Body (or lack of it)

[Plasticman]

Both brackets for the slider cover were rusty and no way to clean it up so will remove them and make and weld new ones on,

The panal behind the fridge was/is next, from the outside it wasnt THAT bad so kept the dark happy glasses on and looked furthe inside, the stiffening rib just about fell off and there is good rust behind the sealant as was, normal really, will sandblast this and hope it hasnt gone too far in,

a previouse owner had spent a lot of time pop riviting a plate all along the floor to connect to the outer panal so this will get chopped of

and the bottom sill also,

The inner sill is in good order save for the very front so no probs there,
will make good the inner and bottom of b post etc, have a new bottom sill to fit and yesterday made a side panal bottom to let in.
mike

[CovKid]

When Rob and I did that job and ground floor rot back, we decided to actually leave that panel as it was and just rust treat it without tacking in a new floor section after. I also painted inside of sill with hammerite, the idea being that this provided a route straight out the bottom for any water/moisture, avoiding a repeat of rot in that area. Alternative would be to sculpt a new piece of floor with a very definate drainage route.

[HarryMann]

Whoa, mammoth task, brave man...

think I'd be brave to start Wikiiiiing it all too

But then I might



Clecos with pliers (Avdel pins as they were originally?) still available... always using mine.

[Plasticman]

This is the rear half of the os sill inner, just above the jacking point, the inner arch is very good and the metal just above the jack point is still shiny with a small hole in it , it had been waxoiled or equivalent from new and the vw seam sealer had also done a good job,
I can only figure that the n/s was worse due to it being the n/s and hence in the gutter and wetter?

I cant really finnish the inner arch repair until the wing is trial fitted so I know exactly where to place it.bottom of post is very good.
the following shows the o/s floor after removal of the pop rivited plate,


I have marked the extent of the original plate (black arrows) and will deweld and remove this and make and fit a replacement over which the bottom sill will fit/weld to.

This shows the same area but the rear , you can see the state of the remains of the side panal and this will be removed and relaced, once all the bad is cut off its easy as you have nice solid metal to work from.
mike

[Plasticman]

Harry, yes your right ,'avdels',said clecos as most folk know them by that, you got enough of them
mike

[HarryMann]

Yes thanks... just about

I'm doing my rear j/p and sill complete, cut everything away, bottom of that pillar was missing (previous crash damage panel replacement?)

Will put a gallery up, as I made most of the sill sections, and some cross members too.

Did front j/p last year, what a game, I never seem to cut enough panelwork away so am always working in a confined space, slotting bits in and making a right game of it

[Plasticman]

Good good, never be afraid to cut it out, you know you want to and it makes sense, seriously we always try to retain as much of original as poss but often it is better to be damned and get back to a clean start point and work with new again, likewise just been down and fabbed a new sill and new side panal btm, you will have to post the picks up as its always encouraging to see other folks work. if you need a few more avvys I have mainly 3/32" spare just pm me
mike

[Plasticman]

Well . where to begin? its been a sh***y day lots of grinding and cutting out, here is what is left of a beautifull side panal and surfing logo,

This is what it was like under the front prior to cutting out

I could say it looked worse than it was but in rerality it wasnt that bad, deciding where and what to cut and in the right order is half the battle, I started with the obviouse complete rot


This piece is the reinforcing plate that welds inside the front post and down onto the outside face of the jacking point, no other way to repair replace this without opening up the post.

and

cut of the bottom part of the front arch as I need access to the post,

most of the inner sill was perfect shiny metal thanks to waxoyl or simmilar so just cut the bad bit out and will let in a new bit, front is now ready for making repair panals tommorow

rear post area all happy and ready

cut the small bad varea from the side panal


So the easy the easy fun bit comes in the morning, the hard bit is done. bit picture heavy but I think its the only way to show what annd how it was done?
mike

[CovKid]

Excellent piccies chap. It an area that many have fought with so any insight is always going to be appreciated. Can tell you're a welder though - like terminator, undaunted

[HarryMann]

This piece is the reinforcing plate that welds inside the front post and down onto the outside face of the jacking point, no other way to repair replace this without opening up the post.

I recognise that bit... you're right, that's exactly what it does!
In fact, are there not two adjacent channel sections.

and guess what?

I didn't open it up and (think) I managed* to re-build and reinforce it, by hook or by crook
As I said, a bit reluctant to upset some very nice panelwork



From a treatise on front-jacking points...

https://club8090.co.uk/wiki/Ar ... ing_points

At least 6 repair sections were made-up to finish the job... MIGing in some internal areas was difficult.

*Oh, for a gas welding torch outside, that bl***y MIG nozzle will get squashed with a 2lb hammer one day, incredibly clumsy thing, Grrrrrrrrrrr!

[Plasticman]

Ah, top work there mr Mann, I understand what you are saying about upsetting some nice panals, Oh how I wish mine were! but are you saying that those pickies are of yours and that the exterior was/is nice? thats scary, no way the uninformed prospective buyers would sus that.
You did well to sort it as you did then, in my case there wasnt much to save so it was no loss, as I said the hardest job is cutting removing the unwanted stuff in a way that does not inflict further damage, then as you know its great working with new----ish metal.
yes the big mig nozzle, I have a modded one for getting into pokey holes but would be really stuck without the gas set up.
you can do short term hire of oxy/acet 3 monthly.just a thought
mike

[HarryMann]

At times I spent more time working out how to insert/juxtapose/gain access to the weld area etc...

than actually doing the job

I have gas, but its a mile or two away and can't use it where my van is parked (unadopted road but a pedestrian right-of-way )

Also have a micro-turbo gas kit, Ok for brazing, not for welding.. bought it to use it for my floor inserts and general brazing work. But empties those mini oxygen cylinders quicker than jenny empties a nice box of chocolates

[Plasticman]

Yes I see now, that will have been a pig of a job to get to, its often a case of I am and I will, and dont talk to me about chocolates especially those from the chocolatier in Pickering
mike

[HarryMann]

Pickering chocolates, sounds rather exotic

.. and just to complete the rather hilarious (in retrospect) story.

..the final piece of the jig-saw was the lower sill filler plate*, which had been slid in but tucked back out of the way, whilst those vertical channels were welded to the (thick) new outer sill above the j/p. Sliding it back into place without losing it was fun!

* this had a nice 22mm plug-hole allowing a quick post-weld internal spray around of Dinitrol RC900

Without casting asperisons, I suspect there are quite a few j/p repairs out there with some pretty moth-eaten vertical load-channels floating around looking for something to do in life

Of course, the really final piece was to fold back the jacking frame and weld it to a heavy doubler, running along the bottom sill-flange. I'm sure in practice, a lot of the load is transferred from this seam (if sound) into the adjacent wheel well panel, acting as a shear-web, staving off the day the crunch comes!

[Plasticman]

Right did the silly little bits first to get them out of the way, this is osr jack point/pillar btm, dont know why I went to the trouble of making it sort of match as its never seen, anyway added a couple of drain slots in the btm and will cut same in wing bottom

made a panal to let into the inner sill and welded this in up to the first angle which is the rear half of the front outrigger come jack point

then made a small plate of heavier guager and welded this on top of the first angle and onto the front upright/outrigger, this is now the base of forming a strong box,next added a small piece to repair the frontmost upright

getting there so now we have this

and this

next was the inner part of the pillar itself, this is what the heavy stiffening plate welds to and is very important, I made it out of thicker guage again for strength, Im not doing this twice.. its not an exact replica of the original but in one piece without a brake press it will have to do.




I have deliberately butt welded the majority of this as its stronger than patching which can be a bit bodgy, have gas welded a lot as its easier,quicker,neater and more enjoyable. though migged the heavy stuff as a practicality.
tommorow will be making the reinforcing pieces and will finnish making the lower sill and the side panal bottom half.

Oh and cut a bit more bad out of the panal and freed it from the rear pillar so I can clean the rust out and it will help fit ther rear wing
mike