1959 356A S/R coupe project chassis # 108625

[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]

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

[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]

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

[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]

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]

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]

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]

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

[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]

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

[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]

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.

[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]

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