latoracing 256 Report post Posted August 7, 2016 So you are saying the location of the "pinch weld" is correct? Yes Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
latoracing 256 Report post Posted August 9, 2016 Fitting of the quarter patch and outer wheel house patch. Both pieces needed a little reshaping in order to fit, and look right. I started by rough trimming the parts and got them fairly close to the final trim before the adjustments could start. The quarter patches needed a little help in the rear valance area. These patch stampings are not as detailed as a full replacement part. The area where the valance and the quarter meet needed to be much sharper and much deeper. Making a hammering form to get the crease just right, and to allow the part to be shaped correctly made quick work of the touch up. The part on the right is my modified part, it fits the valance nicely plus it aligns with the crease on the existing quarter. Having that area shaped, the wheel house repair also had to be trimmed and shaped. Most wheel houses in the lower area are way to wide. (just like this one would have been) Ever see a quarter put on with the bottom rear lip sticking out farther than its supposed to? Well, that is normally the issue, especially when the trunk drop off and the quarter pinch weld flange do not touch each other. After some sectioning, and some creative forming, it was drilled and temp fastened in place. I had the wheel house patch all prepped and tacked it in place. One more final check and it was butt welded to the existing wheel house, and seam welded on the pinch weld area. The flange on the replacement part was like 1/4", so I improvised. All that area is all welded up, planished and ground smooth. I have to trim the quarter skin patch next, so more "quilting" on this convertible. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
latoracing 256 Report post Posted August 9, 2016 The quarter patch is all trimmed to fit, along with the trunk drop off. There is a little oil canning going on underneath the parking light on the new part. I will have to do a little shrinking on that area to firm it up. All the gaps look neat and should be very weldable. I did trim just a little bit off the original skin to have a fresh edge for welding. I have one little adjustment on the rear area, right where the outer crease goes in. Once tack welded in place it should hammer right where it needs to go. Butt welding all these repairs turns out quite nice, just takes a little more effort and there is no rushing the welding, kinda like watching paint dry, it just takes time lol. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vicfreg 771 Report post Posted August 11, 2016 Nice work Mike. The sheet metal looks great..... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
latoracing 256 Report post Posted August 13, 2016 After the usual weld, sand, beat with a hammer, repeat as necessary... then a little block sanding with some 80 grit, this quarter panel has been given a new lease on life. There are just a few high / low areas that I want to tune up, then finish off all the little spot welds on the lower pinch weld area. On to the other side. 1 mwye0627 reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ridge Runner 1,112 Report post Posted August 14, 2016 I had to do almost the exact same patch work on my CJ .I left the line where it fit up to the rear valance so it would keep a factory gap and just a 1 inch patch on the trunk drop off inside ,butt welding is so much better and cleaner . Nice job ! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
latoracing 256 Report post Posted August 20, 2016 Having these two seat pan reinforcements tacked under the car doesn't seem like much, but I am glad they are under there for good. They have spent a few weeks at the sandblasters (waiting on this last lunar eclipse to take place I guess), anyway, they got back, were straightened out, drilled, primed and fitted. The removal process was not so kind to the floor support tab area, it had to be massaged a little to fit back in place. A couple of ratchet straps helped pull the parts into their correct positions and some threaded rod with misc plates held up the rear. I used the plate bolt holes to help align these parts along with a straight edge on the rear of the pans. Going to get the weld holes cleaned and get to cooking the first of next week. Seat risers will follow. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RPM 1,190 Report post Posted August 20, 2016 Ye old where's my helper dilemma. Looks like you're smarter than the average bear Mike. Well done. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vicfreg 771 Report post Posted August 21, 2016 Mike, nice. Clever way to hold them in place. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mike65 475 Report post Posted August 21, 2016 Nice work. I had to do the same thing when it was time to weld in the l/s seat platform on my 69 Coupe, I used long bolts with large washers & nuts to pull it down tight to the floor so I could weld it in. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
latoracing 256 Report post Posted September 3, 2016 Finished up the underside welding a few days ago. Went ahead and reinstalled the seat risers. I was able to put the original parts back in the car as the risers and reinforcements were in great shape. After a little straitening of the attachment flanges, and some paint removal in the rosette weld areas, both sides were made to stay. I have been meaning to get the outer vent area capped back off. Got the original part all cleaned up and prepped to go back on. With a few clamps and some more minor fitting, it was ready to weld back on. I will be concentrating on the driver's side quarter next as there is some unfinished rocker to wheel house repairs, along with the quarter / trunk drop off repair. The to fix list is getting shorter, not too much left. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Patriotgamez 14 Report post Posted September 4, 2016 Did the 70 vert have seat risers that tied together over the tranny hump? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
latoracing 256 Report post Posted September 5, 2016 Did the 70 vert have seat risers that tied together over the tranny hump? No. The '68s were the last year of the one piece seat risers for the early cars. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
latoracing 256 Report post Posted September 24, 2016 Finishing up a bunch of tedious small patches on the forward driver's side wheel well area. This patching was necessary to fix the removed wheel well during the rocker install. Nothing fancy.Getting the trunk drop off and other parts fitted for the quarter panel patch. More to come on this. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
latoracing 256 Report post Posted October 1, 2016 Having the trunk drop off all trimmed to fit, it was time to get it installed. A few tacks and some adjusting it was all welded in place. I still need to dress the welds though. With that part as a guide, I started the trimming and adjusting of the quarter patch. I also have to fix the inner wheel house in that area, but can't fit it till the quarter patch fits. Whoever put the drain hole in these trunk drop offs needs to go remeasure an original part, this side is terrible. I guess I could use it for a HUGE rosette weld hole. It will be o.k. though, it's metal :) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
latoracing 256 Report post Posted October 4, 2016 More fitting and trimming this afternoon. Fitting the rear part of the outer wheel house helps in the shape department when attempting a butt welded repair. This quarter patch is just a little on the short side (front to back) but should be able to do a little fudging to blend it in. With the quarter patch looking a little better, I wanted to see how the valence was going to fit. I learned a long time ago to put connecting parts on the car as you are fitting "movable" parts. As the driver's side was fitted to the valence while it was being installed The passenger side was spot on as well. The valence needs a little bit of TLC but should be manageable. I have more trimming to do, and get to welding. Its getting there... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vicfreg 771 Report post Posted October 5, 2016 Mike, nice job on the fit up. I am glad I got that rear valence for the fit up. Great idea.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
latoracing 256 Report post Posted October 8, 2016 With the final trimming done, and the inner wheel house rear patch welded in place, the quarter patch was welded on. Much like the other side, this side did fairly well. Keeping it from looking all wavy took quite a bit of hammering to planish out all the welds. I still have a few areas to get just right, as it would only require an extremely thin skim coat to cover up some small imperfections. Having to hammer with my left hand might have had something to do with that lol. I fixed the hole in the tail light panel, along with some more fitting of the valence. A couple of places to touch up and it will be good to go. Once that is done, so is the rear of the car. I'll be moving to the opposite end for a few more repairs. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
latoracing 256 Report post Posted October 20, 2016 Having spent some time getting the valence fitting like I wanted it I moved to the front of the car. The usual rust areas in the tops of the shock towers will need to be patched. The driver's side tower looks to be in excellent condition. The passenger side, well, it will need some TLC. It this things past life, someone got after it with some brazing rod. After a little grinding... I will be installing the big block wrap arounds along with the B-302 inner braces, to help reinforce these areas. I've got some sheet metal to form for all these patches, then it can start looking more presentable. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
latoracing 256 Report post Posted October 30, 2016 Getting all the areas prepped for fixing by removal of the crunchy metal, scraping off the under coating and paint. Once the damaged area has been cleaned up, patches are formed and fitted. I put my plasma cutter to some good use today with all the rusty metal and cutting up the 7ga material for the tower wraps. I didn't get any time to bend the wraps at work the past week, and I wasn't thrilled with the radius tool I used on my wraps, so I took a different route. I made a template of the degree of bend and the inside radius of my intended bend. Did a little measuring of the radius and came up with 1.5". Using that measurement, and dividing up into 5 bends (.375" apart) I "step" broke the radius into the plate. I tried it out on a scrap piece to get a feel for it. On my first try, it was fairly close to the template, but needed just a little bit more in the degree area. Having the actual parts cut, I laid them out the same way and bent them all the same, adding a little bit more to the downward position of my at home "press brake" With just a few tweaks, and a few minutes, I had all the parts shaped and ready for some trimming. I was also working on fixing the top of the shock towers. These had the usual bloated lap areas that needed some attention. I used some 12ga to bend the repair parts for the actual shock tower, and just about got the passenger side ready to weld up. I'll get the thicker stuff welded in place, then make the repairs on the apron tops. I do have one other area on the passenger side shock tower that needs to be repaired, but I'll work my way down. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RPM 1,190 Report post Posted October 30, 2016 Sure looks easy peasy on my laptop sitting here on my couch. Nice work. 1 SweellTrex reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ridge Runner 1,112 Report post Posted October 30, 2016 Getting all the areas prepped for fixing by removal of the crunchy metal, scraping off the under coating and paint. Once the damaged area has been cleaned up, patches are formed and fitted. I put my plasma cutter to some good use today with all the rusty metal and cutting up the 7ga material for the tower wraps. I didn't get any time to bend the wraps at work the past week, and I wasn't thrilled with the radius tool I used on my wraps, so I took a different route. I made a template of the degree of bend and the inside radius of my intended bend. Did a little measuring of the radius and came up with 1.5". Using that measurement, and dividing up into 5 bends (.375" apart) I "step" broke the radius into the plate. I tried it out on a scrap piece to get a feel for it. On my first try, it was fairly close to the template, but needed just a little bit more in the degree area. Having the actual parts cut, I laid them out the same way and bent them all the same, adding a little bit more to the downward position of my at home "press brake" With just a few tweaks, and a few minutes, I had all the parts shaped and ready for some trimming. I was also working on fixing the top of the shock towers. These had the usual bloated lap areas that needed some attention. I used some 12ga to bend the repair parts for the actual shock tower, and just about got the passenger side ready to weld up. I'll get the thicker stuff welded in place, then make the repairs on the apron tops. I do have one other area on the passenger side shock tower that needs to be repaired, but I'll work my way down. Damn ...That press break is sweet ,imagine what you could with a few round dies ,dimpling dies and hole punches .The image is popping into my head another tool i need to build .Lets see ,an air over hydraulic jack and.....Oh yeah ! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
latoracing 256 Report post Posted October 30, 2016 Damn ...That press break is sweet ,imagine what you could with a few round dies ,dimpling dies and hole punches .The image is popping into my head another tool i need to build .Lets see ,an air over hydraulic jack and.....Oh yeah ! I have the dimpling dies and other smaller dies to help with the shorter flange parts. Having the box and pan brake really helps as well. Tools are great Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
latoracing 256 Report post Posted November 1, 2016 Welded up the passenger side this afternoon and got it in shape to partially cover up. I was being careful to not grind any off of the vin, which was fairly easy to do. Making fillers for the other side, slowly but slowly... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Machspeed 219 Report post Posted November 3, 2016 Jeez Mike, just found your build here.....WOW! Most impressed with your metal working skills. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
