Week 2

When I last posted, I was hoping to be installing some structural steel this post but FedEx let me down.  Ultimately, it didn't matter because I spent all my time preparing the cowl for the sills and still didn't quite finish.  I ended up making a LOT of progress or at least in my mind I did.  With just a little more work, I'll have the major rust removed from the cowl and ready for media blasting.

My purpose for writing this blog was to show the progress of the car but also to hopefully provide some guidance and information for others to follow.  I also don't want to ramble on endlessly without saying anything useful.  I will try to provide some insight as to what I've learned and include a lot of pictures.

As I mentioned in my introduction, I have a bit of an affinity for Jaguars.  After this week, I still like my Jags but I am falling in love with XKs specifically.  I don't know if its Jaguar or 50's engineering but rebuilding the cowl support came together much faster and easier than I expected.  I am also fortunate that there was enough metal left (even if it was full of holes) to fabricate new pieces.

The first thing I needed to do is rebuild the dash supports but I couldn't find any detailed spec's online so how do I know what the correct dimension are?

I know from what pieces I have left and pictures online that the top angles toward the front of the car so I thought if I leveled the bottom and know the angle at the top, I could determine the specs.

What I discovered is that it was much simpler than that.  The spacing between the 1st and 2nd supports is 5.75".  This was easily determined by measuring the spacing between the dash metal extensions.  By using the angle I measured, I found that making the 2nd support 1" shorter than the 1st made the angle perfect.  The top support is notched just beyond the 1 upright and bent over so it is pressed against #2.  #3 is 1" short than 2 and is fastened to the top support at a 90 degree angle.

With the supports fabricated, now its time to tackle the rust.  My goal is to try and hold to factory design as much as possible so I focused on one side at a time and used the other as a reference.  Here is the driver's side with all the rusted parts cut out.

This is a view from underneath the fender looking at the firewall.  First piece I added was the dash extension metal  This extends to the dash support structure and gets welded to it to help distribute the load.

Next is the folded over section that extends down to attach to the frame and sills

I didn't get this picture at the correct angle to see that the dash sheet metal folds almost perfectly against the support.  Passenger side wasn't aligned quite as nice but I think that its because the front is tweaked slightly because of handling the body without it having support.  I'll know more when I try to align the body with the sills.

Final shot of driver's side with inner fender mount welded in.  I still have some grinding to do but should look like 1 piece of metal when I'm done.  This picture shows how the added metal fits around the dash support.  I'm very pleased with how it turned out.

Last piece is the side skirt, which seems to just tidy up the sides and doesn't add any support.  It connects the inner fender to the dash upright but doesn't attach to the dash panel.

With the driver's side done, I tackled the passenger side, too.  Same drill, first remove the rust. 

Using the driver's side (now that its repaired) as a model, fabricate the replacement piece.  There was a little more rust so I had to make a larger piece but its only 1 piece.  Its secured in place with panel tie clamps.  These keep the two panels aligned and helps with spacing needed for seam welding.

To make sure the added metal is straight with the existing metal, I clamp metal flat bar against the faces before welding.

Ran out of time to finish it but did get it stitch welded in.  I added a tack weld in between each of the panel tie clamps and then after removing them, add a tack every couple of inches.  This secures the alignment and gives me a pattern to follow when finishing up the welds.  To prevent panel warping, I skip 3-4 sections at a time and go back and forth allowing the welds to cool between passes.

Last thing I did was make the dash support cross bracing

If I only had a bead roller this would be easy but since I don't a few clamps and a piece of pipe make an acceptable substitute.  I wouldn't do this if I had to make 20 of them but 2 I can do.
First thing I did was bend the lip on each side.  This kept the clamp from slipping off the sides.

The bead down the middle is 3/8" diameter so I placed a piece of 3/8" pipe under the middle.  I drew a line down the center of the metal for proper alighment

I used a 3/8" think flat bar and hammered down each side until there was a crease down the middle.  Then, I flip the piece over in a vise with the gap in the vise just slightly wider than the pipe.  I use a hammer to drive the pipe further into the metal, stretching it until I have the shape I want.

Once I was satisfied with the depth of the bead, I use an anvil and the 3/8" flat bar to hammer each side flat.  Final result is very close to the original.  Since this will be hidden behind the fender all it needs to do is add reinforcement.  No one will see it when I'm done.

Well, not completely done with the dash supports but I accomplished a lot.  Sill and door shuts are supposed to be here this week so next week, cowl back on the frame and the tough work begins.  The previous owner (PO) took measurements and notes about spacers and distances to put it back together.  

Guess we'll see.