Austin A35 Project

[gazza82]

Here's a pic of the new "flanges" on the nearside I've had to create to replace what was "de-laminated rust":

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You should also be see the new piece I've welded in the front panel. That will eventually be attached to the patch that is going into the valance soon.


And this is going to be attached using the Pliogrip .. in fact this one has but I've not been down the garage to check it this weekend ..

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Behind that will be the valance and that will be bonded to this new piece on the flange that sticks out the reverse side. Then the side and those new flanges will be joined to this new piece

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Hopefully by the end of the week this piece will be inplace and immovable!

[Dick]

Pliogrip, that sounds interesting.. let me know what happens

[gazza82]

Think this is called "the point of no return"

Bit missing there ...

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The outer sill was very corroded and had very little strength ..

[gazza82]

Pliogrip, that sounds interesting.. let me know what happens

In the end I only used it to fix the two patches I made to go over the front lower edge of the wheel arch and the small return flanges. After a few gentle tweaks to get the angle right to fit over that new panel they were still attached. I've got to use it again for the valance patches but will leave it until I use it on the rear panels behind the wheel arches. I plan to bond the curved patches on rather than welding so avoiding distorting the original metal.

Pretty sure as long as the two surfaces are really clean and rust free they will be on there permanently.

My problem at the moment is it is too cold and the epoxy takes a few days to properly harden.

So I've moved on to the sills. Both of which need replacing and both will be welded one. It's taken a couple of afternoons to remove the old metal and clean up the inner sill where the welding will take place. Now need to trim the new sill to fit around the B-post and over the rear side panel. Must be 1/2" of lead filler over the old joint.

[Dick]

Could you warm up the metal to set the glue? I use something similar to fix bolts into walls and it's great except when it's cold..trying to warm up walls is a bit more complicated..

[gazza82]

Could you warm up the metal to set the glue? I use something similar to fix bolts into walls and it's great except when it's cold..trying to warm up walls is a bit more complicated..

That's an idea. I'll try that on the rear end patches

[gazza82]

Having removed the remnants of the old sill and tidied the edges, I've not got to align the new one.

It has a slightly larger gap than I want at the rear under the B-post where it overlaps the old bodywork and there is a gap under the A-post which needs to be sorted. The photo was taken before I moved the sill up a tad to closer to its final resting place.

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Once the alignment is sorted I've got to rust-proof the inner sill before it is covered over. And once the car is finished I'll probably spray some waterproofing/rust-preventative into the void (there are some handy drainage holes in the inner sill!)

[Dick]

Did the pliogrip work? Would it work for plastic panels? A mates tractor bonnet support has come unstuck..

[gazza82]

Did the pliogrip work? Would it work for plastic panels? A mates tractor bonnet support has come unstuck..

It's not been tested under road conditions .. as it's still a work-in-progress and a shell ... but I couldn't pull the parts off I used it on - not without damaging the existing metal.

It is basically an epoxy-resin so I don't see any reason why not.

It seems to be very similar to JBWeld though so if you only need a small amount, try that first. Pliogrip only comes in larger canisters similar to diy silicon/caulk and the nozzles are one-use, and about £1 each!, as the epoxy dries hard after a few minutes and clogs them.

I've got a few clogged ones at £2 each!

[gazza82]

Closed up some of the gap at the rear of the sill at the B-post .. just removing a small section of the end of the upper flange has meant that the sill now sits closer.

Still need to sort the gap under the A-post but as Balrick said "I have a cunning plan!" ... just hoping my plan is more successful that some of Baldrick's!!

I've also removed the lower inner wheel arch seal mounting plates .. these sit on the outer edges and hold a rubber strip against the inside of the wing. The problem is that rubber had cracked and allowed moisture and detritus through and it sits slowly rotting away from the inside. It was spot welded on and has had to be ground off. The edge of the wheel arch behind needs patching as that rust was also behind the seal!

Nearside ... ahhhh ....

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Offside .. not quite as bad!

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