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TR2/3/3A Starting my Bodywork journey.

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Thank you for the kind words.

I am real happy with the way things are going so far. Could not have got this far with out the help, advice and support from the group. Went back and re read CJD's thread before I started on the front wing.
That dog leg patch took several days to get to fit. So if time was money it would have been smarter to have used the phone to order one rather than the hammer. Having just retired I am having a blast working on the TR.
I have jumped to the front wing because the drivers side outer sill does not fit well so I thought that I should get the wing fitted then match the sill to that. The bottom turn under is too short and won't reach the inner sill by about 1/4"? Hand built car or the PO's work.

I removed 2 1/2 pounds of bondo from the wing.
Decided that I should patch the hole first to help stabilize the rear edge of the wing before I attempt to do anything else to it.
Drivers side wing repair top..jpgDrivers side wing repair top patch..jpgDrivers side wing repair top patch 2..jpg

David
 
Hello Tush

Thank you.

I used your videos as inspiration as I was negotiating to buy my TR. I think I have watched almost all of them. Having started working on the car I now realize how difficult it is to work and document at the same time.
A point of interest the guy I got my TR from turned the cash into a Drum Set. Plus he had room in the basement to practice.

The passenger side wing is a work in progress started by the PO. Pop riveted together at a flange joint. Will come back to that when I have the drivers side done.

DAvid
 
Tush is an inspiration! I would not be able to film everything...definitely a lot of work to help us all out. Also, David, glad my wing work helped, as I am watching your quarter panel work for ideas too! The kids go back to school on the 22nd this month. After that I will be getting back to work. Summers with kids in the house are constant commotion. You're making me feel guilty taking the summer off...

...and the patch looks beautiful!
 
Thank You John

Taking another look at your photos of rear body shell I realized that the quarter panel is all one piece. Down the side and turned under to the inner sill. Not going back to change it. I used 18 gauge for the flat part and 20 gauge for the shaped part. Formed it round a piece of pipe.

I do not have the years of panel beating experience to train my Hand Eye coordination to completely get all the little bumps out. I remember an old panel man using a type of file with a shallow s curve in it to smooth out areas. He was of the old school, filling if it had to be done was often lead. He would be in his 110s now if he is still around.
Drivers side wing dents.jpg

Got the piece out of the rear edge of the wing mostly undamaged thanks to your tip using sheet metal vice grips. Rust holes excluded. Considering how to repair it now.
Rear edge driver side wing.jpg
Getting ready to make the big patch, going to cut just outside the Brazing. The brazed patch is putting a lot of curves/stress on the wing.
Had a time getting the undercoating off the inside of the wing. A wire wheel does not do it, heat gun and mineral spirits seem to work best, The stuff does work as the inside of the wing is rust free apart from the normal areas and the undercoat may have been added after the last patch work.
Undercoat on wing shiny metal under it.jpg

Being retired I do get to spend a lot of time with the TR. Can become obsessive.

David
 
Lots of opinions on how to get the undercoating off (and I have tried quite a few over the years)...I find the best for me is to use a heat gun and scraper followed by brake cleaner to clean up the residue. Works very well and eats through it...

Cheers
Tush
 
Undercoating! That was on my TR3. I forgot (or mentally blocked) the weeks I spent with a scraper removing that stuff. Good luck!
 
This may be overkill but I have taken a piece of 1/4" plate and filed the profile of the rear edge of the wing into it. I plan to use that to help me with the edge bending. I may be able to use the same piece for the other side and the bit that holds the rear edge of the wing to the "A" post.

Will post photos if it works out. If it does not work at least I got a workout filing the profile.

David
 
The guide plate seemed to work well. I got the edge folded over with a nice curve that matches the door and the wing. Now all I have to o is get it welded into the wing.

Guide plate.jpgStarted to form the edge..jpgEdge folded over..jpgSeems to match the door..jpg
The sill is not attached at the moment it is just held along the top edge with self tapping screws.

David
 
Neat! I wasn't sure which edge you were working on when you were describing it...but that works great!
 
Got it all welded in but have a little "Oilcaning" I presume I should set the wing where it should be and try to shrink the high spot? Probable did not get all the ugliness out before I welded the patch in. I did weld spots and slowly filled in the gaps allowing everything to cool from time to time.

David
 
Thinking ahead.

Another area that needs attention is the transmission tunnel part of the rear shelf that attaches to the floor. The PO left me this.

Floor to tunnel 3.jpgFloor to tunnel.jpgFloor to tunnel 2.jpg

I am looking up at the under side of the body.
My thoughts are to lift the body from the frame, cut a patch pieces from the tunnel. then lower the body back on to the frame to keep the body from twisting when I weld the patches in. Either with the tunnel still attached or remove the tunnel for easier repair.

David
 
Been out of town doing some work to earn money for TR parts and tools.

Before I left I had started on the drivers side wing and it is giving me fits trying to get it to look right. It is getting better but is not there yet. I am finding it to be a difficult part to work on the bench or on the car.

While I am working on that wing I am thinking about what to do with the other side. The PO has left me with the following situation.
He got a repair panel that he has riveted on to the remaining part of the wing. The rear edge has not been folded over yet and the reinforcing wire bead was cut.

I think that I will weld the outside of the wing then consider maybe cutting the flange off. Any thoughts? Sorry the second photo is upside down

David
Wing patch..jpgInside view of wing patch.jpgRivits in wing.jpgBack edge of wing.jpg
 
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Hi David,

I'm not sure, but it may be noticeable if you just cut that flange off..you may notice the difference in thickness from the folded edge. I suppose if you wanted to. You could always cut of the overlap and then butt it up to the edge on the backside and run a bead of weld on the edge followed by a grinder...

How are they fitting on the bottom where they bolt to the sill?

Cheers
Tush
 
Hello Tush

The bottom edge looks good. Not exactly like John's construction but better than what was there before. The edge lines up but the bolt holes do not line up. I can re punch those holes.
My thought at the moment are to weld the outside edge in spots like I was butt welding it. Then carefully cut the flange off and finish the butt weld.

By the time I am finished this car I will have all the tools I need to do a second car. Just got the HF stretcher/shrinker to make the rib that goes up the rear edge of the wing. It seems to work great and I got %25 off on the Labor day sale.

David
 
Working on the drivers side door gap having got the wing mounted I noticed that wing to bulkhead did not line up. I am not sure if this is because of the rusted out areas in the firewall and kick panel. Since repaired.
I am concerned that if I do not correct this I will have bonnet to wing alignment problems and it will bug me forever.

Hoping that I do not mess up the door gaps but I may help the gap under the door that I am trying to close up.

David

Driver side Door gap.jpgWing to body alignment..jpgWing to body alignment 2..jpg
 
I looks like the door is lined up nicely, but the wing is down. The bead will cover a small mis-match...but your wing definitely needs to rise about 3/8-1/2". It may be a simple as elongating the mounting slots in the door jam by 3/8". It could even be simpler...how are you holding the front of the wing up? It may just be that it is being leveraged down by it's own weight.
 
Hello John

The body is on the frame and the inner wing is hard against the very front support point with a gap at the support points on the angled tube behind the suspension towers.
I did manage to raise the wing a little and improve the look but on close inspection of that area I feel I need to revisit it.

The "A" post is about 1/8" above the inner sill and probable out a bit which is causing several of my outer sill problems.
This was the first major area I worked on and the wing had not been repaired at that point. Did not feel my welding skills were up to it at that point. So I was working without the wing to guide me.

The PO had repaired the kick panel with fiber glass and welded a bit of a repair panel to the firewall. No telling what happened to the body geometry at that time.
Drivers side kick panel before repair.jpgFirewall inside view..jpg
This is what the car looked like when I started. I am thinking that as the body was not braced when it was moved it may have been twisted a bit.

David
 
It always amazes me how a mere 1/8" misalignment can expand through the body to cause problems. I'm sure with some study you can pinpoint the easiest area to correct the misalign. Often a slight tweak in one spot will correct several issues at once.
 
An 1/8". I put two pieces of card under the lower hinge and the door moved a lot.

I pushed and shoved the "A" post and put the door on and off, the wing on and off more times than I care to think but finally managed to get everything in place. Tacked the"A" post. Checked again. Welded the "A" post and some of the firewall.
It looks better now.

David
Door to wing.jpgWing to body alignment after mods...jpg
 
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