Andy's awful autos: Vanden-blah

[SiC]

I always say welding is the easy bit as it's just following a process, but metal bashing is the real art. This lucky little car really has gone off to the best owner it needed.

[Andyrew]

Today i decided to start the final and harder part. Access is a pain and i ended up using a die grinder with a stone in it to wittle back the spot welds the drill couldnt get too. 

Here you can see i cut out a part of the front section, corrosion had caused swelling between the spot welds. Once that was removed i cut away the larger return, made a new one slightly oversized, zapped in with a few welds.  then thankfully i could clean up the outter part and zap that back in. Handy as i dont have any large sheet that thickness!

Not the neatest but its contaminated and i had the welder cranked up. 

While that was out i had also choosen to take advantage and remove the rusted section i need to remake. I ran a few welds over the back of the joints from the other side. 

Hopefully have the new part finished and welded in tomorrow, getting there slowly. 

[Andyrew]

A bit bracing! 

Quickly knocked back the welds on the front panel. Just back till smooth ish, no point going back any further as its not seen and will have stonechip over it anyways. 

Finished off final tweaking and getting the panel i started yesterday ready to be fitted. 

And welded in, ran out of gas half way but had another bottle ready. 

Final step is to repair the bit in between, below the displacer. The sides have gone and i kept it in for reference for the bits mounting to it. Going to be a fiddle but that will be the final panel to make then its done. 

[Andyrew]

Weld-done, just needs dressing back and some holes drilling in, then its time for some rust converter and paint.  Im fairly happy with the results. 

[Andyrew]

All of the paint. Slapped on fast and dirty. Shoved in front of the heater to cook. 

[Andyrew]

Found the previous weld patches done by charles & wonders welding ltd

Ill drop the subframe off and correct this sometime in the future. Its wrong, ugly and plated over grot but its solid and isnt going anywhere for now. Im not worried as i want to drop the hydro lines off sometime in the future and either rust treat them or get new ones made up. 

[Andyrew]

Today i also managed to un seize the unioin on the nearside and clean up both so then can now spin freely. 

[2flags]

You are doing a fantastic job on this.

[Andyrew]

stuffed right up its chuff.  Some bolt issues to rectify, short a few that had snapped, some wrong length. Plan was to get new but the local supplier i used to use closed and and one that another option is a let down. Will rummage through and sort but for now things can still progress. Will fit the brakes tonight to bleed tomorrow. 

[Andyrew]

Brakes and drums back on, Brake lines and hand brake cables ran. Touched up any damaged bits on the paint. Dug out enough bolts so everything all nipped up and done. 

Brake bleeding tomorrow, fuel tank with new soft and hard lines from front to back. Sundays plan is pump up suspension and fit exhaust. Then it can get the fuck off the lift!

[Andyrew]

Fuel tank back in, brakes bleed up kinda, suspension pumped back up.  Almost there! 

Exhaust to fit later on and button a few wee things up. 

[Tickman]

Some brilliant work going on there getting this back together properly