68vitesse Posted October 9, 2018 Report Share Posted October 9, 2018 Whatever the result of an MOT you still have to foot the bill. Regards Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted October 9, 2018 Report Share Posted October 9, 2018 thats 300mm in new money Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordfunker Posted October 9, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2018 Ignoring foot related puns for a moment, I received a delivery from Chic Doig this afternoon. I only ordered it yesterday afternoon, so well impressed with the speed of that service. Very fleet of foot you might say! This is for the passenger side which I was dreading having to finish, but this should make that exercise a lot easier, and I note how much more substantial the body mounting brackets are than the ones I bought separately, and not from Chic Doig. Karl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne Rollinson Posted October 9, 2018 Report Share Posted October 9, 2018 I have just bought a few panels for my spitfire from them and i am well chuffed with the quality, I have been going through your posts with interest its coming on nicely Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordfunker Posted October 11, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2018 Wayne, their panels are certainly very good quality and my car seems determined to give me every opportunity to try as many of them as possible! I bought some new body mounting brackets a few months back from a supplier which rhymes with haddocks, and they are fine, but nowhere near as substantial as the Chic Doig ones attached to the new repair section. The same goes for their replacement chassis outriggers which I am sure have added a couple of extra Kg to my car. Karl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne Rollinson Posted October 11, 2018 Report Share Posted October 11, 2018 yes I certainly will be buying more from them very nice to deal with and great quality, when you finally get through your car you will be well chuffed, i am only just starting on my journey and keep adding to my list of things to do lol, regards wayne. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordfunker Posted October 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2018 The weekend's over so time for an update, as I have actually got some more done on the Herald, not a lot, but some. Ahead of doing anything on the car I spent some time looking online, to better understand how others have tackled this repair, and found an excellent blog detailing a full resto, but also in detail the bulkhead repairs, see link below: https://triumphherald.weebly.com/the-bulkhead.html Not sure if he is a TSSC member, but the blog was very helpful. I am looking forward to welding in the new mounting panel from Chic Doig, however before I can do that, I needed to remove my previous repairs (Sigh!) and clean up the corner of the bulkhead, which is what I spent a couple of hours doing on Saturday afternoon, leaving me with this. Not very exciting, but very necessary to provide me with a sound starting point with the new panel. The replacement panel is full depth along it's length, but the area where it fits isn't, which means making a cut in the front of the panel where the floorpan sits over the front outrigger. Here it is unmolested..... .....and showing it clamped in place uncut, showing the area to be removed. This is it after the first cut, which is truly the hardest on a virgin panel. The extra metal is useful as the horizontal area at the front of the bulkhead is often rotten where muck gets trapped between the front outrigger and the floorpan, as was the case on my car. This is the bit I'm talking about. Next up was to cut the panel further so that it formed a neat butt joint against the vertical section of the footwell area, again, measure multiple times before attacking it with a cutting disk and crossed fingers. I'm very glad to say that the fit is spot on with around 1mm of gap around the edge, just right for MIG welding, but before that I need to rebuild the flange at the base of the bulkhead beneath the bonnet latch, which should be easier with bulkhead off the car, unlike the first time I attempted it. I was never happy with the way I tackled this originally, so I'm actually quite pleased to be able to do it again and get a better finish. That's another weekend gone, but one where the progress feels tangible. Karl 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordfunker Posted October 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2018 With the glorious weather this weekend I ended up spending Saturday working in the garden, performing what I am hoping is the last mow of the year for the lawn, as well as sorting out one of the tyres on Mrs B's modern which had collected a lovely shard of steel. Scratch one tyre, which left Sunday afternoon to continue work on the Herald. I'd left it last week with the new Chic Doig panel cut out and ready to fit, but not before I had tackled the vertical portion of the front bulkhead where the bonnet latches. Those with a long memory will remember that I 'repaired' this section before, but I was never happy with the result, and you can see why from the pics below: The repairs weren't pretty, and I hadn't addressed the dents in the panel before attempting them, so first order of business was to bash out the dents with my cheapy panel beating set, to get me at least a semi original panel shape to work from. Which still left this to be dealt with. Nothing for it, time to break out the angle grinder and slitting disc, leaving me with more fresh air. I cut back quite heavily to ensure that I was going to be welding the repair panel to good metal, so started off with a fairly large piece of 1mm steel for the start of my homemade repair panel. A panel beater I am not, but after an hour I was left with this, which I was actually quite pleased with. The oversize panel was then clamped to the bulkhead, and a marker run around the edge to indicate the area to be removed. Having learnt the hard way I always apply masking tape to create a straight edge to cut to, and always work in small increments to avoid removing too much material. With that carefully done, I clamped the new panel in place along with the Chic Doig panel to gauge the overall fit, which was actually pretty OK. Now, I could just weld the homemade repair panel to the Chic Doig panel and move on, but that's not the way the original panels were arranged, as the vertical panel had a lip which was spot welded to the floor pan/foot well panel. This meant creating a new section which would be welded to my homebrew panel to replicate the lip, and as usual started with a cardboard template. This was then transferred to sheet steel and cut out with the angle grinder. Now at this point I was under the impression that the lip of the vertical panel folded over the lip on the floor pan, but a quick check on the driver's side revealed that this was not the case, so the lip that you see in the following pics will be removed before I start welding. There's still some tweaking to do with the panel fit, but overall a really good afternoon in the garage, which has yielded a number of new parts which I hope to get welded on in the next couple of weeks. Karl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordfunker Posted October 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2018 Given the change in the weather over the weekend you might not be surprised to hear that I didn't spend too much time in the garage this weekend! It didn't get above 5 degrees in the garage, and combined with the wind, I wimped out and only spent a couple of hours tin bashing on Saturday afternoon, tweaking what I did last week to improve the fit, as per the pic below. Even getting this far took several coffees in order to restore the circulation in my fingers! But then it was time to break out the welder and join the two pieces of the repair section together, which at least meant I got some heat into the garage! I've never been so happy to hold a piece of steel I've just welded! I didn't take any pics on Saturday as the phone died, so had to resort to taking some pics on Sunday. It's not finished yet as there are some holes that I need to weld up, and I need to tidy up the flange so that it matches the one on the driver's side, but that is a job for next week now. Hopefully it won't be quite so cold then as I am now a self confessed wimp when it comes to the cold now. Karl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted October 31, 2018 Report Share Posted October 31, 2018 You do keep battling on, I reckon there must be more New than .......old Think we are all enjoying the progress Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordfunker Posted October 31, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2018 I never was very bright! At least it keeps me off the streets of Banbury. Karl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordfunker Posted November 4, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2018 Well another weekend gone, and it was definitely a game of two halves. Saturday was spent sorting out the last of the welding on the large home made repair section, leaving me with this. Note holes punched ready for spot welding to the Chic Doig panel, and the back. Neat enough, considering that it will be buried in the depths of the passenger side footwell, and certainly good and strong. Next up was the curved section beneath the bonnet latch, which I repaired a few months back, but hadn't got the curvature right, so had to cut it out and start again. Chopped out, and ready for a new patch, which utilised some of the steel cut from the Chic Doig panel, hence the colour. Nice fit, and now just needed welding. The aftermath, cleaned up with a flap disc, and a tungsten carbide burr in my Lidl air grinder, which makes this sort of thing a lot easier. And that's where I left it Saturday evening, at the end of the first half. Cue the second half today, which didn't go so well. No pictures today, which is probably a good thing, as I slunk out of the garage feeling somewhat crestfallen. Why? I'd welded in the new Chic Doig panel with the front bulkhead flipped through 90 degrees to improve access, but in my enthusiasm, rather than just tacking it in place, had seam welded large portions of it, without checking the fit first. Of course when I flipped it over and put it back on the chassis, the front portion sat fine, but not the rear of the floor pan which is now sitting about in inch higher than it should. Whoops! I must have cut too much off the repair panel, which when joining the old and new had pulled the footwell panel upwards. A bit of a schoolboy error, but one that I can fix. Oh well lesson learned, now to fix it. Karl 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordfunker Posted November 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2018 After last week's dropped ball, it was time to work out how to rectify the situation. The first step was to bolt the bulkhead to the chassis so that I knew I had a solid set of reference points to work from, which just highlighted the problem that I had created. You can see the driver's side sits flat on the middle outrigger, while the passenger side sits at least an inch high, which you can see better in these shots. I still need to sort out the frilly edge, which will be my next job once I finally get this bit sorted. What I then did was cut through the weld that joined the new and old panels together, which took some effort as the weld was thicker and stronger than the steel of the panels, but which then allowed the panel to pop back to it's correct alignment, revealing the gap to be bridged. But this then allowed the panel to bolted to the middle outrigger without distorting the bulkhead. Much better! Now to start closing that unsightly and embarrassing gap. Here is the first piece cut and shaped and ready for welding when I next get into the garage. I'm happy with progress today as I felt like I had completely cocked it up last week, but at least I now know that I can fix it. Karl 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyman Posted November 10, 2018 Report Share Posted November 10, 2018 Well done Karl, never give up. It always looks better after a nights kip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted November 11, 2018 Report Share Posted November 11, 2018 The best part of making a jigsaw is Its coverd by the carpet. I know the feeling Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted November 11, 2018 Report Share Posted November 11, 2018 Carpet above, underseal below! That's looking good. I'll be starting another one in the New Year and have all that to do, especially the rear tub. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordfunker Posted November 18, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2018 Luckily most of it will be covered by the lower section of the A post that I cut away, so even better! This is where I left it last Saturday, not getting any time in the garage on Sunday, or yesterday for that matter. First up this afternoon was tacking in the sliver of steel I cut out last week to start filling the gap. This was then tacked further, ground back and seam welded, as I wanted belt and braces on this repair given it's what links the front of the chassis to the passenger cabin! The difference in the rigidity of the bulkhead is amazing, it's feeling much more secure already, just with this bit welded in. I've only applied a couple of plug welds on the outside where the vertical section of the bulkhead laps over the new repair section, and three more where the inner section of the A post attaches to the flat of the repair panel over the chassis mounts. This lot was then ground back with a flap disc, and then a tungsten carbide burr in my air grinder, as my flap discs are a little lacking in bite and need replacing, allowing me to try the section removed from the lower A post in place. There's still more work to do, before I can weld it back in, but it's getting there, and Mrs B is away next weekend, so I should get a couple of days in the garage to finish this repair off. Karl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham C Posted November 24, 2018 Report Share Posted November 24, 2018 Hello Karl I have spent the last week reading through your restoration, it is very impressive. I hope you do not mind me saying but the welding from where you started is now very impressive. The work you are putting in is a credit to you and I hope you are enjoying it. In addition the time spent doing the forum. Keep going Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordfunker Posted November 24, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2018 Graham many thanks for that. I would be the first to say that my welding has definitely improved over the last 18 months, but there is still some way to go until I would claim to be a half decent welder. Its all nice and strong, just not as pretty as I would like. Thanks again. Karl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted November 25, 2018 Report Share Posted November 25, 2018 Stop being nice ......Karl needs to get on with this ha ! Its looking good Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordfunker Posted November 25, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2018 Pete, I'm going as fast as I can! I have managed to make some progress this weekend while Mrs B was away up north with friends, but not as much as I had hoped as this car continues to fight back. Friday afternoon was spent plugging the gap between the rear of the replacement Chic Doig panel, and the original sill on the passenger side. I ended going with Pete's patchwork approach, using one larger piece to close the gap on the inner sill, and 2 much smaller sections welded in from below to close of the last awkward shaped gap. I also paid a return visit to the plug welds at the front of the bulkhead, as they just hadn't penetrated sufficiently, so were drilled out and the panels clamped together. This time the welder was turned up to the second highest setting, with the wire speed wound back a tad, before attacking the panel. This time, no issues with penetration, and everything is soundly attached. With that out of the way I took a look at the bottom of the A pillar again, as I still wasn't happy with the fit of the curved session at the outside base of the pillar. Not happy with what I found, nothing for it but to cut out the offending metal. Replacement section made up and test fitted. Holes punched out ready for plug welding. Then plug welded in. That was then welded in from behind, and ground back with a flap disc, which highlighted the fact that the sill needed further work, necessitating removal of a section of the door step. A quick bit of welding, followed by an attack of the angle grinder. Not perfect, but with a skim of filler it should be good to go. I had hoped to get the inner section of the A pillar in the I had removed in the summer, however that can wait until next weekend. Karl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyman Posted November 25, 2018 Report Share Posted November 25, 2018 Have you tided up and done the dishes before Mrs B gets back? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordfunker Posted November 25, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2018 Dirty dishes were already in the dishwasher, but I didn’t get around to hoovering. Having said that, I did the washing and the shopping! Karl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted November 25, 2018 Report Share Posted November 25, 2018 Now we need a patchwork and jigsaw club !!! Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyman Posted November 25, 2018 Report Share Posted November 25, 2018 2 hours ago, Pete Lewis said: Now we need a patchwork and jigsaw club !!! Pete You are not ready for cross stitch and knitting yet are you Pete? Tony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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