Boot Fabrication Repair (Weeks 14-16)

I started drafting this a few weeks ago but never finish it.  Since I didn't, I'm changing the title to an activity instead of weeks.  Maybe then I can finish my thoughts.

As the title says, having welded the fenders back on, its time to tackle the boot.  I really want to weld everything together and officially make it one car but some of the remaining fabrication is much easier while it is still in pieces than using a rotisserie.  Some of the pictures I have prove that point.

Having completed the spare tire tray in my previous post, I decided it would be easier to install if I pulled the boot section from the frame but I have a few things to accomplish prior to doing that.

With so many areas needing repair in the boot, I decided to start at the top and work my way down.  First spot is the top of the wheel well.

First step, cut out the rust.  This view is from on top of the driver's side wheel well.  There was some rust but it looks almost like the tire rubbed against it and wore through the metal.  Whatever the cause, it still has to be fixed.  One thing to note is that it appears a DHC is an OTS modification.  Not extremely clean fabrication.  This section requires 3 pieces to be patched back in

The first section to be replaced is a flat plate extending the length of the wheel well.  I was able to use the passenger side as a template.

Next step was to shape the rounded wheel well section and then weld it all together.  Not exactly like the other side but the rust is gone.  Since I was right  there, I also cut loose the captive nut holder and replaced the nut.

Working my way across, I tackled the deck lid.  As a refresher, I've included a photo taken immediately after sand blasting to show what I'm dealing with.

This is probably the best view of the swiss cheese panel.  A flat panel with no drainage, what could go wrong?

Since this will be covered, it doesn't have to be perfect so I tacked most of the pin holes and only cut out this one section. 
BTW, I figured out where one of the aluminum panels I have goes.  I thought it had something to do with the spare tire or gas tank, nope covers the deck lid.

Patch panel tacked in place

Patch panel welded in and holes filled.  The remaining pitting will be taken care of with filler primer.

The passenger side post area was pretty rusty too but just on the inside edge of the shut panel.  Not a great picture but I patched the right side.  Before tackling the next section, this needed to be repaired.  Its the lower mount for the top pillar.

One of the worst areas on the boot section was the upper canvas top mount on the passenger side.  With the amount of missing material, I have been dreading trying to match it up.

First thing is to make sure top pillars are aligned properly with the shut panels, doors and top.  I bolted the top on to help ensure I had everything aligned,  The driver's side pillar was in good shape but as previously shown, I had to repair the passenger side.  I reattached the pillar while the top frame was mounted.

I made a cross brace to replace the top so it is easier to work around.

From this angle, because of the repair work below, its hard to see but I cut out the entire top section of the passenger side decklid upper rim.

Using the driver's side as a template, I first bent a straight piece matching the width.  You can see in the middle, there is a slight kick I have to mimic.

To get the kick, I clamped the piece in a vise and gently (with a body hammer) beat it into shape.

Here is the view after installation.

And a view from above

To check my work, I installed the trim to see how it fit.  Like a glove!!!

A top down view.  I was very concerned about this but it turned out not to be too bad and I'm very pleased with the results.

There is still a little bit of rust around the fuel filler but not so much that I wanted to fix it next.  The other section I've been dragging my feet on, the rear of the boot.  As mentioned at the very beginning, I have the spare tire shelf all ready to install but there is a LOT of rust damage needing fixed before it can be.  Additionally, the amount of structural damage has caused the boot to fold in and the lid doesn't shut.  I have to keep that in mind as I put everything together and ensure it will close properly before final welding.  I've already cut the welds out of the rear section of the inner fender repairs I made several weeks ago.  With the cross brace and pillar repairs, I feel much better about removing the boot section from the frame for the next bit of repair.

This shot is from underneath the driver's side.  The left side shows the fender mounts and the upper middle is supposed to be the boot lid weatherstrip channel but it will have to go too.  Almost everything in the middle will be cut out and replaced.

Different view of the same thing.  I cut out the rusted section of the outer panel prior to sandblasting so there was easier access to the innards.  Besides, what I removed would probably not have survived the blasting anyway.

Same view from the passenger side.  Not in quite as bad of shape but still not good.

Different view passenger side

Passenger side looking in from boot lid opening.  The plate seen in this photo is missing about 4" on the right side.  I have already cut away the badly rusted area so I can weld in a patch panel.  One thing to note, you can see I didn't cut out the Boot lid retainer hole, upper left middle.  I find it easier to keep reference points instead of trying to duplicate them (if possible)

View from inside on the driver side shows much more corrosion.  

Instead of trying to do a lot of shaping before hand, I just welded in a patch panel and I'll cut it to shape once I have all the associated pieces in place.

I didn't show all the steps to get from the previous pic but here is the view of the repaired panel attached to the tire shelf

Here is a similar view of the passenger side.  The hole for the bot lid retainer can be seen much clearer than before.  The tab sticking out on the right will be trimmed when I get to the outer panel repair (next)

With the inner work complete, I can turn my attention to the outer panels.  As I mentioned above, the missing structural support caused the lid to not fit properly.  The previous repair work was with flat panels so not much guess work or alignment necessary.  The outer panels are much more dependent on alignment so I used a piece of wood as a spreader and some shims to get the proper gap around the boot lid.  I also used some flexible poly tube to simulate weatherstripping.  This held the lid above the frame to help visualize proper alignment.

With the spreader installed.  Driver's side

Passenger side

Not being a professional auto body man, I just don't have all the tools necessary to do the next part out of a single piece of metal.  I thought I could but quickly discovered I couldn't move the metal enough in the right direction.  After several wasted hours of trying to beat it into shape, I scrapped the idea and started over.

From a restoration perspective, I would say the tail section of the car is the most intricate and difficult to reproduce.  Not only is it rolled top to bottom but also side to side.  I've never had to fabricate something quite so elaborate before so wasn't sure exactly how to approach the subject.  Since I have 2 reference lines to follow, the boot lid and fender, I installed both parts and lined them up with body.

It is starting to actually look like a real car again, not just a collection of parts.

With all the associated body panels in place, my initial approach was to start at the boot lid side and hammer my way out.  With the top to bottom contour of the car, I could not get the metal to roll over without flattening out.  I abandoned this idea and went a different route.

My first attempt at fabrication.  The lines across the patch panel were to ensure I was bending it perpendicular to the flange on the right side.  Lines on the boot lid were to help with alignment.

After a good night's sleep, I decided to approach the problem from a different angle.  Like many other things on this car, I have been fortunate to have a decent example of what the finished product should look like.  In this case, I have a spare boot.  The auction came with an OTS boot section.  Not sure what the PO intended to do with it.  Maybe it was supposed to be a donor car but since the right side was rusted out, I don't see the point in cutting out the left.  It does make an excellent model though.

My spare boot.  Not in great shape but could be a replacement for someone.  It will probably end up on eBay when I'm done.

Using a thick piece of cardboard, I laid it over the boot section below the bumper mount and anywhere it creased, I cut a relief so it would lay flat.  I only had to cut a single relief across the top.  I then just transferred the pattern to a piece of metal and started shaping it out.

View from the fender well
With the proper shape to start with, it wasn't very difficult to get the piece bent into shape.  You can see I cheated and only bent the flat piece.  I am going to weld in the flanges once I have the correct shape.

View from underneath

View from outside
Here you can see the relief cut tacked at the top.  I was having a hard time keeping the inside and outside sections from flaring when I bent the metal and since they had drawn together, I tacked it.  This view also shows the boot lid edge follows the line of the body.

Since the inside edge needs to be contoured to the boot lid, I checked the patch piece against it to ensure it matches.

I also want to make sure the roll across the fender matches, just in case the OTS boot was slightly different or damaged.

Fairly pleased with the form and fit, I cut a strip of metal for the outer flange and tacked it to the patch panel.  This held the contour of the outside edge while a continued to ensure a smooth roll across the piece

The last piece needed to complete the repair on the driver's side is the weatherstrip/ boot lid retainer channel.  I couldn't find the channel so decided to make my own.  This picture shows the fabricated channel with relief cuts every 1/4".  This allows for easy shaping to the desired angle.  Once finished, I weld in the reliefs and grind everything smooth.

I started with 3/4 x 3/4 square tube

Split down the middle

I end up with 2 pieces of channel, one for each side

No caption necessary for the next batch of pictures.  Just different views of the final installation.  Overall, I'm very happy with the results.  The top left patch section needs a little work.  I had to weld in a small square and it is sunk in slightly.  It may ultimately get a little body filler.  Other than that, the patch panel is virtually unrecognizable when following the contour of the metal with your hand.  Now to repeat the process for the other side.  I will use the same process and use the same pattern so even if it isn't exactly like the factory, it should be consistent for the car.