AT LAST! Hairys Resto!!

Good afternoons work there Andy. It's good to get a section finished  You're flying now mate.

Hairyarse said

Looks like you need a sweep up!

 Keep at it! Not long until the AGM!

That pic is from 6 years ago Graham, it was when more was being cut off the car than stuck on it, with rust and muck falling off everywhere!

I hope it's a little cleaner now  

Not a massive update tonight as I had to remove the alternator on my MK2 and one of the cable terminal nuts wasn't budging. Sorted now and taking it to exchange for a new alternator tomorrow.

Well I finished welding the front jacking point on. It's not pretty;



…but solid and functional which is all that matters with this one I guess!



My first weld was really weird - like a paint ball splat almost. Took three of them to work out that I'd forgotten to turn my gas on!    

Just a tiny bit more fettling needed then I'm welding the sill on, so hope to get on to that tomorrow night  

That's one side nearly done, happy days mate

I'm on the vinegar stroke - can't wait to get it finished!  

Small update today as was fitting my new alternator to the MK2 in the dark and 30mph + winds!!  

I've drilled both flanges on the sill tonight - 3mm pilot then 5.5mm hole seemed about right for the flanges. All relatively equal in spacing too   (I did measure the gaps but sure it's not spot on   )

)

That's all I got done tonight but at least it's about ready to go on - which hopefully starts tomorrow night

Did those sills come in bare metal or have you taken it back? I know you already know but just in case, remember to paint the inside before you fit mate

It's bare, all panels now come from VWH unpainted. I did ring and check - may have sounded a dumb question but it almost looked galvanised so thought should check.

Inside is all zinc primed up, see previous page  

Hairyarse said

Inside is all zinc primed up, see previous page  

So it is mate, Ive already read that as well  

LOL - I thought you had!  

Had a productive few hours tonight, well after a shaky start!

After a final bit of fettling I put a few welds on the sill just to hold it in place whilst I lifted the door up one final time to check fitting. However, first weld I blew a hole, checked the MIG settings - all ok, second weld, blew a hole, checked the MIG settings - all ok, third weld, blew a hole, checked the MIG settings - not OK! I didn't notice I had it on max, not min setting despite looking at it   I think I need to get more sleep!  

Anyway, after that all went very well. I focused on the top half of the panel, so to speak, so have all around the bottom of the B-post welded;



A-Post half done - the big gap at the front edge is the legacy left by the previous owner still, so needs some more work;



…and along the top flange;



I've still got one blow hole to sort on the flange.

Still to do is weld the lower flange, weld the rear edge adjacent to the rear arch and let in a panel to close the gap in front of the rear arch - above the sill panel and below the existing bodywork. My joggler will come in handy for that!

Well, it's starting to look like a car again!  



I may not be able to finish this until Sunday, but progress is good. I've got a bucket load of welds to grind down though!

Sounds really interesting. Keep updating such type of info. 

There will be plenty more updates coming as I am going to get it finished at last!  

"After a final bit of fettling I put a few welds on the sill just to hold it in place whilst I lifted the door up one final time to check fitting. However, first weld I blew a hole, checked the MIG settings - all ok, second weld, blew a hole, checked the MIG settings - all ok, third weld, blew a hole, checked the MIG settings - not OK! I didn't notice I had it on max, not min setting despite looking at it   I think I need to get more sleep!"

That made me chuckle  

Repairs and welds looking andy, well done  

Excellent work as per Andy, she's starting to take shape now mate

The work on the drivers side sill is looking great!  

I'll be pleased when the welds are ground and its skimmed, primed and smooth!

Only had a few hours on the car today. I got the lower flange welded on. It took quite a while, grovelling around on the floor, jacking the lower lip up to get it all level and welding upside down;



However, looking at the pic, the area around the weld to the right of the rear jacking point looks lower than the rest, I hope that's a trick of the light as I'm sure it was straight when I was upside down. Will have to check that!  

Also I made a repair patch up for the last remaining hole on the off-side;



I joggled all the edges so it can sit nice and flush in here;



Hopefully I can get this all finished during the evenings of this week. then I've got a lot of grinding and finishing off to do to get the whole off-side nice and smooth

Great work Hairy progress is coming along sweld

Cheers mate