66 LHD 'Doctors Car' restoration begins

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MT
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Post by MT »

Flushed with success I decided to make a start on back-dating the outer sills. From what I've read there are two methods that most seem to employ to deal with the five pressed recesses in the sill. You either bash em out, or cut them out and weld in a curved bit of sheet metal.

I thought for a while (novel concept), and devised an alternative - and because it seems to have worked I have detailed it below for comment. Clearly if it had been a right mess I would have kept quiet, bought another sill and opted for either of the first two....

Anyway. Step one use a dremel (or cheapo equivalent like mine) with a small cutting disc to make three small incisions like so.

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This allows you to get an air-driven saw into the slot and cut out three sides of the recess - my cheapo dremel/saw is not up to cutting all three sides without a long lie down.

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Push the 'flap' out from inside so you can use a grinder to remove a mm or so from the long edge and a triangular wedge off the sides (more towards the long edge) such that when you bash it flat the bits don't overlap - easier than perhaps it sounds

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Using panel hammers (and I used a piece of 1" round bar welded to a stake stuck in a vice - it's in the front of the pic below) to flatten off the whole area.

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Run a sanding disc over it to check for highs and lows - tap out accordingly

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An hour later - voila (better than drilling spot welds)

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All I need now is to find a way to make exact 8.5mm and 15.5mm metal circular discs to fit in the holes ....... then TIG weld and prime.
911hillclimber
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Post by 911hillclimber »

Put a small square patch behind the hole, MIG the hole full (as you have now practised!) and a little kiss with an angle sander and those holes are done for. Prime etc inside, and more plug welding this weekend!

Good going.

* :drunken: spent 8 months part time welding on mine.
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Post by visualfx »

I want one of those milk crate benches Mick :wink:

Liking that fix 8)
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Nige
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Post by Nige »

911hillclimber wrote:Put a small square patch behind the hole, MIG the hole full (as you have now practised!) and a little kiss with an angle sander and those holes are done for. Prime etc inside, and more plug welding this weekend!

Good going.

* :drunken: spent 8 months part time welding on mine.
I'd do it with a piece of flattened copper pipe clamped against the back face you can then mig/fill weld the hold up without a patch of metal behind. The copped doesn't stick but stops the weld falling out.
MT
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Post by MT »

Thanks Nige, hillclimber - I'd really like to TIG weld if I can so I can planish it flat with a hammer and dolly. I thought of the copper back method but I thought MIG filling the 15.5mm holes would require so much heat that it would distort the panel - clearly you have made it work so I will have that in reserve.
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Post by Bruce M »

I wouldn't go down the weld-filler path with a hole that size but that is just my opinion.

Given your experience, skills & good equipment.....

I'd suggest rough cutting a steel disc using snips then use a belt sander (or similar) to shape it, ending up with a nice butt-weld insert.

It wouldn't take that long to knock up each piece and as you say, the risk of heat damage would be much less.
911hillclimber
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Post by 911hillclimber »

I've done this in the past, but if the heat is too much don't 'fully' weld in one go.
If you have a TIG then you are on a winner!

Great thread. :drunken:
MT
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Post by MT »

Progress on a few modest fronts

Lots of spot weld drilling (have I mentioned how tedious that is...), air chisels and wiggling with pliers to remove the rear latch panel. It is clear that Porsche assemble the rear end in a manner that makes it really difficult to remove without taking off the rear outer and inner wings, and having an angle drive bit for the engine mount spot welds. Because I want to try and keep both wings, and the engine mounts - and I plan to use an original rear latch panel from another car this was quite an exercise in logic, geometry and swearing.

Rear end now looks like this ready for prep and installation of the latch panel (Friday/Sat) as another day of work tomorrow. Obviously I need to fabricate and fit new bottom flanges to the engine mounts, but the rest of the mounts are solid - better than they look in the photo. Also interesting how little metal loss there is inside the rear box sections - they look rusty (and they are) but it is only surface. I plan to treat the inside with Metal Ready and Dinitrol before boxing up and then spray some Waxoyl in when I've finished welding.

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Had another interesting time working out what was behind the B post door lock - the support bracket that holds the two captive nuts loosely in place so they can be moved around, but still remain captive. The RH one had largely disintegrated, and the LH one is not that visible!

Anyway spent a happy hour first making the bracket on the right below

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then welding the captives to another small plate, making a replacement baseplate (to replace the holed one on the left) and welding it altogether

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and making a new rear bottom edge for the RH rear wing

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.... then all the suspension bits were ready at the blast cleaners so off to collect and coat with my favourite POR-15! A coat of Chassis black on Friday and they'll be ready to assemble (once Alan sends me the bushes, bearings, seals etc ......in the post by Tuesday, eh Alan!)

Image)

Got some Bilstein inserts for the front Boge struts (it's stamped on the dust covers!), and some Bilstein rear dampers coming from the States - how come they're half the price over there??
Alan @ CanfordClassics
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Post by Alan @ CanfordClassics »

Hi Mick, just let me get all these parts which need to be done for this weekend finished and then I am on it. :wink:

Alan
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MT
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Post by MT »

And so to fitting the recovered rear latch panel. Quite tricky given I wasn't removing the rear wings, but after several 'final fits' it was fitted, checked, checked again with the measurements I had taken and the engine lid, and then plug/seam welded in place. I had left the original engine mounts in place and the rear box sections were very rigid so I am confident (pride before a fall rings in my ears...) it is well located.

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I am not skilled in leading (although I'm told Porsche used tin in this timeframe) so I plan to use modern metal-based filler to blend the corners once I've fitted the new light boxes and repaired the corner piece I had to damage to get the latch panel to slot in.

I have also dismantled, cleaned, checked and rebuilt the CV joints for the Lobro driveshafts (32mm thick ones). Thankfully no pits, wear or other reason to replace. This strip/rebuild was helped considerably by the You-tube video (parts 1 & 2) in this Pelican thread. Interestingly the concave washer was fitted the wrong way round on both the 'inner' gearbox end joints. Need to get some boot straps (they were held on with plain wire, twisted at the end) and CV grease tomorrow then rebuild the shafts.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche- ... joint.html


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Suspension parts coated with POR Chassis Black and ready to reassemble.
MT
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Post by MT »

Wouldn't want you to think I've been idle. Lots of metal cutting, shaping, swearing, recutting, reshaping, measuring, remeasuring, welding, grinding, re-welding, regrinding - but now the front end is replaced - my thanks to all in this and other forums who provided chassis measurements and advice so I could be sure the front suspension pan went in correctly.

First the inner wing repairs:

Pick datums, measure, cut and tack

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Weld and grind

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Cut, shape and fit the headlamp support bracket from a piece of tubing, using a rod through both sides to ensure it is parallel to the front

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Then a while later, and lots of plug welding the front panel, suspension pan, side panels - one new, one made by me - reinforcing plates, and tank support pan are fitted.

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Test fitted the bonnet, and the measurements - all looks good. Happy boy.
Also I got my shocks back. I had my new Bilstein front inserts and rears bought in Az and Fl respectively shipped to a friend in Washington who travels back and forth very regularly - she puts them in her baggage, only to find the TSA (for no reason I can find from their website or other airline restrictions) decide they are Prohibited and they lift them from her luggage. It is only because she is a Gold Card holder that BA hold them for her return - so be warned my friends!! I will now ship them conventionally - which appears to not be a problem ...??

Hols now for a while - then back to finish the body and get it sprayed
MT
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Post by MT »

Back from France and in need of a detox.

First thing me and my mate, a Mr. H. Robinson manufacture a 'rotisserie' out of premier grade 'T' iron and other assorted 'odds and sods'. Bit of a false start when I guessed the centre of rotation as being too high (I used some photos in some DDK threads to guess), so I had to cut the inner tube off at both ends and reweld a couple of inches lower. Anyway on she goes

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... and over she goes..

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First job was to tidy up the lower, outer edges of my front end repair as I couldn't get at them very easily with the car on the trolley stand. A touch of primer to stave off corrosion until I get the POR-15 out.

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Then to the hole under the central tunnel near the predal box

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Cut, shape and tack two pieces

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Weld, grind and prime, and deal with a couple of other holed sections under the pedals - much better.

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I have purchased some turbo tie rods, but I have a couple of questions see the 911 forum please.
Also have got my instruments back from North Holywood Speedo, and my chroming back from Canvey Is. (thanks Garry). Very pleased with both jobs.
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Darren65
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Post by Darren65 »

Great thread and very interesting, keep up the good work.

Slowly working my way through all of DDK for tips and advice - was just about to query the part numbers of sills I'm about to buy and hey presto you're pictures of the back date confirm what I'm looking for!

DDK rocks!

All the best,
Darren
MT
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Post by MT »

Another day, another body repair ...

Today the LH rear torsion bar member. After the media clean it looks like this

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And after further surgery - the metal was thinner than it looked over a bigger area - it reveals this ...

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Not too bad - actually the heater tube is very solid, no amount of poking with a pick could get a hole, so I treated it with Metal Ready and primer and fashioned a plate and welded it in. I am planning to fit the Dansk outer floor edge panels to both sides so I left the rear edge with punched holes ready to plug weld to the new panel.

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The other side was a different story

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If anyone has any thoughts on how best to repair the heater tube please post. Again as I plan to fit the outer floor edge that fits behind this section I think when all that is cut away I will get enough access to weld a repair patch onto the tube. I will try to find some thin wall 60mm tube that I can cut for the repair.

After that I fancied a change so spent an hour or so rebuilding the front quarterlights after the bits came back from the chroming. Rebuilding was a doddle compared with getting the glass out. I used Dum-Dum sealant in the rim, with a little silicone lubricant to help it ooze out as I pressed the glass back in. A tourniquet of electric cable (see photo) helped to hold the glass in tight until the sealant dries a little (it never sets hard). Will see if it is sufficient to hold the glass in for good.

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Still awaiting some help on my Turbo tie rod question in the 911 section, so if you can help please let me know.

Thanks, Mick
911hillclimber
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Post by 911hillclimber »

Check-out the way Gary did his rear 'below the torsion tube' repairs.
You have the advantage of 100% access!

Good going, its not too bad.
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