T.R.:Written off 1983, Returned to the road 2006

Barry · Post by **Barry** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 10:25 am

Also when you get to the painting of the body stage I would love to come over and watch as I need some painting tips!!!

No problem, David, you're (all) very welcome anytime.

Looking very good Barry, now that's a lot cheerier than the engine we can see peeping through the bonnet in the first picture.

Thanks, Darren: its one of the few times the subject actually looks better in the flesh, just couldn't get a good photo of the finished article

isn't that valve cover a bit bling .

It's the original, so will stay for now, but quite fancy putting a period alloy cover on: I'll watch fleabay for one ....

looking wicked Barry - talk about a dab hand in the resto department - you should get some cameras in the garage and do an online restoration broadcast live and direct.

Is that tr engine on the garage floor or the lounge floor? Truth now ...

Thanks, Kevin, no it really, really is in the workshop (at the moment), there's no room in the lounge at the moment: have you seen how much room a seven foot grand piano takes up

. (It's for sale if anyone fancies a change of interest!).

Anyway, I'm off to finalise the details for my new ventue: watch out for the launch of the new cable channel: 'Bonkers Barry's Restoration Emporium: LIVE!' : coming soon to a television near you ....

Dyno Soar · Post by **Dyno Soar** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 9:15 pm

Ok you have inspired me enough i'm going to have both my 2.0 T4 engines stripped and ready for rebuilding before I go to Oz..

Also I am going to repaint my VW beetle and get it looking smart again..
The 944 rear end conversion 914 2.0 engine conversion and detailed Fuchs should be also on the cards in the new year. Great to go shopping in

Barry · Post by **Barry** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 10:56 pm

Glad to be of help

Barry · Post by **Barry** » Fri Nov 04, 2005 9:45 pm

Well, glad to report the bodywork is coming along.

First stage was to get the front half just to a point where it was solid enough to be mounted onto the new floors. All I have done at the moment it the minimum to reinstate the lower flanges that get plug welded onto the floors, all panels for this stage are made in the workshop by hand (no presses, wheels or flangers, just a vice, hammers, dollies and a bit of half inch plate as a stake):

Same principle on the rear tub, although this still needs plenty more work. Note how the wheelarch had gone right around the edge. I take out sections from the inner wing, and the arch. Then butt weld a repair to the edge of the inner wing. Next stage is to form the curved angle that makes the edge of the arch, butt weld this to the arch, and plug weld through to the repair on the inner wing. This way, once it's all tidied, all you see is an original-looking 'spot welded' flange.

Once the two halfs are back on the chassis, I can start alignment, and the countless reapirs to the upper panelwork, and the outer panels.

Barry · Post by **Barry** » Fri Jan 13, 2006 9:17 pm

At last some progress to report. Pleased to say that the two body halfs are reunited with the chassis, and partly, with each other.

As can be seen from the pics, the offside A post (repaired) plus the new floor, sills, and B post are in. Also the rear innner wing/deck area has been repaired. The rear deck part doesn't look too bad in the picture, but was ropey underneath, had had a arial (sp?) put in that had then been bent back, distorting the deck-end. As you can (sort of) see, the whole of the edge of this area (from B-post to rear light) has been repaired

Hopefully will get to the same stage on the other side in a week or so, and can then start playing with the outer panels (and panel gaps - yippee my favourite bit of a restoration

).

BTW, you may wonder why I don't just replace a lot of these panels: they are available. It's really a case that the new ones simply don't fit: literally every one would have to be altered in some way, otherwise you start to get accumulative errors creeping in. Therefore I would rather make my own repair panels in the gauge of steel I want (usually a bit thicker than original) and save my money.

Before:

After:

Barry · Post by **Barry** » Fri Jan 13, 2006 9:26 pm

BTW, a friend has lent me his spot welder, which really helps things along

.

912uk · Post by **912uk** » Fri Jan 13, 2006 10:53 pm

stop welders are great I had use of one for a while very good bit of kit you can get a kit that is using a cheap arc welder and this atachment for it I never got around to having a go with that..

Nige · Post by **Nige** » Fri Jan 13, 2006 11:57 pm

you make it look all too easy

excellent work, do you have any in between pictures

its like rusty bit from hell to nice and shiny within seconds.

Barry · Post by **Barry** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 3:32 pm

No, I just turned 'round and it was done ... honest

Actually this very repair, at each stage, will feature in the next Fanzine

kevster · Post by **kevster** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 7:08 pm

wow quality work there - bet you cant wait for the primer and paint stage.

How do you get the repairs so straight - is it a case of just tweaking with hammers and a dolly? How long do you reckon for the rest of the bodywork?

Cheers, Kevin

Barry · Post by **Barry** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 8:40 am

Hi Kevin, yes will be good to get onto a bit of paint, not that I mind the panelwork, but you know you're on the home-straight when you've hit it with the primer.

As for straight panels, the trick is just to take fuzzy photo's

. No, just a case of tacking the repair all round (every other inch or so), then small seam welds all round, back to the beginning and another round of seam welds, back again, and fill in the last of the welds until you have a continuous weld. Grind back, linish and correct any distortion with hammer and dolly.

Look out for the article in the next Fanzine: coming soon!

Ian Donkin · Post by **Ian Donkin** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 11:51 am

Barry wrote:Look out for the article in the next Fanzine: coming soon!

Can we get a preview of a few more piccies

.

Barry · Post by **Barry** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 11:45 am

Thought I would share this moment with you: the N/S rear is now at the same stage as the O/S: sills, A/B posts all in, inner rear wing all repaired: great.

Re-hung the passenger door (yet again: keep checking those gaps), and started using the catch. At the best of times, they are not very good, and it just wouldn't hold the door right. 'No problem' I thought, it needs tweaking. I loostened the catch slightly, and tapped it back a bit. Much better.

Went to remove the catch, and was unscrewing the last screw, when clank, tinkle, tinkle crunch: the 'captive' plate (that should be neatly retained between the B post front and back halfs) fell out of it's housing, disappearing down the B-post assembly.

After one hour of fishing around with bits of wire, I've had to give in, and slice the brand new B-post back from top to bottom to get to the little rascal. It would be the side that looked particularly neat

Happy days

Ian Donkin · Post by **Ian Donkin** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 12:41 pm

You know what they say Barry - Practice makes Perfect

.

Rustbucket · Post by **Rustbucket** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 1:39 pm

had you not got one of those high powered magnets that come on the end of a retractable ariellike unit, shaped like a pen?

bummer