Project GT Junior
continued...

Another view of the forward are after fender has been cut away. This is bad.
Outer sill has been trimmed away and the area treated to a preliminary blasting. Buttress forming base of A-pillar will have to be rebuilt using these thin remains as a model.
Complicated buttress shape most easily duplicated with welded up seams. Familiar routine starting with cardboard templates graduating to steel parts repeated here. Photo shows 22ga part; Later I realized original buttress was heavier and discarded this for a 16 gauge version.
With buttress repair section copied, damaged area can be cut away. Further clean up will be necessary. Spot weld "flowers" are visible on lower edge, ready to be twisted off. (see below.)
Uncle Bo's Take-No-Prisoners Method for Separating Dead Remnants of Spot-Welded Panels:

1) Circular depressions indicate spot welds

2) Cuts are made between welds using a cut-off wheel. Not necessary or even desirable to cut through top panel.

3) Cold chisel is driven between panels, tearing the metal at the 'score. '

4) Edges are folded up around weld. These are be with vise grips and twisted as shown.

5) Fragment tears off clean, leaving only small pimple to be ground off.

Continued... p15 p16 p17 p18 p19 p20

back to part 1 | part 2

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