Canuck 1960B T5 Coupe Resto

[Scott B]

[roy mawbey]

Welcome along Scott,your project sound interesting. As your VW friend told you best to take your time on each item and do the best job you can otherwise it will come back to you later and bite you!

I know from experience, if I had forty years ago, the chance to look at all these abcgt projects from the comfort of my office chair and see where not to make mistakes, it would have been for sure that much easier.

Its actually so interesting to see how everyone gets round fabrication and welding let alone the paint preparation. So much you need to know to get the job as good as you can accept.

Best of luck Scott

Roy

[DG58INNM]

Glad you have joined us over here Scott. I do check the R site occasionally, but don't often comment there now.
DG
(David Gensler, not secretive, just lazy)

[Jonesy_356]

G'day Scott,

good to see another BT5 on the site, and another 'first-full-resto' - although I see from the R site that you're well ahead of the game. Some photos over here wold be great - I always find the photos over there too small!

regards,

Jonesy

[JTR70]

Thanks for sharing your build here as well Scott! There are several guys here that can provide you detail answers that I unfortunately am going to be a bit limited on concerning B/C cars... but hell I'll learn right along with you. Thanks again! Justin

[Scott B]

Current focus is on repairing transmission cross-member frame section on passenger side. Large piece facing forward to the front of the car is now shaped and fitted. On the backside working on cardboard template to create joining piece. Thanks for photos in input on the transmission cross-member thread. Will move all work to this thread now.

[JTR70]

After a few generations of paper templates the final part needed eventually comes into clear focus. Keep up the great progress!
Justin

[John Pierce]

Scott,

I've been following your build over on the R. Welcome to ABCGT! You'll get lots of good advice and help here.

That area is not the easiest to repair, just because of the tight working quarters and curves. Your panel is looking great.

John

[Scott B]

John and Justin, already enjoying the interaction.

Okay, true confessions. The darn cardboard template came after two attempts at trying a quick shape in metal. Cardboard should have been the first step. Really thought this under-belly piece could be roughly formed in metal and then sneak up on it until it was right. Nope.

First piece - fold for seam was reversed.
Second piece was on track but was short by a few cm in length.

Third piece is on track based on the cardboard template. The final trim of the cardboard will soon be translated to the third metal piece.

This lesson has been learned many times over on this project - should have applied it to this piece this time. Your confidence in your skills can grow as you progress - but using the tested and tried approach of templates is not a shortcoming and can be a short-cut after all.

Its only a few scraps of metal wasted but its the time that is the hardest commodity to come by. But, any night in the shop with a friend and the car is time well spent regardless of outcomes

.

[John Pierce]

We've all done the same thing. But the practicing and frustration really hones your skills quickly!

[JTR70]

Oh yeah, You scribe in your bend line, clamp it, heel it over then come back to find it should have been bent the other way. Happens at least twice a year to me...maybe more.
When I really got into sheet metal repairs I too did not discipline myself into beginning with a paper template first. If I did, it was only a quick and very rough dimensional representation. Then it was right to metal..."I'll fix or correct it as I make the panel." It was always a real hit or miss proposition.(more miss than hit BTW) Like anything else, you eventually learn so now depending on how complicated the shape I need is I may do up to 3 or 4 generations of a single template each time cleaning up the lines and making it out of fewer pieces until I feel I can leap to metal with a fighting chance of accuracy. The tin work I'm doing on my motor now is a direct example this. A great thought out of Ron Fourniers metal shaping book that I really took to heart goes something like this: There is a direct correlation in a jobs final presentation and the fabricators willingness to throw it away and begin again. He expanded by saying some guys get too much time invested in a part or panel and the more they chase it the worse it gets but they aren't willing to let it die so the final result is always subpar than if they had just tried it again with a fresh piece of steel. I've been guilty of that on more than several occasions.
Justin

[neilb]

i agree with Justin! i have thrown away many panels i have made to make it better, then thrown that away to make it better...

the battery box rear wall i made 3 times, even though the others were fine, same with the petrol tank floor, and even the first r/h 1/4 panel i made has been made again! and for some reason i still don't use paper templates... lol

i can tell you, you will get better!

[Scott B]

LOL - ya, we all keep holding out thinking we can beat it into shape but its just lipstick on a pig. Never had any regrets throwing one out and starting again. Your mind knows early on to pitch it but something else kicks in telling you to try to make it work.

As John says - nothing like frustration, practice and some metal cuts and burns to sharpen the skills.

Good lesson here.

[Scott B]

A bit of an investigation suggests the shock absorber strut piece (proper name?) is not available to purchase - no one is making it. Is this correct?

This is a photo from someone else's project - mine is roached out. The mounting pin is fine and can be saved. Any suggestions on options or if I need to replicate what the best approach would be?

[roy mawbey]