Musuem quality '63 356 cab

[KevinP73]

It should have never left the museum
But it did and as they say in the real world "accidents happen".

[962porsche]

its not that bad ! cars were ment to be driven and things happen . it can be fixed . i always look at it this way .if you have a hot looking girl and can't have sex with her then what is the sence of being with her ? cars are the same way .

[KevinP73]

It will be repaired. You can follow the project on my site. Follow the link in my signature.

[KevinP73]

All the paperwork is complete and the replacement parts are in hand.
Let the fun begin.

Measurements are made and templates are made of the critical areas and then the rest of the damaged panel is removed.

The new part is fit into position to determine the cut line.

Even from the factory these parts will need a lot of work before they are perfect.

[Matt Smith]

Kevin- why did you chop it and not work the existing metal?

[KevinP73]

Originally Posted by Matt Smith

Kevin- why did you chop it and not work the existing metal?

Too much prior damage compounded with very poor quality of repairs. The original front had been hit at least twice before and poorly repaired. We decided it would be best to start with a fresh panel.

[Matt Smith]

Ok, I get it; I thought that by museum quality you meant untouched and original metal.

I'm sure that's the best way forward then. I'm keen to know how you guys would do a job like this then? I personally would love to work on a car like this but we don't see may here! Did the factory gass butt weld this join and hammer finish/lead load as it's a great compound curve to do that to. I'd pay money to fix that thing

All the best, make it purdy, Matt

[KevinP73]

The car was purchased for a private collection and was supposed to be in "excellent/original" condition. The seller had failed to mention that the car had been repaired several times in it's history, hence the expression "buyer beware". It will be repaired this time without any plastic filler. I'll use lead in the appropriate areas and remove as much plastic as I can in the front half of the car.
The factory butt welded the panels but only used lead to make the gaps correct. There aren't any seams on the 356 that were lead filled.
As for you saying you'd pay money to fix this, I've said all along that I'd do this kind of work for free if I didn't have to pay my own bills. This kind of work is why I got into this business in the first place.

[KevinP73]

Finished welding and the seam is leaded in.

[KevinP73]

I block sanded everything at least twice and now it's ready to paint.

[KevinP73]

[village idiot]

Originally Posted by KevinP73

I've said all along that I'd do this kind of work for free if I didn't have to pay my own bills. This kind of work is why I got into this business in the first place.

I feel the same way, I love seeing a project being brought back to life