Bodywork repair

Car was delivered from storage to the workshop for disassembling.

All removable components like hood, doors and trunk lid were dismantled from the body prior to cleaning.

Paint from the body outside panels was cleaned manually.

Many poorly repaired areas were covered by thick layer of filler. Such thickness of more than 5 mm was unacceptable.

On the top section of the damaged doors was extremely thick layer of the filler.

Incurved after accident surface of the engine hood had been re-shaped also with thick layer of the filler.

We received cargo from Niemoeller with valuable body parts - like floor panels and doorsills. Wheel housing components were among received parts. These parts of the rear end were making possible reconstruction of this car.

Before installation onto the welding rig for further treatment in sand blasting camera and following restoration works geometry of the body remnants was checked. Car still was having serious damages left after accident. In spite of the attached new front section of the front right longitudinal member its central part was left crinkly resulting right side of the car was 2 centimetres shorter comparing to left side. Correct geometry of the car chassis was reconstructed before further works were continued.

Car was installed on the welding rig and moved to the sand blasting camera for the cleaning of all inner surfaces.

As doorstep was removed we found that had been reconstructed by thin patches welded in several layers. It became obvious that our assumption about necessity to replace doorsteps completely had been correct. Door pillar bottom piece protruding into doorstep was completely destroyed by rust.

 New doorstep was fixed into the dedicated place. First was reconstructed bottom part of the door A-pillar comprising new jack hole. We used zinc protective coating on the hollow hidden surfaces before closing.

Longitudinal doorstep tubular beams had been repaired, but again were rusted through so need for replacing was obvious.

As inner profile of longitudinal doorstep member was welded into the place whole rear longeron was separated from the rusted through rear wheel arch.

Rusted through luggage compartment rear floor panel was cut away.

Delivered inner profiles of the doorsteps were half made – we had to make appropriate to the original construction and received outer doorstep profiles manually make bents un bottom surfaces to accommodate jack supports.

Received rear jack supports were welded incorrectly – pipes did not fit into pre-stamped positions, and we had to disassemble these assembling and weld again in correct position to achieve accordance with new outer doorstep profiles.

Corrected jack supports were welded into reworked inner doorstep profiles and sprayed over by protective primer before further welding operations.

Rear longeron was tailored to suit the remnants of the body and new wheel arch panels were welded on. Inner panel of rear wheel arch was reconstructed according to the original conception of manufacturer.

Rear longeron was joined to the wheel arch and longitudinal doorstep member and all weld seams were grinded.

Inner surface and structures of doorstep inner profile were covered by protective paint before closing.

Side panels next to the rear seat had been repaired but again were rusted through so replacing of the whole panels was necessary. We produced exact copies of the side panels with cut-out providing access to the window mechanisms.

Outer half-profile of the doorstep was precisely tailored and welded to the inner part of the structure. All necessary weld joints were completed to ensure strength of the structure.

New outer part of the rear wheel arch was mated to the restored structure.

Central crossmember was restored to the original condition. Inner surface of the crossmember was covered by protective primer prior to installation in place.

Hidden after welding into place surfaces of the new floor front reinforcement panels were covered by protective primer before welding.

  Side panels of the softtop box were removed to provide access for cleaning and protection of the rear wheel arch upper surface. Softtop box side panels were cleaned, repaired and primed before welding back into the position. Wheel arch outer surface were cleaned and primed before welding.

All seams on the wheel arch surface were grinded.

Inner surface of the new rearmost longitudinal left side profile was covered by protective primer before closing by welding of the side plate on. Further hidden surface of the side plate was coated by protective layer. Luggage compartment left side recess was reconstructed using delivered and self-fabricated parts.

Diagonal member which previously was welded into wrong position was completely removed for reshaping first. Corrected diagonal member was welded into prescribed position and protected by coat before inner cavity was closed by new floor panel. By welding of new floor panel reconstruction of this left side joint of the body was completed.

Self-manufactured part of the luggage compartment front floor panel was welded into the place.

Rusted through plate covering rear crossmember from the bottom was removed for replacing providing access for sand blasting and priming of the internal surface. Precise copy of the damaged crossmember cover plate was self-hammered and prepared for welding.

Rear post of the dors had been previously repaired, but again was destroyed by corrosion. Complete structural part of the left side door post was self-manufactured and welded into place to recover it.

  Restored side panel was welded into the place and all seams were grinded. New cover plate of the rear door post was self-made and welded into the place. Restored complicated inner area of the doorpost was coated by protective primer prior to rear wing reconstruction.

  Damaged reinforcement ribs in the front floor sections had been repaired already before, but corrosion had been moved further and again there was rusted through spots along the profile. Damaged areas were cut off after sandblasting revealing all damages. Appropriate patches were welded into the place and weld seams were grinded.

Damaged areas of the rear crossmember were reconstructed to suit new floor panels.

Reconstruction of the left side rear wing we started tailoring front part of patch panel.

We continued our body restoration works welding into place left side main floor panel. All areas which are later forming closed cavities were coated by protective primer before floor reinforcements were welded into the place.

Floor reinforcement plates were welded underneath the main floor panel. Front reinforcement cover plate unfortunately was manufactured incorrectly and we had to correct shape before welding. As preparations were finished front cover plate was welded into the place.

Welding seams were grinded and covered by protective coating.

We cut away damaged rearmost part of the left wing and precisely tailored new patch panel. As rear wing panel was welded into place all weld seams were grinded.

Since it was not possible to find replacement for damaged front wheel arch reinforcement profiles we had to restore most damaged parts by self made elements. Incorrectly repaired patch was cut away gaining access to the rusted inner surface of the front wheel arch. On the right hand side condition of this area was very much similar – RHS front part was taken from the younger car, though it was already rusted through.

After cleaning inner surfaces of the cavity formed by front wheel arch and reinforcement profile received protective coating prior to welding. New reinforcement profile end pieces were welded into the place, grinded and primed.

We started restoration of the right side cutting away whole doorstep. New doorstep inner profile first returned into the place. Again we had to redo jack receivers cutting those into the pieces because of incorrectly welded tubes.

Reworked pieces were prepared for welding into doorstep profile and primed. Using reworked jack supports and prefabricated parts front doorpost was reconstructed.

Outer profile of the rear door post now was recreated.

Body side panel next to the rear seat had been already repaired though again it was heavily damaged by corrosion. Side panel at the front of the body was in unacceptable condition as well – it had a lot of corrosion dents and consisted of several small patch over layers. We self manufactured copies of the damaged body panels to replace.

Rear end of the inner doorstep was reshaped to correctly accommodate jack receiver. After welding all seams were cleaned and coated by protective primer. Inner bottom part of the rear door pillar was reconstructed at this stage.

Handmade body inner side wall as well as damaged firewall reinforcement profile part was welded into place to provide certain rigidity of the body.

Rear longeron and remnants of the luggage compartment floor was completely removed. Rear end of the body was prepared for installation of the new rear longeron.

New rear longeron got protective treatment on the inner surface before welding. New longeron was tailored and then fixed into the place.

Missing section of the inner part of wheel arch was self fabricated and prepared for welding into position. Inner side of the rear wheel arch was reconstructed as grinding of weld seams was completed.

Rearmost part of the front longeron was damaged both, mechanically and by corrosion, so we cut away destroyed part and hammered self made replacement. Our self made replacement was welded into the place. On the inner side front longeron also had mechanical damages left after accident so we had to cut out smashed area and weld in a fresh part.

To restore front longeron to the original sate we had to cut it along the seam connecting original and attached from the another car part. Smashed and unrepaired around this area firewall and wheel arch panels were also removed.

 Missing segments were welded into the place reconstructing original appearance of the front longeron. Similarly also inner surface of the tubular structure was straightened and reconstructed.

Top of the front wheel arch reinforcement at the joint of two body pieces was also constructed from several layers of the irregular weld patches. Whole area at the right corner was damaged by improper repair so we cut it away for complete restoration.

Upper panel under the dashboard was rusted through so water from windscreen was penetrating into the area of driver’s legs. We cut away damaged panel to replace it. New panels according to original construction were self made to restore junction at the right windscreen corner. As replacement panel was welded into place protective primer was applied.

Smashed area of the firewall reinforcement rib was replaced by fresh patch. All missing elements were welded into the place joining again front wheel arch, firewall and body side panels.

Missing piece of wheel arch reinforcement was self fabricated and prepared for installation. All surfaces further forming closed cavities were coated by protective primer before welding of the missing wheel arch reinforcement section.

Reconstructed front wheel arch reinforcement section was welded into the place. As seams were grinded all new parts got protective coating.

New RHS floor panel was tailored to suit the place. As floor panel was temporarily fixed into the place we tailored new vertical wall of the damaged rear crossmember. New panel of the crossmember was welded into the place.

Area under the rear seat is forming closed cavity as floor panel is welded into the place so we prepared it for the further actions by protective primer.

We cut away previously damaged area of the right diagonal member. Self made missing part of the diagonal crossmember was welded into the place.

Diagonal cross member was prepared for further activities. Rusted through floor area under the rear seat was replaced by fresh panel welded over restored diagonal member.

 After welding of right floor panel all areas which are later forming closed cavities were coated by protective primer before floor reinforcements were welded into the place. We tailored missing firewall panel parts to join it to the floor panel.

As firewall was reconstructed and weld seams were grinded protective coating was applied.  Missing parts of the rear wheel arch were welded into the place.

New right hand side floor reinforcement panels were prepared for welding. New reinforcement panel was attached to the car’s bottom.

Like on opposite side front reinforcement member was of wrong shape and we had to redo it. Corrected reinforcement piece was welded into place.

Left side front wheel arch reinforcement profile was damaged. Under removed part of the reinforcement profile we found damages which we had to repair replacing rusted through areas.

There were also several rust damages under self made piece of the reinforcement profile at the left windscreen corner. All damaged areas were removed and corresponding patch panels tailored.

Missing piece of the left wheel arch reinforcement was self fabricated and prepared for installation. All missing elements were welded into the place joining again front wheel arch, firewall and body side panels.

All weld seams at the left front wheel arch were checked and repaired where necessary.

Water drainage channel in the soft top box was self-fabricated and welded to the compartment wall.

We cut away damaged part of the right hand side rear wing together with residuals of the outer part of wheel arch. New rear wing parts were prepared for installation.

Damages of the rear wheel inner arch were repaired. Outer part of the right rear wheel arch was welded into the place and primed.

Outer profile of the doorstep was welded into the place.

Rear wing outer panels were welded into the place.

Spare wheel compartment was reconstructed using new original and self-made parts.

 Soft top storage box floor had improper hole, so whole damaged area was cut off. New appropriate patch panel was fabricated for repair. Softtop storage box was reconstructed

We fabricated missing part of the front section of the luggage compartment. Reconstruction of the front part of the luggage compartment floor was finished.

As right side rear wheel arch was reconstructed all repaired interior components were welded back into the place.

There were rusted through several layers of the metal at the junction of the rear axle bracket and crossmember. All damaged layers were cut off and replaced one by one.

Base plates of the rear spring top retainers were damaged by corrosion so for access and repair first we had to remove retainers. After surface cleaning and replacing of basements top spring retainers were returned back to their places.

New bottom part of the rear panel was tailored to suit both - remaining part of panel and new wings. Remains of improperly repaired luggage compartment floor were cut off to provide space for new floor panel installation.

Luggage compartment floor which is forming part of the rear cross member was welded into place.

Missing rear cross member weld-in parts were self manufactured. As prepared new weld-in parts were affixed inner surface of the rear cross member was prepared for closing.

Missing rear edge plates were tailored and fabricated to close luggage compartment bottom corners.

New bottom section of the rear panel was fixed into the place.

New junction profiles were manufactured to join corner plates and rear panel. Corner profiles were welded into the place and all weld seams were grinded.

Internal plate of the rear panel under the bumper attachment brackets was completely destroyed by corrosion so both brackets were simply removed. Inner plate of the rear panel at the attachment areas of the reinforcement brackets was reconstructed.

Restored rear panel surfaces were primed before welding of restored reinforcement brackets. Restored rear bumper attachment brackets were welded into the place.

Existing silencer brackets were severely damaged by corrosion. One of silencer brackets was improperly repaired. Shape of incorrect silencer bracket was restored.

Restored silencer brackets were welded into place.

Additionally to lots of rusted through holes around the right rear lamp there was improperly repaired area on the right fin which we had to cut away and replace by self fabricated piece of correct shape. All weld seams were cleaned finishing restoration.

Rear panel rust spots and luggage compartment opening flange cracks were welded on the left side as well.

Rust damages of the windscreen frame bottom part were hidden by layer of filler. As front panel was removed for windscreen frame restoration it appeared, that adjacent ventilation inlet funnel is also seriously damaged and need replacement.

Copies of all damaged areas were fabricated and welded into the place.

We had to cut away part of firewall to gain access to corrosion damaged bottom part of the ventilation inlet funnel. Damaged fan attachment flange was reconstructed.

Restored hidden areas were protected before firewall was reconstructed. Removed firewall panel was returned into the place and all weld seams were cleaned.

Rusted through side panel under the dashboard was fabricated and replaced.

Smashed area of the firewall around the steering column attachment place was reconstructed.

Central passenger compartment cross member was welded into the place.

Right hand side main lamp bucket was improperly repaired after accident. It was obvious that right wing is incorrectly repaired after the crash – front edge is going down too steeply.

We measured all buckets to find a reason why it was impossible to install right lamp. It appeared that right side lamp bucket is made for 1 centimetre lower than it should be to accommodate lamp.

We had to cut away top of the wing and lamp bucket to achieve needed measurement.

Pieces of the missing metal were fabricated and welded into gaps. Weld seams were cleaned finishing restoration of right side front wing and lamp housing.

Wheel arch profile on the left side had several cracks and rust through spots which were repaired.

Front crossbeam was attached during previous repair by uncertain weld spots.

Damaged bottom part of the front crossbeam was replaced.

Weld seams on the op part of the front crossbeam were reworked. All seams after welding were cleaned.

There were cracks and rust through spots in panels around the bonnet hinges attachment points. As cracks and dents were welded all seams were cleaned.

Top edge of the soft-top storage box like the spillage channel had a lot of corrosion dents and it was needed to replace damaged areas. We cut away most damaged parts and produced copies of destroyed by rust sections.

Top edge of the soft-top storage box like the spillage channel had a lot of corrosion dents and it was needed to replace damaged areas which were cut away. Copies of the removed damaged areas were fabricated and welded into the place.

Handbrake cable shroud supports were reconstructed. Handbrake shroud supports were welded under the floor pan into dedicated position.

Almost all protection pan attachments had damaged thread so we had to remove all of those. New bolts were welded into required positions.

Protection pan was damaged at some accident and we cleaned it for repair. Broken slot on protection pan was reconstructed. Broken at some accident handbrake cable guide rollers and joke were removed for repair and replacement.

All available chromed decorations were attached to the repaired body to check compatibility of all components.

Repaired areas were tin loaded before body was sent to paint shop.

Restored body was moved to the paintshop for final touch-up and painting.

Engine compartment and body bottom surfaces got mechanical treatment before primer layer was applied.

First body bottom and engine compartment surfaces were primed.

Passenger and luggage compartments were prepared for primer application.

All primed removable body components were attached to the body starting pre-painting works on external body surfaces.

Compatibility of all chromed decorations was continuously monitored during body preparation course.

New fuel pump attachment bracket and protective shroud were self-manufactured.

Missing luggage compartment rear wall lids were self-fabricated.

Luggage compartment floor lids were rusted through and we self-fabricated new parts.

Rusted through lids under the rear seat were substituted by new self-fabricates.

Prepared for further assembling works body shell was delivered from the paintshop.

Underneath of the body was already covered with protective coat.

Engine compartment was ready painted in body colour.

Passenger compartment was ready painted in the body colour.

Sound deadening mats were laid over the firewall internal surface.

Insulation panels were attached on the panels under and behind the rear seat.