The Ragtop Express

[TPB_Karl]

Again, beautiful work!
You should consider naming her ""Patches"

Yeah, its been alot of small time consuming repairs..



Time for an update, finally!
I’ve taken care of that last corner and fully freed up the rear apron.






A bit of test fitting the piece..





Also folded up the bottom of the panel..






Cut out and cleaned up the area for the seam





A bit of primer on the backside of the panel, then it was just a matter of welding it in and grinding it down. With a bit of work with a hammer and dolly, of course..







With that done, the apron needed some love before I could call rust repair finished.

[TPB_Karl]

With the sun out, I got a bit inspired so the fenders and running boards went back on to the body. Also tossed the cardboard that had been covering the windows. Feels good!









Great feeling! Been thinking a bit about what the next step should be, but I think building the beam will be the next job on the list.

[TPB_Karl]

I havent worked on the express this past and i managed to get a man-cold during easter. However that gave me time to finish the editing of the first episode of this project.
Pour a cup of tea or have a beer and sit back and watch six months of rust repairs compressed to 30 minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3sJ5POhKEw&t

[BugUgly]

Great video!

[TPB_Karl]

Great video!

Thank you!

Time for another update! I was recently given dropped spindles from a TPB member. Thanks Simon!


In order to run dropped spindles (which widen about 12mm) with my BRMs and 145 full-profile tires, I need to narrow the beam. To keep the shock absorbers and not disturb the geometry too much, I chose to shorten by 2". This way, I can still use a sway bar, and the car won’t look like a wheelbarrow.

First step was to tear down the front brakes and disassemble the entire front suspension.







I added 2" on each side of the adjusters and cut the beam.



Before I start welding the beam, I needed to get rid of as much old grease as possible... I combined heat, degreaser, water, and paper towels to remove most of it.



Incredibly boring and time-consuming... But after removing all the grease and going over the front end with a rotating wire brush, most of the rust was gone. I also cut off the snail eyes for the bump stops.



Then I set up the front end with angle iron and C-clamps to get everything reasonably straight.
VERY annoying that the adjusters doesn't have the same diameter as the tubes...
I set the adjusters so I have 1/3 adjustment for raising and 2/3 adjustment for lowering.
So if i want rally-height, that's still an option! (Maybe visit the Cold Balls event some day)


A cut in the old center section used it as a test piece to make sure I could get proper weld penetration.


Tacked in place and ready to fully weld. (Yes, I ground down the welds.)

[TPB_Karl]

Now, with the shortened beam, the shock-towers were too close together to fit under the body.
Instead of making new shock towers of my own design, I trimmed the inside of the towers and replaced it with 3mm steel plate.





The mounts was clamped into place on the car, measured to make sure it was centered from the fram head and tacked them on.
I had cleaned them up with a rotating wire brush and dipped them in Evaporust before.
I sprayed the inside of them with a rattle-can while I still had access...



Then fully welded everything. Even the steering damper mount was welded back on —
of course the same distance from the center as the original.
It’s not likely to break loose any time soon...




Now with the narrower towers, I also needed to shorten the bolts for the shock.
Quick work with the angle grinder.


Here it is — masked off for painting.



A little metal paint and a brush and it's good enough.
Not a super-finish on this beam since it was so pitted from rust...



I also bought 10 liters of Evaporust to treat all the bolts and even try dipping the entire brake drums.
I tested by soaking the control arms and steering arm overnight.





The steering arm was incredibly grimy...
But turned out really nice! Especially after a little black paint.





Feels like money well spent.
I'll be soaking the spindles and other components in it too.
That's all for now! Take care!