Coupe into Speedster Conversion

[Jbrooks]

Justin

To replace the mummy skin, I would recommend using AllMetal or Lab Metal filler. I used the All Metal on the wheel well patch on my 912. It's waterproof goes on like bondo but is much Stronger and will not let moisture get under it. I cleaned the pits with a #30 drill and 1/4" burr then a wire brush. The all metal went on easy like bondo, sands and finishes the same.

The Lab Metal is a single stage aluminum, it's thinned with MEK and Acetone single stage. High temp is good for 1000F. Sands polishes and is powder coat compatable.

I just tried the Lab Metal to fill some pits and dents on the cross member tube on the front pumper. It filled well sands and polishes. I filled a few hundred pits in th chrome by thinning it way down and dripping in into the pits. Filled a few dents and sanded it down smooth. Just powder coated it chrome, the cleared it. Process worked OK, not chrome but from 2 feet you can't tell. The chromer wanted 400.00 to recrome a 25mm tube between the bumper tips. Lab Metal was under 50.00.

[Jack Staggs]

Justin

Well done grinding the hood to reveal the "acne". It's a dream to think that you will not have to cut open the underside to deal with the full extent of the rust. I have learned that it is a fool's errand to poke randomly with a scribe to check for material thickness. You may be poking just 1 mm away from a problem area. If more than ONE rust hole is present, you can be sure fun surprises are in the future.
As far as mummy skin, I am referring to the beaten to death inner fender panel at the forward area of the pic. Certainly you will want to bring this in to compliance before welding everything together? It's possible that dimensions counld change after beating that poor sack of walnuts in to submission.

[merbesfield]

[quote="Jbrooks" post=36882]Justin

To replace the mummy skin, I would recommend using AllMetal or Lab Metal filler. I used the All Metal on the wheel well patch on my 912. It's waterproof goes on like bondo but is much Stronger and will not let moisture get under it. I cleaned the pits with a #30 drill and 1/4" burr then a wire brush. The all metal went on easy like bondo, sands and finishes the same.

The Lab Metal is a single state aluminum, it's thinned with MEK and Acetone single stage. High temp is good for 1000F. Sands polishes and is powder coat compatable.

I just tried the Lab Metal to fill some pits and dents on the cross member tube on the front pumper. It filled well sands and polishes. I filled a few hundred pits in th chrome by thinning it way down and dripping in into the pits. Filled a few dents and sanded it down smooth. Just powder coated it chrome, the cleared it. Process worked OK, not chrome but from 2 feet you can't tell. The chromer wanted 400.00 to recrome a 25mm tube between the bumper tips. Lab Metal was under 50.00.[/quote

I was always curious about what was used to fill pits prior to Powdercoating. Thanks for the tip.

[JTR70]

Thanks for the tip John, I'll check it out.

oh, I thought you meant the hood Jack. As far as that side wall and upper closing panel goes, they are wrinkly and scared but are both technically "straight" and where I need them to be to support the nose and fender. Any further work on them would be strictly cosmetic and would entail only some light planishing. That light detail work won't change anything once its all welded up. At this point my invested time on this project is reaching critical mass with the owner so its better spent finishing out the rest of this body. The cosmetic stuff I'll leave to the body shop. A skim coat of filler to soften the surface as well as a coat of rocker shootz will do wonders on those old closing panels. If its desired, personally I think the wrinkles help with the illusion of authenticity.

[roy mawbey]

Justin,

A few wrinkles are just fine, But.. As I get older the wrinkles on my car seem to be staying the same but those on my face......

Roy

[JTR70]

I hear you Roy, My cars appearance improves as I continue to deteriorate.

1/19/17

Initial excess metal trimming at the fenders to nose joint.

Getting a little more material out of the way for a closer and improved fit.

Inital cuts remain very conservative but allow for closer alignment.

Removing excess and the roughest sections from both the nose and fender side.

A scary commitment but I've still left myself a sold inch of overlap for future adjustments as it goes.

Repeat left side

This left side trough or spillway profile is a bit tighter than the other side and the corrosponding fender sections on both fenders.

You can see here how much deeper the nose profile is. I'll soften it later when the time comes to mate it to the fender but it will most likely be some give and take from both sides.

By comparison this right side profile is much softer and better aligns with its fenders contour. I want both sides to match as closely as possible so everything is telling me that the left side is too tight.

Panels staged once more after all the trimming to both sides of this joint.

Everything fitting just a little bit better than before.

Hood now has clearance to latch fully with fenders in position.

Thankfully all the pieces seem to be falling closer into place.

Fender openings set to center with chassis, close initial gaps with a latched hood and decent general body contour; I've gone as far as I can this time around. As things will certainly change once welding begins I came to the decision that it was time to start getting the nose "set in stone" then add the fenders in from there. Breaking all this down next to finish out the battery box and inner closing walls so this nose can go on for good. Tying up those loose ends next.
Thanks for looking!
Justin

[Jack Staggs]

Looks like a good time to use Phil's double tape measuring method.

[JTR70]

I just might give that trick a go when the time comes Jack.

1/20/17

Lower forword battery box closing wall loose ends.

Skins and upper closing wall removed(again) to address several PIA details down here that I could not get motivated to complete until absolutely necessary.

Install these harvested OG reinforcement corner plates for the USA version bumper bracket mounts as well as the actual welding details at the upper corners of this box.

Originally there is a small lap plate that helps tie these two panels together up here.

corner and lap plate installed.

Commitment time; trading screws for spot welds at the base of the latch mount.

Final lower closing wall chore to complete before moving onto the upper section are the jack perches. Harvesting the originals then some restraightening. As you can see they are all bent to shit.

Spot welded at the bottom and gas welded at the top.

The spacing and placement on that old original T2 wall has them right of center about 14 3/4 inches apart(sorry Per) with the right side perch mounted just before that embossment. Green tape represents position.

The remnants on my '56 T1 has the right perch seated into the embossement and them spaced away from each other about 15 inches even.


1957 T1 shows the right perch mounted down in the embossment too. Perhaps yet another subtle T1 to T2 chassis difference.

Harvested and straightening half way done.


To help with alignment when mounting the profiles where tweaked to match one another after the basic restraightening.

Perches mounted in the known T1 location that matches my referrence cars.

Cross bar seated to test for level and square; All good.


I have an actual jack but it wouldn't clear my makeshift holding strut there. Lower wall duties completed! Onto the upper wall, drain tube and latch base next.
Thanks for looking!
Justin

[John Pierce]

I love the details! Things are looking real nice.

[JTR70]

Thanks John!

1/21/17

Upper closing wall loose ends.

Original drain tube indexed and base welded as before.

Upper wall installed one last time as all the loose ends here are complete.

One more test against the nose just to make sure it all still lined up.

Begin clamping it all down tight for plug welding next.

I'll be tying the base to the as well so that locating strut can finally be removed.

Welding it up next.
Thanks for looking!
Justin

[JTR70]

1/22/17

Upper closing wall welded in.


Plug welded and dressed.

Twin gas weld tacks at each side were replicated as found originally.

Damaged side buttoned up alot cleaner than I was expecting. I had my doubts.


So glad that this wall is behind me!



Prepping the nose panel for final install next.
Thanks for looking!
Justin

[JTR70]

1/25/17

Prepping the nose panel for final install.

Drilled for plug welds and center trough heated then beat down to match-shape it against the latch base.

Both fit tightly and are ready to be seam welded.

Next was locating the cutting the holes in for the bumper brackets.


Cutting in square holes wasn't exactly straight forward as the apron is both curved and angled in relation to the chassis. By the time I had bracket mount opening drawn on the wall it was set just a little cock-eyed. I had it originally sighted more squared in but it more closely matched my original example to I went with it. "centering" the holes was another project. The bumper irons are sandwiched against the outer wall of the bracket so I had to set the holes center more to the outer edge of the bracket to account for this arrangement. The paint stick represents this configuration.

Done.

Much to my great relief the holes line up just about dead on with the brackets.

The true test was whether the pegs for my rotisserie mount were going to clear.

Fit just fine. I'll be able to remount the car back on the hoist here shortly which will make adding on the fenders a little more pleasant with the ability to roll it over again. This nose is just about ready and I should be welding on it before my next session is over.
Thanks for looking!
Justin

[bbspdstr]

Justin, (I say facetiously) you know that the build didn't take this long when first done.
Why are you bogging down on all these silly details?
How long can it take, how much can it cost to do such a complete job?

Sorry, but that's what I have been hearing for 45 years, no matter the model or year or value of any 356. The old saying appropriate in a retort to clients is: "Everyone wants to go to heaven, nobody wants to die."

Speaking of which, I got word yesterday that Billy Doyle died suddenly the night before. The 4 cam world is short yet another knowledgeable technician and really good guy. Sad that my son's wisdom, which he blurted out at age 10 (35 years ago) about his 99 year old great-grandmother, is so true: "Just when you know a lot about a lot, it's time to die."

Justin, your site here shows so much being done on old 356s with so much devotion, so much craft ...... sometimes even on just one car .... that I just have to smile. Those who have gone before can rest easy that their passions live on, that the cars they worked on more because they liked them, loved them, more than because it was 'just a job'..... is alive and well. After all, the design...while so simple...is immortal. The cars Dr. Porsche designed are proving to be more than just for his time.....they are being preserved to be around much longer than we will.

"Good work is it's own reward." I just got the rear cowl wood tack strip 'kit' from Ted Capps in Washington state. It is so freekin' good that it is a shame it has to be 80% covered in the body. Ted has never owned any Porsche, he just loves woodworking. His efforts are in cars in the Porsche museum. A great human being. He doesn't care about the money, he cares about the quality now. He is at the top of his craft at 79.

'Craft' is very close or equal to 'art.' Awareness of that is beginning to come around. 'Attention to detail' is now more expected than just accepted as a 'quirk.' 'Anal retentive' is just a joke now rather than an accusation of a personality defect.

Since the wood in a T-0 or T-1 early Cabriolet was built into the car while the body was being assembled, I am not just going to bend sheet metal and force Ted's wood work into the space. As the car is still in primer, I am going to cut what's needed for proper access and reweld that when finished, just to honor Ted's work. I have the full support of this Cab's owner for this and each little detail such as you document here on this site.

That makes it more fun even though it can't be ignored that it takes more time and time is money. Often, for a craftsman or artist, fun is as much a payment as money.

Thanks for your efforts on all fronts, Justin!

Bruce

[Phil Planck]

Well written Bruce, as usual. Most of us here are striving for this "corrrectness" and quality work. True, it takes a lot more time and research, but that is part of the joy.

Justin - the above was commitment, in more ways than one. Great work!

Phil

[JTR70]

I agree Phil, Bruce writes the best comentary and no truer words BTW. It is very comforting to know that my journey is a familiar one that a seasoned expert like Bruce can directly relate to. I take great relief in knowing that its not just happening to me because I'm doing something wrong or going way off the path just to arrive at the final destination.
I thank you very much for that confirmation Bruce! Love to see Ted's tack strip if you get a chance.

My thanks to you both!
Justin

1/27/17
More nose panel prep

Before mounting I wanted to get these soon to be deep surfaces behind a good coat of Epoxy.


This car needs to be media blasted one more time so its just a temporary coating at this point.

Some of it might survive


You might get okay coverage by blowing paint up here after the fact but nothing like spraying them before hand.

Okay, now I'm finally ready to begin welding this on. Of course with all the welding and heat the upper wall shifted ever so slightly and threw off my hood gaps.(looks worse here because its not latched) Only by a MM or two but enough to where I'll have to reset it from my original set screw position before all the welding. Its good that I was expecting it otherwise I really would have been pissed!
reseting and applying the first series of welds next.
Thanks for looking!
Justin