Lancia Beta Forum

Car-tilter (tm) coming along nicely!

(https://i.imgur.com/59OgRGI.jpg)

I just need some bits of angle to link the legs together and I may look at making it telescopic.

Total cost £120 so far.

Looks like you're winning with your Spider refurbishment  ;). How long have you been working on her?

Wow Stuart - that's really impressive! I presume that's box section steel that is bolted (welded?)to the engine stand? What are the points on the body shell that you've bolted to - are they the bumper mounting points? I presume the engine has been removed to lower the weight being rotated - can you rotate the car through a full 360 degrees without it scraping on the floor?

Rob,

I bought it in 2009 as a non-runner. It had been ziebarted when new some most of the car was solid a part from the front strut towers and the bottom of the A pillars which has succumbed due to lack of wheel arch liners. I'd just broken a very rotten Spider ( a bad buy) that had very good strut tops so they were swapped. I then drove if for until Summer 2015 doing a few engine mods along the way (  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AgCW5sUsl4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AgCW5sUsl4) any excuse to plug that clip! ) before investigating a hole in the bottom of the B pillar that was a little larger than expected.

Though the car could have been got through another MOT I knew at some point it would have to come off the road for a full restoration - it was always a good ' 10 foot ' car - so that was the time to do it. Progress has been slow since but steady. The plan is to get it dipped in the next few months before welding and sorting a few bodges out.

Yep  - that's 25x50 box very securely bolted to the stands and to the bumper mounts. The engine was most definitely taken out first - no way would I trust it with the extra 200+kg in it. The subframe is left in place though as it adds quite a lot of strength to the front end. With the running gear off and the heavy stuff such as doors off the shell doesn't weight that much 3-400kg perhaps? It won't quite do a 360 yet but I have plans to make the uprights telescopic  - they only need to go up another 150mm or so.

Full marks, anyway Stuart. I'm impressed - not only with the thought and work that's gone into it, but your bravery in tackling it and getting it this far. Obviously the lighter you can make the shell, the better as far as putting it on a rotisserie. It's certainly given me food for thought. Would a Spider shell be rigid enough to permit this kind of approach, do you think?

Hi

Stuart's is a Spider.

Peter

It may take a few years finish Stuart but you can't rush a decent restoration  ;). At least your Beta Spider is basically a solid shell (apart from the bottom of the B pillar) so you shouldn't have too much welding or fabrication to do (fingers crossed). Are you sure you want to acid dip the shell? I feel this is a really aggressive procedure as the acid can get trapped in box sections & cause these areas to rust from the inside out  :'(. When you get the time could you put a few photos of your restoration up? Cheers, Rob

There are difference types of dip. I agree it's an area where you need to be careful.

I'd be wary of one that used ( for example ) hydrochloric acid to remove everything. The process I'm considering uses a pyrolysis  process to remove paint, filler oil underseal etc and then a phosphoric acid for the rust only.

It certainly isn't being rushed!! I feel a bit guilty for how little time I've spent on it. I sold my Alfa 916 GTV as it was a distraction but change of job and spending way too much time travelling for work have also taken their toll. I'll get to it though, it's too much fun to drive not to.

Strip down nearing completion.

I borrowed an oscillating saw, it was perfect for cutting through the bonding agent. I've found one small patch of rust in the surround (bonus) and the screen came out in one piece (double bonus)

(https://i.imgur.com/1YrZtw5.jpg?1)


(https://i.imgur.com/gmEFT8V.jpg?1)

Hi Stuart

Keep going! Mine comes back from Envirostrip today for the final works and paint. So hopefully by mid August I have shinny sound painted car needing a lot of bits bolted on.

Cheers

Eric

That's one of two places I'm considering. I'll be very interested to hear what your experience of them is.

NB You may already be aware but the amount of lead that went into the spiders is amazing. Must be two kilos just on each B Pillar to roof join.

It's been a long time coming but I finally got the shell fully stripped of parts so it's off for pyrolysis and a phosphoric acid dip.

(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b178/HFStuart/20180914_113119.jpg) (http://s19.photobucket.com/user/HFStuart/media/20180914_113119.jpg.html)

(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b178/HFStuart/20180914_120445.jpg) (http://s19.photobucket.com/user/HFStuart/media/20180914_120445.jpg.html)

I'm quite impressed with the service and the van they sent to collect it. I shall look forward to seeing how much comes back.

Hi Stuart

Very familiar as mine came back with some surprises which thankfully have no been repaired. Soon I get to see the lower half painted.

Good Luck

Eric

Look forward to seeing your and Eric's Spider on the road. We need for the NEC stand  ;D Sounds possible for 2019. Good luck with the project.
Best
John

I got it back from it's acid bath on Thursday in the pouring rain. I didn't have a chance to have a decent look at it until yesterday and I'm really, really happy. I'd wondered whether it was worth the cost but what needs doing is do so much clearer including some areas I didn't know needed work. Its vindicated my choice to take it of the road in 2015 before it good too bad even though I could easly have got it through another MOT with a patch or two. Thank god all that Zeibart is now gone  - it did it's job but it's disgusting stuff to remove.

The body is largely really sound. There's quite a few minor jobs to sort but nothing huge. Mainly it's the ends of the sills, the bottom of the NS A Pillar the bottom of the rear 3/4 panels and the (badly designed) U channels new the sills and the floorpan. The biggest problem areas are where some bad repairs have been done previously. They must have used a ton of filler to cover one of the patches they'd crudely stuck on. The worst bit of the floor is under the centre crossmember on the NS.

The front edge of the bonnet is perfect with only the strengthening ribs at the back (where it sits on the rubber seal by the scuttle panel) a bit lacy. The Spider specific reinforcing sections under the sills are also very good (seriously thick metal here 2.0mm at least) and the inner & outer sills and the sandwich panel between them is also in great condition. The rear turrets at good, one repair is required on the OS one. The screen surround and scuttle are also in amazing condition.

Adjustable height tilter means I now have 360 deg rotation
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b178/HFStuart/20181103_124551.jpg) (http://s19.photobucket.com/user/HFStuart/media/20181103_124551.jpg.html)

A pillar base absent presumed missing
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b178/HFStuart/A%20pillar.jpg) (http://s19.photobucket.com/user/HFStuart/media/A%20pillar.jpg.html)

Crude boot floor repair
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b178/HFStuart/20181103_115955.jpg) (http://s19.photobucket.com/user/HFStuart/media/20181103_115955.jpg.html)

Massive patch slapped on its bum
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b178/HFStuart/20181103_120717.jpg) (http://s19.photobucket.com/user/HFStuart/media/20181103_120717.jpg.html)

Floor under the crossmember
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b178/HFStuart/20181103_120054.jpg) (http://s19.photobucket.com/user/HFStuart/media/20181103_120054.jpg.html)

The big question is what do I tackle first. I think I'm going to remove the centre crossmemember and deal with the floor up to about 1/2 way up the inner sills. Then I'll take off the outer sill and 3/4 panel on side at a time to give access to the other bits of the floor and the sill ends. Any thoughts on that would be appreciated.

Hi Stuart, just browsing the forum and re-read this thread. How are thing progressing with the Spider? I was also very interested to know how you made your Car Tilter ™ telescopic? Is it something you can elongate the engine stands with a trolley jack or something more fiendishly complicated?

Slowly is the honest answer. Both lackof time and the complexity of the floor pan pressings is a challenge. The really complicated bits are under the cross member the front seats sit on. I'll post some more pics when I get a chance.

I made the tilter telescopic by cutting the tubes and welding in another tube inside. Then a couple of brackets some nuts and a length of studding to do the actual lifting. When it's in use it's secured by a bolt passing through holes in the inner and out box section.

I've a video of it that makes it a lot clearer - https://youtu.be/shVISSAAUeE

Nice one Stuart, that has certainly given me some food for thought. I like the idea of using studding rather than hydraulics. Presumably the nut on the bottom welded bracket has no thread, so the studding just spins without driving anything? What size studding did you use? Can't tell exactly but I'm guessing about M16. And presumably for the 'inner' you used box section that was a good sliding fit inside the engine stand upright.

Nice and simple - just the way I like it.

Sorry to keep asking qusetions, but are the bumper mounts strong enough 'as is' to take the weight of the car, or did you beef them up in some way before bolting the box section to them? I realise that the weight of the car has been reduced substantially with the engine, doors, seats and suspension removed.

Correct, the bottom nut is drilled out. I actually used M12 but if I were doing it again I'd chose M16. Square thread would be the ideal choice but it's not that easy to find or as cheap. I did think about cannibalising a couple of scissor jacks for the screws but they wouldn't have given me enough lift.
 
I couldn't find a box section that was a great fit inside the other one so I got one around 2mm smaller and welded some thin strips to it to pack it out a little. That also meant I could put two parallel strips on one side of the inner piece so they avoided the weld seam on the inside of the outer piece which stick out a little proud and otherwise caused sticking.

So long as the sills are OK and you put the front subframe in place the bumper mounts are fine. I may brace the body when I do the sills.

Excellent stuff and very helpful. Thanks Stuart.

One of the bonuses of lockdown is more time in the garage so I've made good progress with the shot to bits drivers footwell.

This is where I started

(https://i.imgur.com/3jkXYfp.jpg)


And this is the state of the metal I cut out.

(https://i.imgur.com/nsiwg7k.jpg)

The frame underneath is thankfully really solid

(https://i.imgur.com/LzCoXbj.jpg)

Complicated compound curve bit put back.

(https://i.imgur.com/I3OdvF6.jpg)

Not too bad

(https://i.imgur.com/Ep5ioz4.jpg)

Side piece with various shapes and curves

(https://i.imgur.com/RfKJWJK.jpg)

Again, cleaned upOK

(https://i.imgur.com/JjHH5Nr.jpg)

Fred Flintstone moment

(https://i.imgur.com/1PMx9yg.jpg)

MDF Former made from old floor

(https://i.imgur.com/hDHOQxG.jpg)

Innocent bit of metal after a serious attack from the hammer

(https://i.imgur.com/Lq5heql.jpg)

Trimmed carefully to shape

(https://i.imgur.com/Oxyx6PM.jpg)

Welded in and waiting for grinding

(https://i.imgur.com/FkJ9hnT.jpg)

I'm the first to admit the repairs aren't invisible but the point is they're done,but welded in and very solid too.

Given I'm working with a medium claw and a small cross pein hammer, ancient vice, workmate a few lumps of metal for forming round and an admittedly pretty good welder I bought recently I'm really pleased with them!

Onwards !

Excellent repairs Stuart; and I particularly like the attention to detail on the fabricated floor section. Your welding looks great... keep the pictures coming please.

Chris

You have every right to be pleased with the results Stuart. Look really good.

Mark

Excellent work, Stuart. That's professional standard in my book. What make of welder are you using? I'm guessing it's a MIG set.

Hi Stuart

That is excellent welding and forming better than some bodyshop efforts frankly. What Welder are you using?

Cheers

Eric
Fitting bits and fixing snags all over my Beta Spyder!

nice work

An R Tech 180  - not a top drawer welder by any means but a decent inverter one with a very steady arc and good control which helps no end with the thin bits. Much better that the budget Sealey / Clarke stuff.

Thanks

My Clarke Item is due for Replacement.

Thanks

Eric

Much appreciated.

I should have put a link when I replied to Eric https://www.r-techwelding.co.uk/mig-welder-r-tech-i-mig180/?utm_source=google_shopping&gclid=Cj0KCQjwyur0BRDcARIsAEt86IA5pDnJ_FBZ1I3TunrcH5C8bXgwUuLDnIUIZyoArVTPMj5511uh1CkaAv6FEALw_wcB (https://www.r-techwelding.co.uk/mig-welder-r-tech-i-mig180/?utm_source=google_shopping&gclid=Cj0KCQjwyur0BRDcARIsAEt86IA5pDnJ_FBZ1I3TunrcH5C8bXgwUuLDnIUIZyoArVTPMj5511uh1CkaAv6FEALw_wcB)

Speaking of professional though  - when I first got this car I had a mobile welder repair the front strut tops and A Pillar bases. Where the inner wheel arch and the two pressings that form the A pillar join there is a seam where all three panels are spot welded together. I'd not really noticed before but rather than unpick the spot welds he just cut the seam off and blobbed them all together. I have more repairs to do in that area and it's going to be a lot more difficult now.

(https://i.imgur.com/jMalXvD.jpg)

The red circles show where it's gone through. The line of weld where the seam should be is pretty obvious.

(https://i.imgur.com/92JAiS0.jpg)

From the inside

(https://i.imgur.com/OpeVosW.jpg)

This is the view from under the A pillar on the passenger side. The reinforcing section that links the bulkhead and wheel arch to the floor-pan is in a pretty bad way (it's 1.6mm too - way thicker than most of the steel on the car) while the repairs to the A pillar have rotted in 5 years.The red line shows where the seam would be. The odd thing is other than 4 inches at either end, the inside of the sills look like they've just left the factory.

Somehow I need to take this area apart, repair the corner of the A pillar and the end of the inner sill section and then replace the reinforcing section. Some head scratching to be done.

Hi Stuart

When Paul Baker did mine he took the outer sills off for access to the mid section sills. The outers were in great condition but the mid sills!

BTW which gas are you using with your welder i.e. an Argon mix of what proportion?

Thanks

Eric

Notionally 5% Co2, 95% Argon (actually 5% Co2 93% Agron 2% Oxygen)

I'm thinking I may have to do similar although the mid sections are fine apart from at either end so I may just take the ends off and hide the joins in the sill

Sometimes it's the little things in life.
I don't need them for a year of so but I'd got hold of a brand new pair of correct type side repeaters. I'm unnecessarily pleased with them!

(https://i.imgur.com/mjJyATS.jpg)

Hi Stuart

That is a good find, particularly like the outer sheath on the wiring, all the ones I have did not have it or is degraded.

You should also be pleased with the floor panels. Well done

Peter

Yep - the rubber has very sightly shrunk with age but I can work with that.

Speaking of floor panels (thanks...)

A few more hours in the garage

(https://i.imgur.com/7ZjeAv3.jpg)

And another chunk of floor panel is in place. This one, I confess, mainly came from the HPE I cut up a few years ago

(https://i.imgur.com/b8i6WMk.jpg)

The bit that was rotten and mostly not there was the front bit with the big drain hole ( I know there's a smaller one supposed to be there) so I only needed to fabricate that part. Sods law it's the most complex bit but again I'm happy with the result

(https://i.imgur.com/KgfakLH.jpg)

I thought about not having the hole but it's original and I have the metal bungs to plug it with so why not. I'll add it to the other side later

Next step fully weld this in and then start on the A pillars.




 

Are the holes emergency drainage?

I really don't know. I'd guess they were for paint drainage when then were primered as they're at the low points (in the back floor pans too) but they could equally be locating points for the production line.

And why have one big and one small on each side.

Update  - work from May - August. You might need to get a drink.

Possibly you recall the bottom of the A Pillar looked like this

(https://i.imgur.com/AzoLAJa.jpg)

It was time to start cutting

(https://i.imgur.com/2nSR0ka.jpg)

And underneath it wasn't pretty

(https://i.imgur.com/lV7ey1f.jpg)

Cutting back to good metal left me with this

(https://i.imgur.com/ViOu5B9.jpg)

Sill centre section tacked in place

(https://i.imgur.com/Go2Efh6.jpg)

To give a reference line to make this - part old HPE floor  - part new fabrication

(https://i.imgur.com/R4gE4iV.jpg)

Which was a pleasingly good fit

(https://i.imgur.com/m35JRVD.jpg)

And welded up well

(https://i.imgur.com/5Rlws58.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/lwg3LnC.jpg)

There's an internal panel that transfers load to the sill  - that needed to be remade and fitted

(https://i.imgur.com/QcTtSYm.jpg)

Then to put the sill back together

(https://i.imgur.com/4mzk2th.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/xxNXtgU.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/R7h58Kr.jpg)

Will all that done time to start on the corner  - a pretty complex shape so I roughly formed the edge first

(https://i.imgur.com/OfzOleR.jpg)

Then teased a panel into shape to fit it.

(https://i.imgur.com/w16sKQ8.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/OJNHfhn.jpg)

Fully welded it looked OK

(https://i.imgur.com/e6zeCQm.jpg)

And fitted well too

(https://i.imgur.com/HP4a2Nh.jpg)

Just this fillet to put in

(https://i.imgur.com/RNlhC8R.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/aiNK4Hi.jpg)

Onto the inner wing - this is where it had been bodged and the flanged joint removed. So that got cut out and put back in layers - three pieces join at this flange

(https://i.imgur.com/vJ3IdVy.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/QiEleG8.jpg)

Flange now back in place!

(https://i.imgur.com/Zz5haiL.jpg)

Outer panel back on too

(https://i.imgur.com/78mUNpb.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/2OAbEaZ.jpg)

That's one corner properly sorted!

Awesome work Stuart. These are really tricky and complex areas...impressive stuff!

Hi Stuart

Impressive work that brings back memories of doing the Montecarlo sills 14 years ago!

Cheers

Eric

Hi Stuart

Marvellous stuff, keep it up!

Peter

Fantastic work, Stuart. I'm blown away by the quality of your work.

Graham

Nice work man, better than any carshop

Absolutely brilliant work, if I ever pull my spider to pieces I am sure I will face the same issues... only minus your skill & patience!

Confirms the excellent engineering in the Spider shell, no wonder there is no scuttle shake!  Keep up the good work :)

Winter always slows things down - sometimes I forget how much. I'm really going to have to push on to have this ready for Beta 50.

Anyway the last six months (!) have been the rear passenger side floorpan.

It looks OK but is wafer thin in places  - stick a torch underneath and you get starry night effect

(https://i.imgur.com/S6XDfgY.jpg)

So corners first - sections had to be made up

(https://i.imgur.com/7ISybiG.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/dpgF6ie.jpg)

Much tacking

(https://i.imgur.com/oaEgWWB.jpg)

Middle bit

(https://i.imgur.com/Oa8xJzc.jpg)

Welded and ground  - Happy with that!

(https://i.imgur.com/Rd9YKaQ.jpg)

Now the main floor - again part doner car part made up from scratch

(https://i.imgur.com/DIyfVD3.jpg)

Not too bad but look at the earlier ( like 2017..) work on the right, shabby

(https://i.imgur.com/8arNqI2.jpg)

New piece made up now solid again

(https://i.imgur.com/6pfhLks.jpg)

Next I need to replace the U section edge of the floor.

To do that the end of the cross member has to come out.

(https://i.imgur.com/8PWimYR.jpg)

Mainly OK Underneath

(https://i.imgur.com/2ugJmmu.jpg)

I butchered the old one getting it out. I've got another but I need to replicate this bit for the captive nut

(https://i.imgur.com/mTpcUy2.jpg)

Two sockets and a bolt later

(https://i.imgur.com/QcDfUsX.jpg)

Bingo

(https://i.imgur.com/IIdrZO1.jpg)

U channel cut out

(https://i.imgur.com/e6vSzbb.jpg)

For some reason this was a right pig to weld.

(https://i.imgur.com/HFMi4No.jpg)

New Cross Member end tacked in place

(https://i.imgur.com/kejBHhD.jpg)

Et Voila

(https://i.imgur.com/uwgR5cY.jpg)


Next step the sill under the B pillar  - all this perforation is a result of a poor replacement 3/4 panel many years ago. New slapped on top of old creating a rust trap that just ate the top of the sill away.Thankfully the B pillar itself is very good. Shame I'll need to cut it really!

(https://i.imgur.com/p44TfuJ.jpg)

Looking good, keep at it!

Peter

Doing the job properly. Well done!

The Spring frenzy is nearly here.

Eric

Thanks as ever for all the encouragement, it helps a lot.  

Another 6 months has gone by so I'm overdue an update!

I left you with a pic of a sorry looking sill end.
(https://i.imgur.com/z74dgLZ.jpg)

Time to bite the bullet and cut it out
(https://i.imgur.com/YXK82Lp.jpg)

The back end of the inner sill was sort of still there!
(https://i.imgur.com/wQG3Vvt.jpg)

A new corner piece was needed to link arch, floorpan, and inner wing. Out with the hammer
(https://i.imgur.com/2APa8Uy.jpg)

And it came out OK
(https://i.imgur.com/VflH9gN.jpg)

A couple of local patches to the inner sill and an end closing plate
(https://i.imgur.com/DXnqHZb.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/K4WdYdo.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/vgRM1rl.jpg)

But what to do with this mess?
(https://i.imgur.com/D5hERU7.jpg)

I used one of Mark's pattern sills for repair sections and them beat the whatsit out of it to get the right profile (2mm thick - heavy going)
(https://i.imgur.com/MKTRNVs.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/cHwSUC8.jpg)

This bit had to be made from scratch
(https://i.imgur.com/u0lWZZh.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/nLAad6M.jpg)

Oops
(https://i.imgur.com/s6N7Z6q.jpg)

Back on with the repaired sill
(https://i.imgur.com/0zLfWnk.jpg)

Looks good.
(https://i.imgur.com/SOSOELB.jpg)

A new flange for the bottom of the B pillar
(https://i.imgur.com/FZWMHhG.jpg)

And in that went too
(https://i.imgur.com/kNi2sE4.jpg)

Again - happy with the result
(https://i.imgur.com/djqQ9OG.jpg)

That's the nearside sill & floor and A & B pillars done and hopefully good for another 40 years. Onto the offside rear.

Brilliant work Stuart and frankly better than some so called restoration businesses. It is the layers of steel sections that make these cars a much harder repair proposition than old Fords, but also far stronger when they are made of metal!

Keep at it.

Eric

Hi Stuart

Amazing stuff, probably seems a long road to the end, but will be worth it looking at the current work.

Peter

I'm seriously impressed with the quality and accuracy of your work, Stuart. Those are seriously good skills on display there. I know that I wouldn't have a clue where to start if I was in your position.

Artisan quality work. Super impressive and I am rather jealous of such skills.
Unfortunately my VX HPE will not be done to this standard. ‘A’ I don’t have those skills, ‘B’ I don’t have enough patience, ‘C’ I tell myself ‘you can’t see it once the carpet goes down’  ;D
But I do put plenty of work in making it structurally sound, often with extra re-inforcement sections.

Bravo to you sir

Looks great Stuart - there is no substitute for digging out all the rot and putting clean metal in!  Looking at your work makes me worry about the potential state of my sills / pillars / hidden crevices!  :-\

Buy a bore scope/ colour inspection camera if you dare. I did at the NEC show 2 years ago and looked inside all the box sections on my Monte. I was pleasantly surprised that the Dynatrol has kept it all in factory condition.

Eric

Sounds like a useful investment - I may just do that.  I own more than one "water soluble" Italian car!  ;D

Well now  - I've just started to type this and I get a warning to say 'not updated for 120 days'  !   Sadly for various family reasons (who'd be a teenager in the modern world) I've not been able to put any serious work into the car for 18 months however today was the day to get back in the saddle!

Not many pics but a god start  - I know how I'll fix this now.

So right hand A Pillar base  - doesn't look too bad apart from where someone had butchered the sill to fit coupe rather than spider wings:

(https://i.imgur.com/RFazwwQ.jpg)

Brave Pills and cut along the dotted line

(https://i.imgur.com/CFI9Ccu.jpg)

To reveal this  - could have been worse TBH  - the nearside certainly wasn't this good!

(https://i.imgur.com/RlFtaTU.jpg)

Cut back to good metal and start putting back together  - this time with the seam joint that was removed by the guy that 'fixed' the A pillars last time

(https://i.imgur.com/Tb7ZYA8.jpg)

Progress at last!

Per my last post progress last year was slow but thankfully most of the problems are in the past and the welder has been out again.

Centre sill section replaced and the bottom of the internal A Pillar remade and tacked in place

(https://i.imgur.com/t9efK8X.jpg)

Then the seam where the A Pillar and wheelarch was reinstated

(https://i.imgur.com/5Kwr44Z.jpg)

And the outer A pillar replaced

(https://i.imgur.com/lhtu3MH.jpg)

Lastly the front of the sill replaced and checked to ensure it clears the wing  - something I forgot to do on the other side...

(https://i.imgur.com/PrDgrP0.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/L1gKw71.jpg)

Then the last part of the U Channels to be replaced.

(https://i.imgur.com/2CsFiGR.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/fMk2wts.jpg)

Last but not least the seat mounts had to be put back in. This time without being smacked which a large hammer to get them to line up which is what Zagato had evidently done!

I've not bent this  - it's exactly as it came off

(https://i.imgur.com/hH7GnEx.jpg)

The floorpan was thinner than I was happy with in the centre so:

(https://i.imgur.com/zC7pKmF.jpg)

Reinforcement plate from underneath
(https://i.imgur.com/nNI0t6r.jpg)

Bracket back in place
(https://i.imgur.com/oTZQXpo.jpg)

And with that the floors, sills A & B Pillars  - the whole central tub in fact is done!

Somehow I missed a big chunk of weldporn on the rear offside sill. I know you hate to miss out so here it is a little out of sequence.

Before pics  - about as good as the rest of it.

(https://i.imgur.com/GAXGTnh.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/fi0nf1O.jpg)

Start chopping

(https://i.imgur.com/AZ4nOkU.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/hDqnvVm.jpg)

First repair piece

(https://i.imgur.com/XmrWubV.jpg)

Snug fit
(https://i.imgur.com/eXAAVVi.jpg)

And new corner piece made and fitted
(https://i.imgur.com/3e0hZBt.jpg)

Plated in the corner
(https://i.imgur.com/WgkKCoh.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/92bZLJr.jpg)

More cutting left me with this
(https://i.imgur.com/7SHH62c.jpg)

Which needed this monster section
(https://i.imgur.com/dUJCx5z.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/KfqojvX.jpg)

I missed pictures of the sill being refitted so you'll have to imaging it.

On to the inside to replace the U section which was rotten

(https://i.imgur.com/JCu52RG.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/Yxakxf0.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/RDwgrkg.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/BQjFBOf.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/TezRshE.jpg)

Hi Stuart

Good to see you back on the Spider, when I think back to when you took it off the road, seems an awful long time ago…..

Peter

Impressive work and determination Stuart. Keep at it and you have one of the best.

Eric 

Off the road in late 2015 and back from the paint strippers 2018 so it HAS been a long time!

Excellent work. Great pics

A quick update today. After a short break for holidays etc I was back on the car today turning my attention to the rear.

The offside rear turret is largely OK but had two holes one of them here:

(https://i.imgur.com/Y393pss.jpg)

I thought about patching it from the inside but access is pretty poor so I decided to do it properly from the other side. Sadly the turret strengthening plate is in the way

(https://i.imgur.com/xJcWhU1.jpg)


After removing a lot of spot welds this horror was found behind it

(https://i.imgur.com/suBO2UN.jpg)

The bottom part of which forms the outside wall of the rear chassis leg. Not what you want to see. Thankfully it was localised only to behind the strengthening plate and the chassis leg itself is fine.

(https://i.imgur.com/xttb6ax.jpg)

I conclude that the strengthening plate wasn't seam sealed which allowed moisture to get between it and the metal underneath where it sat eating it away.  New metal incoming  - but not today.

That's about what both my rear turrets looked like. Fortunately the rot had not spread into the chassis box there so all good.
Guy