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  • I promised not so much reporting on this side but I did get the left side off and wanted to post a couple of discoveries.


    Here's the floor out and in one piece. I did this side in a lot less time than the right now that I know what's holding it in place. Quicker and neater.


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    An interesting discovery: It was rumored that this was an LE car, meaning that it was one of the last 500 built. Here's evidence. I peeled off the rear quarter repair panel and found this. The LE's had this stripe design and the cars were not painted black but rather a dark charcoal - which looks pretty black. They didn't even bother to cut out the old panel but just slapped a patch panel over it. Well, I'm fixing it now.


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    Here's the left rocker box (sill assembly) removed in what's left of one piece. Those who have been following this odyssey may recall that the right side came out in 4 chunks but I've refined my techniques. This side was also made harder by the fact that it'll get a full-length inner sill instead of the 3/4 length that was used on the right side. This side had a lot more rot in the rear area and therefore needed the long repair panel which took a LOT more spot weld drilling so get it out. (Pic taken from the bottom)


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    Where I left it tonight with all the left hand structure out of the car. Tomorrow I'll have to start making repairs around the bottom of the floor flange, the seat belt anchor, and other funky areas so I can drop the floor back in on sound metal then start welding.


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    • Originally posted by DanStokes View Post

      The hardest part of body work is knowing when to stop. It's SO easy to sand off just a TAD too much and have to put on another layer of filler. I do that a lot.
      Exactly!

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      • I know you'll need a new project soon, and seeing how much you are learning about repairing British water soluble steel, I have the next one for you. And it will fit in the garage much better than the MGB, as it's only 10 feet long and 4 feet wide when all together. And it will easily fit on your rotisserie. I'll start ordering new panels and have them delivered to you. And I'll even cut the roll cage out up here...

        Well, it's a dream! Maybe some day...

        Now back to our regularly scheduled programming

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        • I wonder if all those half assed repairs were done by an owner, or a bad body shop?

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          • Originally posted by 1946Austin View Post
            I wonder if all those half assed repairs were done by an owner, or a bad body shop?
            My guess is that they were done by someone with some skills. The outer metal finish (well, body filler finish) was really pretty good and the paint, though single-stage, looked to have been sprayed pretty well. Looked like a deliberate attempt to defraud though, of course, you never know what's in someone else's head. I often can't work out what's in MY head!

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            • Originally posted by DanStokes View Post

              My guess is that they were done by someone with some skills. The outer metal finish (well, body filler finish) was really pretty good and the paint, though single-stage, looked to have been sprayed pretty well. Looked like a deliberate attempt to defraud though, of course, you never know what's in someone else's head. I often can't work out what's in MY head!
              Who knows what evils lurk in the minds of men? And dan... only it's not evil in his case! I was always caught guessing.

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              • Today I got started making and installing the patches so the spiffy new floor will have something solid to drop onto. The first piece I took on was the hunk with the inner seat belt anchor attached. It was significantly rusted and all I reused was the center part with the thread in it - sort of a half spool shaped turning. Luckily I had a huge washer left over from some project that had a 7/8" hole in the middle and was just about perfect to reinforce the anchor. I didn't document it like I did the right side but here's the result plus a fresh piece across the rear of the area for the new floor. The numbers were to remind me where to put the seat belt anchor.


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                Last edited by DanStokes; November 10, 2022, 07:56 PM.

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                • To paraphrase the Addams family song "Neat, sweet, and reet..."

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                  • Here's a new definition of "kluge". Asa was over today and spotted this: He touched and it fell off so here he's holding it in place. Yep, that's a Bondo spreader RTV'd in place to cover a hole. Not even sheet metal screws or pop rivets. Truly remarkable.


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                    And a fix we did today. The spring hanger is reinforced with a triangle about even with the rear door opening. The other side was reusabe but this side was rusted thru so I cot off the rotted piece and made this repair. The existing piece was 16 gauge so I picked up a piece of 16 at the steel yard. I shot it in self-etching primer to hold it until I get around to painting the chassis.


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                    Last edited by DanStokes; November 11, 2022, 06:21 PM.

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                    • You two are making good progress on it! It looks like a winner!

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                      • While the floor is out I need to fix the heater box. An interesting failure - water can freely enter the cowl vent which is always open. Not an issue as long as the drains are open and the water can flow right back out as intended. However, over time leaves and crud can plug the drains and the box can then rot out which mine has done in spectacular fashion. The heater box and the panel to the rear of it which holds the radio are also (unnecessarily?) part of the structure so to keep the car as strong as it was when it left Abingdon this needs fixing. It also keeps water from running onto the driver's feet!

                        This is not an easy fix. It's in a constricted space with limited access and Dave G's idea of "getting comfortable before you weld" is completely impossible. I agree with the theory but, in this case, no. Given that I didn't have enough Bondo spreaders to do the job properly (?) I resorted to what you see in the pic as my first panel with several more to come. To orient the viewer, the welded panel in the pic is above the driver's right (accelerator) foot in a left hand drive car. (A lot of the readers are from lands where the drive on the other side of the road so I specified)

                        The rectangular hole is supposed to be there - it heats the driver's feet on those cold autumn drives.


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                        • Dan,

                          Making me rethink lap welding the floor pan patches on the Riviera. Since they have generous overlap I'm thinking I'll get a thin cutting disc and just slice sections and weld bits till it's all a butt joint and then fill back in.
                          Central TEXAS Sleeper
                          USAF Physicist

                          ROA# 9790

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                          • You know, for a guy whom says his welding isn't all it could be, I don't see anything to complain about on this project. You've had some pretty $#!++¥ spots in need of full replacement, and IMHO have done it with aplomb. Well, okay with a welder, but you know what I mean!

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                            • Originally posted by dave.g.in.gansevoort View Post
                              You know, for a guy whom says his welding isn't all it could be, I don't see anything to complain about on this project. You've had some pretty $#!++¥ spots in need of full replacement, and IMHO have done it with aplomb. Well, okay with a welder, but you know what I mean!
                              I've been trying to find a plomb but they seem to out of stock everywhere I've tried, even the Interwebs. Maybe someday I'll find one or more.....

                              But I know what pretty weld look like and these ain't them. I have some of Lennie's welds on Stanger and I can't help but compare.

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                              • Originally posted by CTX-SLPR View Post
                                Dan,

                                Making me rethink lap welding the floor pan patches on the Riviera. Since they have generous overlap I'm thinking I'll get a thin cutting disc and just slice sections and weld bits till it's all a butt joint and then fill back in.
                                Or, evidently, you could but a box of Bondo spreaders and a case of RTV.
                                Last edited by DanStokes; November 13, 2022, 01:19 PM.

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