1958 MGA Coupe

[bobs77vet]

well time to get back at it......after contemplating a course of action for a few days I said screw it and just started cutting and welding...

I made an inner brace for the door hinge pillar post to tie the two hinge posts together and welded these bolts at the correct spacing for the brackets






this takes most of the movement out of the doors hinge post

I guess I forgot to take the heads out of the hinges when I drilled out the screws






I feel like cutting out rust today







these are just the most of a preliminary fit as you can get


some more cut lines


taking car of the inner brace



the inner brace cleaned off


lots more to do here .....but no more rust in this area

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

looks like anti-fouling paint on the bottom

 

[bobs77vet]

looks like anti-fouling paint on the bottom

io just need to add some markings for depth...
i always sand off there primer for my own....

there are probably a thousand ways to do fender patch panels, this is how I do them on fenders that have no accident damage I pair them up and brace them up together this way they are a matched pair







lap the door end





grind off primer and paint with weld through primer













now to get the right arch

 

[427Swede]

Great to follow your build, you do nice sheet metal work!!
Brings back memories of the many hours of bending metal on my Volvo P1800...

 

[Sam Cogley]

With all the work you've already done on that body, I'm amazed at the amount of rust you still have to conquer. That wasn't a car, it was a pile iron oxide! Amazing work bringing it back.

 

[bobs77vet]

thks guys i really am down to the last bits of rust repair on the fenders,and i have two areas on the body that are behind the seats and on both sides of the removable battery cover that i repaired in spots but they are so poch marked that i think i am just going to cut them out and fabricate a new panel for them. if i dont do this i think every time i saw them it would bug me. after that its maybe a few small holes i missed here and there and then its down to body filler time and sanding

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

oh good, the easy part - body filler and sanding. Ummm :lol: doesn't body work and sanding take twice the amount of time as it takes to do the mechanical and rust repair portion of the job?

 

[bobs77vet]

oh good, the easy part - body filler and sanding. Ummm :lol: doesn't body work and sanding take twice the amount of time as it takes to do the mechanical and rust repair portion of the job?

yes but that is no brainer work.....just 30 mins a day for the entire summer and paint it in the fall.....

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

oh good, the easy part - body filler and sanding. Ummm :lol: doesn't body work and sanding take twice the amount of time as it takes to do the mechanical and rust repair portion of the job?

yes but that is no brainer work.....just 30 mins a day for the entire summer and paint it in the fall.....

while I may vacation in my ADD, spending more than a few hours on anything would send me postal.... which is why I trade doing fabrication for someone else doing bodywork

 

[bobs77vet]

these cars are so small its really not too painful....now my 65 Chev fleetside was a nightmare

 

[bobs77vet]

I have been busy doing other things this weekend but I Just realized I hadn't been posting my efforts of the last weeks work

so I was working on the rocker sill and the rear dog leg. getting these fitted isn't hard but just takes time and effort I positioned the rear fenders where I wanted them and then tightened them in place and then used screws to mock everything up and then welded the rear dog legs in place. what you are looking for is parallel lines, the front fender can be pushed towards the back some but since I am a one man show that was the best I could for a trial fit

 

[bobs77vet]

3 hrs tonight , we start by curving the bottom of the poor fitting piece in a shrinker











I had to reform the bottom mounting flange to make it fit properly it was not parallel





parallel lines





this is actually a nice parallel line not sure why its not showing up in the photo



it looks to me like the door needs to come up some and go back just a wee bit

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

Hey Bob look familiar?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daVDrGsaDME

 

[bobs77vet]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daVDrGsaDME

i think that is a wonderful video...the guy must be an artist or videographer for a living.

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daVDrGsaDME

i think that is a wonderful video...the guy must be an artist or videographer for a living.

english cars (and motors) as Art - finally, a use for an english car (after all, without smoke, they don't run) :harhar:

 

[bobs77vet]

some times cars do make better Art then driving machines.....thats for sure!

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

some times cars do make better Art then driving machines.....thats for sure!

This is true - my dad has a veritable art gallery at his house (my mom calls it a wrecking yard - but she's just jealous because her art is all inside).

 

[bobs77vet]

time to get ready for body work ......all sanding outside........so my saw horses have to be able to go down the garage apron and on to my grass. so lets make some axles for 8" wheels, lets use 5/8" round stock and some channel angle

the wheels were on sale from HF for $6 each, 5/8 round shaft $8, angle iron $8, $8 (2) 2x4, washers and C clips $6

lets cut a groove in the 5/8 stock with and angle grinder with a cut off wheel and use a C clip



a couple of big washers





9" shafts because it was cut from 36" stock



add 10' 2x4 to saw horses



some channel angle with the zinc ground off





and voila

 

[bobs77vet]

eating pizza and letting paint dry before I spot weld the outer sills in place.....I decided to use a weld through primer on the areas that are being "faced" together all other areas got primed and gloss black rustoleum

wire brush primer off



taped off the "to weld area" and primed and top coated



used weld through primer on areas under the tape


same treatment on rocker sill








practiced some test welds on similar stock







and I have used up about 25 mins so back out to work


well I have hit my duty cycle on the spot welder and need to take a break and let it cool off...just call me popeye that thing is heavy!!!!!

this is what factory welds look like





and my set up and welds.....I always clamped it and welded in between









back to do the top

and done with pass side, I have had enough for the day...too many fumes and too heavy of welder








tomorrow the other side

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

one thing about spot welders - make sure you keep a nice radius on the tips. we used those all the time (in fact, I think my dad still has a floor-standing model in his shop) to spot weld stainless hoods together.

If you don't want the divot, simply use two flat copper plates between the weld-tips.... of course, now you want the divots - but those things are really handy, so if you ever don't ... now you know.