Late 1959 S/R coupe project # 108625
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Late 1959 S/R coupe project # 108625
Progress thread for a very late production 1959 sunroof coupe.
More update shots next.
Thanks for looking.
Justin
This project is actually much further up the road than I show here as I add entries. If you'd like to see more up to date progress you can find it here: https://forum.abcgt.com/forum/main-foru ... sis-108625
As found and purchased several years back.
Usual rust and of course, then some more.
All that you would expect to find in an old 356 with a large hole in its roof.
Stripped back to shell at this point and ready to head to media blasting with its sister project #17 convertible D.More update shots next.
Thanks for looking.
Justin
This project is actually much further up the road than I show here as I add entries. If you'd like to see more up to date progress you can find it here: https://forum.abcgt.com/forum/main-foru ... sis-108625
Last edited by Justin Rio on Sun Jul 24, 2022 2:28 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Late 1959 S/R coupe project # 108625
Thanks for looking.
Justin
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Re: Late 1959 S/R coupe project # 108625
Going all out and it looks to me like a car well worth it. 59's have always been my favorite year for a 356.
Last edited by Eric Huffman on Wed Apr 27, 2022 8:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Late 1959 S/R coupe project # 108625
What a cool project, looking forward to the next update !
Antoine
Antoine
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Re: Late 1959 S/R coupe project # 108625
Thanks guys. Its nicely optioned and with what is considered a "project car" these days its way ahead of the game.
New panels from Trevor's Hammer works: Christmas morning new nose section left door will need reskinning. New battery box unit and upper closing wall. A clean look at that pretty new nose. rear inner wheel house closing panels. both doors will need new bottoms. Nothing prettier than shiny new panels. Gave the new nose a quick test fit. Things were looking up almost immediately.
Thanks for looking.
Justin
New panels from Trevor's Hammer works: Christmas morning new nose section left door will need reskinning. New battery box unit and upper closing wall. A clean look at that pretty new nose. rear inner wheel house closing panels. both doors will need new bottoms. Nothing prettier than shiny new panels. Gave the new nose a quick test fit. Things were looking up almost immediately.
Thanks for looking.
Justin
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Re: Late 1959 S/R coupe project # 108625
Now that is some clean metal to start with 8)
Antoine
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Re: Late 1959 S/R coupe project # 108625
New parts and panels really opens up the possibilities Antoine.
Prepping left door for metalwork starting with a baseline fitment before the shell is dismantled. Car arrived with hinges mounted and shimmed "correctly" I can only assume? I'd know for sure here in just a little bit. Bottom of the original numbers matching door of course in need of replacement. Door hinge mounted and seats in nicely. This secondary body shop damage pretty much sealed its fate. These giant holes could pass for bullet holes but no its some geniuses way of pulling out old accident damage instead of just removing the door panel to get at it from behind. These old "repairs" drive me crazy especially when it means the demise of an original panel. Rear gap is great with a nice transition off the top to the quarter window opening. Lower gap runs slightly tighter. Bruce Baker has said this is normally found from the factory. Front gap also just as nice. So for sure, factory and undisturbed. Original rockers have been rubbed a couple of times but are otherwise in surprisingly nice condition. These will be carefully removed and reinstalled eventually. Original door frame mock up next to check for clearance and contour fitment with the body opening; no issues. Gap between the air deflector and B-pillar also noted. These are all the things I wanted to record as my baseline factory fitment before I began cutting and changing anything. Next I set the striker and latch to finish off my established fit so I'll know just how much the door might have changed once all the metalwork is complete.
More later...
Thanks for looking
Justin
Prepping left door for metalwork starting with a baseline fitment before the shell is dismantled. Car arrived with hinges mounted and shimmed "correctly" I can only assume? I'd know for sure here in just a little bit. Bottom of the original numbers matching door of course in need of replacement. Door hinge mounted and seats in nicely. This secondary body shop damage pretty much sealed its fate. These giant holes could pass for bullet holes but no its some geniuses way of pulling out old accident damage instead of just removing the door panel to get at it from behind. These old "repairs" drive me crazy especially when it means the demise of an original panel. Rear gap is great with a nice transition off the top to the quarter window opening. Lower gap runs slightly tighter. Bruce Baker has said this is normally found from the factory. Front gap also just as nice. So for sure, factory and undisturbed. Original rockers have been rubbed a couple of times but are otherwise in surprisingly nice condition. These will be carefully removed and reinstalled eventually. Original door frame mock up next to check for clearance and contour fitment with the body opening; no issues. Gap between the air deflector and B-pillar also noted. These are all the things I wanted to record as my baseline factory fitment before I began cutting and changing anything. Next I set the striker and latch to finish off my established fit so I'll know just how much the door might have changed once all the metalwork is complete.
More later...
Thanks for looking
Justin
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Re: Late 1959 S/R coupe project # 108625
Taking a close and detailed comparison of Original and new to determine left door reskin plans.
Trevor's new door skin is a beautiful piece and ideally I'd hate to cut up something so pristine but I needed to find out if using it whole or only a section of it will give me the best and most accurate end result for the least amount of work.
Everything below the door handle line is obviously going but whether I use it all rested on how accurate this top cap area and details match up with the original.
At first glance this cap contour and its shape is very nice and seems to match up well with the original but upon closer comparison things began to deviate.
At its widest point the original is coming in at just shy of an inch.
The new one by contrast is a full quarter inch wider.
The entire run in general is wider than the original. I've been down this road already when I reskinned the door on my coupe. The new one was also wider and by the time I had the skin seat properly that additional width was encroaching into the glass, not to mention you'd never get the Chrome base trim to fit. I had to section it and remove the excess which means this will be an exact repeat if I decided to use the new skin as a whole. Preserving the original top section was now beginning to look like the best option.
As the comparison went I also began to notice that the trough contour just below that ledge runs very crisp and defined all the way across the door.
By contrast that trough contour washes out at the middle of the new panel.
Looking for more confirmation I set the skin in there to see how well it aligned and if was really short or too tall in there. It actually fit pretty well.
Here's that trough profile that washes smooth highlighted in green. Its a very subtle detail and most people would never catch it but once its in paint that's going to give a humped profile in the paint reflection. If anyone did catch it they'd probably chalk it up to a swatch of bondo that wasn't carved out completely. Anyway, its no big deal but it was another reason to preserve some of the original.
Last edited by Justin Rio on Tue May 03, 2022 5:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Late 1959 S/R coupe project # 108625
Thanks for looking.
Justin
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Re: Late 1959 S/R coupe project # 108625
Beautiful work, Justin!
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Re: Late 1959 S/R coupe project # 108625
Wow, beautiful work, thanks a lot for sharing !
Antoine
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Re: Late 1959 S/R coupe project # 108625
Justin, one question for you:
In my '59 the front latch part where the hook catches is missing. Is that the original piece in you car here?
Would you have close-up pics, for me to see what I need to replicate?
In my '59 the front latch part where the hook catches is missing. Is that the original piece in you car here?
Would you have close-up pics, for me to see what I need to replicate?
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Re: Late 1959 S/R coupe project # 108625
I've only shown the door cut open by this point but Thank you guys, its very much appreciated.
It is an original catch housing for the safety hook George. Here are some detailed shots: Undisturbed original example below:
It is an original catch housing for the safety hook George. Here are some detailed shots: Undisturbed original example below:
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Re: Late 1959 S/R coupe project # 108625
Merci beaucoup Justin.
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Re: Late 1959 S/R coupe project # 108625
Anytime George.
Left door structural rot: No great surprise, this layered corner is pretty well advanced as the outside gave a good indication. It'll need a new lower rolled flange for the inner closing wall. Constructed a little different from the T1's I'm used to seeing but nothing that can't be copied. I'm going to try my best to avoid removing the hinge and stopper assembly as I have a clear shot at it from the other side with the skin removed. It appears solid just under the upper rivets so no sense disturbing all of that if I don't have to. Starting with a conservative cut line. I'll have a better idea once I get this corner out of the way but hopefully I won't have to go much further than this; famous last words. Begin grinding and peeling the two sandwiched layers of metal inside this housing. Also began squeezing it back out square. A lot of spot welds holding these in but the rot helped the removal along. Housing peeled clean and ready for an acid bath once I remove the rest of the door bottom. That next.
Thanks for looking.
Justin
Left door structural rot: No great surprise, this layered corner is pretty well advanced as the outside gave a good indication. It'll need a new lower rolled flange for the inner closing wall. Constructed a little different from the T1's I'm used to seeing but nothing that can't be copied. I'm going to try my best to avoid removing the hinge and stopper assembly as I have a clear shot at it from the other side with the skin removed. It appears solid just under the upper rivets so no sense disturbing all of that if I don't have to. Starting with a conservative cut line. I'll have a better idea once I get this corner out of the way but hopefully I won't have to go much further than this; famous last words. Begin grinding and peeling the two sandwiched layers of metal inside this housing. Also began squeezing it back out square. A lot of spot welds holding these in but the rot helped the removal along. Housing peeled clean and ready for an acid bath once I remove the rest of the door bottom. That next.
Thanks for looking.
Justin