1959 356A S/R coupe project chassis # 108625

[JTR70]

Conduit bender fab
Watched several videos on making your own tubing bender. Followed their lead and made my own shoe or profile die from a piece of pipe. Bent to a 90 that more closely matched my original reference examples.
Then it was onto build the base and fulcrum point. Other half of the pipe was used on the lever arm to pull and stretch the tube around the corner. All made from scrap and not pretty but it did the job.
The quicker and tighter 90 degree turn I was looking for.
Begin test fitments. A small silly detail but I was now feeling a lot better about moving forward with it.
Dialing the final stand-off length to match what was there originally.

Thanks for looking.

Justin

[JTR70]

Conduit tube in for good.
Last of the excess being cut clean and square with my trusty cutter.
Then flared the end as found originally. Tube now ready to go in for good.
Positioned to sit nearly square but with a slight upward angle to encourage any water that may find its way in there to drain into the battery box. Just making sure it doesn't pool and sit in the elbow. Both ends all welded up.
Every original undisturbed conduit I've seen received a two tack welds at the 3 and 9 o'clock position at the outer battery box wall.
Always shoot to replicate those original build details when possible.

Thanks for looking.

Justin

[JTR70]

Right fender brace installation complete.
Gas weld around the neck of the conduit sealing up the bucket. Leaving the plug welding around the headlight bucket for last in case there are any last minute adjustments that need to be made.
At the opposite end, the edges of the tube and flared hole in the box wall were fused around their edges as originally done.
Then it was onto the last two pieces of the puzzle. A full horn mock up would be needed to set and locate the base mount in its best position. The upper brace run was now a bit short with the new conduit. A small backfill extension in process of being added here. Dialing in the final needed length.
Upper brace lengthened and ready to go back on for good. Once this was tacked in the horn mock ups were next to set the base mount.

Right side fender brace completed. Horn mount set in its best position with gas welds replicated as my original reference shows. So much easier and cleaner to build this brace in the car to suit versus trying to wrestle a preassembled unit in to fit like it should. I missed a weld here BTW. The upper brace weld should be solid all the way around the conduit. I'll have to go back and weld up the center of it.

Thanks for looking.

Justin

[JTR70]

Last confirmation fit after all the welding. Horn clears the bucket and battery box.
Horn sits level...
and is centered in the window.
Then it was onto one more confirmation fit for seal clearance with the ring before plug welding.
Last little job on this side of the nose after the bucket plug welds was opening the holes for the turn signal.

Thanks for looking.

Justin