Ajitvagon

[scottbott]

yes he is a clever bugger

[Plasticman]

Well set about the inner part and removed the rot, there is still the remnants to remove .

no point doing it any other way and to be honest this also happens to be the easiest way to do it.
top part also a touch unhappy

now before cutting anymore of I wanted to confirm that the bit I remade sort of fits, only held by hand but near enough

the external b post will have the rot cut out and i will remake it the same as the arch . all of it will also be grit blasted as well.
with the exception of some filler ?? and underseal it hasnt been played with which helps, this pick and the next few are as much to show the relationship between the inner b post and strengthening plate which forms the JP


I make/supply these folded brackets and i do them a touch longer so they can be retro puddle welded from the inside of the B post.
there is a touch or frailty here but this will be a pleasure to gas up.

tennant issues so had to call it a day
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[ajt1503]

Looking great mike

[Plasticman]

looks skanky to me but will be better when blasted etc, the inner b post is fine and I think its been caught just in time
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[Plasticman]

Well i will post up in 2 bits as the reply box struggles when i scroll it ?
first thing to work out is where to begin, doing it is easy enough but it needs to be done in a way that eases it and is in the order 'as built' for reasons that will become apparant.
so bottom of b post needs securing as this will become a fixed point from which the rest is built upwards
made it mostly out of 1 piece

the small bit of lip which holds the seal was corroded and it would be churlish not to repair so made a couple of bits and these are added, it dont look the smartest but it will be fine when its had the grinder over it

now i have cut away the rest of the bad bit, note the rust at the top which is a common area and there is only one way to be rid of it,

life always gets easier when the unwanted is gone
i cut the bad out and welded the remnants which will be seen in a later pick then made a small bit to fit, leave it longer and cut it off after,



this is it done and showing the welding underneath

will start again..

[Plasticman]

well this bit has been added in the same way as built, we have the bottom of the post done (save for migging the very bottom to the jp)

i next made the upper b post skin from the swage upwards, this also has a gentle curve so have offered it to the other side to check its about there

this is now offered up to where it will hopefully fit

happy ish so tacked it on very gently so it will pull off if needed, note its a touch shy at the top , i measured it and when i did it I forgot to allow for the curvature which in turn caused it to be a bit short, not an issue but it is to me personally as it counts as a screw up.

seems good so seam welded it

now reoffered the repaired arch and it rests in place ok enough

this will also be fine , a touch with the hammer and a quick grind

tricky bit here, this is all one piece with the b post so i am going to seam weld it just inside the lip where the scribe shows


little bit more tweaking , the top part needs trimming to fit behind the skin i have just added, doing it this way ensures that say in the future it has a bump and a new arch is needed then a standard or even genuine one will fit straight on and importantly the old will come off in a know way

nite

[Plasticman]

well easyish bit now ,tacked the lower part of th b post outer together

checked against the slider and also the repaired arch and its as good as i can get it without starting all over..only needs enough to hold it and stop it walking about when its gassed

the secret is to have the seam /join ,call it what you will but get it straight if possible this way you will know where the join is after welding and it will help you build a nice substantial bead to allow a light sanding and not go through or as good as, if you do then start all over again....

and a bit closer i may just show what i mean

spotted the inside join and also to the upper part, this upper join is where the rust often starts, also migged the bottom to the jp support

then a very light touch with the sander and a light blast over with some fine grit


have blasted the arch and will weld that on and then i think I will be happy with it..
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[AdrianC]

I absolutely love these threads of yours, Mickey. Fantastic description, fantastically clear pics - everything that you'd need to know to be able to do it as well yourself. Except, of course, for the skill with metal...

[Plasticman]

wellta, but photos ar carp as i nered a better camera for detail anyhow
tacked the arepaired arch back on

mig as i was one handed. then gassed it, see the mig didnt puddle in well so mre work sanding

made a bit of an error when cutting it off and left myself with an embarrassing gap

but soon got rid of it it makes the job fun.....

this is the underside of picky 2

i have put a light behind the arch to show the seam gap, you can see the small tack at the rear just behind the swage, this gap is acceptable and will allow some paint etc to fill and coat it


now fully tacked on from behind,i have kept the return flange short so that i could mig the side of it and burn into the actual lip, this has the effect of securing the panal nearer to the outer face and so give a more secure hold



first coat of seam sealer brushed on to the rear

will continue in a minute

[Plasticman]

well, prior to seam sealing it i blasted some err'product' into the seam and it came right through so happy its coated

the gapping is acceptable so will leave it like this for now and come back to the final detail grinding etc later as i prefere to do this in one go

dont look the prettiest but its all new metal
front panal as is after removal of the lip

new part being made, i have the lip size right and the curve is good so just cutting down to length etc and then propper clean up of the rust

ns rear seat belt


making this up in the usual way , flat palte to fit under the floor and i will dril the periphery of the hole and puddle through to the part Ive made, I have then made a smaller part that fits the hole and welded the 2 together and when in place this will be seam welded so should be up to the job,



the folds are to follow the contour of the rear floor.
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[Mickyfin]

As always Mickey, its a joy to see your work detailed as such as in these here threads, well documented, and explained. It's like watching Picasso, but with metal work, especially seeing what you are faced with at times, and what you do to turn it around

[Plasticman]

ah well thats also half the fun , think of it as one long continuose repair that never ends from one year to the next
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[Plasticman]

well funy old day anhow finnished of the rear seatbelt mounnting

tis not a work of art but it wont fail either. underside sealered

loads of time spent sealling stuff thats been fitted and im happy with , no point not doing it after the work involved in fitting
this is the inside of the OSR arch and rear 1/4

and the very rear

this is the front inside edge of the NSR arch, they look the same as i do them the same way every time

this is the inside of the osr wing, you can just make out the new arch sandwiched between the upper wing skin and the existing inner arch , product blasted through and all the weld on the inside of the seam, this will be seam sealered when dry and of course the whole lot of repair will be coated with Dynax inside and out

the following 3 picks show the previouse and maybe 2 times repaints call it what you will, they didnt even bother to remove the slider covers, sheer cheapo lazy

then a wire brush to show the edges



so im now sorting the fridge side panal and sill but first i noticed another wiff of petrol and found this

no clip and the rubber totally fcu*ed last person to play with this van shoulld have a few pinkies removed ... which brings me round to


so I know what Im intending to do but open to other suggestions ??
also the very pleasant fumes from the sealer are having a pleasing effect....
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[kevtherev]

looks like you enjoyed the b post work Mike

[lloydy]

I just find it amazing to follow