57 356 A mild resto

[JTR70]

Morning Mark,
Thanks for posting an update. The battery box looks great, very nice job on that! Doing all the teadious stuff like engine sheet metal I see. I really should invest in a blasting cabnet. The flapper box would not be double springed like that. The second one without a proper mount tang is an owner add on. Thanks again! It is really looking nice! Justin

[merbesfield]

Morning Mark,
Thanks for posting an update. The battery box looks great, very nice job on that! Doing all the teadious stuff like engine sheet metal I see. I really should invest in a blasting cabnet. The flapper box would not be double springed like that. The second one without a proper mount tang is an owner add on. Thanks again! It is really looking nice! Justin

Thanks Justin, that's what I figured since it was keeping the trap door from closing all the way. Why would someone add that? Do you think the HE was not adjusted properly so they just put more spring to it rather than take the time to adjust it?

[roy mawbey]

Mark, that was likely the case. Or maybe the flapper box was a little bent and the flapper plate was obstructed? Sometimes the hand control in the car seems to turn so easily you wonder if it closing or opening.

Nice work on tne brace. Its surprising how much that item shows up if you glance in the wheel well.

Roy

[JTR70]

I would agree with Roy on that being the reason for the second spring. Justin

[merbesfield]

Now that you mention it, the flapper did bind due to some tweaked metal so you are probably dead on the they needed more pull to get the flap to move. Well it works great now after a good hour of metal working.

[merbesfield]

I spent last Saturday working on the exhaust cutout that a PO did. This cutout was done over 20 years ago. I am guessing that the same person that installed the 912 motor did the cutout to make room for the stock 912 exhaust. Probably did it at the same time he hacked the two rear corners of the engine bay to make room for the muffler. Somewhere along the way, he decided to change to a two out sport muffler, but never made the repairs. Just as well, it would have been hacked. It is interesting, at least to me that all the mods done to this car were done over 20 years ago. I know this to be true since the last owner, who was gracious enough to sell to me, bought the car exactly like it sat, 20 years ago. I have the original Atlanta Journal classified ad, which he circled and saved from when he first saw the car.
Anyhow, enough talk. Here are pics of the repair I did on the exhaust cut out. Next up, Beehive tail light restoration.

First step was to make a pattern and rough cut some metal.



I then took it to the English Wheel. I have a lot to learn about how this wheel works. Most important, keep your fingers out of the way. Learned that fast. This wheel is a real art. When you see guys use it, they make it look soooo easy. Not so. I got it to do what I wanted, but fortunately, my work was very simple. I have a long way to go before I will be knocking out fenders.



In this pic you can see the shape beginning to take shape. After the wheel, I used the sand bag. On and off the car a few hundred times and the shape was close.



After I got the shape close, I used some Dykem to mark out the edges in preparation for perfect fit.



Once I got the piece fitted, I then had to fold the edge over to match the original. I used some take to create the line I wanted and then hand worked it.

[merbesfield]

Next up was actually welding the piece in place. This of course had to be done slowly to minimize any potential for warping. As I weld, I grind some of the welds and hammer and dolly the spots to help relieve any tension. Sometimes it works. This piece had so much curve to it that it did not seem to move much during the process. You will also notice that the sides of the opening are a little uneven. For some reason, the side I was working on was smaller than the one on the right, so I actually opened the hole up to match the right side so I was not worried about the inside opening. I guess when these cars were hand built, no one went around with a scale and compared right to left. I also had to line up the body lines in the piece. Hard to do because the lines are very subtle. There was over a 1/4" of bondo on this area and I am not sure why, it is in very good shape. I have not even hand worked the car yet. I also finished the back side so the repair is almost invisible. With some seam sealer and undercoat you will never know. Thanks for watching.

[merbesfield]

I just realized I am coming up on one year from date of purchase and reflecting on the previous owners/caretakers. I had hoped to be on the road by now, but you know how it goes. Here is a picture of Don, the PO working on the car. I am sure he was full of emotions the day he decided to sell his baby. He had been caretaker for over 20 years. Thanks for trusting me Don.

[JTR70]

Really nice looking patch panels Mark! The contours look right. On the lower lip/flange did you have to use stretcher jaws or some heat to get the proper curvature? You have your own English wheel, NICE! That is something I have wanted for my shop. I have a shot bag and a couple of those teardrop mallets but have to go over to my buddies for the wheeling. Its really amazing you knock a rough lumpy shape in with the mallet and bag then the wheel magically levels it all out smooth and beautifully! I am sure the old owner is very excited to see his old car coming back to life with such quality and care being taken. Again, great work on those repair pieces! They look very hard to detect! I have no doubt your tail light hole repairs will be just as nice! I am glad to see that you also have the luxury of the original beehive mount holes as a guide. They are in very particular locations as the outer lights are positioned just a little upward from the inner units. The factory really got it right and if you don't place them exactly where they did it just looks odd! I am sure you have seen many examples. Anyway great job my friend! Looking forward to the tail lights. Justin

[roy mawbey]

Mark,

Nice job on that repair. I had to make a patch myself just back a bit from yours where the bumper irons go through. I established many years later the dirt and mess thrown up by the back wheels settles in that area causing rust. ( That is if you take the car out
on rainy days, which I avoid now.)

Roy

[merbesfield]

The E wheel is my buddy Scott's. He now has his 68 911 Hotrod at my shop so we have 3 P cars and one Land Cruiser to work on. No shortage of projects. No I don't own a stinker stretcher, wish I did. I have wanted one for years. As for the lip, I formed it by hand. It was not so tight that it req. SS. I have done them before, and had to cut wedges out and weld the piece back together, lot of work bc I did not have the right tools. One of the few I don't have. Some day. Yes I am very thankful that the Beehive holes are still in place. It will definitely make doing the repair that much easier. I am also fortunate to have been able to acquire a set of original BH lights thanks Justin and thanks for checking in.

[JTR70]

Lots of projects going on there! I'm glad the BH lights I sold you found such a good home! Looking forward to the repair. Thanks! Justin

[merbesfield]

I repaired DS BH tonight. PS is next. Will post pics soon. Going to have to figure out what I need to do to make the lights work soon.

[merbesfield]

Here are a couple pics from the BH repair. One thing that is odd, the two inboard holes for the lights are not in line with each other, top to bottom. The strange thing is I do not see any evidence of other holes or patches. These were the original holes that were hiding behind the tear drop lights. Maybe the large hole is off. I have not fine tuned the light holes. I just hogged them out real quick with my carbide tipped bit. I did not have the lights with me for test fitting. Any help or ideas would be appreciated. Justin, can you tell me the diameter of the holes? I obviously have a good bit of hand work and finishing to do to this area. This repair was actually more difficult than I expected due to the compound curves involved.

[JTR70]

Looks Great Mark! It all seems so familiar. You're exactly correct the outboard lights/holes are slightly kicked upward in realation to the inner tail lights. That is the subtle detail in the placement that the factory got right on. Also the very reason why most Beehive attempts without a guide look off or wierd.


Here is mine with the elevation clearly shown. Yours is right; no worries! As for the hole diameter go to the front of your car; the front turnsignal holes on a T1 will be exactly the same as the rears would be. Its going to be pretty tough to get perfectly round holes by filing. I tried it on my first attempt and was not happy at all; had to use a die-punch to get a clean job. You could make a template from your front holes and color the excess with a marker and rat tail file the colored area I suppose. Thats probably the way I would do it. I hope this helps! Great job on the patch! Great to see it going back to beehives!!! Justin