Sheet Metal Mayhem

I had to take a few days off due to a nasty sheet metal cut.  It is healing nicely, so I'm back to the 'ol grind(er).

The driver's side is in much worse shape than the rest of the car.  The car was in a collision on this side, which destroyed the rear door pillar  (which was replaced - poorly) and bent other portions of the body, primarily the rear wheel well.  When the pillar was replaced, the remaining bent sections were not straightened or reattached to it, so


in wet weather, the wheel would throw water through the gap.  The gap drained directly into the rocker panel, which held the water like a bathtub.  This not only destroyed the rocker, but because the gap also allowed water penetration to the interior of the cabin, the floor boards were frequently wet, with the carpet retaining that moisture for long                                                                                                     periods of time.

It took a lot of measuring, straining and persuasion, but I finally got the wheel well back to something close to the correct shape and reattached it to the door pillar.  Note that the flange at far right that closes to the fiberglass body was trimmed back because it was not fitted properly.  I still need to recreate the proper flange shape.  The remaining rust-holed areas have been removed in preparation for the outer rocker panel replacement.

The front wheel well, has similarly been prepped.

A strip of floor board the entire length of the rocker panel had to be replaced , as well as a larger portion at the confluence of the floor panels at the center of the car.  The old rocker assembly has been completely  removed (inner and outer panels and both end caps).

I received the replacement rocker pieces yesterday (Thanks RG!) and have installed the inner half.  I still need to do a little more patchwork at the front wheel well before I can install the outer half and end caps.

Weld, Baby, Weld!

I finally made it to the metal shop on Monday.  As expected, once I had material in hand, I started to make quick progress.  Repairs to the passenger side wheel wells and fire wall have been completed, the rear passenger structural tube and passenger jack point restored, passenger floor pan reinforced, and the passenger door body mount re-fabricated.

(front wheel well:  prepped)

(front wheel well:  after)

(rear wheel well:  before)

(rear wheel well:  after)

(rear wheel well:  before)

(rear wheel well:  prepped)

(rear wheel well:  after)

(passenger body mount)

(old)     -     (new)

(rear structural tube:  prepped - All the junk on the floor was packed in the little structural channel above.  The only opening to the space was a 1" diameter knockout.  I removed all the loose rust from the cavity and applied rust killer before closing it in again.

(after:  patched hole is at top, repaired jack point on rocker panel at bottom.)

(interior firewall:  before)

(interior firewall:  after)

(If the after photos look upside-down, it's because they are.  I now have the car bottoms-up to work on the rocker panels and trunk floor.  However, I thought it would be easier to compare results if the photos were in a similar orientation.)

I have also repaired the driver side trunk floor at the tow hook.  The damage here seems more probably due to improper towing or jacking rather than the collision event that damaged the front and driver sides of the vehicle.

(tow point:  before)

(tow point:  after)

I'm definitely not the world's best welder, but I'm improving.

For those of you that keep asking "did you prime it yet?  It's going to start rusting right away!" - I'm starting to get some light rust again in places (particularly where I've touched the car or otherwise left body moisture behind) but I have planned all along to rust proof and use rust-proof paint anyway.  This light surface rust won't be a problem, and until the welding/grinding is completed, I would just burn the primer off anyway.  In any case, at this rate it will only be another week before the new paint starts to go on!

Next up:  the trunk floor and rocker panels!

A nip here, and a tuck there

So now that the rusty bits are out of the way, the chassis resembles clean metal panels in most places and swiss cheese in the majority of others.

Because no one likes a cheesy car, my next task is to repair and/or replace the parts that most resemble lace or an old log ravished by termites.

Simply because it is the more accessible side at the moment, I am working around the car, clockwise, starting at the front passenger wheel well.  Areas addressed so far include:

1. Rust damage at fire wall / rocker panel area - expected damage type and area
2. Stress Fracture at stiffener brace - evidence of frame stress
3. Stripped out / dented brace connection point - repair needed for proper re-attachment of brace
4. Bent / Warped vent flaps - due to buckling of front corner
5. Bent / warped tow point area - due in part to improper jacking, but it turns out the worst damage is due to this whole corner being pushed back approx. 1/2" (presumably in a past wreck - this would be consistent with damage to the driver side fiberglass, radiator damage, and stress fracture (#2 above)).
6. Bowed out / disconnected panel - also due to the pushed-in corner.

1.  Rusted metal removed and prepped for patch work

2.  Cracked area welded shut

3.  Brace mount area re-shaped.  (I still need to weld a flat washer over the hole to restore the structural capacity.)
4.  Vent fins straightened / repositioned
5.  Bottom corner brace beat back into place and sheet metal flattened.
6.  Repositioning of the corner corrected most of the bow in the side panel.  Panel tack welded back into place along the length of the panel.

What at first looked to be mostly cosmetic repair turned out to largely require structural repairs to the main front channel frame.  As seen below, the bottom right corner is particularly buggered, and required beating back into place.

This is what it looks like after a lot of straightening. Note that although the worst damage was on the passenger side, it was enough force to tear the channel on the driver side, requiring a welding repair.

Procrastination, Paint, and Bare Metal

Howdy Stranger!

I'd love to make all kinds of excuses for my apparent lack of progress such as:

• I was practicing for and performing in two productions of Handel's Messiah with my son.

• I had to host at Easter
• I was helping my Dad put a roof on his house

• I had to visit my Grandparents
• I had to do field research and ride in my cousin's Sonett
• I put a ceiling on my back deck so I can barbecue in the rain

• It's been rainy and humid
• I've got a new big project at the office
• I had a campout with our Cub Scout den

But I won't.

Because, the fact is I'm just plain lazy.

And it'd all just be excuses and procrastination anyway.

Instead I'll catch you up to what few things I have managed to get accomplished since the last posting.

I got a few parts cleaned, 

rust treated,

and painted.  (At least the base coat)

I tried my hand at bending and double-flaring gas and brake lines, and reassembled the horns.

And I got some of the paint off the chassis.  

(That's my good buddy J in the background - without whom I wouldn't have gotten the job done - If I look p.o.'d, it's because he made me work all day.  I thought we were just going to sit in the back yard and drink beers!)

So there you have it - Proof that I'm a slacker. . .

Days 67-77

The paint-prep work got off the ground - and quickly stalled for lack of resources.  I had only purchased a small portion of the de-greaser because it is expensive and I wanted to verify it did what it is advertised to do.  I was happy with the results, but there is a necessary lag in ordering more.

In any case, I did get one batch of parts cleaned and rust treated.  The rusty bits have turned a satisfying rich gloss black color.

Unfortunately, it has been too humid to actually apply the paint.  All my sources tell me you want the parts to be as dry as possible before painting, otherwise you trap humidity under the paint, which allows the rust (despite the treatment) to start multiplying again.

So - for those that are eagerly awaiting something new and shiny looking, here's an "Oooh, Ahhh!"  moment:  my new front brake rotors have arrived! - (all the way from Italy, I might add.)

In the interim, I used my new wire brush to prep a few more parts.  To prove that I haven't (completely) just been sitting on my duff for two weeks, here are some before-and-after shots of the Intake Manifold:

The engines in these cars are German Ford Industrial Engines - usually used for airport tugs and the like.  Can anyone read the German on this part?

And finally - I ran across this color chart in an online forum.

The original color of my car appears to have been "Sonett rot".  Quite appropriate in my way of thinking. . .

Days 67-74

It was cold here the past week!

For those that think Texas is always tropical, here is proof it does (occasionally) drop below 32*.  I snapped these one morning while waiting for my windshield to defrost.

It's been one of those one step forward - two step back type of weeks.  I have been expanding my circle of resources by participating in a web forum.  Through that activity, I was able to locate the tail end of the ignition thought lost in former posts.  On the other hand, I have been pricing having my rotors and drums turned, and everyone wants nearly the cost of new parts to turn the old ones!  At this juncture I am considering carefully hand sanding the drums to remove any surface rust and replacement of both of the rotors.  I need to buy one new one anyway, and that way I would have a matched set plus a spare.

I started to wire brush some loose body parts, but didn't get very far.  Time for a new wire brush!  This 3" brush is down to 2 1/4".

I began de-greasing parts this weekend - and quickly determined I'm going to need a lot more de-greaser!  The process is going well though, and I hope to start painting soon.  I plan to spend evenings this week applying the rust inhibitor, which is the last step before paint.

I am also rebuilding the horns.  This is what they looked like before I started on them.

Very few moving parts, but a challenge to figure out nonetheless.  The key is that the electromagnet attracts the bellows towards the back of the housing, thereby opening the switch contact and turning the magnet off.  This allows the bellows to spring back - repeating the cycle.  In other words, the horn's vibration is modulated by - itself.  Weird, but cool.