good effort, I found cutting panels in a straight line really hard, even when I was cutting the car up
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damn good effort - are you welding yourself or is stu coming over?
ps - nice carpet by the way, think you must have been to the same place as me
It's been years since I've welded so I'm leaving that to a professional - I haven't got this far to screw it all up! At some point in Jan the same local bodyshop will collect it, weld it all up and drop it back for me to finish off
Carpet - lol.. it's softer than concrete
Cheers, it is tricky.. I've tried to keep all the joins as straight as possible so that it'll be easier to weld up, tomorrow's pics will hopefully show it all sitting nicely together - there a few overlaps/tight bits at present
Good job on grafting that piecein, cutting up a car is certainly fun isnt it
Key to cutting in nice straight line is having a straight line to follow, using 1mm slitting discs and taking your time.
Going to have the same fun when I add a bit more girth to my wings by making a near perfect cut about 2ft long lol
Key to cutting in nice straight line is having a straight line to follow, using 1mm slitting discs and taking your time.
Going to have the same fun when I add a bit more girth to my wings by making a near perfect cut about 2ft long lol
I've not been lazy..
From the lack of recent updates, you may think I've done nothing... well, wrong! Problem is, most of the things I have been doing are not stuff worth any pics.. However, I have a few worth showing
First up, I finished the fitment of the sill panel off by trimming some of the edges and removing all burr etc. It's now ready to be welded into place:
The car should be shipped off to my local bodyshop on Monday - on the back of a truck as it's far from drivable at present! I'll be glad to get this done, as it's holding up a number of other things.
I've also been removing more tar from the floor-pan along with more mud and leaves from the underside and other nooks, and have shortened/re-routed a fair bit of the wiring loom around the centre console and lower dash. The interior is pretty much prepped for re-painting now:
Another job I've been tackling is straightening out the rear crash bar after the muppet bumped me in a queue of traffic last year - it wasn't too bad but is near straight now, so once I've painted it to prevent rusting, it can go back on.
Also, I've prepped the underside of the car for re-undersealing by stripping off any original seal that was damaged/missing/poor - mostly around where the cage was mounted. I then treated all of the effected areas including rusting sections of the front and rear ARBs with rust-eating compound to stem the damage. Next up is to re-seal the treated areas/paint the sections of affected ARB; prior to giving the entire underside a full underseal once all welding has been completed.
Whilst the front end is dismantled I'm also going to give the car a quick service and complete battery relocation and guage fitting.. so next up I'll be ordering some new bits and once the panel is in place things can start coming together
From the lack of recent updates, you may think I've done nothing... well, wrong! Problem is, most of the things I have been doing are not stuff worth any pics.. However, I have a few worth showing
First up, I finished the fitment of the sill panel off by trimming some of the edges and removing all burr etc. It's now ready to be welded into place:
The car should be shipped off to my local bodyshop on Monday - on the back of a truck as it's far from drivable at present! I'll be glad to get this done, as it's holding up a number of other things.
I've also been removing more tar from the floor-pan along with more mud and leaves from the underside and other nooks, and have shortened/re-routed a fair bit of the wiring loom around the centre console and lower dash. The interior is pretty much prepped for re-painting now:
Another job I've been tackling is straightening out the rear crash bar after the muppet bumped me in a queue of traffic last year - it wasn't too bad but is near straight now, so once I've painted it to prevent rusting, it can go back on.
Also, I've prepped the underside of the car for re-undersealing by stripping off any original seal that was damaged/missing/poor - mostly around where the cage was mounted. I then treated all of the effected areas including rusting sections of the front and rear ARBs with rust-eating compound to stem the damage. Next up is to re-seal the treated areas/paint the sections of affected ARB; prior to giving the entire underside a full underseal once all welding has been completed.
Whilst the front end is dismantled I'm also going to give the car a quick service and complete battery relocation and guage fitting.. so next up I'll be ordering some new bits and once the panel is in place things can start coming together
That looks a tidy job on the sill, dont think I would have the balls to be cutting a new piece in. Top skills!
I just love the fact you're working on what looks like Axminster or Wilton Top work though, attention to detail is lovely to see.
Top work though, attention to detail is lovely to see.
Thats pretty tidy thereDone a better job there than my last bodyshop did !
The first cut is quite daunting, but it helped that it was all scrunched up anyway! I bet this has taken much longer for me to do than most bodyshops.. more like 'steady s-low skills'!
I just love the fact you're working on what looks like Axminster or Wilton
Haha, I'm sure I could find a label and confirm that
Attention to detail, yes, however I haven't yet mentioned the passenger door window which I've ruined by blasting hot shards of angle-ground metal at with great velocity!!
Another job on the list 
Interesting.. what would I use?
I suppose it's just the laminate that's been effected..
You would have to look in the yellow pages and find a glazing specialist that will 'polish' the glass tho you would need to take the piece of glass out which will be.....ahem.......a pain
You would have to look in the yellow pages and find a glazing specialist that will 'polish' the glass tho you would need to take the piece of glass out which will be.....ahem.......a pain
OK - I'll have to see whether it comes to that (still hoping to get some Lupo GTI doors as these are so heavy!). At least I have an option, cheers Stu
More Preparation!
Today, with the cars impending trip into the outside world I gave the rust-treated sections of the underside an initial layer of protection.
The front and rear ARBs (and my face) were painted with black Hammerite, as was the now straight rear crash bar (paint had come off whilst bashing it back into shape). I also gave the sections of the underside that I had cleaned up an initial coat of underseal.
Next up, I fixed the rear crash bar back onto the car and rolled the lil one out of the garage ready for collection tomorrow:
As you can see, it's still lacking one of its two doors, so a bit of tarp and trusty duck tape sorted a bit of protection out for the pending freezing cold overnight stay on the drive:
Now I just need to tidy up the garage for when it returns - I haven't got long so'd better get on with it!
Today, with the cars impending trip into the outside world I gave the rust-treated sections of the underside an initial layer of protection.
The front and rear ARBs (and my face) were painted with black Hammerite, as was the now straight rear crash bar (paint had come off whilst bashing it back into shape). I also gave the sections of the underside that I had cleaned up an initial coat of underseal.
Next up, I fixed the rear crash bar back onto the car and rolled the lil one out of the garage ready for collection tomorrow:
As you can see, it's still lacking one of its two doors, so a bit of tarp and trusty duck tape sorted a bit of protection out for the pending freezing cold overnight stay on the drive:
Now I just need to tidy up the garage for when it returns - I haven't got long so'd better get on with it!
OK - I'll have to see whether it comes to that (still hoping to get some Lupo GTI doors as these are so heavy!). At least I have an option, cheers Stu
#cough# plastic windows #cough#
Returned from Bodyshop
Yesterday the lil one returned from the the bodyshop looking much more like an Arosa.
The work took a little longer than expected as more work was required and the snow didn't help - the place filled up with damaged cars on Monday! The Arosa has once again been jigged, as the drivers side still needed some attention (it was a little on the short side!), and the substructure beneath the outer skin of the sill has been strengthened following its crumpling
She's now back in my garage, with a nicely finished sill/quarter/under section, with new seal all down the underside of the sill, all ready for painting around March time (yes - it will take that long from now!).
So, here's the handy-work - none of it mine!
Another update should follow tomorrow, but alas, I had to work today
Yesterday the lil one returned from the the bodyshop looking much more like an Arosa.
The work took a little longer than expected as more work was required and the snow didn't help - the place filled up with damaged cars on Monday! The Arosa has once again been jigged, as the drivers side still needed some attention (it was a little on the short side!), and the substructure beneath the outer skin of the sill has been strengthened following its crumpling
She's now back in my garage, with a nicely finished sill/quarter/under section, with new seal all down the underside of the sill, all ready for painting around March time (yes - it will take that long from now!).
So, here's the handy-work - none of it mine!
Another update should follow tomorrow, but alas, I had to work today
love catching up on the cut/shut adventures of the l'il one
plenty of tinkering and fettling to look forward to through the colder quieter months
plenty of tinkering and fettling to look forward to through the colder quieter months
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