DDK - Die Deutschen Klassiker

It seems odd that the apparently good gaps became so bad after stripping. Usually deformation of a bare shell leads to that particular gap increasing as the rear end sags without proper bracing.

The door gaps got worse when the rear of the car got straightened (lifted up) and before the incorrect roof/a-post location was addressed so the door gap photos above are kind of intermediate stage.....

I have some other photos that i havent posted yet - barry is a very prolific photographer which is really great as i cant get down there too often even though luckily for me, he is only 15 miles away from my house. These photos show the change in door gaps in more detail.

Episode 9 - Mind the gap

Here are some photos of the original door gaps - measuring devices are a 4mm gapping tool and for more precise work, Barry's finger.

Accurately !!! fitting engine lid demonstrating perfectly the bend to the right

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Episode 10 - Doorgaps revisited

And now, after all the pushing and pulling......

















One straight shell - near as dammit - still some pulling to do at various times but Barry says 90% done.

Bravo....glad that worked out.....!

Episode 11 - Let the cutting commence

So after all the pushing and pulling, the shell was welded onto the rotisserie.



More tin worm exposed and the rotten areas become easier to access.

Sill edge



Chassis leg under the torque tube



Floor

Episode 12 - Barry Carter and the Heater Tube of Doom

More detail on the heater tube and chassis damage







Damaged heater tube end before


And after the Carter magic



End of a hard day chopping and cutting and scraping and welding

So when it comes off the jig doesn't it twang back into the "wrong" shape?

You have to pull it past the dimension you need so it relaxes back to where it should be.

I guess it will go back on the jig once the underside has been dug out so any movement from the work can be corrected.


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Barry said pretty much the same thing. You can only get it so far before you start fighting metal deformed by the obvious impact the car has had. Much of that damage will be cut out but getting the floor area sorted gives you a sound basis to work from when the damaged metal is removed. Barry did say that at some point it may go back on the jig for a final tweak.

Thanks for the insight guys.

Episode 13 - A Smuggler's box

so barry has continued his work and here are some of the results

Bottom chassis rail and heater tube

From this



Through this



To this



Smugglers box, from this where someone did a bit of hacking and there was some rust perforation



Through this



and this



To the finished area which is now just like new

Episode 14 - The flaw in our floors

Floor work, the replacement floor panel was sectioned, the only bit being used is the outer 'L' section cut to fit the removed rotten parts



I am keen to retain as much of the original metal as possible and Barry says the replacement floors are not strictly correct for early cars so reuse clearly limits the amount of time spent 'backdating'. I also feel better about keeping as much original





The small vertical 'slit' you can see in the picture below was a previous owner modification - he stuck a chisel through the floor at various points to presumably let water that had got inside, drain out - barry knocked these flat and sealed them



Finished floor

Episode 15 - It's sill time

And then both sills, done the same way



Tube fitted



Some fabrication



Finished



Same on the other side