Chassis 85517 Number 17 356 Convertible D

[JTR70]

Corner work begins:
Easier and cleaner to cut the troubled areas out and begin again. Reseting the level of the skin here to reduce the amount of filler needed to carry on the line of the quarter panel.
The pinch seam was already split so I just finished it off. Will rebuild the reliefs of the upper jamb to suit.
As it progressed I settled on removing the rest of the trouble areas in one sweeping triangular replacement panel.
Now I've touched bottom.

Building the corner back up next start with that jamb relief section.

Thanks for looking!

Justin

[roy mawbey]

The only way Justin. I will be interested in seeing how you produce the repair patch.

Roy

[JTR70]

Thanks Roy! Coming up shortly...
Justin

[JTR70]

Upper jamb corner: Had to get the jamb substructure in much closer profile to the edge of the quarter panel to have any shot at reducing the needed filler in the end. I began relief cutting it but in the end it was simpler to remove and begin again.

Shrinking a new profile section to match the body profile. A ways yet to go here as the turn needs more tightening.

New section trimmed and tacked into position just shy of the body skin surface in compensation of the eventual skin thickness that will lay over top of this flange.

Also trimming back this flange for final gap clearance.

Dialed in as best as I can and ready to stitch it in the rest of the way. Note too that the rest the jamb flange below has been tucked back under tight and tacked in to keep it from slipping back out. Still have to stitch up that split along the leading edge. Always a ton of tiny jobs to do as it goes.
Adding the new repair patch on next.

thanks for looking!
Justin

[JTR70]

New upper Corner skin section.
New section just about ready. Top of the door has a very soft contour line which carries off of the quarter panel. Taking care to line all that up too as it goes.

Tacked in my best adjusted position.
Leading edge has been welded up and am taping back my best my best 3mm gap for grinding.

A slight oversight on my part. This corner was repaired previously and the inner flange down in the window channel was patched at the corner. While it was free the overall upper edge profile of the door was allowed to relax downward creating this saddled profile.

Didn't want to correct that profile in solder so I cut my tack welds and the end of the previously repaired flange. Once that was severed I had all sorts of adjustment options on that upper door contour. Prying it up into needed alignment here to carry the line smoothly onto the quarter panel.

[roy mawbey]

Hey Justin, no wonder I wondered, how you would get over this job. You do this so well! I think explaining this repair to the forum is also challenging. You also manage this so well. Its these small areas that must take the time to get over. No wonder the previous repair that you uncovered was not the best !

Roy

[JTR70]

Hey Roy, Thank you!! Just trying to figure out ways to get the filler as thin as I can in the spots I'm addressing. Also, glad to hear these entries are making sense along the way. Justin

[JTR70]

Upper corner repair complete:
New patch all stitched in and dressed.
Body line now carries on through the quarter panel and only a skim coat of solder required to finish it off.

Inner jamb section also now ready for a final coat of solder.

Corner now ready for some lead...
Area lead wiped and heated in solder paste.

[JTR70]

Body solder:
Jamb applied with tinning acid.

Adding and shaping the solder as best as I can.

Filed and finished solder. Small divots and imperfections remain but as before those will be smoothed over in putty and sealer. I still have the rest of this run to solder all the way to the bottom but I wanted to get the repair area coated first while I was at it on the skin side. What's most important to me is that the leading edge is steel and that it remains a believable thickness when ever the door is opened.

Applying the solder to the skin side now. Scariest part was not heating up the area too much as to ruin what I had just finished in the jamb but it also had to be hot enough to apply and smooth here BUT not too hot. A real balancing act...
Solder now filed down as far as I could chase it. Again remaining imperfections I'll chase out with putty.

[JTR70]

Back to closing panel edge thickness:
Earlier I went though the same exercise and obsession with the edge of the hood.
A lot of edge adjustments and other tweaking to get the skin surface even with the body when fully latched and seated
While at the same time ensuring the edge of the hood all the way around stays a believable thickness. Every time this car stops for gas or is at a show this detail will either shame or make someone proud. Same rule applies for me with all the closing panels.

Washing and prepping this newly soldered corner for its first coat of sealer. Promising transition to the quarter panel; won't need much more.
At this point I thought I was pretty much finished with my adjustment work on this left door and surrounding area. However, this chipping that was already happening with this forward detail feature was really concerning me. Its too narrow , tall and built up with filler (to get it body level) to ever be comfortably stable. I could already envision it in final paint and just crumbling (like its showing already) as the glass, seals and chrome where added in. I know this forward area has a lot of lead in it as well. Then there was my skim coat of putty to take it the rest of the way BUT just how much solder comprises this area. I'd be investing that next...

Thanks for stopping by!
Justin

[JTR70]

Investigating the filler thickness on the front upper corner of the left door:
I knew there was lead here but I wanted to know just how much solder comprised this feature and the area in general. I started with a rat tail file to see how far I could go before I hit steel. Much to my amazement quite a ways.
I figured I could rebuild this ridge in steel without too much trouble so I wire wheeled the inner shoulder down to get a better idea still of what was going on under here.

It was practically all solder with only a root of steel deep in it.
Not only was the build height an issue but the door gap itself was comprised of almost a quarter inch of solder as this shot highlights.
I wouldn't rebury it if it was my car so I was in contact with my buddy that evening with the same question: Fix or just refill? the standard response: Fix.

That coming up next.
Justin

[JTR70]

Initial planning phase:
I always suspected there was an excessive amount of solder in through here. This sculpted feature was always the give away.

My coupe doors by contrast lack that feature though there is plenty of solder through here.

Not even its mate shows that transitional issue..

My initial plan was to raise the angle of this slope which will close up that transition and eliminate A LOT of filler. The secondary "step down" area at the top of this slope immediately jumped out at John Chately as being too narrow. So by making this change I increase that area more to John's liking and again I eliminate the need for excessive filler. Another Win/Win.
I have plenty of clearance with the jamb to make this change. Actually it tapers away from the jamb as it goes up so again by steepening the angle it will more closely match the jamb. Everything now points to this being the right move.

[roy mawbey]

Oh Justin, of course its the right move but I have to smile at the way you treat these hidden from sight previous repairs. I appreciate now after so many years of your forum the fact that my car is still so original body work wise. These jobs you are doing at the moment will make you feel good when final paint comes along. Can you imagine though even five years ago finding these previous repairs and sorting them it seems so easily? Even the leading is a skill that takes time to perfect. Great photo's by the way!

Roy

[JTR70]

Thanks again Roy! You are very lucky indeed to have such an original unmolested example that's lead a pampered life. All due to your custodianship of course. As with other things in life ignorance can be blissful but once you begin removing fillers, seam sealer and rocker shootz you may not like what you find under it. I'm still waiting to be pleasantly surprised. LOL! Justin

[JTR70]

Headed down the next rabbit hole:
Wire wheeled the leading edge a little further. I knew there was a lot but it still can astonish just how much the body line was comprised of it once removed. The height discrepancy from door to cowl is really troubling and mind you this is after I raised the entire door several MM's as it sat too low when it arrived here.
Not only the height but the raw gap is huge. That cavernous hole is where that sculpted feature was.

This angle really puts the amount of solder use into perspective.
Began stripping back away from the edge to reveal another quick repair just at the window opening. I'm sure the chrome strip trapping moisture was the culprit.

While I'm here I made the decision to raise the surface of the skin as well the initial gap tightening. Just had to decide how far down the forward edge of the door I was going to go.

[JTR70]

I just can't rebury this in nearly a quarter inch of filler to bring it back to level with the fender again.

Chrome strip high lights how much filler is needed if left alone.

Outlining my initial cut to get rid of that previous repair.

Then I'll take the relief cut all the way down through here to bring the raw gap in closer to the width of a paint stick.(3mm) Now this door is original to the car and is still pretty much factory through here however the front fender and the closing panel it mounts to has all been changed. Way to much unecessary trouble to unwind all of that so this OG section is going to have to modified to fit closer with the new change. It of course should always be the other way around; New parts modified to work with factory parts but the die has been set so I'm playing the hand I'm dealt.
Cutting begins.

[roy mawbey]

Justin, my goodness what lead can hide. Best of luck with the cutting, and as you have said many times now it just has to be correct at these points. Getting the fixing of repro parts to existing body work is not always straight forward but whoever did that knew I think its not right. It makes me wonder about many restored 356 cars. Just not easy to see these errors just by eye.

Roy

[JTR70]

Hi Roy, Murphy's law runs particularly strong in these cars as you well know. Once I was down to my last relief cut the integrity of this door was badly compromised. Nothing you'd want to attempt fixing without it fully adjusted and mounted to the car. A hundred ways for it to go bad as rewelding progressed. Agree, fillers can hide all sorts of sin and there is a million ways for a body shop to cut corners and "bury the buckwheat" without the owner getting wise if ever; choose wisely...

[JTR70]

Relief cutting:
After the initial cut along the edge of the skin a bit of upward prying was already giving me what I was after.

As with the rear corner before once I severed the inner channel of the window opening I could pretty much set the skin height where I wanted it with relative ease. Also began pounding the vertical wall of the skin over closer to the cowl to tighten up that gap.

still a little low but the deck height is much improved.

Last of the needed relief cuts where in the upper jamb section. Pulling the sloped section forward to increase the angle as I described earlier in the planning phase. Roy, its here where the door really got flimsy and that I needed it mounted to the car to both keep me and this door on track.

New flanged corner section being developed. This will give me both the gap and deck height I'm looking for...in steel this time.

More later...
Justin