From: austinmaxi2008 (Original Message) Sent: 31/05/2008 17:51
Hi there,
I'm new to this forum but have owned my 1980 Spider for a good few years now.
My car has the dreaded rusted rear strut towers and I'm contemplating tackling this job myself. Has anyone done this job on a Spider before and would you have any hints and tips?
Are there any repair panels available?
If anyone has completed repairs in this area, what gauge of metal did you use?
I had the car looked at a while ago by a guy who restores other marques and he said he would probably cut out the rusted double skinned areas and replace with single thickness repair sections made of thicker metal.
Would this be structurally satisfactory?
I'd be interested to hear how anyone got on with repairs to this part of the car. I'm hoping this isn't a terminal problem!
My cars been layed up for a couple of years because of this and apart from the sad state of the rear strut towers, she's in pretty good nick.
Would be good to hear from you,
Thanks,
Greg
From: hutch6610 Sent: 01/06/2008 02:18
I'm afraid no repair panels are available for the rear strut towers.
Your only option is to cut out the rot and make card templates as you go along.
They usually rot at the base along the box section where the brake pipe anchors and extends upward to the turret itself.
Picture1 shows this on the far left.
You also get rust both at the front and rear of the tower on the "inner arch" part.
You "car repair guy" is correct in saying it can be made from a single piece of a thicker gauge - perfectly adequate.
Steel 1.5mm being sufficient or to make life a little easier, you can use two 1.0mm sheets (at least you can cut them easier)
You reconstruct the inner arch portion first welding seam to seam and then the "reinforcing plate" from the wheel arch side.
You can then put a few plug welds in to make the two more rigid.
Turrets have to be really bad to "terminal".
The pink areas on picture1 to picture 3 are the repairs painted over - sorry about the mud, had no choice but to drive it out when it was raining.
Picture3 has been cleaned up of mud and remaining underseal/stone guard, then primed ready for re-application of new stone guard.
Not very good photos but hope these are of help.
Picture 4.jpg Picture 3.jpg Picture 2.jpg pic 1.jpg
From: austinmaxi2008 Sent: 03/06/2008 19:00
Hi Hutch,
Thanks for that; sounds like really good advice. Really appreciate it and thanks for the pictures too.
Looking at mine, I think I've got a bit more rot around the top of the turret and on the seam that runs along the top of the inner wheel arch (inside the wheel well). From your pictures, it seems you example is a bit more solid up there.
I first realised there were problems when I noticed pools of water forming under the back seat when it rained and started investigating where it was coming from.
Sadly, poking around I found bodged repairs hiding the real damage which is often worse for encouraging rot. The filler was breaking off the rusty metal and water being flung off the tyre was finding it's way into the interior.
I was most annoyed I hadn't spotted the bodges before but they were quite well done and probably for MOT purposes.
Anyway, your advice is reassuring and at least from where I'm sat, sounds like something I could tackle myself. I've done a fair bit of localised restoration on other cars.
Just want to get stuck in now and get that Beta of mine back on the streets!
Cheers,
Greg
From: hutch6610 Sent: 05/06/2008 02:52
You can also get pools of water forming (although in your case you have gaping holes) because the hood can sometimes be porous not forgetting that the stitching of the clear panel hardly makes things "water tight".
My friends Spider leaks this way - sit inside when it is raining and you can see water coming in and to add insult to injury, from a brand new hood .
From: simon0078 Sent: 06/06/2008 17:26
Anyone know where I may be able to get a new steel bonnet from? - mine has been patched up many times, and is pretty rotten now.
cheers
simon
From: austinmaxi2008 Sent: 06/06/2008 17:59
Yes Hutch,
I had a similar experience with a replacement hood.
I had a spare that came with my car when I bought it and it looked a lot better than the one on the car.
Thought I'd swap it over and it would be a fairly quick and strightforward job. Sadly it wasn't to be.
Found the hood frame was rotten in various places so ended up welding that up and painting it as well as the bracket that attaches to the rear of the car.
Then there was also rot in the seams on the bodwork where the rear quarter windows would be on a coupe.
It ended up being a a right palaver putting all that right.
Then to cap it all off, when it rained the new hood was found to be nowhere near waterproof. All the seams leaked! Couldn't believe it. I was gutted.
So I'll be needing a new hood too at some point as well but I'll deal with the strut towers first.
From: hutch6610 Sent: 12/06/2008 16:15
Ahhh the joys of owning a Spider - just imagine it being said by Robert Robinson.
Nothing like doing a load of welding to have your work flooded out austinmaxi2008.
Good luck with your project.
No body makes a steel bonnet new.
There are pattern door skins (some better than others) step sills, wheel arches apparently and the bottom of the front wing Betaboyz)
I do have a series one spider/coupe bonnet if anyone is interested ?
The early flat type with the thin swage line down the middle - very, very, very, good condition except for a dent in the front where the bonnet has gone full over because somebody had removed the bonnet safety catch.
On the subject of hoods i have (somewhere) a catalogue/brochure from a company that makes them and they can be purchased according to the depth of your pocket - think they did a mohair one as well.
If i find it i will post the link.
Here you go found it;
http://www.prestigeautotrim.com/uk/hoods/lancia_hoods.htm
