Post Croix - Monza GSE

[Bstardchild]

OK Back to the grind (no pun intended - OK it probably was.....

So doors had scabby edges - and a few holes - started at the edge of one with a strip disc and found filler - lots of it so stripped it all out to see what I was dealing with (garage resembled a winter wonderland scene)

One door good couple of small skin repairs at the corners needed

One door horrible - it's been hit and creased 3/4 of the way along the door and the dent has just been filled with filler - at some points it was an inch deep (25mm for our continental cousins)

I looked for a door skin - yeah right like they are gonna be easy to find

Best I could get was a lower skin repair panel so as I could get that I thought I'd try something first

Ran a slitting disc down the crease and then applied some pressure from behind and the skin closed up again before the dent was out

So I widened the slot

Using what I had to hand (length of 22 mm cooper tube and some cardboard I packed the skin out behind the slit to minimise the dent

Yeah I should have took pictures - I didn't

But after a bit of mig action and then some grinding back I had this


Sure I'll need some filler but not inches of it this time so I can live with that





Tried to take a profile shot but it's not come out that well



I chopped a couple of corners off and using what was left of the Monza door skin added the start of some repair sections





I need to repair the frame of the door in the corners so sticking some repair sections on the skin gives me a base to work with

[Bstardchild]

Well no pictures but after 3 nights of faffing around I've finally got the rear screen out - with out breaking it or damaging the rubber seal.

It's a rubber seal arrangement rather than bonded in - now if it was a Monza I'd have either cut the seal to save the screen or cracked the screen out to save the seal

However it's a Commodore and screen seals are £150 when you can get them and glass is just as unobtainable so I needed (to give me options) to save both.

This was made a lot more difficult by sealant being used to assist the rubber seal to hold back water - the bloody thing did not want to come out and I've lost count of the number of times I backed away because I knew further effort was going to crack the screen

Annoyingly after being amazed by the lack of rust in other areas hidden by glass/alloy trim or rubber seals I have found rot.......

So I sulked and went and did something else

[Bstardchild]

I've owned the car since 2006 but never got any documents with it - for a track car it's not that important but a few events I do require proof of ownership so I needed to sort out the documentation sooner or later.

When I contacted the authority I was informed that an inspection may be required as the car had been off the register since 1984 before documents could be issued

This arrived in the post today



Excellent - Registration doc means no inspection by authority is now required

I have a few days off next week so I'm planning to fire up the plasma and see how far I get removing some floors

[Bstardchild]

OK so paging Fred and Barney to the bat phone

Tunnel be gone



Then one side of the floor pan because I now had a hole to stand in





Salvaged for someone



Then a bit more came out (a bit got left in for tommorrow)





Then an easy bit to finish



Followed by a good sweep up

And through the square window

[MANTAO]

You have no fear!

[Bstardchild]

You have no fear!

That might be what got me in this situation to start with.......

Actually I am having think a lot before cutting and do a lot of thinking after - I've got a clearance issue now.....

[Mycroft]

Now for sure you've got the place to put a bed !

Really nice job, waiting next episode !

[Bstardchild]

Now for sure you've got the place to put a bed !

Really nice job, waiting next episode !

Hmmm bed - I don't sleep much so it's not needed and your next episode is here mycroft

Still haven't worked out a way to resolve my issue - I'm thinking of building a bead roller that I can run along the bottom of the Monza Sill to create a 5mm step on each side......

Anyway Day 2 of the Holiday - needed to up the pace a bit

Now peeps I left a little bit of floor in yesterday - so that was despatched in lightening speed (who am I kidding it was an utter cow to remove as my cunning plan based on yesterdays fun and games failed at the first hurdle) so as it was the worst floor section I got brutal with it.....

Floor be gone



As I said not the best repair panel but it can be repaired and it got added to a pile that somehow I need to get to Dusseldorf



Oh and if anyone thinks the Commodore could have been saved have a look at this chassis rail





Other side was worse and the rot extends right up into the engine bay rails - yes it probably could but then this thread would read a lot different.

Bit more work at the back end (still more to do)



Tidied up the sills and got rid of the inner sill skin

Then scraped of the matting on the inside of the roof cos it kept getting in my hair and I can now stand up and walk around inside the car so it's easy.

So front



And back



Need to dig out my spot welding drills out next as that back panel has got to come out.

Doesn't seem like much done really...........

[Bstardchild]

So I had a day off the Commodore yesterday - sometimes you have to take a break

Today back at it - bracing be gone



Followed shortly by an arch



then another



then some other metal (mainly chassis rails)



Yeah better picture needed



So getting nearer to the end point.....

[Bstardchild]

Still plodding on with this but I've had to do a lot of fiddly stuff like removing the wiring loom, pedal box, steering column and they were all bloody awkward in different ways - so sorry no pics of this sort of stuff

Ran out of cutting discs, flap wheels and getting very short of plasma consumables too so I ordered the plasma cutter consumables and then today picked up cutting discs and flap wheels from my local BOC place - spend £100 and you get a free makita Grinder so I did....

Should get the last of the back and and all of the front end done if I get a day in the garage at the weekend