Just found some rust on my SWB PICS INSIDE
 

Well I knew it was there. The whole car was restored then money ran out on a corner. Well that corner had the fender patched. Well that corner also had some padding which had been wicking water up. I remove the padding and find the rust. Now what to do? Pictures to follow, I am not sure what this part of the car is even considered.

Oh where can I get patch panels? I need these quick so she can get into the shop immediatly.

What corner??

The front passenger side wheel well is rotted into the the smugglers box because water leaked in from a bad hood seal. Thats why the rest of my car is rust free and you can use a poker to verify it but this corner has its problems.

The rust:
The holes in the cowl let water in, they were made by an older seal:

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...s/CIMG0728.jpg
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...s/CIMG0727.jpg

The hole that it caused in the smuggler box:
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...s/CIMG0718.jpg

The hole inside it caused:
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...s/CIMG0731.jpg

And finally where the water exited:
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...s/CIMG0719.jpg
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...s/CIMG0720.jpg


This is not considered a front pan is it?

See the guy parting out the 66 912 in Used Parts. I'll bet he can fix you up.

I might need more than that. Its not a large area but it seems complicated.

So, what are you saying? It's all complicated. ;) You have to cut out the rust and either patch in parts from a donor or fabricate them. No other way to do it right.

This is on ebay now.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1175224919.jpg

John that looks like exactly half of what I need but what is that called? I tried searching for fender panel, porsche panel, and joining panel.

While I am waiting on John Cramers response. Will parts from an 80's model work here?

Well that's ONE way to get me to respond, threaten to destroy the car by welding in 80's parts.

Later stuff doesn't work. The '69-73 inner fenders have battery boxes up front, and the 74-89 have the bumper shocks. If you can score that piece off eBay, auction no. 320097665704, you'd be about a third of the way there in terms of parts.

If you want to do it right, you need to remove the front suspension and brake lines, mount the car on a Celette bench so it doesn't distort when you take it apart, remove the right front fender and the hood, and then grind off all the old undercoating until you get down to bright, bare metal all around the repair. You can then figure out what you're dealing with, which I 100% guarantee you will be more rust than is shown in the photos. The bottom of the smuggler's box is rusted out, and the floor patch panels don't have that part. It's hard to tell from the photos, but it looks like the right side longitudinal, the innermost piece of the rocker, also has some issues.

Anyway, it's fixable, but you might need a clip from an SWB that didn't make it. Try Paul Andersen here on the BBS, he just broke 303233 and might have some pieces left, although I think they are probably gone.

Was the tire rubbing on the panel there?

Thanks John, the previous tires were backspaced wrong and must have rubbed before I owned her.

The inner and outer rockers have been replaced I think thats a problem with the photography, I will try and get better pictures. I will be doing this properly, I just don't have any time. I am going to grind down the area and see what I have there. If I cannot find all the proper panels I will fabricate what I need. I can't fabricate the windshield seal channel though.

It's true what John said regarding the inner fenders. That's important if you intend to us all of it. It's also true that the rust will be worse than you expect (based on what you can see now). However, once you determine the extent of the damage, I would look into what the differences are between these areas (from year to year). If the damage is limited to the one side and doesn't extend too far, it may make more sense to borrow from a newer car and splice a piece into each affected panel. How much rust or damage is required to justify replacement rather than repair is obviously a judgment call. That'll have to wait till you know what you're up against.

Either way, the suspension point has been compromised. Maybe you could just use the cross member itself as an aid to locating? Maybe if these were still available...

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1175316848.jpg

However these still are:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1175316912.jpg



Also, if three of the four cross member mounting points are sound, they could be used to locate a "simple" fixture. Maybe something as simple as this:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1175318471.jpg


This would not offer an ultra positive location vertically, but It seems that the primary function of the rear cross member mounts is to provide support longitudinally (front to rear). Just some thoughts.

Tim K

Thanks all. The piece thats under my Porsche where the back of the suspension mounts, is that made reproduction? Can anyone tell if thats available or if I am sourcing that from a parts car? It seems like all of these pieces must come from a parts car. The smugglers box, the exterior piece and the suspension area are all shot.