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Darth V8Rs project  Rating:  Rating
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 Posted: 04-15-2023 08:07 pm
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Darth V8R
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Lads, just a shot showing the floor of my car. I will be replacing both floors.
I will be updating photos occasionally.
Vance

Attachment: JH_0286[small].jpg (Downloaded 310 times)

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 Posted: 04-16-2023 07:21 pm
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noomg
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Hard to tell from the photo how extensive the corrosion is but if you have to replace the floor pans the cross members (both front and rear) will probably need replacement as well. Mine looked worse and I ended up replacing the passenger floor pan and patching the driver's side along with replacement of a couple of cross members.

Those really nice original black rubber floor mats were largely responsible for most of the rust damage. They were very good at trapping moisture under them when the car got wet.

I see orange was the original color which even back then was an acquired taste, as in usually the last one on the lot. Which is probably why like yours most of them were repainted at some point.

Just a recommendation, I assume the dash is coming out before paint. When reassembling after paint install the windshield before the dash. I did it the other way and it was a real PIA. Not to mention the windshield with no bottom support is very fragile and can be easily cracked if you're not careful.

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 Posted: 04-16-2023 10:04 pm
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Darth V8R
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After I removed one floor. A Fred Flintstone car!

Attachment: IMG_0312[floor].jpg (Downloaded 303 times)

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 Posted: 04-16-2023 10:13 pm
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Darth V8R
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noomg wrote: Hard to tell from the photo how extensive the corrosion is but if you have to replace the floor pans the cross members (both front and rear) will probably need replacement as well. Mine looked worse and I ended up replacing the passenger floor pan and patching the driver's side along with replacement of a couple of cross members.Yes, it is very hard to tell, mainly because the JHPS board limits the resolution of the picture. Careful examination (and a lot of squinting) show that the driver's floor just to the rear of the front seat support is completely perforated. When I removed the interior the only thing left in that location was undercoating. <sigh>

The rear seat support had been replaced with a piece of bar stock at some point, as that support appeared to have completely collapsed.

I have already acquired the cross members, so they will be getting replaced as well.

I stopped short of removing the rearmost section of the floor as the steel was in good shape, and I did not want to detach and reattach the trailing arm to the floor pan if I did not need to. I am concerned about keeping the alignment correct, and haven't a clue as to how to go about insuring that the rear end is properly aligned should I need to weld it back on.

I have acquired a 5 speed gearbox and prop shaft, and plan on replacing the 4 speed. Any caveats to pass along from all the Healey heads out there?

Wish me luck!

Vance

Last edited on 04-16-2023 10:19 pm by Darth V8R

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 Posted: 04-19-2023 02:55 am
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Art DeKneef
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Hopefully you took lots of measurements before removing the floor pan. When I did that to one of my cars I took lots of measurements, made some braces for the door openings and for side to side and made everything to be as level as possible in the garage. Also, I made new floor pans before I cut anything. There are a lot of spot welds to go through. Like any kind of surgery like this, it's go slow and keep checking as you proceed.

As for the 5-speed replacement you might have to check the rear joint to make sure it mates with your current rear axle. I have heard some of them had a smaller joint connection that needed to be fixed. I was lucky that mine replaced with little extra drama.

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 Posted: 04-27-2023 04:29 pm
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noomg
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Vance,

Looks like it was originally red then painted black, what color are you going to paint it?

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 Posted: 04-28-2023 03:00 am
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Darth V8R
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I was thinking conifer (a.k.a. British Racing Green) with a biscuit interior. I would need to source the materials for the retrim. Black is so unimaginative, but I want to be careful not to do something too personal - it would make the car harder to sell down the road should I get bored with it.

I am not committed to this scheme however.

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 Posted: 04-28-2023 05:29 pm
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noomg
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I don't think there's a better color combo for any LBC than BRG and tan interior IMHO. But I'd take it one step farther and go with leather interior. It's a decision you won't regret.

The fact that you're concerned about getting bored with the car tells me you haven't driven one yet. As an example only two friends have driven my Jensen-Healey, they both own one now.

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 Posted: 05-06-2023 06:18 pm
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Darth V8R
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Here is a picture of the first floor installed and seam sealed, along with the beginning effort on the second floor. My welding is truly awful, which I am blaming on inexperience and a welding helmet that is much too dark for me to see clearly when I am welding.

The dimmer setting on it seems not to work, so no matter where I set the dimmer, it always goes full on dark. I am virtually blind when I strike the arc. <Argh>

Attachment: IMG_0327[floor2].jpg (Downloaded 244 times)

Last edited on 05-06-2023 06:27 pm by Darth V8R

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 Posted: 05-06-2023 06:25 pm
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Darth V8R
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A picture of some of the damage on my dash, which I just shipped off to "Just Dashes" in Van Nuys. The estimate to reskin the dash was terrifying, but at least the UPS charge to get it there was extortionate as well.

Apparently a large, light box is an invitation to ream, steam, and clean the unsuspecting car enthusiast.


As a friend of mine retorted when I complained about the cost of tires for my Corvette, "If you wanna play, ya gotta pay". Jerk. He could have handed me a hanky to cry on, at least.

Attachment: IMG_0320.JPG (Downloaded 244 times)

Last edited on 05-06-2023 06:26 pm by Darth V8R

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 Posted: 05-07-2023 07:30 pm
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noomg
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Vance,

I've seen Just Dashes work I'd rate it mediocre at best especially considering their outrageous pricing, I took a pass. You'd be better off using a dash cap from Delta. I was fortunate that I was able to get a pristine example from a buddy's wrecked J/H.

Another option I've seen guys have their's recovered in leather at an upholstery shop and the one's I've seen look rather fantastic. I don't know what they paid but I'm willing to bet it was far less than anything Just Dashes does and looks way better. Also I've heard they have a very long turn around time. Hopefully things go better for you.

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 Posted: 05-17-2023 08:37 pm
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Darth V8R
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Lads:
Got my wheels back from the Wheel Doctor in NE Portland. Wheels were media blasted, powder coated in gloss black, diamond cut on the faces, and clear coated. Lastly, some inexpensive radials were mounted.

They turned out better than new, and will look terrific on the car if I ever get the body work done. =:-o

Cheers,

Vance

Attachment: Restored Wheels.jpg (Downloaded 234 times)

Last edited on 05-17-2023 08:43 pm by Darth V8R

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 Posted: 05-18-2023 08:24 pm
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noomg
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Vance,

I'm glad you choose a rescue dog over a turnkey. It means they'll be one more back on the road. That's a good thing since they only made about 10,000 in the first place. I'd guestimate there are at best somewhere between 1,000 to 2,000 survivors and that includes everything from mint condition to just barely still restoreable.

The wheels turned out very nicely which is good news because the question of where to get original wheels restored pops up from time to time.

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 Posted: 06-19-2023 01:19 am
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vnavaret
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Lads:
A few photos of the project, making slow progress.

The passenger floor is in, although I could not install the seat rails as Robey mistakenly sent me two left hand rails instead of a right and left.

I contacted them via email, and they are dispatching a correct right hand rail. So for now I am done with the passenger floor...

Anyway, here is a shot of both floors welded into place.


Attachment: IMG_0344[2].jpg (Downloaded 205 times)

Last edited on 06-19-2023 03:38 am by vnavaret

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 Posted: 06-19-2023 01:24 am
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vnavaret
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Here is a shot of the repairs I have started on the right front inner fender. After I ground away layers of bondo and paint in the engine bay, I discovered that at some point the nose of a parts car had been crudely grafted on to the front of my car. I can tell this because the paint is a different color, a sort of ocher (visible under the orange paint in the top left corner). Anyway, the nose was poorly welded on, the horrific body work hidden under bondo and black paint.

In this photo I have straightened and reattached the frame with some short strips of steel, and cut away some of the wrinkled sheet metal. I have started welding in some new sheet metal to replace some of the repaired section, which had cracked and rusted through.

The front section of the car was being held on only by the outer fenders, since the inner fenders were completely perforated/torn/cracked, and the frame welds had broken through completely. <heavy sigh>

Attachment: IMG_0343[1].jpg (Downloaded 206 times)

Last edited on 06-19-2023 01:43 am by vnavaret

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 Posted: 06-19-2023 01:31 am
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vnavaret
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Lastly, here is the front left inner fender showing the state of the repairs made by my PO. Note that the front of the frame is free floating by virtue of its completely failed welds. Also note the ragged attachment of the inner fender, and many (not shown) perforations from rust. The frame will be cleaned up, reattached, and receive welded reinforcements. The tip of the frame is also badly misaligned, so I will be using a hydraulic jack before reattachment to push it back into alignment. The inner fender bodges will be cut away and replaced with new metal.

I had never welded before, but I have been forced to learn on this car. It is a real challenge!

I am using a $250 flux MIG welder which is messy, but is getting the job done. After cleanup the work actually looks decent. Stay tuned for more updates in the near future.

After this, I will be tackling the rust in the quarter panels, and by then I expect to be pretty dang good at welding with my cheapo welder.

Vance

Attachment: IMG_0342[1].jpg (Downloaded 207 times)

Last edited on 06-19-2023 02:10 am by vnavaret

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 Posted: 07-12-2023 07:01 pm
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vnavaret
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Cut out the bad welds on the driver side front frame rail, and used a porta-power hydraulic ram to straighten it out. Worked very well, and I can now proceed with cutting out rotten sheet metal and welding in new steel. My welding skills are slowly improving, so by the time I start to work on the fenders (wings) I should be able to make some pretty much invisible repairs.

Attachment: IMG_0345_small.jpg (Downloaded 185 times)

Last edited on 07-12-2023 07:01 pm by vnavaret

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 Posted: 07-13-2023 08:14 pm
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redracer
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Vance: I didn't look closely the first time, but I see what you're talking about upon further enlarging. The front "clip" slides into that portion(I have 2 of them I cut out years ago) so hopefully, they are welded way back into that opening and not just at the frontal area shown?

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 Posted: 08-04-2023 05:40 pm
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vnavaret
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redracer wrote: Vance: I didn't look closely the first time, but I see what you're talking about upon further enlarging. The front "clip" slides into that portion(I have 2 of them I cut out years ago) so hopefully, they are welded way back into that opening and not just at the frontal area shown?
I used strips of 1/8" steel and reinforced the joins on three sides (the fourth side is not enclosed from the factory). Suffice to say that front clip is not going anywhere. Although not as pretty, it is stronger than the original factory joins.
Vance

Last edited on 08-06-2023 06:31 pm by vnavaret

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 Posted: 08-04-2023 05:51 pm
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vnavaret
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Lads:
Just wanted to show the completed repairs on the driver side inner fender. I have a couple of pinholes to touch up, but it is done and I am moving on to the quarter panels.

In other news, Just Dashes has had my dash for four months now, and I am still waiting. Not recommended not to mention the high cost of getting the dash reskinned in the first place.

Ordered seat covers from a UK supplier with a 4 week lead time. Selected biscuit as the color, so I am now committed to my BRG/Biscuit color combo.

I also received precut panel pieces (ordered on eBay) that I will cover in matching vinyl. I am thinking a medium brown for the carpet, but have not committed to that yet.

The quarter panel repairs will be very sensitive to good welds and fitment, which is why I am doing them last - I have had lots of practice on repairing sections that are not cosmetic.

Vance

Attachment: IMG_0346[1].jpg (Downloaded 164 times)

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