Late 1959 S/R coupe project # 108625

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Justin Rio
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Re: Late 1959 S/R coupe project # 108625

#106 Post by Justin Rio »

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All plug welds punch and was about ready to start welding this on
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Then I remembered there was one more loose end to tie up. Had to repair the lower corner of the suspension flange with some heavy gauge.
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All set. The end of the new flange has to have something to hang onto. Also cleaned and remove the remains of the old "K" brace on this back corner.
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I can finally begin welding this on.
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Plug welded and finished out the joint along the bulkhead.
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Sticking with my plan I'm going to leave everything ahead of the bulkhead wall loose until I get the front beam squared. That set screw at the front will have to do until then.
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Joint seam along the bulkhead finished out smooth. Onto stitching up the joint along the new lower flange. That next; Going to be a long one.
Thanks for looking.
Justin

Justin Rio
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Re: Late 1959 S/R coupe project # 108625

#107 Post by Justin Rio »

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This forward corner of the cockpit weld finished and completed. Gas weld detail at the leading edge of the bulkhead flange replicated along the way. This small portion ready to accept a new floor pan. Small area but it was a win that day. Moving rearward to continue the rest of this flange repair.
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The rest of this run welded up and dressed. Lap joint details replicated carrying over the lines.
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Same treatment for the backside.
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I'll close and add the new gusset floor once the front beam issue is addressed.
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Another mock up with the new closing panel just to see.
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Next section runs the entire length all the way back under the heater tube elbow and embossment detail. However, the new replacement section isn't that long which is just as well as there is a lot of work ahead to repair in and around the elbow.
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I'm going to the make the break under this outer lap joint. A perfect place to quit as it will be concealed and supported under this lap panel.
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New section overshoots this eventual joint by only a couple of inches so its almost the perfect answer.
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Original flange(X) is the same width as the standard issue back here so all I need to do trim away the excess.
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Like before cutting just at an inch above the flange line. This portion is actually still good all the way down the flange itself but its got to be weld repaired somewhere so I might as well keep the repair uniform.

Justin Rio
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Re: Late 1959 S/R coupe project # 108625

#108 Post by Justin Rio »

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Saved as much of the original vertical wall as I could.
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Section removed after carefully cutting around and breaking loose from the bulkheads. Prepping new section to fit next.
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New section cut to basic length for a flush fit.
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Now positioned for needed flange height.
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Ready to etch my final cut line in and trim.
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Cut to final width and clamped into position with a good tight joint. Begin tack welds.
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Securely tacked
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The end shape trimmed to continue that Delta-V relief shape.
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Quick paper template as now is a good Time to fill that hole.
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Lap patch all welded and dressed.

Justin Rio
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Re: Late 1959 S/R coupe project # 108625

#109 Post by Justin Rio »

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Its subtle curve and flange shape made for a smooth transition between the two flange widths.
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Inside view of this repair.
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This area about ready to accept a new floor pan. I'll finish stitching up the rest of that run a little later on...
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as I'm going to switch gears and get back to finishing out this corner repair I started with.
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more on this next...

thanks for looking.

Justin

Puygranier Antoine
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Re: Late 1959 S/R coupe project # 108625

#110 Post by Puygranier Antoine »

Impressive as always!
Antoine

Justin Rio
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Re: Late 1959 S/R coupe project # 108625

#111 Post by Justin Rio »

Thanks once again Antione.

New door well tray/floor installed.
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Just about ready to tack this in. I wanted to as much of that secondary wall as I could but as it stands now its in my to get a clean shot at the most inner part of the weld joint so no choice but to cut a little higher or lower in this case.
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Wall trimmed back just enough and began stitching it in.
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Nice getting more structure back in there.
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Begin template for the new inner splash pan/closing wall.
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Flange of the new pan will eventually join onto it. Ideally I would have had the weld joint run through the middle of this flange to both conceal and support it but the rust went just a little higher on this one.
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Eventual wall patch should butt up nice and tight against the new pan.

Secondary closing wall repair patch.
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Able to use the remnant section left over from the front bulkhead wall flange repair from earlier.
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Folded and trimmed to basic shape.
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Final trimming and shape all but there.
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Final trimming on that butt joint eventually dialed in with plug weld holes punched. Ready to weld. Very tricky patch as the flanges come in at specific angles and the wall itself has a slight lean to it making dialing in all the lines for a clean fitment all the more difficult.

Justin Rio
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Re: Late 1959 S/R coupe project # 108625

#112 Post by Justin Rio »

Secondary closing wall patch continued:
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Would have been impossible to repair this area cleanly with the hinge boss in the way.
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Getting ready to weld that inner vertical flange section from the outside. Loosened the rest of it up to ensure a tight fit. A lot of planning ahead had to be done as its almost impossible to dress any weld slop down in that deep corner.
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New secondary wall pretty much set and dressed. Had a really hard time reaching down into that corner but going to leave well enough alone for now.
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Onto the new end cap. A little tougher to work with 18 gauge but now that I have it on hand I want to try and make most all "chassis" related components from this instead of 20 gauge.
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Cut to basic and slightly oversize shape.
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Rough mock up with the new longitudinal section to trim back a little closer. That new simonsen piece is made of 20 gauge which I'm not really thrilled about being such an integral component of the "frame" but we have the triangulation of the roof so it should live.
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I will however reinforce it where I can.
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Begin rolling in that curved leading flange detail.
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Final trim and shape along with all the plug weld holes added. Ready to mount for the final time.
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Carries on the flange line from the OG section.

Justin Rio
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Re: Late 1959 S/R coupe project # 108625

#113 Post by Justin Rio »

Splash pan repair continued:
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Inner wall and overlap details carried on here as well.
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One more test with the long just to make sure before I started welding.
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I'll add in more plug weld holes before I join these together for the final time.
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Begin Plugging and stitching it on.
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Fully welded and dressed
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Relieved to have the heavy lifting completed in the confines of this corner.
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Marking for the eventual spot weld details and the final splash pan patch overlay after the longitudinal cavity is fully welded and all closed up.
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Gone as far as I can up here for now.
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Onto the back half next. Should be fun.
Thanks for looking.
Justin

Justin Rio
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Re: Late 1959 S/R coupe project # 108625

#114 Post by Justin Rio »

Began planning the repair in and around the heater conduit.
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While this rear closing wall is in mostly solid shape it is in my way.
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I hate to disturb it but its going to have to come out to get a clear shot at the end of the tube.
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Cutting just enough of the rear closing wall free for now.
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Hated to do it but things got immediately accessible. I'll get the rest of it out later.
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Begin peeling this onion by carefully removing each layer of steel or at least what is left for info and templating purposes.
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Bottom outer embossed layer which is directly welded to the end of tube cut free first exposing the second layer.
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Carefully removed the remains of this second layer. Again for copying purposes.
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What is left is the remains of the inner most flange/wall run that welds to the end of the inner exit tube section. To the right of it are heavy gauge angle flanges off the torsion housing that were beefy enough to have just survived. I think, I'll know more once I start cleaning this area up.
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Inside view that inner most wall and as you can see the rot runs deep.
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To get a clear shot all of that will require the elbow of this conduit to be removed. No surprise of course.

Justin Rio
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Re: Late 1959 S/R coupe project # 108625

#115 Post by Justin Rio »

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Taking it right at the factory weld joint.
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Tube section free.
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exposing more of what lies beneath :shock:
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This is really cutting deep and though I've got the roof and a sub-frame Jig in there I still got a little spooked so I added that tubular bridge strut there just to make sure it did begin sagging. A lot of leverage running through here with the weight of the body hanging off each end.
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Sort of hard to make heads or tails of these crispy little guys but since I watched it come apart I think I can still reverse engineer it.
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So gratefully just to have those rough examples because as you can see that information no longer exist on the left side.
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It turns out the side I'm on is the "cherry" side. A perfect example here of being at a total loss without an original reference.
A couple more layers to go and would be touching bottom on this repair. That next...

Thanks for stopping by.
Justin

Justin Rio
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Re: Late 1959 S/R coupe project # 108625

#116 Post by Justin Rio »

Touching bottom with this corner repair.
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While planning out this most inner flanged wall I did want to replicate the details like this stepped overlap.
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However this rust hole was really beginning worry me as I wanted to know what the rest of it looked like beneath this flange.
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Just couldn't leave it so I cut that heavy overlapping flange to find out.
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Much to my relief not a whole lot. The wall just ends with no attachment between the two which was surprising but nice as it made my life a little easier.
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Getting that last overlap out of the way now gives me a clean shot at the entire section where the rot has gone through.
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Wall remains carefully harvested for the pattern.
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Now past all the unsavable metal; I've officially touched bottom. Building this area back up from here.
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Making copies of all these layers next.
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Inner most flange/wall first from 18 gauge
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Cut to basic shape. more on this later...
Thanks for looking.
Justin

Justin Rio
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Re: Late 1959 S/R coupe project # 108625

#117 Post by Justin Rio »

First new corner repair panel going in.
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Fine trimming and fitment next.
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Dialing in the correct flange height. It eventually mounts to the inside of the outermost flanged wall
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which needs to be a smooth and tight fitting continuation off the end of that new section I welded in earlier. Remnant flange helping to determine that here.
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Tube opening had a small lip to the inside most of the way around so one was added to my copy.
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Checking the height and fitment back here against that heavy gauge overlap from earlier.
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Then a quick check also with the next layer that will eventually go over top of those two. Everything sandwiched together as nice as I could tell.
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New repair section finally positioned and tacked in.
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All stitched in and onto the next layer.
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I was going to make a new piece here but after a quick dunk in acid it was clear there was enough meat left to reuse. Ground back the shoulder to expose more of its lead. Spaced to compensate for cutting wheel thickness.
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Back into original position. Cleaning up the weld joint next then its onto the next layer.

Thanks for looking.

Justin

Justin Rio
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Re: Late 1959 S/R coupe project # 108625

#118 Post by Justin Rio »

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Originally these two where not joined but I spotted them together for add support.
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onto the next layer...
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Peeled back the shoulder a little further still just at the gas weld seam. No more trace of this section found in between so I can only assume it terminated there.
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New section from 18 gauge cut to basic shape with saddle profile added.
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It will have to be form fit as it goes to get it all perfectly snug.
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Old with new. Though not a lot of the front remained there was just enough of a clean vertical end remaining to clue me in as to how long it was. Ready to weld.
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Started welding it at the rear then chased it forward.
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All dressed and almost fully welded. I still have to weld up the rear vertical edge but will do that before its all over.
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Onto making the final layer. This will be a bit more tricky as the opening for the tube has that embossed collar. I'd have to make a hammer form for this detail first. That next.

Thanks for Looking.
Justin

Justin Rio
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Re: Late 1959 S/R coupe project # 108625

#119 Post by Justin Rio »

Begin hammer form
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Thick heavy gauge plate I have on hand will make for the perfect base/step for the embossed collar detail. Cleaned the end of the tube so I could trace out that needed shape.
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Paper template with the shoulder I'm looking for. Outlined on the steel and would carve it out next. A total pain in the ass but worth it as I have to do the same repair to the other side; So its a "two-fer"
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Original tube section was small enough for my acid bath so it soaked overnight. Wish I could clean the rest of it like this but I'll take what I can get.
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Hammer form cut out and shaped. Two holes were added so I could secure the work to it.
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After a quick test with some 20 gauge I realized I needed more relief height so I added this strap stock to the back for a touch more draw.
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Basic relief shape I hope to achieve. That thick stock was a bitch to cut out and shape so I was praying it wasn't in vain.
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Section of 18 gauge all bolted up
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and ready to begin adding in that relief shape.
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Started working it in cold to get a feel for it.
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Certainly not as forgiving as 20 gauge so this was a first of many rounds of heat was applied to get it to take the shoulder.

Justin Rio
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Re: Late 1959 S/R coupe project # 108625

#120 Post by Justin Rio »

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Basic relief shape complete. I have some lines and details still to clean up but I have my basic repair patch. This was a physical one and felt like blacksmithing to get that thicker metal to take the shape.
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Left myself plenty of excess for final adjustment and trimming.
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I'll punch the hole for the tube end next. The tube and its ends position dictates where this patch will ultimately end up. Once I have that dialed I can do my final trimming and add in the 90 degree bottom flange. One more step closer to wrapping up this corner repair.
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Just a basic roughed in part at this point. Opened and rolling the edges in for an eventual seam weld to the edge of the tube as originally.
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Good for starters now to make it all fit and align together in the car.
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Trimming little bits away as it went with a closer fit on each try.
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Trying for tube alignment with best average fit at the end.
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Templates for final cut line and shape that the remains of the original show.
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Tube end traced in its adjusted position to better locate the final cut lines on the repair patch.
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Trimmed and ready for final adjustments in relation to the tube. Shape didn't turn out as clean as I would have liked but its heavier gauge, hand formed and will be eventually covered over so it really just as to do its job which is to provide a secure opening at the tubes end.

Thanks for looking.

Justin

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