SambaS in AlpineLE Oh-dearage!

[Angrydicky]

Whoa, is that gasless? Especially impressive if so!

[KruJoe]

No I think they're using gas, but that welder can be used without (with the correct wire).

 

Welcome Stu! Glad you've introduced yourself. Edd has a habit of mentioning people in his threads that none of us have ever heard of!

Keep up the good work lads.

[SambaS]

Stu's home in Kent, I'm going it solo, albeit with plenty of advice in my inbox!

 

I'm using 15% mix co2/ Argon

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

I can feel the warmth of Alpine love all over my face from this thread.

 

Win, Win and moar Win.

[junkyarddog]

Good welding skills.

 

Love threads about welding,especially if i'm not the one doing it

[SambaS]

SATURDAY 7 MARCH 2015

 

I have a confession to make:

 

Yesterday bloody knacked me, I was in bed for 7pm and there I stayed until about 9am this morning.

 

Today I had to trick myself into getting started by saying I'd only go put the car on axle stands. With that done I set to with the trailing arm repair. Compared to yesterdays job everything I have planned today is fairly straightforward.

 

First job of the day NS trailing arm repair, pointed out at MOT but missed from the fail sheet

 

 

Yeah I just welded a patch on after cleaning up the area, I didn't cut the rot out as I was wondering how I'd make a 2cm cut vertically under there with such a big tool as my grinder. Should the car last 5 years or more maybe I'll have to make a better job of it!

 

[SambaS]

SATURDAY 7 MARCH 2015

 

NS Sill repair missed by MOT guy, maybe he didn't consider it excessive.

 

 

Fancied making a flush repair here to see if I could and how the welder performed.

 

 

 

 

 

Then I had a massive lunch, something I skipped yesterday that I'm hoping was the reason for me feeling so done in.

 

Back to it!

[SambaS]

SATURDAY 7 MARCH 2015 CONTINUED...

 

002 Offside (outer sill) Seatbelt anchorage prescribed area is excessively corroded.

 

I didn't realise just how fast these welds would corrode. I should have finished this bit weeks ago.

 

 

Time for tools!

 

 

Power down.... take time.... fill in the gaps

 

 

All them

 

 

And grind down

 

 

And paint

 

 

 

Then the bottom lip, drill pilot hole, drill bigger hole, plug weld and repeat

 

 

Have these to tidy up yet, and some more weld to put on them from the back.

 

 

Then this thing here. It is deceptive. The corrosion goes right around the circumference of the wheel arch.

 

The rear arches aren't getting done till the summer so I had to make a temporary repair. I didn't want to weld anything to my new sill that isn't going to be permanent.

 

 

So I've bodged it for now, especially as its impossible to weld to the filler arch mess. I will cunningly disguise this with sealer and paint. its solid enough.

 

When I fit the new rear quarter, I'll figure out a proper repair.

 

[Simcat]

Edd's really making progress here, I only had sufficient time 2 weeks ago to point him in the right direction, but he's done well!

 

Once street legal further progress on the body, arches etc will be done in the summer.

[KruJoe]

Hey Edd, you've clearly mastering some techniques there man! Good progress.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Great work. It's now more solid than most Alpines were 20 years ago.

[SambaS]

FRIDAY 13 MARCH 2015

 

Looked like rain any minute so didn't cart the welder down, instead I focussed on tidying up the inner arch repairs. Here's where I was at last weekend:

 

 

Today:

 

 

By this point I was very very bored of sanding!

 

 

Tried the trim panel on for fit before MORE sanding *yawn*

 

 

Still a lot more sanding to go. Just kill me.

 

 

Inner arch here got a good coating and I am slowly building up part of the old filler arch that snapped off. I would do the whole thing but I really want this in for MOT next week.

 

[SambaS]

SATURDAY 14 MARCH 2015
 
Suits me down to the ground this... do a bit of work, come up have a brew, stick Dire Strais LP on, share pictures... while my brain processes what to do next in spite of me.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd3btVhwr48
 
Sill be done:
 

 

 
The penultimate job.
 
004 Offside rear (inner wheel arch in boot) suspension component mounting prescribed area is excessively corroded.
 
 

 

 

Found more holes than bargained for. This will have to be repaired first.
 

 

[oldcars]

Now this is working, thats the way you do it
Lemme tell ya this guy ain't dumb
Maybe get a blister on your little finger
Maybe get a burn on your thumb.

 

We gotta install new sills on my Talbot
We gotta filler the rear arches................................

 

[SambaS]

SATURDAY 14 MARCH 2015 CONTINUED...

 

Faulty masking tape = anger.

 

 

Make template

 

 

Transfer to metal using faulty masking tape. Bend 'er.

 

 

Beat to shape for flippin ages... 

 

 

Gonna have to be done in 2 sections. Nearing readiness to weld

 

 

I could slit the L shape to allow for a bit of flexibility, but this will never be seen again and its near ish.

 

Will see how I feel tomorrow!

 

EDIT

 

Thinking out loud here but when the quarter comes off I will have better access. Also potentially a spare tub to use from another car.

[vulgalour]

You're really not hanging about on this, impressive stuff.

[cort16]

Great work Sambas, you're weldage skills are looking looking top notch.

[Simcat]

The Cinnamon car will donate this third hand, but solid quarter to the cause, or parts thereof, as it will be getting a nice NOS one in due course.

[warren t claim]

Top bombing. Sadly, you stand a greater chance of finding a Sao Penza being driven by a happy Talk Talk broadband customer than any Nos Alpine repair panels.

[steve_earwig]

If they're anything like Avenger panels, the presses were broken up the moment production stopped. Are Grimes still turning up panels?

[SambaS]

Simcat has them all

[Simcat]

Secret stash in Czech Republic (of all places)

 

In the communist era Chrysler 180s and then Chrysler/Talbot Alpines were allowed to be imported officially. Parts for both survive to this day out there, in the hands of an enthusiast who bought the lot.

 

Grimes is long gone, but I saved about 3 tons of stuff when they were closing down. Some rescued from the skip! 

[theorganist]

This is a very inspiring thread. Just wish I had the skills and most of all patience

 

Well done and great to see some Talbot love as I thought they had all been forgotten about.

[Simcat]

Here are the NOS genuine panels put aside for the cinnamon car, the two wheel house tub halves and the quarter came from Czech, the inner reinforcement from Switzerland! 

[Rusty Pelican]

Theres not a lot to beat the sight of NOS panels if your into old shite 

[Pillock]

Wow, panelporn.

[Simcat]

Then's there's that dilemma of actually fitting them to a car that may not survive in the longer term due to rust elsewhere, or other issues. Once parts like this are used up they are gone for ever...

 

In this instance the cinnamon car is 100% rust free due to it's mere 2 years on the road, so no problem to commit them. It's very fortuitous that Edd stumbled across the car when he did, so providing the used sections to be used later on his LE.

 

An all round win situation!

[Simcat]

Got so excited I had to clamp them altogether to get a feel... 

[steve_earwig]

Two things, firstly I'm completely blown away by the fact that you can get panels like that for an Alipne, and secondly, I feel this board is severely limited by the fact that you can only like things just the once.

[Angrydicky]

There were plenty of those panels made, it's just a matter of finding those that survived the many years when the cars were absolutely worthless and dealers were skipping stuff en masse. Hence snapping up stuff all around the world! Unfortunately, there just isn't the interest or the money in the cars to warrant tooling up for new panels for them.