Josef Posted December 9, 2021 Report Share Posted December 9, 2021 I’ve had my Herald since 2007. It’s generally always presented pretty well, but I consider it to be a rolling restoration. After the work I’ve done on the Spitfire though I can now much better recognise areas of the body that need attention, and am able to deal with them. So I’ve been poking at my boot corners which were not in quite as good condition as I had thought! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josef Posted December 13, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 13, 2021 Got the curved corner bit of the boot corner filled in and relatively well shaped today, and started building up the patches needed for the edges of the boot. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josef Posted December 14, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2021 More patch making this morning. I want to get the section to the rear of the car in first as then I’ll still have access to the normally boxed-in side of it to push the original (slightly distorted) panel to meet up neatly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josef Posted December 14, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2021 Got the rearmost section welded in, and the side panel repair fitted up ready to weld tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Flinn Posted December 14, 2021 Report Share Posted December 14, 2021 Some great Fabrication and Welding work on display there, well done indeed👍 I really must get myself booked on a course to learn how to do MIG Welding?🤔 Gary 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted December 14, 2021 Report Share Posted December 14, 2021 35 minutes ago, Gary Flinn said: Some great Fabrication and Welding work on display there, well done indeed👍 I really must get myself booked on a course to learn how to do MIG Welding?🤔 Gary I just missed out on one on 'Hobby Welding' before Christmas; am hoping there's another coming up. (actually it's in January for eight weeks but the closing date for applications was end of November) I have in the past welded odd things together, like brackets, but want to do it well enough for bodywork. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josef Posted December 14, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2021 2 hours ago, Gary Flinn said: Some great Fabrication and Welding work on display there, well done indeed👍 I really must get myself booked on a course to learn how to do MIG Welding?🤔 Gary 1 hour ago, Colin Lindsay said: I just missed out on one on 'Hobby Welding' before Christmas; am hoping there's another coming up. (actually it's in January for eight weeks but the closing date for applications was end of November) I have in the past welded odd things together, like brackets, but want to do it well enough for bodywork. I am self taught (hadn’t even touched a welder prior to August 2020). Actually prepping and welding two new bits of metal together isn’t very difficult. Making the right shaped bit of metal to repair the odd shaped hole in your car and then welding it on to an older, thinner bit of metal (possibly while lying on your back with your head jammed in a footwell), that’s the thing that took a while to learn! So I’d be tempted to say just having a go (and accepting your results might not be immediately perfect) might be better than a course if it’s not a classic car bodywork focussed one. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josef Posted December 15, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2021 Got the boot side panel welded in and mostly tidied up. Not going to go too crazy with grinding down the welds here as it’ll be behind the valances and may as well benefit from the extra strength. I’ve been starting to think about how to do the reinforcement bracket. I did buy the repair section Chic Doig sell, but I am not impressed with it, it’s not flat for starters. So I’ve been working on the images Colin posted for me the other day to make myself a template of the bracket’s shape and see what I can manage to build myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josef Posted December 17, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2021 So I’ve hummed and hahed, and decided to try saving the rear chassis extension. It’s an original style one, and it’s not actually that bad, just splitting a bit where it’s rusted between the non welded seams on the lower side. Been rebuilding the end I lopped off to give me access to both sides of the boot floor this morning. It had been drilled out and long bolts put through the whole thing so was a bit misshapen, it’s straightened out ok though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josef Posted December 18, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2021 Finished off the outrigger end, and capped it off too to stop anything getting in when it’s back on the car. Then tried to test fit the centre valance, and found I’d dropped the rear of the boot floor on the LHS by about 4 mm so it wouldn’t fit… Had to cut through the repair on that side and do some correction, got it fitted up ok in the end though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josef Posted December 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2021 Not the prettiest of repairs, but the valance now fits (and I know nobody has seen these panels in at least 14 years so I’m not particularly fussed) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josef Posted December 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2021 So, on to the boot corner bracket. I've taken the photos from here and done some playing in photoshop to correct for the camera position, then manipulated the image to give me a 1:1 scale picture based on measuring the bits that remain on my car. That's allowed me to draw a template of the flat vs raised surfaces . Cutting that out and testing it in the car looks relatively sensible, so tomorrows job will be to cut out the curvy section in steel, and try rolling the edge of it using the dolly I've made for the purpose. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted December 19, 2021 Report Share Posted December 19, 2021 I'll look forward to that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josef Posted December 20, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2021 Unsurprisingly, 2mm steel is a lot harder to work! After several hours of hammering though I have something that looks reasonable, if a little hammer scarred. Got the angled section that joins to the boot size fully shaped and fitted up. Next move will be to weld the raised section to a flat bit of steel, and I’ll probably join that to the angled piece too off the car. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted December 20, 2021 Report Share Posted December 20, 2021 I only realised this morning whilst reading other threads that I'd included a photo of what a PO decided was a adequate repair for this area: I think, regrettably, that the entire convertible tub will have to be scrapped due to panels being incorrectly fitted and too much distortion for certainty; over 80 patches and counting, many of them a similar cover-up / stitch-over affair like that in the photo... but I have another so between the two I should end up with one usable tub. I think I'm leaning towards doing the simpler repairs myself then getting a local bodyshop for the more visible or structural stuff. I'm nowhere near your standard! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josef Posted December 20, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2021 37 minutes ago, Colin Lindsay said: I only realised this morning whilst reading other threads that I'd included a photo of what a PO decided was a adequate repair for this area: I think, regrettably, that the entire convertible tub will have to be scrapped due to panels being incorrectly fitted and too much distortion for certainty; over 80 patches and counting, many of them a similar cover-up / stitch-over affair like that in the photo... but I have another so between the two I should end up with one usable tub. I think I'm leaning towards doing the simpler repairs myself then getting a local bodyshop for the more visible or structural stuff. I'm nowhere near your standard! I can appreciate why Heralds are not repaired well in this area, the shapes are complicated and it takes a really long time to do to a standard approaching original if you make it yourself, and that will have been the only option for most people for a long time as we know. My passenger side bracket is not too dissimilar to your photo (and I’m 99% sure I’m the first amateur to weld my Herald so will have to blame a garage rather than a PO there), but I’m not tackling it right away. When the Spitfire is on the road the Herald can have some more serious attention. Shame the tub is not saveable, but that also makes it a good subject to have a practice on I guess! That was pretty much my attitude with the Spitfire, I felt I had nothing more to lose as whatever I did would be better than what was there. Though I would’ve been much more daunted if I had seen the whole thing stripped and the mess was fully revealed… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josef Posted December 21, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2021 Ground the base of the raised section so it would mate with the remains of the original bracket, tacked it in place on the car, checked against the templates and fully welded it in. Next will be a lot of grinding, and cutting out the underside (handily marked out by the welding heat!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josef Posted December 21, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2021 Needs some holes drilling and primer, but otherwise ready to fit! Photo next to the commercial section for comparison. Though to be fair if you were paying someone to make the partial panel as I just have you’d be talking maybe 10x the ~£80 I paid for the panel you can buy in labour costs. Maybe these are something we should be looking at having pressed as a club, at least the lower half that rots (I expect doing the full bracket would be extra costly given the 90 degree bend). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josef Posted December 22, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2021 It was awkward to weld, and really awkward to grind, but that’s the boot corner done! Lot of effort, but it looks pretty decent so I’m glad I did go down the route of making something to fit here rather than trying to graft on the bit I’d bought. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon J 1250 Posted December 22, 2021 Report Share Posted December 22, 2021 Incredible attention to detail, good work! 👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted December 22, 2021 Report Share Posted December 22, 2021 Excellent work, a real credit to you. I called in with my mate yesterday, he has my welder but is still looking out for a more powerful version for me, so I'll not be welding any time soon. Watching your thread, and that of the other metalworkers on here, teaches me a lot in the meantime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josef Posted December 22, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2021 Thanks guys. When I had ground it all down and was looking at it I was thinking I wouldn't have had the first idea how to go about fixing this if I'd seen it just over a year ago! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted December 22, 2021 Report Share Posted December 22, 2021 Hells bells….. that’s keen! Good work. Very good. Must say I would probably have “simplified” that. Happily, mine is good there. Nick 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Truman Posted December 22, 2021 Report Share Posted December 22, 2021 A pleasure to watch your work, well done have a good Christmas break you've earned it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josef Posted December 24, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2021 Got the outrigger end back on this morning. There’s now a 6mm gap between the body and chassis when before they were in contact due to a combination of overplating and rust! Currently having a tea break while waiting for the primer to dry on the repair patch for the leading end of the same outrigger. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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