SWB 911R...the beginning

[rennch]

Hey Lars..I'd like to be there when you fab the quarter panel to rocker panel pieces. I need to do the exact same thing.

Looks great!

[speedo]

The rockers are done....




I took pics of the open tunnel and replaced the clutch cable while it was open.I then faced replacing the passenger side flange that the floor attaches to on the longitudinal, rear bulkhead and tunnel.

[speedo]

These flanges took awhile...cut and fit, cut and fit...
This is the longitudinal side before it gets welded in place



There is a lot of work that goes into these flanges




Almost done...

[speedo]

Finally




Now I can fit the floor...

[speedo]

I want to get as much done while the car is upside-down. Since I could not source a decent tailight bucket, I needed to figure out what to do with the problemed bucket I have



This thing had perforations everywhere from debris the rear tires threw up and the rear quarter panel "captured" and allowed moisture to eat away at the assembly. Time to peal away the layers of bad steel til I find good steel




Nasty....

[JCF]

Real nice to see this thread open again.

[speedo]

And see what we are left with...



Now time to start to fabricate the missing pieces using the old rotten ones as a template


And tack in place...did I say cut and fit?


Finally starting to look like something

Need to create the attach point for the inside screw...

[speedo]

Bad pic but you get the point...


Now that the bucket is complete, the stiffner/track that the bumper mates to, needs to be created...this is the drivers side
This is where it needs to go...
This should work...

[speedo]

Grind, prime and check the fit



Nice...


I'm too burnt to clean up....this place is trashed...
Tomorrow I start to work right side up...you know what that means...

[SCWDP911]

Man, you are working some magic. I hope you are eating healthy meals to keep your energy. This thing reminds me of my 63 Impala I started restoring. I was in alamost as sad a shape as your car when we started. Got partially done and wife got tired of me spending money on "that rust bucket that adorns our 3rd garage bay"...

Keep up the good work...

[Fishcop]

You Sir, are a genius.

Wow!

[Jays72T]

Holy ***** you're good, very impressive work.

[rennch]

Amazing job Lars. Absolutely amazing.

[ty901]

nice work Lars. are the cleats i see from Eastwood?
cheers
jerry

[speedo]

With the car back upright on the rotisserie....
It is time to tighten things up from the top side....
floorpan
seat buckets
front suspension pan
gas tank support

As the floor is already welded in from the outside flange, I need to put careful pressure on some areas from underneath so that the pan pushes up against the interior flanges (tunnel,rear bulkhead and side longitudinals). The fit from careful preparation required minimal pressure to ensure a tight fit.



I also took care of a couple weakened areas in the drivers footwell front bulkhead...by removing dead metal and replacing with a good flange and welding in place


I wasn't really looking forward to the seat buckets that were intack, but perforated. I have seen worse layered with several coats of POR 15 and as they were sandblasted and all the oxcidation removed...that would have probably sufficed. However, I had planned to replace them and mentally wouldn't feel right taking a shortcut. Here is what they looked like after sandblasting...

[speedo]

I removed the bad metal and took a comparison look at the replacement buckets that I had purchased

Unfortunately, the replacement seats were fron a G50 trannied car...which I didn't know at the time...and the "hump is a different size. This means the seat buckets would be smaller and not correct for my fitment. Ok, now that the seats are gone...I took the opportunity to wire brush the visible area of the torsion bar tube and seal it. Maybe I should just leave them open to listen to the engine....


I can now cut and fabricate my own. Using the cutout bottoms as a template


And lets see how they fit all clecoed in place

[speedo]

With the seats welded in place...


Time to attack the topside of the front suspension pan. The longitudinal "chamber" ends in the frony trunk at the forward edges of the gas tank reinforcement. I was missing a one foot section on both sides that need good metal to replace the bad metal. The bottom side replacement was done when the suspension pan was welded in while the car was upside-down. Now I need to create the missing metal to which the gas tank support will be welded.For a glimpse at the original front pan...

And the missing steel on both sides


I cleaned up the area and primed with "weld through primer"

[speedo]

It takes a lot of cutting and fitting...while these pieces are available from Restoration Design...it will be quicker (no pun intended...or was it?)and more accurate to create my own



And a more simple install on the passenger side

Test fit and it looks good

[speedo]

It will take a little grinding and massaging to fit the gas tank support


But at least the steel is fresh and the inner cavities have been cleaned and sealed. Maybe tomorrow I can get the gas tank support fit , primered and welded in. I also have to weld the frontmost lip of the front pan to the front bulkhead...it is drilled, but not welded.
One of the last remaining topside jobs before I go back upside down to start grinding welds is the replacement/patch of the rear shelf. One of the easier jobs, I have put off as a kind of recess. I still haven"t decided whether to delete the hinge supports and strut attachment as I will be going with R hinges. If I delete them....I can't go back.

[Brother]

How long until someone just sells a new tub?

Nice work; this is fun to watch.