356 B T6 Restoration

[neil blaber]

so following on i started to make the joining piece between the two chassis rails (the bit in the red square)

from underneath...

new part...

the lower panel in the pic is the closing panel that box's this cross member, it should be flat but i have to make it with a small return along the bottom to make up for the short fall in the length of the chassis rail. it should also have those formations in it but i want it smooth so i shall be making a re-enforcer to weld between the two

[neil blaber]

the re-enforcer

only the supports for the gearbox hanger left to make up

[ryan base]

hi neil catching up with your thread two months on you are still making progress thinking about this going out to the car looking around at the "opportunities " to make improvements then go to work and think about it then come home and get out there with the car "puzzle" again then fiddle with the piece and clip hammer sizzle then look for another opportunity to change the world and bend it to your will fun to do fun to watch

[neil blaber]

hi ryan, thank you and for following along. it is fun but also daunting at the same time just at the amount of work it needs. still have to push on though!

here is another little update... just offering up the sill (rocker) panel

the hinge pillar support panel needs a round formation putting in it before it gets welded in, after that i have a heater baffle to fit before the longitudinal can be painted inside and welded in. the rear chassis rail has been painted inside with etch primer and epoxy paint

[ryan base]

Neil you hit the nail on the head - daunting - exactly what it is but can you do me a favor you're rebuilding that front suspension box to hold the torsion beam and all and i'm hoping you can put up a few more pics (maybe a mess of pics) to show the beam ends, their bottoms and the support horns at the side panels? sometime my po pushed my car into the snow drift and rotted off the k brace, the bottom of the beams the battery box etc and my car will survive if i can section that area back together. i'm just having trouble seeing what its supposed to look like. i think everyone appreciates the effort and workmanship your putting into your car thanks for putting up your play by play

[neil blaber]

ryan, i hope these help.

only one side on mine was visible as the opposite side had rotted away too

when i put the brace on a few weeks ago it sat in that return between the 2 bolt holes, you will need the anti-roll (sway) bar clamp to mark the holes. as you can see the inner part of the torsion tube end housing has disappeared a little too.

[JohnPierce]

Neil,

Fabulous metalwork and thank you for posting your restoration process. Can you provide some details how you formed the curved double flange on the lower firewall (between the chassis rails)? It turned out great and is a spot on my car that needs some attending to.

Ryan: I recently went through the process of restoring my rusted out front torsion plates on my '63 B T-6. I posted measurements and pictures here: http://www.abcgt.com/forum/14-356-Resto ... 6&start=90

Happy Thanksgiving!

John

[ryan base]

Neil good thanks mine looks in similar condition and i have to make it good

John that is the stuff i have to do thanks

for my next trick i have to start my thread and show my pics but thanks to all the couragious brothers who have traveled this way before

[neil blaber]

Neil,

Fabulous metalwork and thank you for posting your restoration process. Can you provide some details how you formed the curved double flange on the lower firewall (between the chassis rails)? It turned out great and is a spot on my car that needs some attending to.

Happy Thanksgiving!

John

hi john, i used my bead roller with a 'tipping wheel' (a thin upper wheel which is used to create a brake in a panel. unlike a folder or press brake, a tipping wheel can do circles if needed)

you could use 2 pieces of ply wood with a shape cut in them, place the metal between the 2 pieces and clamp it down firm, then hammer the return over. (metal cut to shape) this is called a hammer form. plenty of info on the web

to make the second return, a piece of scrap steel bar with a slot cut in it with a hacksaw, the depth you need then slide the metal in the slot and fold the edge back a bit at a time. then hammer and dolly to finish

[neil blaber]

little more done,

as it looked with the inner fender panel clamped in place, the circle impression is in.

the rear chassis as it joins the inner longitudinal and the cover panel

after finding a small error i had made all the previous work is now in the bin! i would rather make it again than try to alter and repair the part that was not right. so it looked like this last friday

now its looking like this and the error is sorted out now

[neil blaber]

second time around i have done the outer piece all the way to the rear, it was a big piece to handle especially with me being useless with my left hand but it came out ok

[JohnPierce]

Neil,

That turned out very nicely. It must be nice to see fresh metal in place of what you had to start with.

What gauge metal did you use for the inner and outer frames? My rear strut area is very rusted also and it's hard to get an accurate read on the gauge of metal used here. It seams that the inner frame member was originally about 19/20 gauge and the outer frame member was about 18 gauge.

Happy Holidays and keep up the great work.


John

[ryan base]

neil this inner fender panel work is frightening because i have to attend to the related issues in my car. am i correct in thinking you are fabbing this from scratch or is some available off the shelf. your treatment really looks good

[neil blaber]

hope everyone had a good xmas and new year!

john, I'm not too sure on the correct gauge as mine is so badly corroded, originally i made it in 1.6mm around the 16 gauge, i have done the inner and outer in 19 gauge this time, its easier to work than the 16g. i have made extra supports to weld in as opposed to just the one from factory (if you don't count the top shocker mount).

ryan, yes i am fabbing this from scratch, i believe there are some repair panels available but i think its for around the torsion tube area.

[neil blaber]

quick update as its been awhile

these are part of the inner rear chassis rail, it is almost ready to weld to the torsion tube and when i can get the pictures off my phone i shall post them up.

these are the outer part of the rail, its almost done. needs a little more fettling to fit nice to the inner part. then its a matter of the joining part to the longitudinal

i started on the right hand inner fender, this will get some wheeling on the english wheel to get it nice and smooth before the beads get put in

i made a set of dies for the bead roller copied from the inner fender in the car (what's left of it) so they will be the same