Wot, not another '79 Targa resto thread

[jjeffries]

Peter, for the record, I'm following along from here in the US; I look at DDK Restoration projects just about daily and find your project just as interesting as the Barry masterclass threads. I don't envy the work you're doing, but admire it. Cars sure do rust badly in England! Thanks for takung the time to post and share. John

[PeterK]

Thanks for that John - it's great to know when it is of interest to some. I too devour all the rest threads, looking in multiple times per day and get withdrawal symptoms when there's nothing new
Peter

[PeterK]

Playtime again today – probably about 4 hours. The less good news was about half way through, my motorbike decided it was tired and had a lie down . There was a great bang on the outside of the garage door as it fell off the side stand – guess the side stand must have sunk into the ground. Damage limited to a bent clutch lever (luckily I have a spare from when Alexcxcx changed his to a flash set and gave me the originals ) and a broken mirror stem. Unfortunately it was broken when I tried to stand the bike upright not in the actual falling over. Anyway, back to more important matters….

Cracked on with the OSF dash end / windscreen flange. I decided that the masking tape was probably not going to be strong enough , so first I welded the flange piece to the bridging / base piece.



and ground it prettier.


Next I welded this to the dash end



then welded the assembly into the car


and finally coat in some primer to protect



Not brilliant, but not too shabby and a whole lot better than the gaping rust hole that was there at the start. Decided that 4 hours was long enough, it was time for tea and that the scuttle patch panel welding could wait for another day.

[Dougieboy1]

i too follow this thread and all the other restoration ones, always looking for tips that will help me in my own resto - i must confess that the biggest tip i ever got from these was 'phone Barry'.

I am envious of anyone who has talent and patience to do their own body repairs. I have none whatsoever so i am enjoying to see how you solve the problems you encounter. I think your creativity and work so far is impressive.

Bad luck with the bike. I always find current projects have some impact on other vehicles. For example, my pick up truck looks, from a distance, to be dusty. It is only up close you realise it is sand coloured paint overspray. Result of spraying up a schwimmwagen part and didnt notice the wind direction had changed.....Currently, my wife's car is covered in a thick layer of dust because i bought a vibratory cleaner and didnt put the lid on properly before leaving it running for 6 hrs in the garage with her car next to it.........c'est la vie

keep up the good work and the updates.

[Bootsy]

keep up the good work and the updates.

Ditto

These threads often don't solicit replies but are the most read on the forum - I see the stats!

[Gary71]

Always reading DIY threads with interest as I can relate to the pain you are going through!

[PeterK]

Thanks guys

[911hillclimber]

I did my shell in 1989 and I thought it bad even then, 28 years ago, but it was so solid compared to yours.

Taking on a shell with so much more rust is a challenge and the repair panels for a 911 shell never seem 'easy', always curves and ribs and returned edges so the challenge is even harder to take on and beat.
No surprise Restoration threads are THE most popular, lots of fact, lots of skill and lots of bravery and lots of encouragement!

You have, however, avoided welding that repair panel at the screen base for a few days, so get on with it!

[PeterK]

Best way to avoid panel distortion - don't weld

Decide to remove the factory coating on the patch panel before I weld it on, so spent far too long and then of course, smothered the panel with zinc rich primer. Should have bought some more spray weld through primer when I ran out, but intending to buy loads on Friday at Classic Car Show. Whenever I brush the stuff on I can't help but imagine all the grief I'm going to have later, when I need to flat it off ahead of proper painting.

Out tonight, but hopefully will put my brave pants back on for tomorrow
Peter

[murph2309]

I'm enjoying this too - there's a lot of 'I wouldn't have a chance of doing that' in this thread. Keep on posting!

[chud]

Fair play, I'm confident at doing anything on a car bar welding. A skill I wish I had.

[PeterK]

Welding - if it's too lumpy or too big, then grind some off. If it’s too small, you've ground too much off or blown a hole, add some more weld

[PeterK]

OK, so brave pants fully pulled up and into the garage this afternoon (as instructed / hassled by 911hillclimber )

Lessons learned (or relearned) today include don’t over grind welds and most importantly, don’t drop the BFH on your new panel – it makes a big dent

So, to today’s playtime, well starting with last night actually, when I decided to remove all of the factory finish primer,


and then of course, had to coat with zinc rich (still stuck with using the paintbrush). Then I ordered some more parts, including the patch panel for the left side.


Today I started by clamping the patch panel in place


made a poor attempt at some rosette welds on the outer flange / edge


then added liberal amounts of toothpaste, starting with tack welds then going back to fill in the gaps


Not happy with penetration, so upped the volts and ran another bead. A bit spitty when weeding, so either I need more shielding gas flow or the weld through primer was too thick.


Ground it all back, filled a few pinholes and ground some more




and the view from inside


The BFH dent has been beaten back a little and a sloppy coating of zinc rich primer applied to the whole lot (applied with yard broom)


Disappointed with the level of distortion, not forgetting the big dent from the BFH , but I ended up having to weld and grind the main butt-weld twice. It’s not too bad, and a thin smear of filler / bog / bondo should see it right. Certainly it’s a whole lot better than the gaping rusty hole that was there before.

Not sure whether I'll get time to play before going to the Classic Car Show on Friday, so should have some spray on weld through primer by the time I've got the patch panel for the left side. BFH firmly back in the bottom drawer !


Getting closer to needing the super-size brave pants when I start the cills / kidneys / B-posts / rear wing patch and the re-inforcement panel at the base of the targa hoop. Think I need a lie down.

[defianty]

Keep up the good work. I'm working in the same area on my 914 at the moment and it's been so time consuming. There's a lot going on there and as it's a small area any small mistake seem to be magnified. I have found patience when welding so important and by just sticking to small stitch welds I've been able to pretty much eliminate all warping - yet still have been able to maintain an acceptable level of penetration.

I have just a small part of the front bonnet rubber channel to repair and that will be the front of the car complete. Like you I too have much bigger fish to fry in other areas of the car. The good news is my skills are improving with every little job I do. By the time I finish the car I should know what I'm doing

[PeterK]

Thanks. As expected my welding is also improving as I progress and I’m glad I started with the hidden areas first. Only worry is that by the time I get to the end, will I feel the need to redo what I did at the start