1959 356A S/R coupe project chassis # 108625

[JTR70]

Back edge of the fender:
Moved to the rear and heeled the leading edge of the fender over tightly to the splash pan. Door reinstalled for its first test fit against the new edge.
Very rough initial shape but its a starting point.
Then mocked up the rocker skin. Again very rough rudimental fit but I've got a good door gap to work with.
A ways yet to go but its improving with each pass. Little bites at a time.
Moving back up to the front to continue dialing this big joint.

Thanks for looking!

Justin

[JTR70]

Finishing the install the patch.
Move back over to the top and finished stitching in the correction patch. In process here of smoothing out the weld shoulder.
Patch weld seam fully dressed and smoothed out. Just need to finish stitching up the run at the hood gap.
But before I can do that I have to finish correcting and establishing the gap and height against the edge of the latched hood in through here.
Steadily getting the final fit and finish I'm after. Leaving this area again for now and heading back over the top and down the outside of that long weld joint.

Thanks for looking.

Justin

[JTR70]

Hi Roy, I hated to make those cuts but the nose side had to grow and the fender had to shrink. Once fully welded I'll pound them out together for the final shape. Thanks! Justin

[roy mawbey]

Justin those releif cuts again so important !! Its looking good.

Roy

[JTR70]

The excess 4mm tapered strip was trimmed out and the edges where retacked. Much closer to the overall shape and transition I was after. The other major improvement was that lip of this fenders' distance to the battery box wall was now within MM's of matching the left side.
Now that this area was settling in I moved back up to the relief cut area.
While the area on the nose side was still a bit flat and shallow this area on the fender side was too strong.
I try to avoid changing the shape original panels but at this point it going to have to be a little give and take to get these two to flow together smoothly. Marked out a relief cut on the fender side to allow this area to shrink a little to compensate for the softer nose profile.
A ways yet to go still but like the area below , it was all gradually improving.

[JTR70]

Thanks Dick! Agree, having a 356 that you're actually driving and enjoying is an enviable position. Looked through all of your shots and your car still looks amazing. Thanks for posting those. Justin

[JR]

Great work Justin.
I have been absent for a while. All I can say is I sure am glad that I have the Roadster done.
I posted a 'New Event' of our Richmond Porsche Meet that was held a week ago with some pictures.
Dick

[JTR70]

Initial tack most of the way down the outside.

The panel shape in through the side was already too strong and bulbous.

The tack welds just under the relief cuts were released so I could overlap the panels and draw in this profile.

While not 100% correct just yet it was all definitely headed in the right direction. A new cut line was etched on the nose side next.
The next cut line tapers but at its widest I'm removing a good 4 MM's. This is why I was not afraid to make the initial cut; I knew I was going to have remove a little more as the fitment progressed.

Thanks for looking!

Justin

[JTR70]

Thank you Roy! While I can't realistically show everything that goes into this I still shoot for a good sample of all the goings on during the process. In the beginning I would just shoot for close with a few tacks then weld it all up and try to correct any short comings after the fact. I've learned the hard way that the final product is much cleaner and nicer to tack weld in series and then reassess and make the needed changes as the panel shapes develop. Especially when you're trying to join reproduction parts with crash damaged originals without the advantage of a jig. I have to take in stages to have any real shot at it. Thanks again! Justin

[roy mawbey]

Justin now that was a great advance ! You make it look so easy which I know isn't the case. Since you started theis bodywork 'relief cuts' have opened my eyes to so much I did not know or understand till you had done it a few times. Now its something I will never forget I hope others that look on also begin to realise just how important they are !! I recon that body work is going to look fabulous in the end when you look back on what you have done.

Your accounts, photos and procedures are better than any book on bodywork repair I have ever read.

Super !

Roy

[JTR70]

Continued the same process down the rest of the way. Cut the tacks zipped the joint wider and raised both sides up to soften up the transition to the headlight opening.
This inner correction section was now finally ready to seam weld up. Moved onto tacking the crown of this joint . Everything was matching up pretty nicely as I made my way to the top.
A contour issue cropped up once I crested the top and was making my way down the side. A small section of the fenders' edge as it makes the final turn would not draw in to meet the edge of the new nose. The fender has not been damaged in this area so I interpreted it as mistake on the repop side.
This area had to grow to be able to reach the edge of the fender so two relief cuts were added to allow this to happen. Not perfect but it allowed the needed movement for an initial tack weld so I could move forward. BTW: notice how the top contour of the new nose runs a little flat and drops away from the fenders line a little too quickly. This will need some hammering and maybe a relief cut to correct that line. All part of the fitment and contour evolution.
Continued tack welding down this initial cut line. This was just some place to begin and like the adjustments made to that upper patch previously this major joint will have to be recut, trimmed, and retacked as its overall shape and contour is developed into a final form that I can live with.

Thanks for looking!

Justin

[JTR70]

Right fender mounted:
After a grocery list of prep work this right fender was finally remounted for the last time. The fender itself still need a lot of finishing work but it was about as far as I could take it loose off of the car.
A quick tack was added as a jumping off point but mainly to keep it from sagging and dropping out. This will be just the beginning of a long serious of tacks, readjustment and retacks as the final fitment and contour between these two panels develops.
Establishing the inside first then working my way over the top and then down the side. After the leading edges of the fender and nose were tacked in their best adjusted position through here the previously tack welded joint along the replacement section became too sharp and deep in relation to the newly attached fender.
Eventually all the tacks along this joint were cut and the joint was ground opened to allow both sides of these panels to come up slightly softening this radiused turn. This is exactly why I left this area only tack welded until the fender was on for good. I knew it wasn't going to be a match right out of the gate. I never get that lucky.
Eventually got the continuation profile shape off of the fender I was shooting for. This area is now ready for a final seam weld.

Thanks for looking!

Justin

[JTR70]

Prepping for final install.
Onto cleaning up the top of the splash pan
Once the last of the surface rust and tar was cleaned it was onto a good coat of epoxy.
And then the deep corner of the fenders underside.
Then a coat of black once the sealer cured and was scuffed.
With the deep blind surfaces cleaned and sealed its getting very close to final installation time for the right fender.

Thanks for looking!

Justin

[JTR70]

Final trim:
Much less stressful to commit to an initial cut line on this side. It has been consistently a half inch wider over here so as fitment progresses I only need it to come in tighter so no chance I'll come up short after this first cut.
Trim line etched and first trim in progress.
Getting very close to final installation. Decided now was the time to begin lifting out some of that old accident damage through the side of this fender. I thought this damage was part of the big front end collision but it seems its a separate accident. Something went down the side of it and remnants of the crease it made could still be detected.
Began shrinking and lifting out the big and obvious areas down the sides. Also planishing out the weld joint while I was at it.
Not finished working this surface but the basic profile shape was much improved. I'll chase it further once the edges of this fender are mounted and locked into their final positions. Onto more prep work for final installation next.

Thanks for looking.

Justin

[JTR70]

Promising start with back edge contour shape and fitment but I'll know more once this edge is actually heeled all the way over and pinched tight to the splash pan flange. By contrast the wired lipped edge on the other side is going to need a bit of reshaping for a seamless flow. It also may require a little alteration on the fender side. I'll be crossing that bridge here shortly.
But now, back to shaping this upper run of the flange.
A little torch heat to make life easier on everyone. Entire run now into a good basic 90 degree angle.
Fender dismounted once again so I could tighten up the flange shape a little further.
With the back edge of the fender all but set I could now move forward and dial in the final trim line for the nose. This up next.

Thanks for looking.

Justin