1959 356A S/R coupe project chassis # 108625

[roy mawbey]

Justin a very nice bit of work on the front ! That nose area is really good. So much time and and effort to make it look aas original.
Well done!

Roy

[JTR70]

Thanks Roy! No shortcuts on the effort to get it all to mesh and work together. Especially without the luxury of bolts and adjustment shims for this front end group.

[JTR70]

Flange work continued:
Steadily working a new leading edge in.
As I worked my down this was one of many test fits to make sure the fold was snuggly following the leading edge of the splash panel as closley as possible.
The leading edges ultimate placement in relation to the pans edge not only effects the door gap and clearance but also dictates the general angle or attitude of the fender. The previous mistake I made with the first attempt was allowing gravity to take over allowing more of a forward tilt. Front fender carrying on the line and angle that it originally had before I removed it.
Contour from fender to now still within range. While this is all going on I'm also keeping an eye on the general profile down the side of the fender. My biggest pet peeve is a front fender that has a crowned or flared profile shape. I like the rear to have a little but not the front as its so dominate anyway.
This flange is also locking in the vertical curvature so I had to make sure it wasn't curving the panel too much. The last upper bit of it is the trickiest which is why I put it in as a separate patch giving me much more control. BTW: the bottom cut carries on the line of the original fender to cowl weld joint. They made the break here as well. With this confirmation fit complete I could commit to rolling this edge over a little steeper so I can get the door on there next to it. But not pinched tight just yet.

[JTR70]

At a point where it was too risky to try and take the flange further over freestyle on my table. Best option to preserve the shape was to put a few set screws in it to lock in the position and heel it over the rest of the way using the pans leading edge as a bit of a hammer form. Also added some torch heat to make things go easier on everyone. By this time I had removed the upper repair section as it was too curved. I'll add and shape it in once I have the fender set.
First test fit with the door. I was able to get a really consistent 3+ mm gap most of the way but closes down towards the bottom. I'll correct that once the rocker fitment begins.
A very rudimentary fit against the door but its a start.
The fender sits very proud against the nose once back into its correct position.
But all is right again with a slight pull outward. I missed this one on the first try and allowed the front of the fender to relax downward into the wrong position against the nose. Prime example of how easy it is to wander off course if you're not watching it especially when your building free style.

Thanks for looking!

Justin

[roy mawbey]

Well done Justin its not easy at all but your experience is showing through ! My goodness there is a lot to know and understand on the way forward with these jobs. You have to do it to find out its the only way. I think many would take a long time to get the hang of it Justin.

Really interesting to watch !

Roy

[JTR70]

Thank you Roy! Its taken me a long time to figure it out and I still make mistakes. Any aspect of it can go sideways in a hurry if you're not watching it.

Thanks again. Justin

[JTR70]

Upper repair patch added back in.
Relaxed the arch in this patch to conform directly to the needed shape while mounted on the car.
Tacked all the way around locking the needed arched shape.
It was now safe to dismount and finish up the stitching directly on my table.
All stitched in with welds dressed and remounted for another test fit. Pilot hole drilled for the antenna.
Pilot hole slowly opened up to the original in the splash pan. Before I relaxed this patch there was almost a quarter inch of space between the skin and the flange. Very encouraging to see all three layers so closely sandwiched together.

[JTR70]

getting ready to make the final cut:
Basic 3mm lateral hood gap, my cut through the cowl aligned and back to width of a cutting disc with a tight flange fit against the leading edge of the splash pan: This fender is officially in its best final adjusted position.
Now ready to begin dialing my final cut line for a butt-weld between these two. This is the big one!
All the shapes and features to the inside are much more ridged and defined so the plan was to establish this area first
then chase any excess out over to this floppier more forgiving side.
Began set screwing the inside first . All excess being chased outward. I had dowl on a floor jack pushing and hold this nose up into the needed position as I drilled and installed the screws. Watching the angle of the headlight opening with my degree wheel as I went. More on this next.

Thanks for stopping by.

Justin

[JTR70]

Dialing in the final cut line.
Working my down the outside chasing the excess towards the bottom.
As each set screw was added I was shooting for the snuggest fit around the crown of the headlight opening as possible. While that was going on I was adjusting the fender inward to reduce any excessive crowned profile down the side over the wheel arch. Once the screw was added the fenders profile was pretty much locked in for the moment.
Double checking my best average 3mm gap down the length of the hood for any change as the fender was being joined to the nose.
By sessions end I had my best average fit and general fender contour down the side. Its a tricky one. I'm trying to get Trevor Marhsall's interpretation of the 356A nose to flow smoothly in with an original fender still suffering from some residual crash damage right where they meet. I can only dial in a general fitment for starters. Then its onto a process of improving and cleaning up the lines in stages. I decided to stop right here, sleep on it and see if I still liked it the next day before any cutting.
After a good nights rest I came back and found that I still liked it and would be hard pressed to make any improvement of consequence to the contour and fit at this point. Time for a leap of faith. I etched my final cut line and began trimming. Commitment time for sure!

Thanks for looking.

Justin

[JTR70]

Prepping for final installation:
First test fit after final trimming.
Good clearance with a nice tight joint for starters but once I begin tacking things will change slightly so I know some additional clearance grinding will be needed as it goes.
Cleaning and prepping all the inner and blind surfaces of rust.
Before the fender could go on I wanted to make sure there was a good coat of sealer and paint on all of the tucked away places.
In sealer here and ready for a top coat of black next.

[JTR70]

Left fender installed for good:
Both side of this blind corner.
Then onto a final coat of black. Fender now finally ready to go on for the last time.
Fender is now on for good. Once re-set screwed back into position I began clamping down the rear pinch seam.

Once the back edge was clamped down tight I moved to the front joint. Welded up the small run adjacent to the jamb but the rest will be only small tack welds for any needed changes as problems crop up. They will of course make themselves known as this progresses.
Tack welds slowly headed over top and down the side. Lots of checking and rechecking before a tack was added. A few times it had to be cut and readjusted. A bit of a slog but no alternative for dialing in a correct contoured fitment for such a complex shape.

Thanks for looking.

Justin

[roy mawbey]

Oh Justin you must be pleased with this work ! Fantastic actually and your clamping tools are fantastic too. It really makes me realise how lucky I am with my fenders in such good condition. In comparision to you my welding and leading jobs in the front were so small nearly 50 years ago but still worried me in getting it correct. Your effort and your work would have finished me off I think!

Its going to look so good Justin.

Well done indeed.

Roy

[JTR70]

Hi Roy, Thank you so much! I could have used two more of those long reach clamps while I was at it but I had to plow ahead with what I had. I always manage to squeak by somehow. This weld joint had pushed me to the edge alright. Thanks again! Justin

[JTR70]

Chasing that flap of loose skin down the side.
Contour shape carried off very closely between the two panels with only a mild low spot at the joint. Promising and a good jumping off point but I 'd be making another slight adjustment to the area a bit later on.
Too keep the overall shape of the fender from crowning excessively I found myself gathering more excess at the edges so slivers of metal had to be removed as each tack was added. At least it wasn't short, much easier and cleaner to remove rather than having to add back in.
Continued to watch the fenders overall profile shape as this went as the final tack weld has I direct effect on that too. Crown at the top of wheel arch was ok but now the last bit of the wired edge wanted to flare outward. Had to apply pressure to keep it level as I tacked. Could not just join the edges as the weld would lock in that unwanted attitude.
Same story at the corner, as I made my way down with all the needed adjustments slivers of excess had to be trimmed away. Again, better too much than not enough.

[JTR70]

Initial tacks complete:
Excess removed from and ready to tack weld this last section cautiously.
It took some doing but the joint was finally tacked down the entire run.
Again, this was just a jumping off point as there would be several adjustments and corrections to make.
I decided to leave this mid-point loose for now. Too much old damage interfering with the line I was trying to dial in at this stage.
Fender secured at both ends now. A ways yet to go but this was a nice place to be at the moment.

More shape adjustments and finalizing up next.

Thanks for looking.

Justin

[JTR70]

Added the last section of trough back in. A little recontouring and leading edge height adjustment needed to get it to flow into the original section. Lots of weld dressing yet to do.
After all of that a basic left side 3MM+ gap that I can work with. More weld dressing needed to clean up the gap and to sharpen the lines but its close. Aside from the gap the other critical issue is the transition from hood to fenders edge. Its following the hood pretty closely here but I still have to throw the seal into this equation very soon. It will change things a bit but just getting it close for starters.
The crown area of the joint is a little low where the two panels meet. Didn't want to hastily start hammering it up as the fender's shape is undamaged and original up here.
Contour down in the valley to the inside is good to go.
Everything between the blue lines needs some work and readjustment. This weld joint above headlight opening runs too flat in relation to the original shape of the fender so it will be partially recut to allow this crowned shape to grow.

[JTR70]

Refining the contour shape at the joint.
Weld joint at the top relief cut to allow the dome to grow slightly to better line up with shape of the fenders edge.
This inner valley matches up as best as I could hope for. Ready to go ahead and weld up the joint and backfill the first relief cut I had made earlier.
Inner profile all stitched up to the blue line.
cut the tacks on the other side of the line and made my corrections on the nose side of the joint. Stitched it right up the relief cut on the top. BTW hood gap clean up continues.

Got the Contour continuation across the panels I was hoping for on this side. Will only need some mild pick and filing to take it the rest of the way. Going to cut all the tack welds free on the other side of this relief cut to bring these two panels into closer alignment.

Thanks for looking!

Justin

[roy mawbey]

Super work Justin !

Roy

[JTR70]

Thanks Roy, Little by little...