catch base had a big chunk of it cut off at some point. Easier to cut the remains off and add the entire flange back on new. This new ear will cut from the heavy flat stock pictured here.
This is all new and/or reset territory so the catch base had to be dialed to ensure the J-hook engaged fully under its edge.
Base tacked on for another test fit with new inner shoulder/ear also tacked on. The base mechanism's corner slips under this feature as sort of a secondary fail safe so I had to make sure I could get it in and out from underneath while in its best adjusted position to engage the J-hook. All set; time to glue it all in for the final time.
Secondary catch base dressed and all welded in. The entire run fused with gas welded to the upper edge of the trough as originally done.

[JTR70]

Hood latch base assembly now finally completed. After I took this shot I looked around the entire trunk and realized I had nothing more to add in here. I could hardly believe it but I finally crossed the finish line in here.
Moved onto finishing up the drain tube and the gas weld details in and around this latch base area.
Back to plug welding.
Went as far as I could go plug welding the nose in. Time to start hanging this left fender.
Dialing in the pinch flange using the original leading edge.

Thanks for looking!

Justin