Drivers Side Rocker Panel's Here!!!

So here where we start....

..the last time ( I expect!) I'll see the driver's side convertible stiffener!!

Fitting the external rocker panel

Tack weld holes punched & drilled. 

Rocker panel top tacked in place.

I'll tack weld the bottom seam tomorrow.

Stripping the Paint from the Left Front Fender

While waiting for the rocker panel to show up I started stripping the left headlight bucket. That led to stripping the paint from the fender. There was an 1/8" thick coating of bondo all over the fender. Though there we some areas of surface rust there was no need for that thick a coating of bondo.

As you can see the fender is in pretty good shape...frankly I didn't expect it to be in this good of a condition.

Encouraged, I continued to strip paint...

.....and found the rot I'd been expecting...

....oh boy...

...well we'll figure it out...

Well, a little primer never hurt the thinking process...tomorrow's another day!

Adding the Convertible Stiffener

The next step is to install the convertible stiffener. It is an additional component of the rocker panel structure. Because the convertible does not have the additional structure of the sedan's roof, it provides additional strength to the body.

The heater channel structure prepped for the install.

The stiffener is trimmed to fit.

Holes are punched in the stiffener for tack welding...

....and the top of the stiffener is tack welded into place....

...and the bottom is skip welded.

Some rust converter and we're waiting on the new outer rocker panel to be delivered.

Center Divider Installation

Area prepped & primed for the Center Divider installation.

Trimming the replacement panel to fit...

..and test fitting to get it right.

Punched tack hole on the top lip of the replacement panel & the bottom of the heater channel

Tack welded top & bottom of spot welds.

Lap welded top of panel (behind door post) to existing structure. 

Painted & primed....

..ready for the Convertible Re-inforcing panel to be installed 



Bottom of Driver's Door Post Repair

 Need to restore the bottom door post structure which was rusted & cut out during the rocker panel rebuild 

 I began by fabricatingthe outside radius of the original door post. Not OEM but will be structurally sound and no one will see it!

Once I had the piece shaped and located where I wanted it I began tacking it in place, working the curves & angles to blend with the remaining existing structure. 

Next I made up a paper pattern of the top piece of sheet metal...

 ...transferred it to some sheet stock...

...cut it out....

...formed it ...

....and tack welded and formed to shape...

Piece is finish welded...

 ...and welds are ground down.

Not pretty but bomb-proof!!!