Peter's Progress Options

[1970 Neun vierzehn]

Hooray, another one being saved (IMG:style_emoticons/default/clap56.gif)

You know, of course, there will be lots of this (IMG:style_emoticons/default/popcorn[1].gif) going on now.

Keep the faith and the pics coming.

Paul

[pjf]

Here's a shot that gives you an idea of how much I had to cut away to get to good metal on the right side long. The jackpost area is gone as well as part of the inner wheelhouse to its left. A good part of the bottom edge was shot as well. Under the oval cutout on the right you can see that the bottom edge is OK but its the inside wall under the oval cutout that has to be replaced. In the picture is a patch piece I welded in but it distorted the bottom edge and I wasn't happy with the way it came out. I ended up cutting off all off the bottom edge that wasn't attached to original inner wall metal.

[pjf]

[pjf]

Now what? When I looked at the cost of the inner long piece plus the outer wheelhouse piece I thought they're had to be another way. I didn't need as much metal as both these pieces provided and I wanted all the reinforcing layers of the original. What I really wanted was a rust-free roller from CA but then I thought why not get just the metal from a CA car that I needed? I hadn't seen this done anywhere but I thought if I could graft in the metal from a good long into my crappy one that might work. Just to be sure I'd get an outer long reinforcement overlay from RD and a long stiff kit from Engman. These pieces would essentially sleeve the transplanted piece (and supply the extra stiffness I wanted anyway). Now where to get the piece? This is where Hellsbend came in. I was getting a sail panel replacement piece from him and I asked and he was willing to cut and send me the long piece I needed from a 914 he was cutting up. I'd like to stop and thank Hellsbend here. The piece he sent me really fit in well and for my money made a good repair. THANKS! I literally couldn't have done this without you. The following is the piece he sent me with some cuts I made to get it ready.

[pjf]

[pjf]

The tricky part of this was cutting the car and Hellbend's piece to match eachother. I used the oval cutout on the inner wall as a reference point and made measurements on the car that I then transferred to the graft piece.

[pjf]

[pjf]

This worked for the right part but for the left inner wheelhouse part I reversed thiings and first traced the outline on the graft piece as you can see here.

[pjf]

[pjf]

I next transferred the pattern piece to the car and made the cuts.

[pjf]

[pjf]

[pjf]

[pjf]

[pjf]

[pjf]

The welds were then completed and the reinforcing plate for the jackpost put in. The hole in the wheehouse (as well as others) were patched later.

[pjf]

[pjf]

[pjf]

[pjf]

I was all ready to weld in the outer long piece from RD when it occurred to me that if I afterwards welded on the Engman kit, the Engman welds would burn through to the inside of the long and I would have all these bubbled paint rusty spots on the inside of my longs. I couldn't get at them because the outer long piece would be in place. This meant stopping and ordering the Engman kit, welding the right side piece in, and then putting on the outside long piece. In the first picture you can see the Engman piece welded and in the second you can see the spots I got on the other side. The second picture is taken some time after the welding took place so some rust had a chance to form. So AFTER the Engman kit piece was on I put on the RD outer long piece.