Progress has been… well slow, after working on it for a week I think I burnt myself out, seems like this current chapter has become predictable and boring/tiring.
Either way I was hoping to have awesome pictures of the LH side buttoned up aside for the rear quarter but nope, thats not what this post is gonna show. Instead it will show awesome things like the closing arch panel below just Cleco clipped in… also if you look closely you can see the arch repair I did… was frustrated at the time so not many pictures were taken.
And the reason/s why I have basically stopped on this side
So the LH side quarter panel for the most part was ok… until it wasn’t. When I first cut access in it to do the inner sills I noticed there was a lot of filler on the panel due to previous sill work/small patch on the quarter, this didn’t bother me cause I had a patch panel.
Well while cutting things to size along with questionable lines that were already there I ended up cutting the quarter too much, I also found basically all of the arch lip needs tending too, and then theres the rear section and the small point in the window area, ultimately I decided for my skill level and sanity I would buy a new quarter panel for this side as well. So what do I do for now? I move onto the other side.
So I was able to find some donor panels for the floor pan repair I need for the RH side and got a few other pieces of metal. Like a whole LH wheel arch section that just so happens to have a good lip.
After some sound deadening removal (joy I got to do more… and I thought I was done). I was able to make a nice patch panel for the RH side. I wanted to go to the exhaust tunnel because I am not a huge fan of the overlapping panels of the previous floor pan patch job, but I didn’t wan’t to mess with the battery holder or brake line clips… also for the record I think floor pan welding is by far worst stuff to weld so far, you would think it would have thicker metal but its like welding on tissue paper.
Next up was to remove the inner sill, heel board subframe mount, part of the quarter panel. I was hoping to salvage the companion bin but previous repairs were just going to make it a pain, I already have a new one for this side so its not a big deal. The RH side will also be getting a whole quarter panel and also a whole inner wheel arch. This side was good and rotten when I got the car so I knew this was coming. But as I cut back the layers it is pretty apparent how nasty this side is.
So next up is to finish the inner sill, floor pan, heel board mount, and make sure the subframe still bolts up. I also need to remove what I can of the bin, can’t change it until the bracing is out which means I can’t put the quarter panel on until that happens. But the quarter can’t happen until the door step and A post are done…. This car is like a puzzle, always having to plan out the logistics of repairs… oh and somewhere in there I will be putting the cross member in.
Guess that is all for now. I hope to keep a somewhat steady pace going forward but its just so hard to tell.
The Rust chronicles 