Nice new slam panel from Eckhart Sportwagon.
Their prices and shipping are pretty good.
Homemade suspension reinforcement.
I seam welded all the outer fittings as well, to add some strength.
And welded up the tank support patch I had fabricated.
Then cleaned and etch primed
Sand, seam sealer and a top coat
Prep the fuel tank support
Weld it in....slow going in a confined area.
All ground down and primed.
Within a mm according to the swb chassis measurements I have. Not bad.
The front edges of the longitudinals were rotten (and badly repaired)
I took some measurement before I cut them out, but had to return to the chassis drawings to make sure I hand't measured off a bad datum....the front was very rotten.
My DIY chassis jig. There is a measurement listed from the bottom of the a-arm mount. I used this as a datum. Very high tech.
And welded on new steel to accept the front slam panel.
I took measurements down the length of the boot, on either side, to get the correct angle of the slam panel.
And started plug welding.
Amazing jig in action....
It was so nice to work with fresh steel.
One little blow through can slow you down...especially an amateur with a simple mig, like me.
The FBG fenders (fabricated by a 'master craftsman' who is now charging 6 figures for outlaws sold internationally...hmmmm) are so wonky that they don't give any kind of confirmation of my work. Oh well. What gaps there are I can fix with matt and resin. But at least I know the steel is reasonably accurate.
Along the inside. Indulged in a bit of seam welding.
The corners needed some work.
The mix of Epoxy Primer, Etch Primer, seam sealer and weld make a visual mess....very much against my OCD wiring. But it ended up strong, and pretty neat once everything was sprayed one colour.
And now a lesson in the perils of being tight, and stubborn.
So rather than buy the curved caps that cover the corners of the slam panel, I decided to make my own.
The following represents a full day's work.
...and then I fitted them and realised that while my effort was commendable, my craft needs work!
So I order two from Eckhart Sportwagen.
I had cut away the rot BS (before shrinker), so getting the curve right this time was much easier. Using my 'master crafted' FBG bonnet as a guide...
Rebuilt this section and welded in the caps
Same both sides
And then onto all the rotten section of the rain channel.
Lots of these.
And that was the end of the front end repair. Lots of cleaning up of welds and sanding before a single coat of primer, but done with the hard stuff.