1959 356A S/R coupe project chassis # 108625

[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

[JTR70]

Secondary catch:
To break up the monotony of plug welding, now was just a good a time as any to install the secondary catch. The center of this nose and its trough is now set so it could go back in.
The inner shoulder of the catch base had a big chunk of it cut off at some point. Easier to cut the remains off and add the entire flange back on new. This new ear will cut from the heavy flat stock pictured here.
This is all new and/or reset territory so the catch base had to be dialed to ensure the J-hook engaged fully under its edge.
Base tacked on for another test fit with new inner shoulder/ear also tacked on. The base mechanism's corner slips under this feature as sort of a secondary fail safe so I had to make sure I could get it in and out from underneath while in its best adjusted position to engage the J-hook. All set; time to glue it all in for the final time.
Secondary catch base dressed and all welded in. The entire run fused with gas welded to the upper edge of the trough as originally done.

[JTR70]

New nose on for good.
Sealer coat
Thena quick top coat of black. Some of it up close to the jamb will not survive after the coming weld and torch heat but all I can do is try.
Cleaning up the underside of the jamb in prep for the final install.
Just have to drill out the plug weld holes now. Almost ready...
Plugs drilled, installed for the final time and begin plug welding from the center outward. The old girl finally has her new face.

Thanks for looking!

Justin

[JTR70]

Prepping the nose for final installation:
Factory holes should be close enough and I thought I was going to go ahead and drill them out first
But on second thought I think its best to wait until the nose is welded and set into its final position to make sure I get these struts to exit at the holes center as closely as I can.
Began scuffing and cleaning this bulkhead in prep for some epoxy.
All the flash rust and scuffing complete and ready for a sealer coat.
Inner surface of the nose up next.

[JTR70]

If I only had the repops I would just alter them until they fit Roy. Same process as getting all that new sheet metal to fit. Justin

[roy mawbey]

Justin that was interesting ! To have original items to campare against repro's is so useful. You could as you say if necessary perform work on the repro's to match the originals if you have them. But without them it would mean you would be scratching your head trying to understand why they don't fit. Sure if you don't have these original's I guess you have a basis to work with, but the people who make them should really just advise the differences so you can make your own discision if you want to alter them.

A lot to think about lining everything up toi look right.

Roy

[JTR70]

One clearance confirmation I did want to make before the nose went on was that there would be ample room to allow for the ultimate pitch angle of the struts with the upper corners of the chassis. All good.
Basic mock up with the frame complete. Now to see what it looks like with the nose.
After some minor tweaks it was lining up pretty well. I added the emblem to further confirm the fitment and alignment. Its a touch low on the right side but its the first try and things will change slightly as the nose and fenders fitments continue and most certainly once the welding begins.
I got out my previous issue of the registry with a '59 Cab with the high bar for further comparison. I don't know the restoration history of this car and the nose may even be all original but I noticed that emblem is slightly off center and favors to the left.
I initially drilled the holes wrong as I fell into the trap of centering the pin of the emblem instead of the center letter. When its over the point of the hood handle will line up centered with the S leaving a balanced three letters on either side.

[JTR70]

Mocking up the struts:
Started with the repros and right off the bat I was running into fitment issues. The holes need to be elongated for adjustment purposes.
And the shoulder of the tube was interfering with its reach for a flush fit against the box.
Immediately moved over to the originals. Had the repros been all I had I would of course would have to make them work but fortunately I had an option.
A great relief to find them fitting and clearing with no issues.
Especially on this side as the only thing original left over here is the bumper iron mount.

[JTR70]

Initial front bumper mock up on the chassis:
Prepping to mount the front bumper irons. This is an original so the mounts are a little bent with old weld repairs etc. Just seeing how it fits for now to determine if these need any rework. Threads needed Chasing though.
Mounted for the first time. I was only interested in seeing how well it mounted to the chassis at this point. Bumper sat surprisingly level with its new irons right out of the gate. I may not have to fuss with the inner attachment mounts too much if at all. We'll see.
I was supplied with two pair of struts. The silver pair are the originals and the grey the repop. A note highlighting how much shorter a low overrider strut would be.
Notable differences between OG and the repro where on the battery box end. No available adjustment on the new one.
Mounting side on the repro still had a shoulder where the original has a flat unobstructed profile for the battery box wall. I tried fitting the repops first and these two details wreaked havoc. No way they'd fit without modifications to match the originals.
More on this fitment mock up next.
Thanks for looking!

Justin

[JTR70]

Getting ready for front end group commitment time.
I've teed up both front fenders about as far as I dare go for now. Time to get the nose mounted and set into its final position so I can add adjust the fenders to flow off of it.
While prepping for the noses final installation I figured I'd better fit and mock up the front bumper assembly as part of the process. I punched the bumper bracket holes a while back but have not opened the holes for the overrider bar reinforcement struts. I have these original '59 high examples for reference but these are only going to be my general guide. The final hole position will be dictated by where the strut actually ends up with the bumper in its best adjusted position. I want the holes sitting at center with the struts as closely as I can get them.
Dug out the bumper assembly for this car next. The bumper assemblies for my T1 (Orange) where in front of them so I took this opportunity to take a few direct comparative shots of a High and low overrider assembly.
Guards are the same height . The '59 bar just used up the rest of the remaining space left for a mounting point.
Quick shot of the rears. No difference in bar height

[JTR70]

I know that machine is the future. I look forward to the day when I see that technology at Harbor Freight for under a grand.

[Jbrooks]

Some of those but welds would be invisible with this laser welder. I am starting to figure it out, it operates similar to MIG with way less heat, to heat effected zone. You can also use magnets to hold the material, with out effecting the weld. Spot weld are nothing more than setting the spot size and weld time, the pull the trigger. Cuts like butter, but does use allot of gas. (Nitrogen) The more we play with it the more I like it. FDA not so much.

[JTR70]

h Following the tack welds up with a the final seam stitch.
Another test fit after all the welding and hammering to make sure it will still contour snuggly against the splash pan's mating flange.
Trickiest shape is the last bit of the upper section that is both curved and convex. Final adjustments against the original to make sure it was heading in the right direction.


Ready to tack on this final section just at the center for now.

It was tacked on the rest of the way while the fender was mounted on the car to make sure it held the correct shape and contour before I locked it in with a tack weld. Would have been suicide to try and position it loose on my table as it would never have gone on there right.

[JTR70]

Correct Roy, the leading edge of the fender is heeled over the flange on the splash pan creating a pinch seam. Since the fender is loose I am finding it better to add that rolled edge in after the new extension of skin is welded on. Everything shifts and changes slightly with each test fit. Not a daft question old friend.