November 2010 Continued welding

 
     

November 8th & 9th: In the A-pillar a weldnut is added to later fasten the front wing in a proper way. The original specification is a parker in a normal hole. Even though the weldnut in this position is not original it will improve the connection and therefore it will be made like this. After the repairs to the RH sill to return it to its original condition it's now the turn for the LH sill. The RH and the LH sill had a different geometry, most probably this is caused by the fact that 1 side had a repair piece welded? With the aid of the very clear pictures provided by a kind Dutch Alfa club member the sills can be restored to the original factory condition. Quite some work but the end result will look much better than the current condition. The amount of rust in the sill is little, the most attention can be given to make the repair piece of the sill by hand.

A-pillar lower section in need of some tender love and care.

 

Weldnut in position to provide a solid connection to the front wing.

 

LH sill with relatively little rust damage..

 

Hand made repair piece welded in position.

 

Trial fit of LH front wing to determine the correct geometry for the sill.

Superbly restored LH sill.

During the restoration activities of the past few months both the LH and RH jack point have collapsed under the load of the vehicle introduced by the 2-column bridge. Luckily the welder has no problems with such an "easy task" and the damage to the these jacking points is repaired quickly.

LH jacking point collapsed under load of vehicle..

LH jacking point repaired..

November 10th: A very kind Dutch Alfa Romeo club member provided me with pictures on how the is supposed to be attached to the right inner wing in the service area. Due to the fact that this portion of the inner wing was completely rotten away on my vehicle and the windscreen washer bag was loosely positioned in the service are I had no idea how the bag should be attached. The clear pictures this gentlemen provided resolved this matter and now all I have to do is to look for the clamps. A great thanks to the friendly gentleman who provided the pictures. This gentleman also provided the clear pictures for the sill geometry some time before so he appears to be a real guardian angel.

Windscreen washer bag attached to rh inner wing with 2 metal clamps.

 

Windscreen washer bag attached to rh inner wing with 2 metal clamps.

 

Detailed view of metal clamp for windscreen washer bag attachment.

 

 

November 19th: The next task is again quite a big one. The front windscreen frame is severely affected by rust damage and therefore needs to be replaced. The good thing is that a complete new window frame is available to replace the current rotten one.

Rust damage to windscreen frame.

 

RH A-pillar section of windscreen frame brushed clean to expose the original weldspots.

 

LH A-pillar section of windscreen frame filled with the infamous foam.

 

LH A-pillar foam and rust affected removed.

 

H A-pillar pretty clean.

 

RH A-pillar infamous foam and rust affected steel.

 

RH A-pillar strange geometry of window frame near service area.

 

November 20th: After the removal the strangest thing is the completely different geometry between the LH and RH section near the fender rail. Luckily the new window frame contains the original geometry for this section and therefore the current different geometries will be removed and replaced by the original geometry. Most probably both corners of the window frame have been replaced by a previous owner at some point in time with repair sections which were different. Anyway it will be brought back to the proper geometry. The window frame will be replaced and welded in position with plug welds as it is supposed to be originally. Welding such a big part which is easy deformable requires real craftsmanship. Luckily the welder is such a person and with the aid of pliers the frame comes into perfect position. The end result looks great, even the detail of the small ledge is made perfectly. Especially the connection of the new window frame to the bonnet and the fender is magnificent. The quality of this connection was very different before the welder began his job.

RH A-pillar strange geometry of window frame near service area.

 

LH A-pillar strange geometry of window frame near service area.

 

Brand new windshield frame which was delivered to a Belgian dealer in Brussels in 1990.

 

Lower section plug welded.

 

LH & RH side now have the same correct shape at the bottom.

 

Very nice flush fit of windshield frame, bonnet and fender.

 

RH A-pillar welded and excess material grinded away.

Even the details of the line on th RH A-pillar are perfect again.

November 25th: Today the A-pillar section of the windshield frame on the LH-side will be welded. Pliers are used to position the part properly during welding. Just like on the RH-side holes are drilled in the windshield frame and then filled with welding material to replicate the original status. After welding excess material is grinded flat and a smooth surface remains. As a finishing touch and orange coloured anti-rust coating is applied. The next task to tackle is to check the status of the LH rear window frame. Basically the window frame is in fine condition except for a portion near the B-pillar. The material which doesn't need any attention is treated with anti-corrosive coating and the portion which needs treatment will be dealt with in 2011. Due to the quite severe winter weather the garage is too cold to work in so work for 2010 is finished. A lot of work done by the welder at a high level quality, thanks!!

LH A-pillar held in position with pliers.

 

LH A-pillar welded and excess weld material grinded away.

 

LH A-treated with anti-corrosion material.

 

LH rear window frame with bad portion near B-pillar.

 

Luckily only the section near the B-pillar is bad on the LH-side.

Section of LH rear window frame which needs mending.