Coupe into Speedster Conversion

[JTR70]

Thanks again John! I know you can identify with all the time and effort that can be quickly eaten during the metal phase. I can't answer that because I never got a response back from the supplier. So I don't if this was a one time oversight or not? The Doc seems very happy with it though he wishes it could be done faster. Thanks again John! I hope you're staying warm up there; going to be 78 and sunny here all weekend. Justin

2/13/15

Left windshield post mount nearly complete.

template shaped and ready for steel

Some final heating and hammer for clearance on the flanges.

Basic shape cut and set from 16 gauge to give this mount just a little more muscle. Profile shaping next.

tack welded and profile shaped to the door skin

test fitment with the post.

Good for starters; tight gap with the chrome base profile while continuing the profile of the door. One nice benefit of the thicker metal is that it can be safely file shaped to get that last little bit with door with no need for filler.

Originals all had some lead here to get this line back.

Cowl will be trimmed back next to interlock with this section.

Finishing touches should be complete by tomorrow. Thanks for looking!
Justin

[John Pierce]

Justin,

I can now see how this area should be and it's coming together nicely. At one time I thought building a coupster would be a fun project for me to do once my rust bucket was finished. Now I'm not quite so sure after seeing all that you've had to do to make those panels fit. In addition, you really need to have an original on hand to build it correctly. It's fun to dream!

Great job and thanks for including us in the details.

JP

[bbspdstr]

Sorry to have needed to be away for a while, work called (rather loudly) but great detail work on that difficult area, Justin.

My mind is going double-time with all the nearly finished projects and overlapping new projects, so I cannot remember if I mentioned a recent interruption by an early Speedster being given to me for a "windshield installation" by another shop.

The older owner had done much of the work himself over the past however-many-years and what he did not do was done by another shop that had no clue, excuse me...NO FREEKIN' CLUE... about a 356!

Apparently, the windshield posts were "stuck" when the owner began to disassemble the Speedster and whoever got them free used a LOT of heat, so the owner admitted that all the lead ran off. They also dealt with rusted sheetmetal by using (excessive) force, so the boxed tubes you have illustrated were all 'vercockta'...but subsequently the car was slathered with lotsa 'mud' and painted (poorly) prior to refitting the windshield assembly....THEN it was handed to me.

Quick answer was to not damage the paint where seen but to remove the different length mounting tubes, as one was too short to use a bolt to secure the stem of the post.....and create heavier walled tubes of the needed length and somehow secure those where they had to be. Which was NOT were they were.

It came to me that it need not be welded, just 'secure' so I assembled the chrome cowl angle with the complete windshield, jigged and shimmed everything to the angle taken from other Speedsters at the shop or nearby with the bare top frame (another fiasco) and drilled discreet holes in the tube boxes. I had 'upset' the OD of the tubes, cris-crossing 'nicks' with a thin grinding disc, so structural adhesive was injected into the cavities, filling everything to the tubes, and allowed to cure.

That windshield ain't a-goin' nowhere other than lifting up when unbolted, it required no painting (other than a little touch-up when the owner gets more paint mixed, as he had no 'left-over' from the other shop) and that Mickey Mouse Method was right up his alley.....and the best part to HIM was that it was a relatively 'cheap' fix. If no one can tell, it falls into my favorite category- "If it looks good, it IS good."

The only alternative I could see required starting over and using all of the same techniques you have so well illustrated on this thread....and that, for the 80+ year old owner, was not an option. He is set on driving this Speedster when the weather gets better and before he's "too old."

Keep up the great work. I'll remain a fascinated student, always learning from others....and always hearing as a professional: "Why does it take so long and cost so much???

-Bruce

[Jack Staggs]

... always hearing as a professional: "Why does it take so long and cost so much???

-Bruce

The standard answer at our shop to this type of question is "If it was easy, girls would be doing it." If whining persists, they get "I don't have to feel sorry for someone that owns a 356!"
Jack

[JTR70]

Thank you very much Bruce!
Amazing story, so you essentially epoxied the windshield into position once it was all over. By the description there wasn't a whole lot of options available to you considering welding or excessive heat was off the table. I find Macgyver stories like this truly fascinating; love the problem solving aspect to achieve the desired result all the while working within specified limitations. Both you and Jack I'm sure, could fill an entire book on the subject. Thanks for sharing this one!

2/15/15
Left windshield post mount completed

Made the final push this afternoon and got this mount fully welded up top and bottom.

Flipped the chassis upside down and welded up the tube lead.

I washed out a little of the upper corner shape trying to flow the weld out just a little smoother over this upper area.

That leading corner was leaded in originally so I'll clean up the cup lines with a little solder when the time comes.

Door reinstalled to check for any changes from heat distortion while welding up the shoulder of the tube opening and joining the perimeter of this section to the A-pillar itself.

post also refitted. All good with minimal change. I am finally done building this mount.

Repeat on right side next.

Thanks for looking!
Justin

[bbspdstr]

Amazing story, so you essentially epoxied the windshield into position once it was all over. ........Justin

Justin, I filled the boxes like you made with the stuff that mixes Part A and Part B as they pass zig-zag through a nozzle of a special gun. The replacement tubes I made were scored so the epoxy could really grab, like the welding that was supposed to have been done when the area was repaired. You know, like what you are doing.

The fact that one receiving tube was too short and the other was just plain loose shows that the 'technicians' who prepped and painted that Speedster had no clue and/or didn't care about the assembly or authenticity factors for "the next guy." Lucky me.

The chromed base didn't fit the cowl well and to make the glass fit in the rubber completely, the old trick of building electrical tape up a shorter length on top of a longer length until a few m.m. makes a difference in the center...whereas a ram or jack up under the cowl before it's painted would be better. Duh.

I made sure all was marked and repeatable for the trimmer to cover the cowl, and even he had to do some filling prior as in front of the one vent, as the cowl dropped away and would have been seen even with the vent cover plate.

Justin, all of this makes what you are doing look so ...... uh ..... "professional."

Great work on your part, showing tremendous patience to get things just right. Actually, it's incredible that you are doing this detailed type of work on a conversion and not a 'real' Speedster. Soon you will be applying about 30kg of lead filler "just like the Factory did" when they began making Speedsters.....but your lead will be mostly on the floor due to your precision at the stage you picture now!

Wouldn't it be great to have a (thick) wire buck of a whole cowl and dash area of a Speedster to get all this right, right from the start? I'd make one for communal use if I ever see another Speedster with that area truly trustworthy as a model....in the meantime, they are truly "Remade by Hand."

-Bruce

[Phil Planck]

OMG, as the texters text. I cannot believe what it takes to do a Speedster. Way beyond the scope of my brain. Thanks for all the inputs Bruce, Jack & others. Fascinating journey. Great to watch and glad I am not doing it.

Phil

[JTR70]

Bruce, thank you for saying so I really appreciate that!

Okay, now I can visualize better what you were up against. As Phil just mentioned I'm glad it wasn't me that had to deal with that! If the owner was happy I'd call it a win, problem solved and a job well done... Thanks again!

Thanks Phil, you just have to have enough card paper on hand to make the templates.

2/16/15
templates for Right side post mount

Welded up a few more loose ends on this cup in prep for the closing panel.

Second template attempt all dialed in and ready to move onto steel tomorrow. Thanks for looking! Justin

[JTR70]

2/20/15

Right side windshield post mount just about complete.

new housing all welded up and dressed. Began peeling the top for cap template which was next.

Door installed to establish height, shape and contour of the cap. Had to peel and shape the housing more as the template progressed.

with the third and final template finished I was ready to move onto metal. Basic shape cut out here.

mount hole has drilled and elongated so final fitment and shaping could continue. Its synched down here with the post and is now ready for its first tack weld.

Will wrap up welding on this tomorrow which will officially complete the post mounts! Trickiest part of this conversion is nearing its end. Thanks for looking! Justin

[JTR70]

2/24/15
Windshield post mounts complete.

Welding in and around the pocket finished up this afternoon officially completing the post mount fabrication for this project.

Frame refitted to check for any post welding distortion from the heat.

Thankfully it slipped right into position.

Plenty stout to hold this unit firmly in position.

W/S frame fully synched down with the bolts and is rock-solidly attached to this chassis.

a quick look back...

Very relieved to have this phase of the conversion behind me.


Cowl installation coming up next. Thanks for looking! Justin

[JOP]

Heay Justin,
I think you nailed it
Really nice to see the outcome from all that "scrapmetal"
/ Per

[JTR70]

Thanks Per! Scrap-metal is a pretty good description!
Nice job on that comparison picture collage above! Justin

2/26/15

Final cowl fitment and trim before permanent installation.

One last full and bolted mock-up with the cowl, W/S frame and hood to establish the final trim lines and mounting position of the wiper assembly bracket.

Couldn't be happier with the W/S frame fitment as everything aligns and tucks in tight at the corners.

Everything synched nice and tight on the right side as well. It was scary, during the first few mock-ups I had almost quarter inch gaps in these areas at times. Such a relief to see it all drawn together as it should.

Last major cowl adjustment to get right is the continued contour line off the back of the hood. Have to make sure its pitch is set right almost like an aileron on a wing.

The bottle jack has been reinserted preloading the angle that I need.

The wiper bracket once welded is going to dictate that set angled pitch of the cowl once its all over. Should hopefully be taking this piece in for good tomorrow. Thanks for looking! Justin

[Don C]

Outstanding Justin!

[JTR70]

Thanks a lot Don!

2/27/15

prepping corner weld joints

A butt-weld didn't seem quite right going from that heavy stock I used in the corners to the 20 gauge the cowl is made from. I decided that a lap joint/step flange would be a much stronger and better supported junction between these wall thicknesses.

ground and filed the leading edge which will become the mating surface.

Took it down far enough as to allow the thickness of 20 gauge to lay flush with the rest of the corner for an eventual smooth transition once welded up.


cowl now trimmed back even with the step shoulder.

added a few holes for a little more weld contact.

Looking at from underneath I could also lay down a couple of beads to catch the bottom as well. Might be overkill,I'll see when I get there.

Before the session was out I finished up the right side. A little closer to getting this piece in for good. Thanks for looking! Justin

[merbesfield]

Justin, it looks really nice. It is always rewarding to do a little mini look back montage just to remind yourself how far you have come. Are you going to be able to turn over the keys to this one? It may be like having to let a kid go free from home. Thankfully, I'm not there yet.