Question about lock post replacement

[Sean F]

I'm replacing the lock post on my 71 (along with most of the other sheet metal) but can't quite figure out how to do it. I can't find any spot welds on the outer lip of the quarter. I can see them on the backside of the quarter but not the front. I've used the grinder as much as I feel comfortable with and used a torch to see if they were covered in lead but no success. Am I wrong that I need to drill out spot welds here to separate and replace the panel?

Here is a picture:



Here is someone's project with the replacement. Looks like I need to drill out the spot welds.




My first post here so if the images don't come out, they can be found here:

http://911restorationmadness.blogspot.com/

thanks

[Barry]

Hi Sean, I've just logged onto DDK after a few days away, and clicked onto your link. Imagine my surprise when I saw my workshop and work at the top of your page . Someone else's photo's though, so took me a second to realise it (Alan or Michel I guess).

Anyway, to answer your query, yes there are indeed spot welds there, but the factory used one of, or a combination of, two methods to hide the welds:

i) Linish (sand) off the front face after spot welding.
ii) Use a small copper plate on the 'posh' surface, with a normal spot-welding tip to the rear. This gets rid of the indent on the face.

Either way, it makes them a swine to get out nicely. Sometimes you can find them by cleaning up the front surface with fine emery: you may be able to spot the slight texture and colour difference where the welds are. Also, you can see where the spot welds splodge over the edge a bit.

TBH, I often simply slit the B-post right on the edge , alongside the returning flange of the rear wing (where the spodges are). Then you can slightly split the two remaining bits with a ground-down screwdriver or very fine chisel. At this point you can see where the welds are, and either drill them out, grind the accessable ones away from behind, or whatever.

Be aware that once you've done this, the rear wing will want to forget it's shape and relationship to the door. Also, when you try the new B-post, it'll have little in common with the correct shape. It'll also look a right dogs dinner as well, as it's really difficult to get the area apart neatly with the number of welds that cross the outer edge of the flange. This is why the rear wing goes so floppy: you have great chunks of the rear wing flange missing when the spot welds are removed.

Best thing to do is get it as close as possible screwed to the B-post mounting flange on the rear inner wing, and FORWARDS of the rear wing flange (so it's sitting in the door gap). At this point you can tweak it so that it follows the door perfectly fore and aft, and trimmed back so that as you look down the door, the B-post is dead consistent say, 3 mm or so in from the rear edge of the door.

After that, you can start to think about fitting it in it's final position within the rear wing.

Hope this all makes sense .

BTW, I've looked at your other pics: it all looks like pretty usual stuff, nothing too much to worry about, just take your time, support the car perfectly (don't just dump it on four pin-adjusted axle stands), make a very, very good note of all panel gaps before you go too far, and then you'll know whether you're causing problems or curing them.

Best of luck with your project .

[Barry]

Forgot to say, much of what you're about to tackle has been mentioned in one of my restoration threads, this will be the most appropriate one:

http://www.ddk-online.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=15937

[Sean F]

Barry, thanks a lot for your reply. Just getting back into the swing of things after a break and read your post. Very helpful stuff. I appreciate it.

Sean

[Barry]

Hi Sean, you'll notice that a lot of my pictures are down at the moment, as I've ended up with two Photoshop accounts, one of which has gone out of date and won't let me get it running again .

Anyway, hopefully there will be a solution somehow, and I'll be able to reinstate the pictures. Failing that, I'll re-post some ....