Putting Humpty Dumpty Back Together Again

[LanceLyon]

Is there any reliable information out there on aligning chasis and inner body pieces as you put them back together?

Rust required me to cut out inner sills, rocker panels, both front outriggers, both shut pillar assemblies and the 1/4 panel sections they were attached to, the hinge pillar assemblies as well as the parts of the wheel arch assemblies that the inner sills attached to.

I took a lot of pictures, but due to the amount of rust, I didn't think (now there's an understatement!) that any measurements I took would be valid.

The outriggers are now in place, and if I simply rest the inner sills on the outriggers, everything "seems" to line up. However, I realize that everything from that point on is dependant upon where I set the inner sills! I don't want to start attaching pillars etc. only to find that the doors won't hang properly or that I have to start tearing everything out to correct an early mistake!

I've read accounts of how pieces at the factory were "hand fit" to make up for irregularities in assembly dimensions, but I don't want to be in a position where I have to "hand fit" (tweek with a big hammer)everything from this point on!

Roscoe, in a recent post, seemed to know what he was doing, but my instinct tells me that it came from previous experience. Any help out there?

 

[roscoe]

LL,
I'm going to guess that you are a member of the Austin Healey Club of America. Don't forget their resource booklet that lists all of the members by state, with addresses, phone numbers, and Healey model type owned. There are several BJ7 owners near you. I can't imagine that anyone who owns one of these special cars would object to your taking some measurements. I was lucky. My outriggers were in good shape and I only had to do the inner and outer sills, rockers, rear door pillars, and a floor pan or two. I also had to do three wing repair panels in the usual places. My welding was finished with lead, but I couldn't finish the body panels until I had the frame parts in place. Don't forget you can tack weld everything in place to check fits. That way there is a minimum of work to remove and refit something. All of the new parts I got had to be cut and fit. This was (is) my first automotive project. I'm an aircraft mechanic, which to me means I can do a lot of things to the point of being competant, and in my case I'm not outstanding in any of the real metal arts. I had no idea how long the Healey would take me. I only have time for it on a sporadic basis. It is more difficult in many ways than was the rebuilding of my 1949 Piper (which also took me way longer than I thought it would). The key for me is that despite the fact that I have lusted for one of these cars since I was in high school (I'm 53 now), I enjoy the journey. I'm not doing a project that will be a show car. I want to drive it (alot). If you like doing this stuff, you can make it happen. If you heve more money than time or interest, pay someone else to do it, or part of it. Otherwise go find a Healey to measure, go slow, but by all means melt some metal.

 

[anthony7777]

roscoe,i love "lyonlance's"comment about him thinking that all your input was just from" previous experiance"or did i read that incorrectly?what could be better?i graduated from the college of aeronautics queens n.y.in 1974,also rebuild a pa18,chief flight engineer for several oil companies, with what we learned in the aviation industry as you mentioned ,able to weld,do metal repair and fabrication,understand relatively complex electrical systems-not that the healey is so complex just quirky,i myself,and i think you as well are able to walk through the valley of healeydom and fear no eval it might bring forth,its a very comforting feeling when dealing with the healey,had my first one at age 13,im now 54 and still fussin with em,i happen to own a 1963 bj7,and would be glad to assist "lyonlance" with any measurments he might think he needs,hay he has an advantage over most car owners,hes willin to try,to get his hands a little dirty,and i think his level of curiosity will keep a healy in his garrage for a long,long time to come."lyonlance"there is nothin wrong with previous experiance,and no such thing as lining every thing up correctly on the first take{thats why the invented tack welding}stuff is gunna go on-come off, over and over again,on your second,third,fourth healey,youll appretiate the "previous experiance"belive me your gonna love it!if i can help with measurements let me know,ill even put on my glasses! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yesnod.gif

 

[GregW]

Hi LL,
Is the front shroud still bolted to the car? If this is the case, one way to reassemble is to start from the front and work your way back with tack welds as others have suggested. Here is a picture of the shut pillar lined up with some welder’s magnets. What I would do is mount the magnets to the door side of the hinge pillar and get the pillar close but forward of where it gets welded. Mount the fender (a few well placed clamps) and pull the pillar into position against the tabs of the fender. Tack weld, remove fender, and tack weld the pillar brace in. Weld it strong enough so things don’t flex when you mount the door. Remount the fender and door to check how you did. If all is good, continue backwards (well, forward but you know what I mean) /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif