Sunday 18 November 2012

Rear Wing - Nearside - Part 3

Well dear readers, I went out for a curry last night with some friends and consequently this morning had me waking up feeling more Chenai that Speke. It took me a while to get going and to be honest I felt a bit lethargic. Plus, of course, it was cold in the garage.

A big box of goodies arrived on Saturday, containing new inner and outer rear lower sill panels. Although I had some already, I was intrigued by Robsport's claims that theirs are better. So, I ordered a set to try. They didn't have an inner arch repair panel available, but were kind enough to send the entire outer (inner) arch for the same price, on the understanding that I use it to make my own repair panel for the arch.

Don't you love it when you get new things through the post?

I didn't pay much attention to the lower sill panels, as to be honest if I look at all of the panels which connect up to the rear wing repair, I get a bit depressed. So I will leave these for the time being and work on making the rear wing fit properly, along with the inner.

First job was to cut out the rear inner wheel arch, where it was rotten. I used the nibbler to good effect.

The rotten inner wheel arch nibbled out...
...leaving good metal.
Having made the cut, I used the old section as a remplate on the full arch panel, in order to cut out a repair section. The new panel was then cut.

The old panel section cut out and used as a template to make a new repair panel from a full new panel.
 
I then offered this up to the car, aligning it with the rear wing. It all looked ok, but by this time I decided to call it a day.

Saturday 3 November 2012

Rear Wing - Nearside - Part 2

Today was a "D-Day" moment, as I decided to remove the old rear wing. The decision was a tough one, because I am sure that, anecdotaly, TR7 rear wings are very hard to fit. In fact I remembered someone saying "...they just don't fit...", or was that about the front wings? I can't remember.

My original intention was to take the wing off whole, mainly because I like things to be neat and I am a bit "O.C.D." like that. However after consulting the BL repair manual, it was clear that the correct procedure is to cut out the majority of the wing, leaving the welded flanges etc in place, then remove the flanges. So, using a nibbler, I cut out the wing. There was no going back now!

The state of the outgoing rear wing...

...was pretty nasty.


It's gone!

The nibbler made quick work of the panel, and it was pretty satisfying opening up the whole area for the first time since the car was manufactured. The inner wheel arch was in surprisingly good condition with very little rust, although the lip where which the outer welds to is shot.

What really surprised me was that the way the wing was attached to the rear deck panel. The repair manual said to undo the three bolts (a bit like the front wing to nose cone panel) but didn't mention that it was also spot-welded to the closing panel (YKC71). Why bolt it AND weld it? Strange.

Removing the rear wing wasn't that easy, as some of the welds were really messy around the rear lamp panel. Most of the spot welds are straight forward to see and drill out, but sometimes I come across weird welds which look like a cross between MIG and spot. I am pretty sure they are factory welds, but they look almost like they are brazed. I wonder if anyone else has come across these? For example, they held the wing to the rear lamp panel and again the boot floor to the boot floor sub panel (XKC143).

During this session I also removed the rear lower sill panel (inner and outer), which as mentioned previously was made of fibreglass. This involved drilling out the spot welds along the lower edge of the rear wing, inside the boot. Once the structure was weakened, it almost fell out on its own. It was fairly clear that the outer panel had been repaired in the past, with a section grafted on at the bottom of the wheel arch.

Rear outer and (what's left of the) inner lower sill panels.

Looking up from underneath the car into the boot - the panel clamped in place is XKC143. This is where the rear lower sill panel (inner and outer) once sat.

The inner wing area. Note the troublesome filler panel to the left of the boot hinge, sitting on top of the inner arch.

Having removed the wing it was time to offer up the new panel and see how good or bad its fit would be. To my amazement it was pretty good, especially when you consider that it was sitting on top of old welds and rough metal. Even the door gaps were ok.

It fits!


And the door gaps are ok.

My friend Neil came round today and I showed him my progress, and he actually used the term "light at the end of the tunnel". I feel the same. This repair has a very long way to go (2 months, I bet, given that I will only get in the garage at weekends) and actually involves the rear wing, boot floor, lower sill panels et al but I agree with him. Having started with the offside front floor, I have slowly gone around the car and am nearly at the offside again. Deep joy.

Only the other rear wing to do, and the windscreen upper (inner panel).

I decided today that I want the car back on the road for May 2014, which will be the 20th anniversary of when Neil and I took Bessy to Greece. I make that about 19 months from now. Better get a move on!