'63 356B T-6 Rebuild

[DG58INNM]

John,
What you have done is looking really great. Regarding your question, the outer rear frame member (the piece with the 4 threaded inserts) is approx 16 ga. (metric equivalent). The inner rear frame member is approx. 18 ga. Phil provided a couple of great photos of this area when I was fabricating a repair for the Swiss Miss.
Take care,
DG

[bbspdstr]

This is the inner boot from International Mercantile.


This is the inner boot from Stoddard.

I've been away, sorry. This is my first posting in a week but wanted to say that the original shift rod boot on the inner (tunnel) side looks more like the Stoddard version and the outer boot looks like the IM version. I bought a few of the Stoddard versions and think they look like CV joint boots but really only care if they fit. I'll be trial fitting any of those prior to assembly on both inner and outer.

Truthfully, most cars I see have only the outer boot and when fresh, are still a PITA to install.

Early shift rods are thinner than the later, so many parts look the same but have different dimensions, so be alert.

Nice collar! Be aware that the shifter universal must be as centered as possible when the trans goes back in, as some mounts can create a misalignment in that nice pass-through and a part of the shift universal can get caught, sometimes moving the clamping point so as to eliminate a gear or two from selection...IF too much wear is in one or more of that intersection and it can slip rather than just 'feel' like it's hitting. Some awareness of that need for centering allows that prying, correct shimming on the forward round mounts will generally get the job done if the cradle mounts are close to the original height.

Kudos. Nice work overall.

-Bruce

[John Pierce]

On to the big stuff that makes things look good real fast



This is the tunnel upon arrival Kind of scary.



There were 3 levels of patches: one right over the other with no regard to originality.....or rust.



A little grinding left the original metal, which is very thinned out and a bit swiss cheesy.


Rotten metal cut up to and overlapping the center reinforcement, which leaves a nice flange to weld to. I left the cross-members in place for now to support the inner tubing and to retain accurate placement.



Media blasting really improves the look. I used a nice piece of hard black walnut that was left over from a boat project. The grain is end-on so it doesn't bow. Indents were cut into either end mimicking the thickness of the floor flanges and pan to provide an accurate height for the tunnel flange.



The later 356 tunnels were stamped from one piece of metal and had several compound curves. The Stoddard repair panels come in useful once again.



The center cross-members were spot welded like original. I chose the center of the middle cross-member for the overlap as it provided a nice landing spot.


Looking much better. Now to the other side.

Thanks for looking.

[DG58INNM]

Another very nice repair John. Can't believe how fast you are progressing. You must be either retired, or have a very understanding wife!

DG

[John Pierce]

Hah! Kids are in high school and are busy with homework and friends. I do miss not hanging out with them as much though. We're off to Disney and Universal Studios today for Halloween. Should be fun. Time to get reconnected.

[JTR70]

WOW! You did a beautiful job on that tunnel flange John! This chassis has already come such a long way, Fantastic job!

[John Pierce]

Got some time to finish the left tunnel flange. Same process as the right, but this side was a bit more rusty.



The front and rear ends of the tunnel had to be removed due to very thin/holey metal.


The rear was flanged to give a larger welding surface as the tubes were left in the tunnel and I wouldn't be able to grind the welds down afterwards. I didn't want the welds to rub against any internals.



Spot welded in.



The front piece with a double curve and new front piece. I put a flange here also to protect the internals.



Complete and looking so much better.

[tperazzo]

Great repair John. Looking good.

[JTR70]

Looking great John! You're making me want a shrinker/stretcher more and more. Keep up the nice work! Justin

[John Pierce]

Duplicate

[John Pierce]

I'm getting the courage up to tackle the nose piece. Bruce's recent pictures have given me the impetus.



I reinstalled the hood to give the lay of the land. Just a few things missing here



I then marked where the weld seam is and the distance to the light bucket edge. As you can see, the rear arch will need some work in the future.

My plan is to first cut out the rain gutter and fit the front closing panel with some screws. Then cut the remainder of the original nose back to the weld line leaving 1-2 cm extra for wiggle room. The weld line is best seen from the inside.

I've read Ron's book several times, but I'd love any advice on how to proceed, especially from our resident experts. This is one part and section that I don't want to mess up. It would be quite an eyesore.



The Porsche Classic part has nice contours and is stamped as one piece



The appropriate parts come welded in.


John

[JTR70]

That's a pretty new piece of metal John! Like the progress photos Bruce just shared this fresh panel sure changes the outlook quickly. I'd say priority #1 is establishing a proper gap and body profile elevation with the closed and latched hood. I'd work backwards from there. I noticed in Bruce's photo that his panel needed some nip and tucking at the trough along the left side. You may find this necessary as well. I'm sure Bruce can advise better than I can though. This will be interesting to watch.
Justin

[John Pierce]

Time for an update. We're in the middle of a mid winter cold snap and my garage is a bit cold so it's been slow work.



The remaining nose piece was cut back to the original weld line. I first made sure that the replacement panel really did have enough overlap before cutting



The fender edge patches were spot welded on top of the original metal. When removed the edge rust and holes are obvious. It still amazes me that such a large patch was put in to repair a small area.



I made a cardboard template of the fender then cut it out in 20 gauge CRS. The fender is a compound curve front to back and top to bottom so the planishing air hammer came in handy.



The edge was turned with a hand brake then hammered around the inner fender edge wire, which really stiffens things up.



Some creative cutting to save the good original metal and cut out the bad.



A good fit.



Spot welded in. I'm going to try my hand at TIG'ing the panel in place as there is little to no gap. Lots of planishing to come.

Thanks for looking.

[roy mawbey]

John,

Well done indeed, just to attempt that wired edging is brave, but to get such a close fit before welding and the line of the fender correct really shows you know how to do it. Thata a great piece of work. I look forward to seeing tghe results of your TIG effort.

You know, as I have said many times to Justin, it all looks so easy on a series of photos with a few words. ( Not so in practice )

Roy

[John Pierce]

Roy, your words of encouragement are much appreciated! It keeps me going through the frustrations.



Left fender TIG'ed, planished and filed. It still needs some work to get flat, but it's looking much better.


I found something that really underscores that these cars are truly hand-made. The next step is to mock up the right fender, which needs the same repair. Why not use the same template from the left fender I thought? Makes sense. Only to discover that the two fenders have different wheel opening contours, where the right is more rounded. I verified this on a complete car built by the same karosserie (Karmann) and year (1963). Both sets of wheel arches are the same when the template of each car is compared. The left template fits both cars to a tee as does the right template.



Two templates compared. The right fender template is more rounded at the front.



Left fender from a 1963 Karmann coupe.



Right fender from a 1963 Karmann coupe.



Right fender from my 1963 Karmann coupe. I've got to cut out the brazed areas and non-original metal.

John