Post by grumpynorthener on Oct 6, 2021 21:21:07 GMT
Replaced the hinge pins on the nearside door
Its amazing has to how worn they were - then again they are 60 years old
Rear door glass rubber was heavily perished and required replacement
Not has nice a fit as I would like but much better than the original perished one - new rubbers are a alternative replacement supplied from a endless roll due to the fact that the originals are no longer produced
Its a much better fit internally than it is externally - pity its not reversible (due to the step profile in the window aperture)
Next was to sort the mounting panel for the nearside rear damper / shock absorber - its very weak - some previous attempts have been made to patch it up but its a mess on the reverse side of this and its completely detached from the original mounting
It required the damper to be removed in order to gain access - everything was seized and I had to get the arm of the damper quite warm before the rust would release the shanks of the U clamp from the arm itself
Eventually I managed to free the damper
Rear of the panel / mounting
Then had scrape clean of the area to reveal the extent of the work required
Made a template up before proceeding further
Then transferred that to sheet steel
Undertook an initial cut back of the defective panel
Then a clean up of the area / further trimming back - lower section of the damper mounting is dead but the upper section is good
Template made
New mounting fabricated and checked for fit
Repairs come though on the inside of the wheelarch tub
Investing in a decent size welding blanket is always good idea if you have work to do that involves a fitted interior - The blankets are not that cheap - I think this one was over £100 but its much cheaper than fire / spark damaged trim or worse still a fire damaged vehicle / workshop
I also keep the following to hand when welding & grinding - the watering can is just water and again the spray bottle is just water but its great for anything minor - removing every scrap of underseal / sealer / paint is not always possible when undertaking localised repairs and its tends to be trapped sealer in seams that catches
Trimmed the lower section of the mounting off
Then welded in the new mounting along with a minor repair to the wheelarch tub
New panel trimmed & shaped to fit - then bolted up through the mounting
Then welded in - managed to get the rear of panel welded on the overlaps too - mounting plate is both welded & spot welded to the panel
Dressed back
Primed has required
Damper refitted with new bolts
Much better
I cleaned the rest of of the wheelarch tub up - scraped off any flaking underseal and gave the tub a good wire brush scrubbing - any bare metal was treated / primed - the gap between the outer wing and the wheel tub is closed off with a rubber seal - the old one has degraded beyond use and I have new ones to fit
New closing seal fitted & sealed
Repair area seams sealed
I also applied seam sealer to any previously repaired seams within the vicinity of the work area - Once cured I'll apply Dinitrol underbody wax to the wheelarch tub
