1975 Peugeot 304 S Cabriolet with hard and soft tops.

Ray - I wouldn't use a damp cloth - this will cool the metal too quickly and probably encourage distortion - either use the blow gun or leave the area to cool naturally  

I take my hat off to your perseverance in the absence of a conventional workshop. Not sure I'd be willing to do a full resto outside. Great work being done here, keep going and age is just a number!

Remember the mess that was the front right corner of the floor/sill/bulkhead area.



That is now sorted. Maybe not pretty but nice and strong. Can still dress the welds back a little if necessary and the welds on the floor still need doing.



With the wing and the outer sill sitting in place it looks ok.



Underside of the new offside floor pan. Think I had the amps a bit high for the plug welds as the penetration was a bit much, but it will clean up ok. Got a bit of distortion behind the seat so not a disaster and I think it was because I could not bend the panel up and so used the trolley jack to push it into place. I have tried turning the car upside down and using the trolley jack and a block of wood to push the floor up. This works until I take the pressure off and the floor pops back down again. Tempted to try a bit of heat when it is pushed into place and keep the pressure on until it cools but don't want to make it worse.



Made a start to the other side and it is pretty much a copy of what I have already done with a few differences. Need to get that done before I make a start on the floor.




On another note I ordered some HB seam sealer from Ebay. You could buy 1 tin and get a brush but buy 2 tins and there was no brush and they were not listed separately. I questioned this and asked if a brush could be included which was agreed. Package arrived and no brush or documents. I messaged them and was told the brush was inside a document folder taped to the outside of the package. I double checked and found a long slit where it should have been. Told them what had happened and said I would source a brush locally as I hadn't paid for it. That was the end of it I thought.
This morning the postman brought my birthday cards and a jiffy bag. Inside the jiffy bag was 5 seam sealer brushes. How's that for customer service? So a big thank you to "ccpaints" on Ebay.

Ray - That's all looking very thorough to me 

Certainly in modern day vehicle manufacture both sides of the seam tend to be sealed on floor assemblies 

Have a great trip, should be a bit warmer down under!

With the 304 away for winter hibernation and before I have a look at the engine and box I want to do some work on the heater box. Probably start that on Wednesday but in the meantime who is the best supplier for new foam seals etc? Don't want to have it lying in bits for weeks so trying to get organised. Thanks.

Thanks Chris.  I did have a quick look at Woolies but obviously not a good enough look. Will look again before trying Baines. However this afternoon I only managed 30 yards in the Avensis before there was an almighty bang. Limped back to the house and it looks like either the front spring has broken or the spring seat has corroded and collapsed. It is 17 years old now. Got my daughters dog the next 2 days so Wednesday if it is dry before I can look at that.

Hi Ray I’m still following your progress The heater matrix is delicate due to the casing going brittle over time so be careful ( as I’m sure you have ) I recommend using neoprene ( sticky back ) when replacing the seals get a wide size and then cut it to suit. The pivot is not short it should be held by a spigot clip. If the heater is shot I may be able to offer a replacement Well done so far keep persevering !