1953 (March) Series II Restoration

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Ian46
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Re: 1953 (March) Series II Restoration

Post by Ian46 »

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Further to the petrol tank repair photos posted yesterday, I've found photos which explains the process in more detail.

Photo 1 - My initial location holes were all opened up to the diameter of the nail heads being used.

Photo 2 - Welding near, or with galvanised coatings is very dangerous because of the toxic fumes given off so the galvanised coating was removed from the ends of the nails.

Photo 3 - Each hole location was countersunk and a 'valley' created for the weld material.

Photo 4 - Holes overfilled.

Photo 5 - Excess metal ground back to a point where I could finish off the cosmetics.

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Busy collecting parts for my '52 MM Convertible and 1949 Saloon restorations. :o
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geoberni
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Re: 1953 (March) Series II Restoration

Post by geoberni »

I'm glad you cleared that up because yesterday you said...
He confirmed that he should be able to fix it using large headed nails pulled through the holes and soldered to the inner surface of the tank.
Basil the 1955 series II

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Nourish
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Re: 1953 (March) Series II Restoration

Post by Nourish »

Would there be a problem if they were soldered?
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geoberni
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Re: 1953 (March) Series II Restoration

Post by geoberni »

Nourish wrote: Fri Jul 30, 2021 6:34 pm Would there be a problem if they were soldered?
Not particularly, but it leave open the question of whether a naked flame was used for the heat, or a very large tip soldering iron. Body soldering is quite a technique.

See this video for an example of soldering holes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZFEqJ_s1gE
Basil the 1955 series II

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Ian46
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Re: 1953 (March) Series II Restoration

Post by Ian46 »

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Made a tentative re-start on the 'project' today by sanding back the protective paint on the body seams below the rear window and the two at the top of the rear wheel arches.

Interesting to note that whoever was operating the left hand side spot welder on the body shell production line wasn't quite as neat as the person on the right.

I have also removed the remaining lead from the roof molding where it comes down to the body.

The last photo shows an ugly weld hiding under the lead which is also repeated on the passenger side.

I haven't found any remnants of lead in the rain channels over the doors and side windows but there is definitely a gap which indicates to me that some sort of sealer is now missing after the dip'n'strip process. Can anyone please advise?

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jaekl
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Re: 1953 (March) Series II Restoration

Post by jaekl »

I usually find a sealer perhaps Dum Dum where the outer roof and inner structure join to form the rain channels. I hope POMMreg sees the image of the LRMB. If they were all like that, I wonder why they bothered having it long.
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Re: 1953 (March) Series II Restoration

Post by ManyMinors »

There was a sealant used along the gutters. I believe it was made by 3M and called "drip rail sealant" or something similar. We used to have it at work in little cans which screwed on to a device rather like an old fashioned oil can. You pulled a trigger to release a small line of sealant out and run along a seam. The sealant quickly dried and eventually can crack and come out. There must be a modern equivalent which will do the job. Probably quite important that this is done to prevent water leaks in the future.
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Re: 1953 (March) Series II Restoration

Post by jagnut66 »

Tigerseal?
Best wishes,
Mike.
1954 Series 2: 4 door: "Sally" -- Back on the ground with (slave) wheels and waiting to be resprayed......
1970 Triumph Herald 1200: "Hetty" -- Driven back from Llangollen in Wales (twice.....)
Ian46
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Re: 1953 (March) Series II Restoration

Post by Ian46 »

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Thanks for getting back to me guys.

Jaekl - I remember the Eldro Dum Dum sealing compound from my youth!

Many Minors - 3M Drip Rail brushable sealant looks good and I think I will be using this to seam seal the interior of the car before painting.

Mike - I am familiar with Tiger Seal and have used it on the numerous kit cars I have built, mainly as a glue. I wasn't sure it can be painted over but it appears it can. Comes in a cartridge for easier application.
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Re: 1953 (March) Series II Restoration

Post by Ian46 »

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Today was interesting. I decided to trial fit the bonnet. I was looking forward to it. However -

I have done this job before and always make sure the hinges are in good condition and make up temporary hinge gaskets to play around with on the day.

The rear of the bonnet was squarely located up against the bulkhead panel with a suitable gap of approx. 5mm, and the hinges bolted up but not fully tight. It is a split-screen so there a definite 'V' to locate the rear of the panel centrally. All fine up to now.

The grille panel was already bolted on to the car so I used that to make sure the bonnet was also centrally mounted at the front.

I then became aware that (looking from the front of the car), the leading edge of the bonnet looked a little odd.

First photo - The driver's side was ok up to a protruding 'bulge' along the front edge which I think I can massage back to straight again.

Second photo - However, moving along the front edge of the bonnet to the passenger side the front edge 'shrinks' back from the chrome trim showing that the bonnet is too short on this side.

Third photo - shows the final (best) location of the bonnet, which fits well everywhere but looks terrible at the front from above.

Has anyone else had this sort of problem?
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Re: 1953 (March) Series II Restoration

Post by Ian46 »

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I have been expecting my lead loading kit order to arrive so I had removed the passenger rear side wing to get at the other end of the 'boot' seam to thoroughly clean the area where the new lead will be applied; however, as it hadn't come and to continue progress, I thought I would trial fit the rear wing beading and wing. Not a job I wanted to do later when the car is painted.

Before I could do that, I did spend some time panel beating the rear wing to satisfy myself that it could be saved and I am pleased with my first proper attempt. It's not perfect but near enough for a professional to finish up. (the wing is split at the bottom in a couple of places and I only have a spot welder at my disposal).

I cut the lovely gloss black beading to the length required and then painstakingly cut 'v's and bolt holes so it could temporarily taped and bolted it to the wheel arch. The wing bolts were then removed and the wing offered up to the beading. The bolts were added loosely and then tightened from the top of the wing outwards.

Still very much a trial and error process but I feel more confident about how the beading is going to end up.

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Ian46
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Re: 1953 (March) Series II Restoration

Post by Ian46 »

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Following on from the photos above - I've never really done any panel successful panel beating before; (I could never get on with it) but had another little practice when trial when fitting the rear wing. It had some light accident damage at the front and rear which was not helping it 'fit' against the body.

My high cut out wing has two splits in it's bottom edge and is a bit flappy as a result . It's a common fault of the rear wings made at the time. Later rear wings have strengthening angle welded in to stop this developing.

So any metal massaging I was thinking of couldn't take place at the back of the rear wing which is why the shiny metal stops where it is in the photo. The 'relief' in the panel was just enough to get the wing sitting pretty well for the task.

I will revisit the wing damage when it has been welded!
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Last edited by Ian46 on Sat Oct 30, 2021 11:19 am, edited 1 time in total.
Busy collecting parts for my '52 MM Convertible and 1949 Saloon restorations. :o
Ian46
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Re: 1953 (March) Series II Restoration

Post by Ian46 »

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All the outer panels are original items on this car but they have accumulated many, many little dents, knocks and scapes over time.

Buoyed by my little success panel beating I decided to 'look' at the front passenger side wing to see what I could do with it.

I knew the rear of the wing was rusty but had the panel dipped and stripped anyway. Now 'rust free' I could see (after some light surface sanding) that the rear edge of the panel was distorted and 'swollen' (see top photo). I'll leave that area to a professional to sort.

I hadn't realised the surface and curve of the front the wing was so bad until I started with a light sand. The front section of the wing had a deep 'bowl' indentation and didn't think I would be able to get it out (top picture).

Bottom picture is after a few hours work and a number of trial fits of the wing. I don't know if it's anything I've consciously done in this process but the front of the wing now sits much better than before where it joins with the front panel.
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Ian46
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Re: 1953 (March) Series II Restoration

Post by Ian46 »

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I've been practicing my lead loading skills (or lack of them) since I last posted.

The 'how to' videos online were all very helpful on the subject and I thought I might be able to achieve somewhere near the same results as the professionals; but I haven't as yet been able to do that. It is a new process I am trying to learn here and it is much more skillful than I was expecting.

I purchased a decent lead loading kit and which has all the necessary items to do a professional job such as full instructions, the lead sticks, 4No, a Maple flat paddle to smooth the liquid lead across the area being filled, a Maple round edged paddle to move lead into corners and seams, a small tub of tallow used to stop the lead sticking to the paddles in use, a small tub of solder paint used to 'prime' the area where you want the lead, a large flexible file to bring down the applied lead to the contours required. Heath and safety wise I purchased a pair of heat resisting gloves and a twin can respirator mask as lead is by all accounts a nasty material to work with. It is highly toxic and can only be worked

To further minimize risks I worked on windy days with my double garage door fully open. The air-born lead particles are the main problem which is why the specialist file is included in the kit. On no account should lead be sanded with a mechanical sander.

My fault the bodywork looks a little burnt and rusty - I was over eager with the blow torch and I didn't wash/neutralize the melted residue from the tinning process off the bare body properly. The 'rust' appeared over night!

Photo 1) Shows my third attempt at getting lead to stick on to the body. The previous attempts literally ended up on the garage floor. The trick is to get the solder stick heated to the point where the end becomes 'buttery' in texture whist heating the bodywork to the point where you cab get 'blobs' of lead on to it. When there are enough blobs in the area to be worked the wooden paddles are used to press the lead on to the panel whilst spreading it across the area desired. I felt I'd got the lead as evenly as I could.

Photo 2) Shows the same area but after using the sharp file. I was quite pleased with the result however there were a few low spots in the lead and some deep file marks in the lead.

Photo 3) Is the same area again but now with an etch primer coating. The scratch marks and low spots are still visible but I am going to use a thin coat of body-filler over the area to correct these issues before paint.

Next, the other rear wheel arch!

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jagnut66
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Re: 1953 (March) Series II Restoration

Post by jagnut66 »

I think you've done a pretty good job for a first attempt. The body shop can sort out any small imperfections when they paint her.
That's what you're paying them for.
The main thing is to get her back into primer, as soon as you've done fettling an area, otherwise the exposed metal will quickly develop surface rust (as you've already found).
Best wishes,
Mike.
1954 Series 2: 4 door: "Sally" -- Back on the ground with (slave) wheels and waiting to be resprayed......
1970 Triumph Herald 1200: "Hetty" -- Driven back from Llangollen in Wales (twice.....)
Ian46
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Re: 1953 (March) Series II Restoration

Post by Ian46 »

Thanks Mike!
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Ian46
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Re: 1953 (March) Series II Restoration

Post by Ian46 »

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After what feels to be an age, I finally found a welder to help me move the restoration on.

The last (very cold) week has been spent finishing the lead loading, adding sealant to the roof gutters, writing 'notes' on the body with a 'sharpie' (for the welder) and adding temporary piping to the wings so the welder has a better chance of getting the panel gaps more uniform across the body-shell.

The grey primer has been applied where I have disturbed the red oxide paint.

Fortunately a lovely dry day today to load a car without wheels! There were a just few issues with getting it on the trailer.
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Ian46
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Re: 1953 (March) Series II Restoration

Post by Ian46 »

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Called in at the welders this afternoon. Lots of little corrections done and car looking a lot 'sharper'. Very pleased so far.

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Re: 1953 (March) Series II Restoration

Post by Ian46 »

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Been to see the car and welder today for 'sign off' after he has completed all the welding I asked him to sort out and I am very pleased with the results.

The major items were the replacing of the boot floor, bottom of boot lid aperture and the passenger side rear chassis rail which had suffered water ingress due to the light rear accident damage from long ago.

The smaller items of welding were the repairing of the back edges of the front wings (cutting out the rust to save the original panels), welding up the 'splits' in the rear wings, welding up various 'holes' in the bodywork where the wing mirrors, badges, indicator lights had been and the replacement of the front bumper mounts in the engine bay (the threads on the original items had disintegrated).

The underside work consisted of a number of small patches required after 'thin' metal had been identified and cut out.

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jagnut66
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Re: 1953 (March) Series II Restoration

Post by jagnut66 »

This car is going to look really good once completed. I do hope you're not going to be afraid to use it after...... :wink:
Best wishes,
Mike.
1954 Series 2: 4 door: "Sally" -- Back on the ground with (slave) wheels and waiting to be resprayed......
1970 Triumph Herald 1200: "Hetty" -- Driven back from Llangollen in Wales (twice.....)
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