TR2/3/3A Upper previous damage on the Driver side A-post top

[sp53]

Upper previous damage on the Driver side A-post top. I got a new to me old style 1957 tr3 body tub that I have been working on for say a month. After temporarily mounting the fenders and doors, I noticed some of the welding on top of the driver side A-post top is broken. I wanted to push the broken parts back together and try and to weld them, but the thing is the door fits fine. If somehow I was able to push the broken piece back together and weld them, it looks like the door could easily not close well.

If you can see in the photo the broken piece or weld broken weld, I am lucky because the picture is small. I maybe could knock the one tear in the metal back, but the rest of the brake in the metal has ½ inch gap and the door is itself is set in a nice position.

So, I am thinking leave the door and post where they are and fit a small piece of metal the size of the brake/split and weld the 2 sides together and call it good. Clearly the car was in an accident, but the person who fixed the door working again, but

One of the problems I see is the metal and door jamb is not as stable. The jamb is tearing above the hinge.

Another problem is my skill level on welding is evolving. Anyways if I do weld the piece in the gap, can I weld to the side where the pieces were welded, or can I weld to a weld? I think I heard a no to that. If that is the case can I grind the weld thinner and perhaps weld to that? PS, picture 0297 is the passenger side

Thanks Steve

 

[mezy]

Take templates off the other side.
That will show you what you need to do to put it right.

 

[sp53]

Yes Mezzy that is where I was going with my plan when I first looked at the passenger side. After I looked how far the top of sheet metal is away from where the post meets the cowling, I figure the door opening would be way out of square if could push the 2 together.

Have you welded 2 pieces together with one side having an old a weld on it? I am just not sure what to do with those pieces to be welded. My thoughts are to weld a V shaped piece to try and stabilize the Top of the A post better without pulling the piece together tight.



Thanks Steve

 

[mctriumph]

If the door fits REALLY nice , just mig up the cracks , dress the welds and do a little filler work.
There is little strength in the A pillar as designed, so you cant really add much to it. Rest assured I
have seen much worse. In extreme cases I have added a brace but it takes a lot of fussing.
Mad dog

 

[CJD]

It doesn't look that far off. Will it tap back in so you can tack weld it back together? The hinge support should not be affected if you tap that tab back down.

 

[sp53]

Yeh MD the door fits well and closes fine. Looks like the body man that fixed it was skillful because the damage is extensive and there are waves and wall-nutting in the engine bay on the left fender under some bondo.

Yes John I plan to weld the little ripped tear back into the A post. My main concern is I cannot get the bigger tear or gaps in picture 0295 to come back together to weld it. It looks to me I need to fit a small sheet metal wedge shaped piece in there and weld that in place and tack all that up best I can like MD suggested.

I probably should just leave the wedge piece out, but the area there is where the fender locks into place behind the little lip which is photo’d better on the passenger side picture.

I might need to post some better pictures because I am familiar with what I want to show and might not be showing clear.

Thanks Steve

 

[mctriumph]

Use a propane torch to heat the steel until it is a dull red, then dolly into shape with a body hammer..
Let it cool naturally then mig up the damages.
Mad dog

 

[sp53]

I mounted the hood, apron, and windshield onto the tub to see how they fit. They fit fine, but I need to lift the inner fender on the driver side up to put some bolts through the fender and into the apron to hold it up.

When I grab the fender out at the end and pull up, the fender wants to rock at the top of the A post. However, I believe when the fender and apron are bolted down tight things should not move as much, plus now that I think about it, I did not put the 3 bolts on the bottom of the fender and they should help hold the fender to the A post.

I am probably making a bigger deal out of this than I should. I am thinking a body man with experience would say it is fine just how it is. But I still want to try and weld things tighter.

John would you think I could MIG weld on top of an old weld?

Thank you steve

 

[mezy]

You could mig weld cow poop if you could get a spark out of it.
Should have no problem moving on top of a weld

 

[sp53]

I took a couple more pictures with the fender off to show the wedge shaped gap in the top of the A post. Perhaps I can move it back together, but I fear the door will not close. That is why I am thinking putting a small piece in the opening and somehow tack that. Any thoughts?

 

[CJD]

Aaah...I see now. I would go with cutting straight lines to get good metal on the edges, and then weld in a little triangle. With a little grinder clean-up it will be just like new.

 

[sp53]

Thanks all who were looking at the post; it took me some time to get my concerns across. Do you think I should grind the thickness of the old weld down to about the same thinness of the sheet metal? I practiced last night on an apron where there were metal and welded sections together and it worked out. However, I think the weld was a gas weld and not a MIG if that matters a lot.

Anyways I need to stop looking and start doing. Part of me wants to wait until Spring and then sand blast that area for a clean weld. Then again, the area cleaned up good with wire wheels plus sand leaves a fine dust embebed on top. Any tips are helpful.


Thank you Steve

 

[CJD]

For a good welder, you would not be able to tell the difference between welding types. That said...most people are not nearly as practiced in gas welding, but gas is the cheapest gear to buy. The result is frequently you will see very globby, ragged, and ugly gas welds. I personally ground down all my weld beads. You lose a lot of strength in grinding a weld, but most bodywork does not need strength. Think of it this way...if you took an 1/8" of bondo and bent it, it would break without any effort. Yet, even the ugliest weld on steel will be many times stronger.

If I were working on the area in your picture, I would cut out most of the ugly weld, then fabricate a piece of steel sheet to fit into the resulting hole. Finally, tack it in place, then weld it in fully. After that, I would grind the bead so it would be invisible once you paint it.

 

[sp53]

Thanks John your thoughts are always appreciated.

steve