59 RHD South African Queen

[JTR70]

Nice job prepping and jigging the body Drew! Rust and previous "repair damage" is always worse than initially expected isn't it, so glad I'm not alone.
Nice job so far as always; Great looking paper template too.
Justin

[Drew.s]

Thanks Roy and Justin
This thread is going to get messy as we uncover some very poor previous 'restorations'.

Here is the new rear central tunnel panel.



It looks like an easy panel to reproduce but you have to get the bending sequence right and I have had to make a press form to create the circular indentation, luckily I have a 30 tonne press that made light work of this detail.





Everything seems to fit so next up will be creating the angled side pieces to complete the tunnel.

I will be needing a large amount angled steel to replace the perimeter so I am about to fabricate a heavy duty sheet steel brake to make life easier.

Thanks for stopping by.
Drew

[John Pierce]

Drew,

That turned out real nice. Great job.

JP

[JTR70]

That did turn out nice! You'll have to into production Drew. Keep up the great work!

[Drew.s]

Hi Guys

Here is the latest on the central tunnel.
All welded up and painted ready to go back in.





Next up to get her into the rotisserie.



With the body mounted I can finally turn her over and start cutting out the rot and poor repairs in earnest.

Thanks for looking.
Drew

[roy mawbey]

Drew,

That central tunnel looks like factory fresh

Super!

Roy

[Drew.s]

Thanks Roy, I was quite surprised how it turned out.

With the car rotated I could start cutting out the layers of poor repairs.





As you can see there is fair amount of metal to cut out.



The rear torsion tube and heater tube area is shot with a bit of pipe just shoved in, this complex area can freek some people out but thankfully I have been here before.









I even found my original buck to make the oval stamping.
Now I need to order new metric thin wall tube in all the various sizes and get welding.



Right hand floor now removed next up, take out the heater tube.
Thanks for looking.
Drew

[roy mawbey]

Drew,

That torsion bar area would frighten nearly everyone, you are doing so well in your fabrication, really professional. People that have no experience of UK cars and the rust might be surprised that only few have actually survived, but its true, saw damage like this in 60's and of course walked away. Then, I would never have thought, anyone without a pot load of money could ever save them.

Like Justin though once you have been through the nightmare it possibly becomes more like just a bad dream?

Super dooper thread Drew, and good photos.

Roy

[JTR70]

Really nice hammer form Drew! I can appreciate the time that went into it. The final product should be nice.

Justin

[Drew.s]

Thanks guys.
I have a bit of a stupid question.
I am bending my own perimeter pieces having finished my heavy duty metal break.
But I need to confirm the measurement of the lower 90 degree return (the piece that gets spot welded to the floor). Ron Roland says 1 inch (25mm) but I seem to remember it being more like 20-22mm.
All help gladly received.

Here is the metal break.



My new tubing has turned up so it's out with the old heater tube.



Thanks for looking.
Drew

[John Pierce]

I used 20 mm for the perimeter flange. Your repair looks great

[JOP]

Hi Drew,
My 1965 is only 17 mm from Werk
I forgot to check the Speedster
Cheerio

[bbspdstr]

NOS panels suggest that outside measurement of bend is ~20mm and inside will be ~19mm. When re-creating these lands on repaired inner longitudinals, I go way out on a limb and make them about 3/4 of an inch, maybe a little more.

We can see that the floor perimeter was not a "hard" brake. One part I measured, the top photo, is a NOS inner longitudinal. I went to measure an original '59 but the floor was so rotten that it had been removed by cutting in the corner in question.

It should be obvious by now that Porsche's metal parts varied even within one model..... so the questions such as Steve's getting answers from the true experts like Ron Roland or examples such as JOP provides can be like an old Saturday Night Live skit where one person says of a faux product: "It's a dessert topping!" and the other person says "No, it's a floor wax!" and the moderator/demonstrator says in a smiling professional voice, "Well-l-l, you're BOTH right!!!!

-Bruce

[Drew.s]

Thank you Bruce
That was exactly what I was looking for.
I'm going with 22mm.
It's also encouraging to see that the original perimeter was not a hard break, my metal break has been set up to give a soft bend.

Thanks to all
Regards
Drew

[Drew.s]

I have harvested a floorpan from one of my other cars (it was simply screwed into the chassis) as you can see it's an early stamping without the toe board definition, it also has a 'B' rear with the wide central rib so that will need some addressing before it goes in.



I have had to fabricate a new hammer form to get the front toe bored area sorted.



You can see how little definition there was on this early stamping.



Using almost every clamp I posses the shape is slowly pulled in.



Tomorrow the BFH will come out and get the contours on this panel looking right.
Thanks for stopping by.
Drew