Bodywork Help!

[Spitfire1500]

Hey everyone,

Here are pictures of my troublesome Triumph Spitfire panels:








More to follow

[Spitfire1500]

[Spitfire1500]

[Spitfire1500]

Can anyone suggest what I should do with this lot - and if a straight replacement of the worst affected panels and a rub down of the not so bad ones is the best thing to do?

Thanks,

David

[thescrapman]

A new rear wing, and probably outer arch.

A new fron eing, with possibly a new D-plate, and arch repair.

A danm good sand/wirebrush round teh scabby bits to see what lurks beneath.

Cheers

Colin

[heraldcoupe]

What is the inner bodywork like? Floors, heelboard, inside of boot etc. All vulnerable to rust but easily hidden.
Cheers,
Bill.

[Ryan]

Looks like you stole my bonnet. :(

edit: Is that my bootlid too!?

[Deleted User]

On the upside, your wheels look in very good nick! I know you're tempted by the Cosmics you've seen on ebay but they seem to turn up quite regularly, wait until you've got spare money for things like that and concentrate on the panelwork before then.

[Mac]

New panels
LH rear wing
LH rear outer wheel arch
RH front wing
RF D plate

Clean up/repair all the rest

Repairin
Cut out the rotten bit so you get good metal, trying to save curves
Cut new piece of plate so it has a 5 mm-1 cm lip that will go under the old plate
Weld new piece in below/behind the old, weld along the line of the old onto new plate. Or you can drill and spot weld the two together. Use mole grips to hold them together , do a few spot welds, check everything, then weld up.

Gofer it
;-)

Like Bill said
Check floors, boot floor, sills
They usually da wurst, unless someone else has changed 'em in the past.

When doing it up leave or drill drain holes in the bottom of the sills neat the lip, in lowest part of rear wheel arches, and lowest part of boot. Give it a good undersealing inside the wings, doors, etc. then waxoil and leave the holes open so any water, condensation can drain.

[toomanyprojects]

This all looks very familiar.

As others have said, check sills inner, mid and outer, check the floor pans and inside where the rear arches meet the floor. Check where your heel board attaches to the rear of the floor and around your trailing arm mounts.

And one more word of advice, don't spend any money on anything other than body panels until this lot is sorted.

Mine looked worse than that, I managed to get it sorted so there's no reason why you can't.

Take your time, and it'll take lots of it...

[neilnaz]

I am no bodywork expert but I would say that I can only see 2 bad areas that need sorting. Also neither of these would coinstitute an MOT failure if they are neatened up. In the long run a new wing inner and outer looks like sensible proposition in one case and rear wing repair (etc) but these are not MOT failures unless they are left as rough edges.

I would address the mechanical issues that the car may have and check for all areas of structural potential problem (like sills, floorpans, seatbelt anchoring points) and do not focus on aesthetics. Get the car safe and roadworthy. Then once that is acheieved, you know what buget you have for cosmetice and panel repairs. You could possibly get the panels in a few months and get them welded for 200quid(ish) and then start on getting the paintwork and finish to your liking.

I don't have as much corrosion on my car on the panels as you have David but I have fair amount of work to get my car into the condition that I would like.

David I do live just down the road from you so give me a PM if you would like me to come and have a look at your car so we can work out what needs sorting so you can get your MOT sometie soon. 8)

Regards, Neil

[Spitfire1500]

Wow, cheers for the help everyone!

It looks like I will have to bite the bullet for this and just get stuck straight in!

With regard to my sills and floor pans, they seem pretty solid to me - I have pulled the carpet up a bit and checked around but it all seems okay, but I guess I should look at that area a bit more!

My outer sills are pitted with rust spots, so something nasty could be lurking underneath but it does seem solid around there. I was hoping my car would be ready by the time I go for my driving test but that isn't going to happen then I don't think.

Meanwhile, should I go ahead with cutting bits away? I suppose the correct procedure is to rub down the affected areas first with really rough sand paper until I stop seeing rust and then cutting away?

I only have a hack saw, and no power (I do all my work in day light) so that might greatly limit what I can do with the panels perhaps?

Cheers again,

David

[Mac]

Quoted from Spitfire1500 rub down the affected areas first with really rough sand paper until I stop seeing rust and then cutting away?

I only have a hack saw, and no power (I do all my work in day light) so that might greatly limit what I can do with the panels perhaps?

Cheers again,

David

You need power, angle grinder witha stripping disc (60 grade) and thin cutting disc, and welder. You can use plate snips. Best thing for removing old paint and rust is scotch brite wheels on a dremel, awesome get some from yer local body shop but sort out the power first

[Hurricane 1600]

Just as a thought

Go Hurricane

Lighter
Stronger
Safer
Increase the value of your car
And I like the looks

Not cheap though

[Spitfire1500]

Quoted from Mac

You need power, angle grinder witha stripping disc (60 grade) and thin cutting disc, and welder. You can use plate snips. Best thing for removing old paint and rust is scotch brite wheels on a dremel, awesome get some from yer local body shop but sort out the power first

Cheers for that Mac,

Looks like I will need to feed an extension lead from the garage owners house and then use that, but I still need to get an angle grinder, stripping disc, cutting disc, scotch brite wheels, dremel and welder. I have actually never, ever used any of that equipment in my life!

Is this the equipment I need to buy:

Metal Cutting Disc 115 x 2.5 x 22mm 5Pk £3.11
Norton Metal Grinding Disc 60 Grit 115mm  £6.99
Wire Brush Twist Cup 100mm M14  £9.99
Bosch GWS6-115 Angle Grinder 240V  £39.99
Dremel 400 Series Rotary Tool £99.99
SIP T2000 Welding Helmet  £99.99
SIP T2000 Welding Helmet  £109.99

The welding stuff are all very expensive!

Quoted from trigger Just as a thought

Go Hurricane

Lighter
Stronger
Safer
Increase the value of your car
And I like the looks

Not cheap though

Hmm...not bad looking and interesting...but I'm not sure...not too fond of the bonnet!

David

[toomanyprojects]

Quoted from Spitfire1500

I have actually never, ever used any of that equipment in my life!

David,

Removing bits of body work and welding new bits in is not like nuts and bolts, you can't just pick up a welder and a grinder for the first time and believe you can do the job properly.

I may be wrong, but I would guess the vast majority of those who have successfully restored a car have learnt the skills from some one else.

I would recommend that you try to team up with someone who's done this before, even better doing it now. Offer to help them so that you can learn and hopefully they'll offer you some time in return. Find a welding course or maybe you know someone who works in a body shop, anything really, it doesn't need to be a Triumph, just steel body panels....

I'd love to come and help but I'm a little too far away  :-/ . Of course, you could come here and help me with my bonnet for a long weekend! RyanScare from Stansted......  ;)

Heres a photo of it, just to make you feel better...

[Spitfire1500]

Quoted from toomanyprojects


David,

Removing bits of body work and welding new bits in is not like nuts and bolts, you can't just pick up a welder and a grinder for the first time and believe you can do the job properly.

I may be wrong, but I would guess the vast majority of those who have successfully restored a car have learnt the skills from some one else.

I would recommend that you try to team up with someone who's done this before, even better doing it now. Offer to help them so that you can learn and hopefully they'll offer you some time in return. Find a welding course or maybe you know someone who works in a body shop, anything really, it doesn't need to be a Triumph, just steel body panels....

I'd love to come and help but I'm a little too far away  :-/ . Of course, you could come here and help me with my bonnet for a long weekend! RyanScare from Stansted......  ;)

Heres a photo of it, just to make you feel better...

Hehe, bad looking bonnet there! A local college does bodywork and welding courses (I think) but I'm not sure if they have started, I ought to check with them.

It's going to take me ages this body work business isn't it  :(

Just found out that my local college does Welding - £300 for 30 week course..thats like over half a year! It starts in September...that is a long time away!

David

[Spitfire1500]

Hey everyone, just an update on the situation:

The electrics and carburettors are going to get sorted out before I move onto body work.

I am going to be manually getting rid of the rust and filling in the dodgy parts for now as I have never done any body work in my life and I can't just pick up an angle grinder and expect to use it! Just enough so my car gets through an MOT.

Is there a lot I can accomplish myself with just sand paper and manual tools (what tools?) - owing to the shots you've all seen on here? My reasoning is, a part time bodywork course starts in September at a local college, I can go for an open day on May 23rd, the course lasts for 30 weeks and is called 'Vehicle Body and Paint Restoration Skills'.

It's every Thursday evening which is really good and all I need are stout shoes and overalls. I have to pay for any materials used and will include fabricating panels, preparation of coatings oxacetylene mags and resitance welding as required. I may consider the full time course though as I'll learn quicker. I don't need any previous experience either. It will also give me the opportunity to recondition my rusty boot lid, rusty doors and so on ;D Only my 1/4 valances were thrown out because they actually had huge chunks missing!

When that's done, I'll probably be able to weld panels and do at least prep paint work, or more ;D

David

[toomanyprojects]

Sounds like a plan, get the car through a MOT, should just be tidy up any sharp edges and get a couple of years out of it before the hard work starts.

I wish I'd gone on a course like that, sounds pretty cheap too. Be well worth it.

[Mac]

Practice on yer bootlid. Do it fitting it to the car so you know it's the right fit.

To get the car through the mot, fiberglass, filler, sandpaper, spray paint. No electrics and not much skill required. Then when you're ok with metalwork gofer a real restoration job.
I should post you some pics of mine in September before I started on her, rotten floor, boot floor, inner wing, rear wings, doors, front light panels, front wing, wheel arches. I'd only used a spot welder before and a bit of angle grinder stuff. Mate lent me a mig, it's easy. Find a good bodyshop too, a small outfit in the country who will let you help as they work on the car. Start gon round there and talking, watching, asking what you can do to the spit. I actually wasted a lot of time filling and priming, had almost all that off agin in the body shop, down to bare metal almost everywhere, and if you're doing all the grunt work it won't cost a fortune. Or you could paint it yourself after doing a bodywork course.
How are the sills and floors?

[Spitfire1500]

Quoted from Mac Practice on yer bootlid. Do it fitting it to the car so you know it's the right fit.

To get the car through the mot, fiberglass, filler, sandpaper, spray paint. No electrics and not much skill required. Then when you're ok with metalwork gofer a real restoration job.
I should post you some pics of mine in September before I started on her, rotten floor, boot floor, inner wing, rear wings, doors, front light panels, front wing, wheel arches. I'd only used a spot welder before and a bit of angle grinder stuff. Mate lent me a mig, it's easy. Find a good bodyshop too, a small outfit in the country who will let you help as they work on the car. Start gon round there and talking, watching, asking what you can do to the spit. I actually wasted a lot of time filling and priming, had almost all that off agin in the body shop, down to bare metal almost everywhere, and if you're doing all the grunt work it won't cost a fortune. Or you could paint it yourself after doing a bodywork course.
How are the sills and floors?

Cheers Mac,

Screwfix have what I need - some general purpose sand paper and some professional body filler, think I'll be ordering next week, when I have sorted electrics and my carburettors.

With regard to fibre-glass - do you mean I could buy bit's of fibre glass and then put them on the metal bits as repair panels?

I'm a bit clueless with bodywork stuff!

With regard to my sills and floors, they seem to be fine, although my outer sills both have rust pitting on them so perhaps I should give them a rub down and fix them as well.

Hopefully when the course is complete, I'll be able to do some kind of a paint job after welding on any repair panels/replacement panels.

David

[moosetvr]

If I was you I would buy a cheap fibreglass bonnet off a famous web based auction site, spray with aerosol and fit that for now.  You could then sell the fibreglass bonnet on when you finish restoring the metal bonnet.  Bit of filler and fibreglass on the arch and no problems. 
My first car, a Mini, had more fibreglass, mesh and filler than metal in its bodywork!!!

[neilnaz]

From what I have seen of David' bonnet it is the wings that are dodgy and can be fixed up with filler (etc) to get it through an MOT. The same as for the rear wings. The sills are probably just like mine in that they are not pretty but are structurally sound. These areas of bodywork are not MOT failures as they are not structural but could fail an MOT if they are left jagged (etc).

Therefore I would patch up the bodywork so that it looks fine and concentrate on the mechanical aspects of the car to pass an MOT. Then the bodywork could be sorted as funds allow. Finally a respray when all bodywork is sorted.

MooseTVR I think you are confusing the picture of a badly corroded bonnet with David's bonnet which is nowhere near as bad.

Regards, Neil

[Spitfire1500]

Hey everyone,

Thinking of getting this lot for my shopping list:

Professional Body Filler 560ml (x2) £13.46
Abrasive Hand Pads (x10): £7.99
MDF Mask: £10.49

Total: £37.89 including packing and delivery.

Does that lot look all right?

Thanks,

David

[toomanyprojects]

If you want it to look half way decent you'll need various grades of sand paper and quite a lot of it. Everything ranging from 40 Grade up to 400 Grade for the final smoothing of the filler.

Mask is a good idea.

I'd leave out one of the body fillers and get a fibre glass kit and the re-enforced filler instead for the bigger gaps (normal filler isn't for bridgeing gaps/filling big holes).