3b s2 coupe resurrection

[andy10v]

My dad came and gave me a hand to massage the panels with a couple of dollys/little hammers. So the major dents/kinks are worked out and smoother.

Started skimming and sanding now



The arch is all good except this one section, I cant get it back in without really mangling everything.



Does anybody have any advice on etch primer or zinc primer?

[andy10v]

Damaged bumper mount, one torn out and one seized



Backside, looks like a long hex nut welded to the sheetmetal?? I thought it would be one of those plastic nuts?



I could weld a plate/washer in, or just remove the nut and seal/paint and secure with a nut/bolt/washer.

Any suggestions?

I was cleaning the inner arch and the knotted wire wheel caught and popped the inner and outer right out . So needed to find a way to get it back in. One old screwdriver, grind an edge on it, heat the shaft and bend;


(snapped the first one I tried to make, apparently screwdrivers dont like to bend (guess they are hardened?) Heated to cherry red and no effort to bend)

Gently worked around opening the fold, lightly twisting to open it, not levering it so as not to deform the outer arch.

Tucked back under the lip



Decided on zinc primer on the inner arch on the bare metal, then seam sealer, then primer then paint then underseal. The outside of the car will get etch primer, high build primer then paint.

[martinws]

top job man. Iv managed to steer clear of bodywork so far but some is coming in the future i fear!

[andy10v]

Cheers mate, bodywork is pish, I am sick of sanding already.

Where is the rust on yours again?

[irishs2]

Nice work. So did you open the lip and clear the rust ,and refold the lip again?

[Drummer87]

Looking good Andy miss when my car was all apart looking like this. Does drive you to finish it nicely and change a few things along the way. Your getting there.

[andy10v]

Nice work. So did you open the lip and clear the rust ,and refold the lip again?

Yup, opened engough to clean it out, I was suprised it was all pretty good except a slight patch, and that cleaned up to shiny metal

The angle is tricky to clean both sides of fold out but it can be done without opening it to much,also used a small wire wheel on a drill to get right into the lip.

[andy10v]

Drummer, why would you miss this? I cant wait to be done and

[Error404]

Andy those bumper bracket mounting are called nutserts - like a cross between a rivet and a captive nut. you can buy reeplacements.
To fit them you need to turn a nut onto the right sized bolt to fit the thread in the nutsert, then fit it and hold the bolt while you back off the nut and it sort of rivets it to the panel. Harder said than done. I just tacked them onto the patch panel i used to repair the rust i had in exactly the same area.



HTH

Alex

[Nuvo]

I'm pretty sure that they are called rivnuts Alex.

edit: they're also called nutserts too I see.

[Drummer87]

Second that! Rivnuts is what I used on those arch bolts when they didn't want to come off finger sander

[andy10v]

Alex you are a genius!

I cant believe I didnt think of that, and I have a rivnut/nutsert gun at work

So I will nick the work tool for a bit and some inserts, one problem solved.

How did you fit the patch panel? Cut out the rust and plate? Did you overlap or butt?

[Error404]

Yeah I cut out the rusted area and then had a 5mm overlap on the repair piece.
If I was to do it again I'd invest in a joggler and make a neater job of it by stepping the patch panel, but its always going to be hidden by underseal and the arch liner.

[andy10v]

Cool, thanks.

Did you do a continous seam of spot welds round the patch? "Thin metal technique" style?

[Error404]

yeah that's right mate, don't get to much heat into it