70 S, RHD, Signal Orange, UK->Australia->UK

[inaglasshouse]

Pulling: Nearside and Rear

Barry says:
The whole of the nearside of the car needed to go forwards a fraction, so I did this with the Porta-Power. This corrected several problems all at once.

The next issue was that the rear was slightly bent over to the nearside. This was corrected by means of drilling, bending and welding on a 3mm steel strap for the dozer to grab. This worked well, and if the need arose, the plate could be cut off, the welds linished and the rear slam panel none the worse for wear.







This is my kind of photo:

[Darren65]

No fun without a little drama!

[inaglasshouse]

No fun without a little drama!

Indeed .

In fact I enjoy the problem-solving / decision making part of all this. Although Barry is the person actually solving problems, (as others have mentioned) his communication is exemplary. Which means we can work together on the deliberation and decision making about which way to go. Suits me very well (I like to know the details).

[inaglasshouse]

Pulling: Jacking up the Rear
More work on the back end, this time in a vertical direction.
As with Mike's Targa, I will omit detail about some secret methods.
Barry says:
As hoped, the nearside was lower than the offside, which explains why the front screen jig fitted as it did, pre-pulling.
The rear nearside being lower than the offside pulled the roof back, pulling the A-pillar back away from the jig.

[210bhp]

Yes, it's all a very satisfying process discussing the details with Barry.

Great to see everything set up properly Richard. Gives you that warm feeling that everything is going to end up just perfect.

Regards
Mike

[inaglasshouse]

Thanks Mike. I trust your shell arrived safely and was well-received at the next stage?

Pulling: Towers
With the car held down to the jig by means of the various brackets that now fit, plus a pair of sill clamps, the front towers could be pulled.

The Porta Power is lifting the offside tower a bit, whilst helping it in and rearwards a little.

At the front, the current front pan doesn't fit the jig brackets, but I was able to lock them in one hole down (these have an upper and lower position), and then use long bolts / screws to hold the front of the car where I wanted it. Later on I'll weld some temporary straps between front of inner wings and the jig-bed whilst the front pan comes out. There is still some spring in the area, but as more and more work is carried out, I'll work this spring out before any new metal goes in. In the meantime, those ugly long bolts are holding everything just-so.

Whilst on same subject, all that pulling around has got the nearside torque tube end into the correct position. The four bolt 'receivers' though are a different matter ....

[inaglasshouse]

Pulling: Summary
Some before and after comparisons. Ta-daaa!

Front strut top mounts before:



Front strut top mounts after:

[inaglasshouse]

Engine mounts before:



Engine mounts after:

[inaglasshouse]

Screen jig fit before:



Screen jig fit after:

[visualfx]

Really enjoying the format of updates Richard, keep e'm coming

Garry

[inaglasshouse]

Thanks Garry, see you soon I hope. Cheers, Richard.

[lamakdaddy]

I love that windscreen frame..ingenious...

[inaglasshouse]

Nearside Sill and Torsion Tube Area

We need to make a decision on the front inner wings - repair or replace? And the sills are coming off anyway.
So now is a good time to get them off and have a look at the bottom of the A posts.

As mentioned, the sills had been recently done as part of the previous part-complete resto. The car has not been used since then. So they should be pretty good, right?

Er... no.

Over to Barry:
It turned out that the nearside inner sill was barely attached at the top, and it just peeled away.

I was amazed to see that inside the sill area, no attempt had been made to clean up inside the area at all, not even a dash of primer. The heater tubes on both sides have had it I'm afraid.

I was also surprised to see a whole layer of metal just cut away and left out altogether at the rear.

Not a pretty sight.

[inaglasshouse]

Offside Sill

As per nearside, the offside wasn't over-welded and the inside of the sill area was just left as-is. No cleaning, no primer. Heater tube again poor. One layer of metal missing again, albeit a bit less area than before.

Better news on the oil pipes though, they look perfect, although I'm sure you'll be taking them away for a fresh layer of powercoat or similar ...

[210bhp]

Nice pictures Richard. I know it's heart in the mouth time, and it's actually nice to see what's exactly 'inside' a shell and how it's all put together, but looks like just the kind of thing Barry will take in his stride. Have no fear....

Regards
Mike