Bob Buxbaum
Jedi Hopeful
Offline
The TR8 is long gone to a happy owner. But the 1970 GT6 remains. It has been torn apart after a paint bubble turned into an archaeological dig, and a shell laying on a roll around wood table I built for the work. I started to remove more and more bondo, cutting out rusted panels, and found stainless steel plates laid down on top of the rusted front floor boards. I started working on putting it back together but was overwhelmed by the mess. So, why becoming fully engaged in my local SCCA Region's Solo program, the GT6 was rolled into a corner of my shop. About 8 years ago someone brought me a 1987 BMW 325i ------ and withing 5-6 months the word got out that I could handle just about anything on E30s and 36s (not quite, but I was learning fast), worked cheap (ish), and the work was good. And the GT6 sat. And sat, and sat. But, approaching the ripe old age of 69, I started to tapered off other's Bimmers, and tended to my growing fleet of the of my own. Don't tell anybody I said this, but they can be (almost) as troublesome as British cars, but they tend to STAY fixed longer. Anyway -----------
My shop floor sadly is not as flat as I wanted when it was poured. So, I bought vertically adjustable caster, installed them where the now flat spotted lighter casters were, cleared space on the shop floor, and rolled out the GT6. I had done a good bit of rust repairs on other folk's 30s and 36s, so I was far more prepared to got at the 6 again. I soon found out how many mistakes I had already committed a decade ago. The first thing I realized was that the braces I welded in to stabilize the body while it was on the "twirler" I had built had moved the left A pillar area below the windshield. As I was starting to hang panels repairing to treat the less than rust free sheet metal and then start welding, stuff just did not fit. Using tape measures as well as the electronic gauge from my camber tool, I found out how out of wack that area was. The bracing was removed from the front of the left door opening and after pulling and pushing on the body just aft of the firewall, I had the vertical measurements and the spacing from the right side door opening corrected.
Since it is hot as **** in the midwest, and the shop only has some fans, I am good for about 3 hours or so, and then back into the house. So, as things go along I will post things, and people can opine as to what I am doing wrong !! The WORST thing I did was soda blast the outer body and frame not knowing that it had to be neutralized. CRAP !!!!!!!! The inner structure were not, as the sheet metal was intact when I blasted the body and frame. The body will be hand sanded protected before painting. The inner structures will be cleaned and covered in POR 15 using there full range of treatments and then sponge sponge on the black stuff. So .... this brings me to my first questions, but that will be another post.
My shop floor sadly is not as flat as I wanted when it was poured. So, I bought vertically adjustable caster, installed them where the now flat spotted lighter casters were, cleared space on the shop floor, and rolled out the GT6. I had done a good bit of rust repairs on other folk's 30s and 36s, so I was far more prepared to got at the 6 again. I soon found out how many mistakes I had already committed a decade ago. The first thing I realized was that the braces I welded in to stabilize the body while it was on the "twirler" I had built had moved the left A pillar area below the windshield. As I was starting to hang panels repairing to treat the less than rust free sheet metal and then start welding, stuff just did not fit. Using tape measures as well as the electronic gauge from my camber tool, I found out how out of wack that area was. The bracing was removed from the front of the left door opening and after pulling and pushing on the body just aft of the firewall, I had the vertical measurements and the spacing from the right side door opening corrected.
Since it is hot as **** in the midwest, and the shop only has some fans, I am good for about 3 hours or so, and then back into the house. So, as things go along I will post things, and people can opine as to what I am doing wrong !! The WORST thing I did was soda blast the outer body and frame not knowing that it had to be neutralized. CRAP !!!!!!!! The inner structure were not, as the sheet metal was intact when I blasted the body and frame. The body will be hand sanded protected before painting. The inner structures will be cleaned and covered in POR 15 using there full range of treatments and then sponge sponge on the black stuff. So .... this brings me to my first questions, but that will be another post.