The Swiss Miss ('64 C #126687)

[roy mawbey]

David,

Thats some really nice work there. Really enjoyed that part of your restoration. Good photo's as well!!

Amazing how much better it looks now looking forward to seeing how it all goes in the future.

Roy

[DG58INNM]

Roy, thanks for the kind words.

Justin, the only Drauz car I ever had was 80351, and I didn't have it long. I've alos heard the claim that D'Ieteren cars were lower quality than Drauz (and the opposite too), but I don't buy it. My D'Ieteren car is nicely built from the sheet metal standpoint. There are considerably more spot welds, smaller in diameter, and closer together than the Reutter cars. There is a lot more hand work with finishing and gas welds on the ends of the panels too. And then there is the thick caulk on virtually every seam. Maybe that goopy caulk on every seam made new owners think they were built sloppy. Or maybe the lustre of the paint or upholstery or something was different. Or maybe its just a case of the Drauz guys saying D'Ieteren is inferior, and the D'Ieteren guys saying Drauz is inferior!

The Swiss Miss is not unusually rusty. Nothing out of the ordinary, and really somewhat better than most. I could have put the nose on, spent a weekend or two making a few patches, shot some undercoating and paint , and put her back on the road. As you well know, any car you start digging into and opening seams, you are going to find the orange menace. Better to take the time and do it right. Plenty of these guys with shiny "rust free" museum pieces would be freaking out if they knew how much rust is between the panels and under that pretty finish.

DG

[JTR70]

Ha-haaa! That is absolutely correct they ALL have rust in the pinch seams and thick scaley rust down in the bowls of the frame.(rear torsion tube junctions) I certainly am under no illusions my coupe still has rust in there being that I never opened it up; had no reason to since it was not rusted all the way through. Better to let that sleeping dog lay and concentrate on keeping future moisture from getting to it.
Interesting observation on the various coachwork's build quality. As I said it was only a rumor I once heard from someone but I thought you might have some first hand knowledge about it. Thanks! Justin

[kkinzli]

Great work as always David! Any pictures of the recent progress? Love the name of the car. Makes me think of a cold winter evening sitting around a fire enjoying a cup of hot chocolate

[DG58INNM]

Hi Kristoph,
I do have a bunch more pictures. I'll post them soon, but may not be for a few days, maybe next week. Being technologically challenged, it takes me a while to get them off the camera, downsize them, caption, etc. I'm not as fast as these other guys! Right side front closing panel (both) replacement was done weekend before last, and this past weekend I started the left side longitudinal.

Now, a question for viewers. Anybody have a few good photos of how the rear frame members and inner longitudinal intersect and are finished off? I'm interested in the bottom, the area that gets covered by the rear of the outer longitudinal. Phil? Tom? You guys are both seriously deep into your T6's, maybe you have some to share? This area is very different from my previous experience with the T2 and I'm not quite sure what it should look like.

Thanks,
DG

[Phil Planck]

Do you mean this area?




If so, I can add a bunch of pics showing how I did it.

Phil

[tperazzo]

Also happy to help, Is this shot what you need? Or do you need an angle taken from inside the car?

[DG58INNM]

Phil and Tom, Thanks for your replies. Yes, this is exactly the area I am interested in. Any additional photos would be a big help.

Specifically I am wondering how to finish off the bottom edge of this piece (the lower 1.5" of mine is just completely rusted away). Should there be a lip on the bottom? Possibly overlapping/welded to the ledge on the interior piece, which clearly has (had) the ledge for the floor to rest on?

DG

[Phil Planck]

DG
I did this repair a long time ago so memory a little foggy on sequence. If you have the exploded parts for that area that will help. You need a good lock pillar. I had to replace the lower section on mine. Not too hard to make yourself. Next I think the closing panel at the rear of the longitudinal goes on. Then another piece on top of that that I show below. My repro closing panels from Stoddard needed some "adjustments" to fit Foamcar. I may have more pictures, but this is a start.

[DG58INNM]

Thank you Phil. Those are very useful photos. I will be doing the rear closing panel soon I hope. My lockpost is quite good, just an inch or so at the bottom that is a little soft, well below the juction with the step-plate, and easily repaired. Interestingly, this car seems to have none of the quarter panel/lockpost seam issues that you recently dealt with. Famous last words maybe, but there is no perforation along the area on the exterior, and the inside all appears clean with good undercoating. Maybe I am lucky?

I'm still a little uncertain how that piece that the heat tube passes through should look at the bottom. This is the forward extension of the rear frame member, overlapping and spot welded to the inner longitudinal. There appears to be one less piece in here than my T2 had, and it all is shaped a little differently.

Thanks,
DG

[Phil Planck]

Maybe this will help. I made the repair piece as at the time none were available that I was aware of. I think they are now available.

[DG58INNM]

Phil,
Perfect! These are exactly the photos I needed to understand how it is all is supposed to be in this corner. And now I also understand the repair panels vendors sell for this area. I'd considered buying them, but really only need a small portion at the bottom of the outer frame member, and just to repair the "ledge/fin" on the inner. I will fabricate very close to the same piece as you did.
Much Thanks,
DG

[DG58INNM]

A little update. Have progressed with the right side closing panel area, and the left rear frame member repair. Thanks to Phil's photo I have a better understanding of how the frame member should be. Very interesting, and a little disheartening once I got in there. It didn't look so bad at first, but quite a bit of it was rotten. Someone long ago had brazed a couple small patches in the area, then had carefully sculpted the shape under the torsion bar bushings out of bondo! But it will be OK. Nothing that can't be fixed.


Here is the area, looking up from below.


And again. Some of this is bondo. Wound up cutting quite a bit away.


Repair piece fabricated, very similar to what Phil made for his car.


Fitting, not welded yet. Need to fabricate the inner piece next.

DG

[DG58INNM]

Took a break from the left side and jumped over to the right side closing panel. It also had old brazed patches. Total replacement was desirable. And the inner trunk wall corner needed repair too.



Ay yi yi! Why do these cars always have to be like this?


Closing panel removed, and then I went after the inner one. Oddly, behind the closing panels the metal is pretty good. Just a slight soft spot under the lower door hinge, but will require just a very small repair.


New inner closing panel being fabricated. Very easy panel to make. Template made from old, and only a very slight bend at the flange.


Outer closing panel being fitted. Lots of test/cut/fit stuff where it goes against the upper trunk wall. For some reason the vendors never have this area formed right. This is the third car I've done this on, and the third different supplier of closing panels, and all of them required the same fitting.


Here's the finished product. Screwed in place. Have some other repairs to make first, before I come back and weld. But its all in the right place and everything fits well.

DG

[roy mawbey]

David and Phil,

You both made some nice fabrication there, very nice jobs. In that area in the 70's I had some pin holes in the bottom of the flat area
below the heater pipe. The sides were okay so I cut out the rectangular rust area's on both sides and made some flat sections with two sides and gas welded thge sides to good metal. I remember using heavier gauge and I guess the original had the tongue running along the middle of the flat area.

Ever since because its flat on mine MOT testers always used the area to jack up the car. I guess no one will do that on yours!

Roy