Classic Alfa Forums

Lost of work done last week - the body repairs have started to get serious now !!

First jobs were to straighten up the front panel and sort out the wing rails
As you can see in the first picture the windscreen frame has also been cut off - small section to make on the drivers side but the passengers side is fine (see the last picture)

All the boxed in panels have been painted with zinc and the bits that will be body colour painted with acid etch for now

The passenger side wing rail was in good shape when openened up so no need to repalce it - just cleaned it up and zinc painted in the box section New outer wing rail boxed panel used as I had one and also used new panel for the end where it meets the door pillar The screen frame is all ready to go back on now

Looking good are you doing all the repairs or is it at a Bodyshop?

Nice work mate, amazing what is hidden on these cars isn't it once you go looking, I am working in that area on my '76 Ti currently and your photos look very familiar

Great work. Tin bashing / fabrication is one skill I wish I had learned, I'm much better with mechanics and electrics...

I can't take the credit for the fabrication and welding - wish I could but never a skill I have mastered either - any mechanical bits are no problem - I have been doing lots of the mundane cleaning up prior to the welding and the painting of a few bits

The car is in the garage where I work and I have got a great fabricator/welder friend of mine to come in to do the metalwork before the car goes off to be painted - at least it can be on a ramp etc. for easy access - few more pictures of progress below - hope the metalwork will be 3 weeks to get finished The bottom of the A pillar was all ok (lots of wax in there as can be seen in the first picture) but the inner sill centre membrane at the front was rusty and all of the back end of the sill rotten - there was a small rust hole under the rubber door seal at the front this side and it looks like that let the water into the front of the sill - we have had a look in the sill and A pillar on the other side with the endoscope and that side is perfect at the front still again with lots of wax in there - I guess not only did this have the Alfa GB Dinol treatment from new that it has been waxed up since this as well - there is loads of wax in the doors etc. and all the under bonnet area was covered in wax when I got it - has helped a lot to save the car

Snap !!

Keep up the good work.

Moving on to the passenger side sill repairs now

Again was lucky enough to have some new parts to work with - had a complete inner sill and a very well made pattern outer sill + a bit of recycled centre membrane cut off of another car
Old bits cut out and the new bits put in
Your picture does look very similar Kegsti - but at leat yours is all done now ! I still have a way to go yet but is making good progress

It's looking good and coming on well.

I'm looking forward to next year when I start to do the rebuild on one of my sud's

Last bit of the recycled membrane fitted at the front of the sill and then on to the rear wheelarch
The car has been repaired here before having had a new wheelarch put on but there was no repair to the inner arch - just filled with some black "goo"

Shame really as the outer arch has been fitted quite neatly but the black "goo" had held the water in and started to corrode the new outer arch again

The inner and new outer wheelarch were cut off again and then a section taken from the new inner wheelarch panel first was fitted to get the correct shape back

Hi Gary,
Nicely done !! So can you re-use the outer arch again?
Just shows how a little dig under the surface of what looks a very sound car can get quite involved.

More nice work done

The rear wheelarch repair is not quite done yet but a repair to the lower rear panel was next (the wheelarch will need the new outer repair panel as well as the new inner panel)

A section cut out to access the inner panel behind it
Then the inner panel repaired and painted with zinc
Then a small section out the removed out panel was repaired
Then all welded back on and ground back the welds
Then the removed panel was fitted back on again with the new bit of metal at the bottom of it
So that is another bit fininshed - 1 week left if the 3 week target for the panel work is going to be kept

Lovely looking work there, wish mine had looked that good.

Must admit I do get jealous when I see other suds that just need sections repaired when mind is patch on patch some I've done but mine was only 10 years old when I got it and it had already had rear arches and front wings plus other small patches it's now on its third rear archs seconded sills + lots of patches and I rolled it and fitted half a roof so it will never be concours but I will finish it soon and hope it comes out looking good despite all it's floors

Some nice work there mate, well done

Left rear wheelarch and sill are now all done

The new outer arch repair panel was fitted under the lip of the rear wing and then tack welded all round on the outside


Then the inside of the area was all painted with zinc etc. before the new inner arch was fitted

This was fitted in 2 sections using a mixture of welding and 3M panelbond adhesive The idea of the panelbond is to fully seal the lip where the inner and outer arches meet together to stop any air gaps etc. that you will get with spot welding and there is no heat to burn off the paint inside so hopefully with a good wax up after final painting this should help to stop the corrosion starting again

The rear of the sill was then closed off as well

The area under the wheelarch will be etch primed followed by anti corrosion primer,paint and then stoneguard and again when it returns from painting the outside of the car will be coated in black wax

In the last picture you can see the little triange bit of metal that is part of the inner arch to hold the plastic drain pipe from the fuel filler flap - these are usually long gone from corrosion !!

Top work!

Coming together very well mate.

Next job was to fit the new windscreen frame - again with a mix of the 3M panelbond and spot welding Just a few pairs of mole grips while the panelbond cures !!

Then the front panel was finished off - trial fitted the bonnet to check the gap to the screen frame (forgot to take a picture but it has a nice even gap)
Only fitted a small section of the upper front panel in the end as it all came back into shape very well
Only the drivers side rear wheelarch and back end of the drivers side sill left to do now

Wish i could get one of my sud's done now but need to sort the white 155 first and moving back down West Sussex

On to the next bit now - the drivers side sill was not too bad and also the rear arch had been repaired to a higher standard this side - had made some effort to repair the inner arch as well this side - looks like the outer arch this side will be able to be left in place with a new inner arch section from my complete inner wheelarch panel
Same as the other side the inner panel was put in place first still using a section out the the new panel - the panel I had was a n/s one but easy enough to cut a section from it to suit
Then a section of the centre membrane fitted
Nearly there now with the fabrication/welding !!

You're really ripping through that mate.
Have you got a target date to finish her by?
I once had a Sprint Veloce in that colour.
Top job.

I have not set any targets for completion but the progress will slow down a bit as today was the last day that my fabricator/welder will be working on the car as he has another job to go to - I knew this all along and had hoped that 3 weeks would be enough time but not quite - he may not be back before the new year now

I have plenty of bits to paint now and also need to trial fit all the new outer panels to make sure all the gaps are correct

I hope it will all fit as they are all genuine Alfa panels but apart from the left front wing they will all be brand new i.e. bonnet,drivers side wing,both doors and the tailgate

As you all may have worked out by now I have been saving new panels for years waiting for a good hatchback shell to come along and so far I am well pleased with how this is turning out

spot welders make for such a neater weld, really nice work there amte

a huge collection of mole grips too!

Not much else been done on the bodywork but have now got all the suspension fully stripped ready to go off to be powder coated

The original rear axle beam must have had water sitting in it as one of the spring seats looked like this This was the only bolt that broke in the whole of the strip down
I have another good rear axle beam but one of the metal clips the holds the brake pipe in place had come adrift so this was cut off the old beam and welded into place Old bushes removed from the suspension arms and all ready to go

Front suspension now fully stripped as well
Only has one minor drama in stripping with the circlip in the bottom of one of the strut tubes - this side had the rubber boot split and I guess this had been letting the water in and it collects in the bottom of the strut

Ended up breaking the end off the clip but all other bits were ok in the end after a good clean up - had to grind the inside of the strut tube back to clean metal to get the damper insert out

Quick update as I am still waiting to finish of the welding etc.

All the suspension parts and a few other items (pedal box,gearbox extension housing etc.) are now at the powder coaters and after me spending hours with the wire wheel all the nuts,bolts brackets etc. for the suspension have gone off the be replated.

I have been doing some of the corrosion protection now

After stripping back to bare metal (been using a great tool for this - a MBX blaster - it has a toothed type of wire brush on what is a bit like a grinder tool - works really well) have then been painting with acid etch.
Followed this coat with some anti corrosion paint - then in all the new seams used some cavity wax which was then warmed up to let it flow in - followed by seam sealer - trying to make this look a bit messy - same as it was from the factory !
Also been making the holes in the new rear arches for the clips that hold the trims on - again this all takes time

Another cracking Sud being resurrected. Great work chap

Body repairs have started again now - one thing I had noted thanks to Kev's thread is that the section of upper front panel that had been fitted was the wrong one !!

If you look back at the earlier picture and compare to the one below you will see why The panel that I used first must be from an early car with the welded on bonnet hinges - the correct one is now fitted with then indent and hole to clear the bonnet bolts

I had also found this rusty but not bent front spoiler bracket (thanks for the earlier offer of your one Kev) Used this as a pattern to get the shape of my brackets straight again

I have now had a trial fit up of the front wings,bonnet,spoiler,wheel arch trims and headlights - just need to try the doors on now and see if all the gaps there are ok Original left wing damage has been repaired so should be ready to be painted very soon now

interesting that you had the same issues with the upper front panel mate, but the reverse of mine!

looking great mate, really coming together at a hell of a pace