Operation Integrity Options

[amfab]

OK, well I had to have a thread title. I am calling it that because it will restore structural integrity to the car and I want to be able to say that the rust has been correctly repaired if I eventually sell the car, unlike the lack of integrity of the person who hid the rust to sell it.

Pictures below

The floor is a little shiny because there is still some mineral spirits on it from trying to get the tar off.

The open areas that you are seeing are after I wire brushed with knotted wire wheels on a grinder, then a carbide burr on a die grinder. While I will take some more off, what you see is getting close to good weldable metal.

First the longs:

The driver’s side is the worst. The bottom edges inside and out were full of holes, or very thin, so I cut the outside of the driver’s all the way off—except I haven’t got to the front under the door pillar yet.

I have cut out about 30 percent of the passenger’s side. The middle section is solid but I will replace it anyway. I started getting a little scared to take more out until I brace up the body.

The floor pan:

There are lots of sloppy welded patches and holes around the seams. The rear passenger’s and rear drivers quarters of the floor pan have been replaced with some plain steel—blue for some reason. The PO welded a solid bar on each side to mount the seat hinges. Sloppy, unground welds abound. There are some rust-through spots at the front of the pan that will need patching, but overall the pan in front of the cross member is solid.

Some patches in the lower firewall are solid.

Measuring diagonally, window frame to targa bar and straight back window frame to targa bar it is off no more than 1/8 inch. This changes depending upon doors open or closed or movement of the jack stands. The door gaps were never problems—maybe the driver’s side was a little wide. So it seems the car is pretty within spec and adjustable doorframe bars should be able to pull—or push—things to be good

Here is where I need advice. This is my plan, please give feedback:

1) Pull Wiring harness, speedometer cable and gas lines out of the center tunnel (What else is in there?) pull gas tank.


2) Pull doors and build adjustable bars to align doorframes

3) Continue to grind back to clean metal in the inside of the longs. Sandblast, then create internal angled patch pieces to repair the inner longitudinals from 18ga cold rolled. I am using michelko’s example see:
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?s=&...st&p=219748

4) Cut off the majority of the inner rockers (The upper half or three quarters of the longs are very solid) and replace with inner rockers from Restoration Design.

5) Coat interiors of longs with Ospho then Eastwood frame coating

6) Patch any inner long parts to the area aft of the Restoration Design patch with 18ga cold rolled steel.

7) Install Brad Mayuer reinforcement kit over the longs

8) Cut rear floor quarters and cross member out

9) Weld in new rear floor panel and cross member, grinding out old welds and creating flanges from18ga where necessary—in the spots where there is no flange left in spots along the firewall and inner long

10) Remove and rebuild pedal cluster and create patches for small rust spots in the front of the footwells.

11) Sandblast interior and prime and paint.

12) Cut holes for front sway bar, sand blast and prime and paint bottom of gas tank area.

13) Install gas tank, new stainless gas lines and reinstall wiring harness.

Please give any feedback regarding my plan

[Montreal914]

To give you an idea, the holes for the plug welds on the inner reinforcement kit from maddog are 3" apart length wise and 1 1/2" height wise.
I think they are 5/16" diameter (or 3/8").
Keep up the good work (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smash.gif)

[amfab]

To give you an idea, the holes for the plug welds on the inner reinforcement kit from maddog are 3" apart length wise and 1 1/2" height wise.
I think they are 5/16" diameter (or 3/8").
Keep up the good work (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smash.gif)

Thanks Eric, obviously this has turned into a much bigger project since we spoke.

Last night as I am grinding the last of the rusted area away at the back of the long, I made a hole big enough to shine a light into the space behind the firewall. There is a bunch of sand in there from sandblasting, so I blow it out.

Once cleaned out, I can see into the back, behind the passenger compartment firewall—behind the patches the PO made. It appears that he didn't even bother to cleanup the rusted area at the bottom of the firewall, he just lap-welded a patch over it.

You can't see it from the passenger's compartment, but i just can't leave it. Since there are a couple other small places I was going to patch in the firewall, I just said "screw it" and ordered a replacement lower half of the firewall.

I figure a fresh firewall bottom will make it easier to attach the floor pan as well.

I just really, really need these discoveries to end. They are so demoralizing

-Andrew

[BeatNavy]

I just said "screw it" and ordered a replacement lower half of the firewall.

I figure a fresh firewall bottom will make it easier to attach the floor pan as well.

I can't tell by your description - are you doing the inner or outer firewall? Getting the outer firewall fitted and on is particularly tricky with all the tubes you have to route. That's a whole 'nother can o' worms.

I just really, really need these discoveries to end. They are so demoralizing

I know the feeling, but you seem to be making rapid progress. It'll feel good when all is said and done.

[amfab]

I can't tell by your description - are you doing the inner or outer firewall?

Its the bottom of the inner firewall. There was rust and the PO patched it at the bottom. It is strong, but once i got a look behind it, I saw that they just welded over the rusted edge. I could just leave it, but I think I should just replace the lower firewall. That way I can get rid of the crud in the space and make certain there are not any holes or metal that needs treatment in that space. I can brush and treat any rust i find, prime it, and then feel good about sealing it back up. It will also give me a fresh tab to attach the floor pan—rather than reattaching that hack-ey patch to the fresh floor pan.

Thanks for the encouragement, laying on the cold garage floor after working on it all weekend and discovering this was no fun.

-Andrew