Body work experts. Gap question

[w21055]

I am laboring trying to get a fender solution for my car right now. I bought a drivers side that appears to be very nice, but as you can see in the picture, it has a terrible gap right at the door. The gaps everywhere else looks good, but the tip of the fender just seems short. I am trying to get it to the paint shop in the next week or so. I wanted to take them a car they could work with easily.
What would you advise to fix this? I bought the front half of another fender, but it is ate up with Bondo, so I do not think I can use it at all to graft onto my original SC fenders.

Thanks
Phil

[robmog]

not an unusual problem but a little extreme.
doors were custom fitted to fender with a leaded joint.
your best option: weld on a patch.

[912rustbucket]

Typical fit problem. Factory would lead this area. I think if you bondo it you'll have chipping issues down the road. Leading is not that difficult, especially if you can do the majority of the filling on the door as you can take the door off and add the solder in a horizontal fashion

[Fritz Peyerl]

A friend of my, is an old retired Porsche body man and his solution, or let's say the factory solution for 3mm gaps was quite unique.

Take a 3mm thick Alu strip, shape to the door gap curve and insert into gap. Than lead the hell out of fender and door. Grind off alu strip and lead till Alu strip can be removed. finish leading edges and you have perfect gap of 3mm

[w21055]

Ok. Thanks a ton.
Is there a link to the best method to add lead?

[Fritz Peyerl]

search the internet and try http://www.allshops.org/.
you should use a hot narrow flame from an Acetilyn welding system some regular flux and the lead sticks are 30/70 lead/zinc

[Fritz Peyerl]

search the internet and try http://www.allshops.org/.
you should use a hot narrow flame from an Acetilyn welding system some regular flux and the lead sticks are 30/70 lead/zinc

[Fritz Peyerl]

you also could weld on a shaped rod to the end of the door, to fill the gap and than sand it down to the dimensions, you need. I think Daryl in Seattle did that to his 912 doors and has a great write up about it.

[robmog]

that corner looks short, like someone took a grinder to it.
imho, adding steel to the fender side is the only way to go.
if i recall correctly daryl added metal to the fender using welding rod, his starting gap wasn't that far off.
http://www.darrylsgarage.com/912/912DEC06.htm
go to date 12/10/06
i wouldn't add to the door side, any touch up bondo would crack with time from closing stress.
BTW, nice work fritz

[Fritz Peyerl]

Thanks Bob. That was a challenging, repair job. the lower door was rusted through and I could bought a replacement panel ot fix it. I thought nothing lost if I screw up. out came the dy cutter and half of the panel went into the garbage. I made a new panel welded it to the old door and than I had to shape the whole panel. that took a day on it's own. getting to the underside, past the inner door panels was a pain.
stretching is easy, it was the shrinking with heat and ice cubes, which I had to learn.
The last time I used lead was in late 60th when I had to fix a lead drain pipe in an old building in Europe.
Never thought I have to use lead again. It was a bit of a struggle, but after all was finished, not much filler was needed.
A friend of my, has a 356 which was in an fire and you should see the lead pouring out. It was interesting to see, how much lead Porsche used.

[calling911]

Originally Posted by Fritz Peyerl

Thanks Bob. That was a challenging, repair job. the lower door was rusted through and I could bought a replacement panel ot fix it. I thought nothing lost if I screw up. out came the dy cutter and half of the panel went into the garbage. I made a new panel welded it to the old door and than I had to shape the whole panel. that took a day on it's own. getting to the underside, past the inner door panels was a pain.
stretching is easy, it was the shrinking with heat and ice cubes, which I had to learn.
The last time I used lead was in late 60th when I had to fix a lead drain pipe in an old building in Europe.
Never thought I have to use lead again. It was a bit of a struggle, but after all was finished, not much filler was needed.
A friend of my, has a 356 which was in an fire and you should see the lead pouring out. It was interesting to see, how much lead Porsche used.

I just used a wire welder on mine.. just zapped it a few hundred times.. ground it down and it looks like it was supposed to be there now..

Bad idea?

[robmog]

that would work too.
metal is metal.

[w21055]

Thanks for the feedback. You guys allowed me to take it to the body shop knowing it could be fixed. When I showed it to the shop owner, he said "We can just weld some welding rod on and grind it down." Certainly made me feel better about it.I am going to learn to weld to open up my project scope a little!