1959 356A S/R coupe project chassis # 108625

[JTR70]

Backfilled and fender remounted for another test fit. I thought I might have missed it in the final location of the new upper closing wall but the fender sits fine at both ends so the issue was just in the contoured shape of the flange, too flat.
Synched down tight against the flange all the way down while leaving the edge alignment with the hood I was after. Not perfect but well within striking distance. The last variable to add in is the hood seal but just shooting for close at the moment.
Leading edge of the fender now established. Next challenge will be getting old and new to flow into each other smoothly. The new section of trough runs a little too straight and will need a quick cut (blue line) so a sweep can be added.
Etched in the line where the fender tapers in too tight. Its now very short and just a wisp so I think I'll be able to tap it back but we'll see how that goes.
Fender set with the edge of the hood; now I can work outward from there.

Thanks for looking!

Justin

[JTR70]

Right substructure mounting flange readjustment
With the fender now gapped against the edge of the hood and sheet metal screwed down tight against the entire run of the upper closing wall's flange I had a contour issue with the middle portion of the fenders shoulder dropping out and away from the fenders edge.
Once the screws were removed in the center the shoulder would relax back up into alignment with the hoods' profile. The issue was closing panels flange profile shape as it was drawing the fender downward at the center.
I started out trying to rebend a higher and slightly more graceful arch through the middle of the mounting flange. I soon abandoned this approach as the flange would be way too narrow before I even got it close to the needed shape and height.
Only option was a relief cut. Fender remounted into the needed position and the loose section of flange was screwed and drawn upward where this portion needs to be. A couple of straps where tacked in to lock in this needed shape so the fender could be removed.
Here is the needed profile shape to get the fender and hood to contour uniformly. Back filling this run next.

Thanks for looking.

Justin

[JTR70]

Hi Roy, Thanks, those lateral gap issues are residual accident damage as the shape of the shoulders has been warped slightly. It could always be worse of course. We spoke about this a while back and I still would be hard pressed to estimate accurately how long a particular repair phase is going to take. Way too many variables. Production body shops might underestimate it to get the job but that's when the lead and bondo start to get abused to bring it in for the price. The nose of these cars are so beautiful because they are one piece but that feature is what also makes them so difficult to rebuild or repair correctly. Justin

[roy mawbey]

Justin that left fender and its gaps to the hood have really gone so well ! To see the right side and the similar work involved makes me fully realise the sort of costs involved in getting this sort of work attended to by a bodyshop. To see all this 356 bodywork documented in every stage with excellent photo coverage makes me assume ? this visual aid also must be carried out by specialists involved when they have the same nature of work to undertake? How 356 bodywork costs can be accurately costed and quoted for is beyond me Justin. Does it all come down to trust and constant advice to the customer?

That what looked like some slight frontal damage to me on this car, has involved much more work than I guess even you expected. You never know till the damage is uncovered and fully inspected the repair procedure to follow.

Roy

[JTR70]

Relocating the right fender.
Same deal, establish the gap first against the edge of the hood and work outward from there.
This missing panel will be added once the fender is reset. I thought about adding it now but that would only complicate the refitment. Much easier to add it back in afterward.
Begin the process of finding my best average 3mm+/- gap.
Started out on the tight side and was a series small adjustments to get the fender to come out a bit. I'm having the same issue as I had on the other side where the middle portion of the gap runs fine then begins to taper down closed towards the front.
Slowly getting the 3MM+ gap I need but have run into an elevation issue through the middle. The fenders edge sits too low against the hood making the gap appear wider than it really is; Especially at this angle. Onto correcting this issue next.

Thanks for looking!
Justin

[JTR70]

Left fender all but set:
Cowl fully tacked and the leading edge all stitched together.
Very rough and rudimentary lines and fitment but this is just a starting off point.
Most importantly I have 3MM+ gap I can work with and a workable shape down the side continuing into the door. A bit of welding yet to go as I have to finish plug welding the run inside the trough
and seam welding this outside run and then the cowl. But the fender is set at this point.
Leaving the rest of the welding duties on the left side for now and moving over to the right side now to get it caught up.

Thanks for looking.

Justin

[JTR70]

The very top of the fender now carries the line on into the new nose with no hammering needed so far. Fully tack welded and in its best and final adjusted position.
Welded up a little more just past the top of the crown including that top weld joint I had to relief cut. Lots fine finishing yet but its on its way.
The fender to nose joint is all but set at this point so I left of the rest of the seam welding down the side for later and moved to the back of the fender. Began by tacking the cowl back together first. That joint is just wider than the thickness of the cutting wheel so the fender is back almost where it was originally. I had to move it out ward a touch to get the hood gap I was looking for.
Then onto replacing a small section of the original pinch seam that trimmed off during removal. Have to address that fatigue crack to the right as well.
Ready to trim back the excess and then onto welding it in.

[JTR70]

Thanks Roy, Not perfect but minimal planishing to get it the rest of the way after welding. That slight shift made life easier on me and on the panels themselves. Had I left it, it would have required a lot of hammering to get that joint up and into alignment where its needed. A bit of work getting two wrongs to make a right. Justin

[roy mawbey]

That last section of work as you say really made a difference Justin the line of the fender looks perfect now. But what a job that was in total. Its super now !
Roy

[JTR70]

Joint readjustment:
Again the contour shape above this blue line was low and once I cut the top tacks free the fenders' surface just dropped out. The fender needs to be shifted upward slightly to allow these two surfaces to come into closer alignment. All the tack welds down this side would need to be cut free allowing this adjustment.
All the tacks cut with the fender reset into the needed position. Ready to begin tacking working from the top downward.
Here's the unforced contour shape over these two panels that I was shooting for. The blue line highlights how much it needed. Not much once you're down to splitting hairs but this little bit made a huge difference.
Eventually the rest of the joint was retacked.
Staying mindful of the overall fenders shape down the side as I went. Lots of welding and metal finishing to come but now its in its best mounted and joined position with the new nose. As closely as I could get it anyway.

Thanks for looking.

Justin

[JTR70]

Thanks Roy, Little by little...

[roy mawbey]

Super work Justin !

Roy

[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

[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]

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