The MALLYVAGON

[Plasticman]

busy again with m.i.l and the hozie
right inner closer folded and fully drilled out and spotted on the outer first

then check again the outer line is straight and then spot up the inner rows, you do not need to make the puddle welds complete as you are not penetrating to the outside , they just need to hold the panal securely
here theyre all done and just need a swipe over with the disc

to this

prior to closure a good load of red lead was brushed into the lower sill join

and evidence of it making its way through ,the spots here i have left partially visible so the just show through the finnish, this looks better than the atrificial look or lazy runs along the bottom

will post this before it dissapears
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[Plasticman]

well that worked
a coat of primer over it all and its ready for taping up and seam sealing when the rest is done.

ive ran a line of braze along the B/C post to sill join

and

a quick touch with the dremel will have it looking as i want
i have gassed the small slit shown earlier and on the inside i have run a small line of brass. ran this into the corner as well so its well sealed, after a play with the hammers it will be good enough and luckily i remembered to take a few photos before I gave it a quick coat of primer, else there could have been sins hiding here

i will wipe it of with a thinners rag later to finnish the final shaping etc

so that about concludes this area, i have loads more picks but until i sort the downloads out i will have to be a bit frugal im sorry
next in a min ute
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[Plasticman]

i have managed to get a good clean rejoin between the rear wing and centre panal,which will help towards making a nice tight seam without the need for loads of yeppow

so eyes return to the front of the van
nice new panal, note the fit of the old part, its down and had been smacked down to allow for a decent depth of filler

other side is a bit better but not much ,

im going to go with the authenticity of the new panal and make the remainder to fit

same

the danger is the hole is too small will see how it goes
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[Plasticman]

Well last of the hozi runs hopefully done for now so
i have clamped the upper panal on in the correct position and have this area partially removed, do it a bit at a time and plan how you will reconstruct it

i refuse to corrupt a nice new panal with this area so off with it

i have cut back to just shy of the curve, this gets rid of the rot and leaves a nicer join, i have used 1.25mm sheet
and made this little part,

trial fit, i dont use filler for seams so this bit has to be correct as all it gets is a touch of seam sealer

welded in . i have made the weld a bit larger/fuller than i could and this is to allow a little extra for when i sand it back to form the correct contour, especially on the seam face

gonna post this before i loose it
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[the_mitchells]

Looking good Mike, can't wait to get him back!

[Plasticman]

happy with the weld, its fully through so no worries sanding down, (dremel for a lot of it)

made this small part, i have welded on the outer part as i dont want any bulk on the inside face to interfere with the rubber seal

trial fit,

this needs to be exact if you dont want to shape the front in filler
first part sanded and this is now welded in

will finnish it when the front is removed, there is a tiny bit of distortion but if you use the right technique then you get very little and any way thats what panal beating is for as opposed to a welder grinder chap , when i was learning the guys used to say that whoever welds, grinds and makes good and whoever fills, rubs it down and when i was wheeling and i messed up through haste i got lugholed
mm

[Plasticman]

Well rattling off the top bits,
same as the other side really

lined up the A post adjoining part now

this bit is now welded in

bucket is palying up so will post this before it goes walkies
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[Plasticman]

ground back a touch and rready for the next small bit

this is another small bit exactly the same as made for the n/s

a very light sand over and ready for fitting up the front again

a tiny bit of adjustment then grit blast it and a small sand and it will be ready, should get away with as near zero filler

same this side

im happy now that as much of the rot as i can has been cut back and out, should give it a fighting chance.
must remember to refit the wiper gear and washer pipe and such first
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[kevtherev]

Bum...
that's better windscreen repair porn than mine..

Bank.....

[Plasticman]

oh i dont know , if its any consolation your was perhaps a little more rotten maybe ........just ish
they are only small areas but take a few hours each side as fiddly and you cant hide anything as its all the visible surface so to speak while i was welding it i had chris on the speakerphone for 1/2 hour, funny as F that was.
at least i can multitask like most women claim to be able to and its no big deal really
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[kevtherev]

All the same Mike it's a pleasure and a fantastic insight to restorative bodywork at a level most never see.

[Plasticman]

well its weekend and id got a load of sand and some bags of cement and was looking fwd to extending the height of a wall then the heavens had other ideas so
gonna do the front, got the little blaster out and made as good as i could, rust free i hope

other side

ive gone all the way down the seam.the lip the seal goes round will be tidied and such after the front panal is fitted
lunch now
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[Plasticman]

finnished welding the x member to the inner A posts and gave them a coat,also welded the seam on top that you also see

n/s

the old screws securing the wheelboxes were corroded to nothing but as the front was coming off then not an issue to me, anyhow replaced with nice SS ones so no probs in the future

now the front panal itself needs to be prepared, the last one was welded on the outside of the seam and then tacked on the edge of the lip, i see this so often on this part and the lip welds on rear wings and the like .
you really do have to either spot if you get clean enough or drill and puddle weld,
you need the securing to be on the lip not at the edge as this will allow flexing and the seam opening, too close to the panal face and you risk distortion or burn through

take a disc over the choddies and get everything to metal and flat

mig wound up for speed ,the burning is the paint left, you can see in the mirror that it has penetrated through, you have to be carefull as sometimes you do this and it can look a good weld but its not taken to the steel behind

will post this before i loose it
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[Plasticman]

weld thru and the like burned off

metal was a little thin in places as the last thing ground the old panal away....
so all welded, you can see the telltale burn on the o/s near the top of the panal seam. more of this bit shortly

ive run some brass back inbto the seam which will be under the rubber
you can see the burn from the weld under the seam better here

so heres something you have a play at for a laugh.... Mirror Welding no joke, on the o/s especially nad the top of the n/s you cant see the holes to weld thru so you use a mirror, takes a bit af getting used to ncos everything is the opposite of what your eye tells you , try it on some scrap , you can amuse yourself for hours

this side you only need it for the top few

coat of product for now and it will be filler free up top but there will need to be a small ammount on the A post side of the seam as it was too badly damaged to do without

same n/s

so thats about it for the upper front panal and screen area. the lower is about sorted, justr needs another blast and treat, then drill out the lips for spotting and its on
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[ronsrecord]

Think I'm finding this thread a bit too sexy!!