Post-War Other All apart, really frustrated and not sure what to do.

[70herald]

Well getting everything apart was not to difficult but now I have run into a real problem. I spent the day going around to different body shops trying to find someone who could weld me a new floor. Basically all the local shops looked at me like I am crazy and said no. I also have tried to get any sort of welder and it seems to be impossible to rent anything other than an arc welder so I can't do it myself either.

Now the biggest problem is with the drivers side floor which has huge holes. At this point, I think I am either going get a large of sheet metal and pop rivet and glue it in place with polyurethane type glue.

Anyway any ideas as to how thick the sheet metal should be? Better to put on on the top or bottom? At this point I am so ticked off with the whole thing that if someone came by and offered to take it I would give it to them :blue:

 

[NutmegCT]

Just a thought - are there any other classic car owners in the Jerusalem area? Maybe they'd know who does welding?

Tom
PS - what car?

 

[TomMull]

I agree with Tom above, you need to find the right shop or individual. The floor replacements do not require advanced welding skills. Although most of us have done pop rivet repairs they are much like putting duct tape on a leaky hose; not a permanent repair. By the way, original sheet metal was 18 ga. Perhaps you could also describe "everything apart." If you are really into it, it may the time to do it right.
Tom

 

[TR3driver]

How about laying down some fiberglass instead? I've used it before and been quite happy with the results. Easy to apply, can't rust, and as strong as you'd like. Put down one layer and let that harden, then add more layers as you see fit. It will easily bridge small gaps. For larger gaps, you can glue the dry cloth in place over the gap (using resin for glue), then go back and add another layer once the "glue" has hardened. Or use a piece of screen wire to bridge the opening.

For smaller patches in awkward places, I find that epoxy (JB Weld) works better than fiberglass resin. Start with a piece of plastic (like an old Ziploc bag) and coat one side with JB Weld, then lay the fiberglass cloth over it. Butter the surface where you want the patch with JB Weld, then stick the patch to it. The JB Weld will penetrate and lock into the cloth. After it hardens, you can usually just peel the plastic away. Or sand, file, etc. the surface to shape as desired.

Not a very good shot, but you can see an old fiberglass repair in this photo. The repair was done around 1985, photo taken in 2009 I think (after the car had been wrecked and sitting outdoors for several years).

 

[70herald]

I actually went around looking for shops with collectors cars, and found a number of them. One guy told me he brought the car to Russia to have it rebuilt there. That won't help me allot. I know that out of Jerusalem there are a few places which can do this but dragging the body around is a bit of a problem. Another shop apparently had a bad experience with an Austin that the owner never came back to pay and wasn't interested in playing with old cars any more.... I stopped at allot of places today.

I added a picture, to give an idea of "everything" off and there is even more off than in that picture. Basically I have stripped the bulkhead down to the rusty painted metal with no accessories.
I actually stripped out a nasty layer of fiberglass that was not attached to the metal I have no idea it didn't stick because it wasn't applied properly or was put on dirty rusty metal, but it was basically just siting on top of the metal trapping moisture in place.

 

[TomMull]

It looks like you have a substantial project ahead of you. I don't know what your time frame is or what you expect the outcome to be and more importantly, what your budget is. Sending it to Russia or even hiring a restorer in Israel will be very expensive. Getting help with the welding, if a welder can be found, has it's drawbacks too. Much cheaper, of course, but you are at the mercy of the welder getting everything to fit.
Have you considered DIY? Parts for the Herald are available and not too expensive, at least before shipping charges are added in. A new floor pan cost about the same as two hours of welding and a gas MIG welder costs about the same as two floor pans. Welding in new panels is not all that hard to do.
Tom
Tom

 

[70herald]

I know that the parts are not to expensive and the floor panels I need are available. That is what is so frustrating. Unfortunately getting the MIG welder is the problem. In the US there are so many reasonably priced small welders available or rentals. I have not found any sort of rentals here, and the only welders available are high priced high power professional models.

Basically I think I will clean it up tomorrow, put a layer of fiberglass on and start getting ready for paint.

 

[Gliderman8]

It's hard to imagine that you can't scrounge up a MIG in Israel. It would seem that someone who restores cars must have one in their garage. I know you have looked so I'm not doubting you; I understand your frustration. When I got my 6, the PO had pop riveted in some thin sheet metal on the drivers side, put fiberglass over it and it was a mess. On the passenger side he did the same to match. I ended up getting a new drivers side floor and welded it in with a borrowed MIG and it was not very hard to do.

 

[TuffTR250]

For the floors in my TR3 I spot welded them in. If you could find just a spot welder that would work for the floors. Also, for patching the body, there are two ways that repair can be done. Either butt weld or lap weld. Butt weld is quite difficult and must be taken real slow to avoid to much heat. For lap welds, again all you need is a spot welder. You can then put a good quality body sealer around the edges of the patch and it works quite well as long as you are not looking for a true restoration. In my opinion Lap welds are better than pop rivet and fiberglass and not much more difficult.
Regards,
Bob

 

[TR3driver]

As perverse as this sounds, you might look into having a hobbyist grade unit shipped from the US. Some of the inverter units are actually not too heavy. This one, for example, only weighs 30 kg and ships to "most" countries.
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200577737_200577737

 

[70herald]

I would love to get a little welder like that shipped over here. (actually I would need a 220v welder which is a bit bigger) but by the time that welder made it here, after shipping and taxes is would be an $800 welder.

Spot welding might be an idea, as far as I know, something similar to spot welding can be done with an arc welder and I do have access to an arc welder. Also from what I saw on the internet, with thin electrodes (1.6mm) an arc welder would actually work (not ideal but usable) I spent allot of time going around to all the supply shops in Jerusalem and couldn't find anything thinner than 2.5mm

 

[TR3driver]

I just bought a gizmo advertised as allowing spot welding with a stick welder. https://www.harborfreight.com/welding/spot-welders/spot-weld-gun-98759.html
Haven't had a chance to try it yet, though, can't seem to find the AC plug for my stick welder.

I don't know what you'd pay for import duty, but it might still be worth asking about prices with shipping. Shipping from the US tends to be a lot cheaper than the other way, just because we consume more than we produce and the ships have to go both ways. Also, some vendors on eBay, for example, have their goods drop-shipped from China and so shipping costs are pretty much the same anywhere.

 

[bobhustead]

I brought my TR3 home in August of 07, put it on the road in may of 12. Everything was worse than it seemed. I had to take months off for a welding course, cut up and remake after market body parts, make inner sills after the ones I bought did not even pretend to fit. I sprayed and sanded off almost 2 gallons of paint. Body parts that fit each other fine when I took it apart were strangers when I went to put it together. I lay awake many hours worrying about the car. I know how you feel. Stick with it. Bob

 

[59Rob]

You can also glue the sheet metal on if you can't get your hands on a Mig. They make a panel adhesive now that is as strong a bond as a weld, only down side is it's more like a lap weld. If it's done on a visible panel like a fender, you would flange the fender so it has a recessed area that you can set the patch in to make it flush.

Good luck and don't give up, you're not the only one with a car in a million pieces, I have a few like that

 

[Kleykamp]

You can also glue the sheet metal on if you can't get your hands on a Mig.
Yep! I've seen this done of floors on a TR4 before. They cut the old floors out leaving a 1-2 inch ledge around the perimeter. The cut the new floors to lay on the ledge. You have to get the surfaces perfectly clean. A bead of panel bonding adhesive in put on the bonding surface and clamped. Many cars made today use this for quarter panels and structural panels...including BMW. The product is not cheap and you have to have a special gun to mix and apply adhesive and hardener together, but I checked it out for one car I had and it would have been cheaper than a welder or paying someone to do it for me.

 

[jeep937]

Oh to live in America where every guy with a beard has a welder and there are millions of shops on every corner...
What about Uri Hoff? That guy in Israel from the Jesse James Blacksmith show?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fp6k9AjH29g