1959 356A S/R coupe project chassis # 108625

[JTR70]

Took a little break from filing and shaping lead and went back to stitching in this long weld joint.
Back to hood fitment with a small adjustment needed. I ended up turning the plunger in a little more for a tighter latched position to engage the rubber seal a little more. Once I reset that and opened up the leaded gap back to 3mm+ to accommodate this change I lost my matched contour elevation with the fender in through this area.
Same issue over on the right side though this side of the hoods leading edge needs a little tapping upward so not as bad as it appears here.
Wasn't sure how I was going to get this area back in line. First thought was to cut the vertical flange in through the high area there then tap down and reweld. Later figured the best approach was to heat the base of the vertical flange then tap the high spot downward. This did two things, it saved more cutting and rewelding ceremony and this approach tightened up the gap slightly as the flange was heated and heeled over. In process of that here and was working as planned.
Heated, carefully tapped then checked and rechecked with the edge of the latched hood (with seal) as it went. Much improved in this shot with just a little ways more to go.

Thanks for looking.

Justin

[JTR70]

Finishing up those lost lines.
High spot of this shoulder tapped back level and in contour with the hoods edge. Cleaned and ready for a finishing coat of solder.
Soldered up the side and file shaving and shaping for a 3mm+ gap.
Basic gap with some room left for further improvement. What's most important here; I've got a latched hood with seal creating a level transition from the edge of the hood onto the body.
Repeating the same process on the right side. Fender side tapped down and the edge of the hood tapped upward where needed to meet in the middle somewhere.
Once it was close then it was onto paddling on the lead solder. In process here.

Thanks for looking.

Justin

[JTR70]

Finishing up the correction around this right side turn.
After a few passes I had enough solder applied then it was back onto shape filing.
By sessions end I had a decent roughed in gap that I could work with and refine further. Most importantly those troublesome shoulders now flow off the edge of the hood. Latched with seal installed.
As the leadwork progressed I jumped to the back corner to continue stitching this cut line back together. I had to exercise extreme patience through here and hold the welding to only a quick tack weld as I jumped to the opposite side while the previous area cooled. I really wanted to just lay down a bead and get it done but I had to keep heat warpage to a minimum. I have access to the back to work and planish this joint which is why this line was chosen but its limited access so I couldn't get crazy.
It paid off in the end with minimal warpage across this joint. Repeating on the right side soon.
Ready to go back and finish up the bumper modifications and final fitment to the car.

Thanks for looking.

Justin

[Scott B]

Justin this coming along nicely. It’s tough pulling it all together. You are within striking distance. Is this a Trevor Hammerworks nose? I found the crown on the drivers fender by the headlight was high by about 3/8ths.

[JTR70]

Thanks a lot Scott! yes, it is a Trevor's nose and I am not surprised that there was a discrepancy or two when you began fitting yours. They are hand made so modifications to get them to fit right on a specific car is a given. I'd be more shocked if it slipped right into place out of the box....Something must be wrong here...

[roy mawbey]

Justin, some time since i posted a reply. Not intentional just occupied with some health issues which seem now to be working out okay so far. Your recent wok getting those gaps so nice to look at is amazing. So good to look at Justin. I did a fair amount of leading year years ago and I remember the fact I was so pleased with the results which have lasted over 45 years and never shrunk or moved. The results you are getting are really good and a good idea to have fitted the rubber hood seal and engaged the bonnet lock too.

Keep up this super work !

Roy

[JTR70]

Hey Roy, Really sorry to hear that. I hope you're on the mend and that the prognosis is good. I'll send you a PM. Yes the lead remains very stable over time doesn't it. I prefer using as the base then chasing out any remaining irregularities with a little plastic filler. Thanks once again Roy!

[JTR70]

Final front bumper work:
This hastily remounted bracket is just out of adjustment range of the slotted hole in the bumper iron with the bumper spaced and mounted where I need it. Cutting it free to move it over into range and reattach it cleanly.
Good thing I did this nut was being held on with only a portion of this tack weld securing it. Cleaning all the old welds next and hammering out some of the old residual damage.
As that went I also finished out the center joint weld, both sides. Prepping for a skim coat of lead solder next.
Solder applied and ready for file shaping.
Filed down into basic shape. There remains some low spots and irregularities but I'll take it the rest of the way with a little plastic filler.
Thanks for looking.
Justin

[JTR70]

Bumper work continued:
Moved out to both corners and soldered up the remaining weld scars and irregularities from the previous hole readjustment.
Bumper remounted and almost in its best position here as the right side needs to come up a touch. Its remounted to locate the final needed position of the bumper mount I just removed.
With each repeated install the bumper falls into the needed position a little easier.
Closing in on my best average reveal width between the body and bumper.
With the bumper set I can now I can dial in this inner mount bracket to center in the slotted hole of the bumper iron. It may not be needed but it just gives us more future adjustment options.

Thanks for looking.

Justin

[JTR70]

Put in a proper capture nut this time around but first a quick bath in acid to get take care of this residual rust.
Repositioning so it ends up at center of the slotted hole in the iron.
Installed and plug welded from the outside this time for a more original looking attachment.
Had to disturb a little of the previous bodywork performed by someone else but no choice.
Bumper reassembled and mocked up one more time to confirm the fitment. Thankfully its improving with each try.

Thanks for looking.

Justin

[JTR70]

Ready to punch the final holes for the strut tubes.
Some additional fine adjustments as this continues but the bumper is 95% fitted to this cars new nose. I'm confident enough to commit to the final diameter and placement of the strut tubes holes. I kept these pilot holes small for final hole size offset options to keep the tubes exiting out at center as closely as possible as fitting and adjustment went.
The knockout punch die I have on hand is a couple thousands smaller than the original but the rubber seal should squeeze in there with no problem.
Ready to begin cutting. The drawing bolt was too long and the chassis was interfering with it. Fortunately my smaller punch collar stood in as a nice spacer and used up the excess length that was causing the issue. Its always something...
Holes punched and bumper remounted once again. Tubes at least for now are at near center. By the way these end up mounting at two different angles, downward and inward as they go through the holes so anything near center of the hole is a win.
Again, there is still some fine adjustment to come but the tubes are exiting out of the holes as close to center as I could hope for. At least they are at this point. Note the fender brace runners in shadow in the horn grill openings both running as symmetrical side to side as closely as possible. This was not by accident a lot of obsessing and planning as this whole front end has gone back together.

Thanks for looking.

Justin