58367 The $75 Junkyard Carrera coupe restoration

[JTR70]

Roy, thank you once again my friend! I am so glad to know that these updates are of some interest and/or use. I do get concerned at times that they might be too detailed or long winded but I don't want to sensor any of it. Not even my use of fillers or repair panels. I really wanted to create an accurate and complete picture of all the mistakes, frustrations, joy, blood, sweat, commitment, etc., etc. that us regular guys are faced with in bringing these old beaters back to life. My hope is that anyone familiar with this restoration will have a greater appreciation of what it took get this car into final form instead of just viewing as another "shiny old 356" at the show.

Thank you Phil! The lead of course was not as flawless as I'd like but chasing those imperfections creates more trouble than its worth.( I tried it) At least with my current skill level in working with it.
The plate trick could not be simpler, its just a scrap section of 20 gauge sheet metal that is positioned in the gap to create a form or a sort of damn to work the leading edge of the lead against. Nothing more than that.


Here is one from a few years back. Just a piece of metal to act as mold to cast a clean edge. Solder applied here; reheating and spreading was next.

Thanks again Roy and Phil!!

[Phil Planck]

Why does the solder not stick to the shield? No tinning?

Phil

[JTR70]

Sometimes the shield will stick to the solder but if you use a scrap section that has some flash rust or paint lock coating it usually slips right out. It has stuck on me at times but all you have to do is re-warm the plate a little and grab it with a pair of pliers.

[JTR70]

1/31/14

Welding on repair section almost complete.

Slowly but surely. I'd do about a 3-4 inch section per session. It would take me about an hour just to get that much done with all the steps involved to hold down the heat distortion.

As of this evening I had finally worked my way down to the last bottom 3-4 inches and will finish up the welding next time. Lots of filing picking and shrinking to come but at least the stitching is almost done.
Thanks for looking! Justin

[JTR70]

2/6/14
Welding and final metal finishing all but complete.

After several weeks I have just about gotten myself out of this hole I made. The new skin is fully welded and I just finished the basic metal finishing of the weld joint. I am fairly certain there maybe some slight high spots but I'll tend to those during the blocksand/bodywork phase.

Several solid 1 hours sessions spent shrink hammering and dollying this weld seam; bringing up the lows then shrink disc the highs. This was all followed up with a very conservative body filing stage to get at that last little bit.

Some very mild irregularities remain and I think I could chase them out the rest of the way with more body filing but I think Id rather keep the metal thickness. A good coat of primer will take care of most of it anyway. Besides either way I slice it realistically this whole fender will require a skim coat to be perfect so I'll quit while I'm ahead.

Really happy with the basic shape and contour of this new section as it relates to the door and the rest of the profile. I'll know more once I get it behind its first coat of primer and paint.

I'll be priming this area next. For peace of mind I went ahead and washed this newly leaded area for a third time with soapy water and a scotch-brite pad. Just a precaution against lead contamination and makes me feel extra sure before I primer this area.
Thanks for stopping by! Justin

[Phil Planck]

Justin
Well, you got a major issue behind you. Always a nice feeling when it comes out the way you want. Can't wait to see it in primer.

[JTR70]

2/8/14
Got it behind a good coat of primer last night Phil. It did feel really good getting back almost to the place of my original digression.

good heavy coat of DP40 last night.

Ghosts where I ended leading will be finished in putty along with the rest of my short comings.

The weld seam felt even better after just a straight coat of primer.

Back to bondo this afternoon. This skim coat immediately corrected those waves in the joint and I can already tell it won't take much to get it where I need it. Block sanding tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by! Justin

[Phil Planck]

Great gap and overall result. Whew, like watching a thriller movie to see how it comes out.

[JTR70]

Thanks a lot Phil! I am so hoping for a happy ending once this is over.

2/10/14

1st test coat

after several more swatches of filler and repeated block sands I applied another coat of primer.

Primer was quickly blocksanded as well in preparation of this new fenders first test coat.

Applied it last night. Some waves and slight irregularities of course remained but the overall shape and reflection was pretty good. I was much happier with the way the reflection carries over from the door. Much better than it was before my melt-down.

A lot of fine tuning and tweaking still to go but its taking shape.

another round of block sanding next. Thanks for looking! Justin

[tperazzo]

So smooth and sweet reflection. Nice work!

[merbesfield]

That looks beautiful to me. Don't let your OCD get the best of you, know when to stop .

[roy mawbey]

Justin,

Worth all your hard rectification work. Amazing result, bet you are happy for sure.

Roy

[Phil Planck]

Great outcome as usual. How do you handle small epoxy coating jobs? On you Speedster project you have coated some small areas. Seems like a lot of mixing and cleanup for the small amount you are applying. I ask because so far I have been mixing small batches and brushing or rolling it on.

Phil

[JTR70]

Thanks Tom! The photos don't tell the whole story I still have a lot fine tuning to do.

Great Advice Mark thank you! I do get obsessive with contour and reflection uniformity which is what got me into trouble with this area in the first place. The forward area on this new fender was a bit low compared to the other side so as you can just make out in this picture I had my bottle jack in there pushing it out just to get it closer. I spent yesterday chasing it but your words of wisdom went through my mind as I worked so I eventually decided to leave well enough alone. Like I said on Phil's post this area is tricky!
Thanks Roy! I am almost happy with it but more relieved that the welding is over.
Thanks again Phil! I normally mix a few ounces as I need it and shoot it through my gun. Some additional cleanup yes (some extra lacquer thinner to rinse the gun) but in return it saves me from wasting too much primer or paint.
Thanks again you guys!!
Justin

[Trevor]

Thanks Roy! I am almost happy with it but more relieved that the welding is over.

With the whole car? If so that is a HUGE milestone, congratulations!