Builds Rebuilding a 40 but no longer in a 1 car garage. (4 Viewers)

[waiting for time]

After shrinking the rear lip I refitted the panel and clamped it for marking and to hammer and fold the front.
I already tipped the front lip.

Here the lip is folded and tight.

This picture shows the bead for the overlap for the rear fender. You can see the marks of the shrinker. Most of these marks are made on excess material that will be cut off.

Third try was the best.

 

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Next step, the rocker panel.
Step one, the rough shape and some lines.

The same technique as the other panel except with two corners. First bead and the distortion is already visible.

Panel clamped and roughly shaped.

 

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First I used the pneumatic hammer and roughly shaped the bend.

After the pneumatic hammer I used the Ewheel to clean things up.

Then some heat to shrink the corners flat.

After cleaning I made the bend in the diagonal and shrunk the edge.
Then fitted the panel on the tub.

I over schrank the edge and it flattened out.

 

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Finished the rocker as far as I could and test fitted it To the B pillar skin.

When I repaired the DS inner rocker the floor was not connected front to back and the profile part of the Outer rocker was stil connected.
I made the lower part of the inner rocker but had to use the top part of the old. this is made from 1,5mm steel and bends a bit more difficult. I was not happy with the shape of it as is sat so out came the upper part.
Made a new top in two sections and fitted it in.
Here it is tacked in place.

And from The other side.

It has the same radius from the top as the PS side now and the top is straight.

 

[billmc]

Thank you Michael for all of this. I really enjoy your work.

 

[waiting for time]

Thank you Michael for all of this. I really enjoy your work.

Your welcome, it’s nice to share what you are doing knowing it can help others.

 

[waiting for time]

Welded the inner rocker.

Fitted the outer rocker.

from the inside.

wih the B pillar in postion, I still need to fit them together but it is almost there.

 

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Inside,

and outside.

 

[White Stripe]

Inside,
View attachment 2566370
and outside.
View attachment 2566371

How are you going to coat the enclosed channels so they don't rust inside?

 

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How are you going to coat the enclosed channels so they don't rust inside?

First all welding must have been done. Then use an epoxy or etch primer and weld through primer on the area’s that stil need welding. There are holes in the inner rocker that can be used to spray wax in the hollow spaces after it is all welded. Biggest issue before was uncoated metal at the overlaps. This is why I’m taking it all apart.

 

[tucker74]

Biggest issue was it’s a ‘79-‘84 ... they all rust away

tucker

 

[waiting for time]

Biggest issue was it’s a ‘79-‘84 ... they all rust away

tucker

That is correct, some pieces have perfect primer with new metal underneath and next to it is an overlap that is completely gone. I find rust in every metal lap joint. They were made from lesser steel and welded before they coated them. The corrosion started forming directly after leaving the factory especially close to the sea.

 

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Started with the PS rear wheel well. Made the bracket that sits in front of the wheel well under the floor.
Made a CAD design and translated it to steel. There was not much of the old one to work from.

After some bending, hammering and grinding.

It stil needs a bead in the middle.

 

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Next I started with the wheel well.
First order of business is clean it up and hammer out the dents.
There was a nasty dent here that needed heat to shrink the metal back, almost, flat.

I grinded off the remains of the fender and straitened it with piece of angle iron.
Tomorrow I will cut the rusted parts out and start replacing them with new steel.

As you can see there is a bit of work left on this one.

 

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Made two patches and welded them in.
This is the corner where the spare bracket is attached.
Roughly cut the part and tipped the edge, used a shrinker to flip it over and keep the rest flat.

Then grinded the extra material off.

All welded in including the edge further down the top of the wheel well.

 

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Did some work on the floor of the tub.
DS is mostly welded, lots of dressing left to do.

I was not happy with the PS floor and cut parts of it out.

 

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Here is the new section roughly bend to fit in the space.
The difficulty in this section is the the bend curves to the inside and up but has to connect with a 90degree bend to the rocker panel.
This leaves no room for error.

From the inside

Here the section is fitting to the original floor, you can see the flow to the inside.
The front section that was in there does not fit tight enough in that area but is a good fit on the front part. I will therefore make an extra part that fits the curve better.

Here is the new section partialy welded in, behind it you can see the new intermediate piece.

And from the bottom. It is just a piece of sheet that needs to be cut but the shape is almost there.

 

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Here you can see the three pieces overlapping.
I need to decide what has to be cut and what will end up in the floot.

From the inside you can see which sections fit and what needs work.

 

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Two more pictures of cutting the patches for the floor.
Used the new electric cutter to rough cut the edges, works very fast and clean, I have to be carefull with how fast it cuts.
bottom partialy fitted.

inside the tub.

trying to get the seams as tight as possible for less grinding work.

 

[tucker74]

That area is the worst on late 40s, great work as usual