Once you start picking.....
 

This is the area above the typical rust spot behind the subframe which I had welded up a couple of years ago.


I chiseled off the top layer and found this.


http://www.racediagnostics.com/home/.../tower%200.jpg


From the inside it looks like this.


http://www.racediagnostics.com/home/...%200point5.jpg


A bit more cutting.


http://www.racediagnostics.com/home/.../tower%201.jpg


That looked a bit tricky to fit a new part to so simplified the shape.


http://www.racediagnostics.com/home/.../tower%202.jpg


Card template.


http://www.racediagnostics.com/home/.../tower%203.jpg


Bent it bit by bit in the vice to get the shape.


http://www.racediagnostics.com/home/.../tower%204.jpg


Tacked on a bolt to help position.


http://www.racediagnostics.com/home/.../tower%205.jpg


Fettled till it fitted.


http://www.racediagnostics.com/home/.../tower%206.jpg


Will weld up tomorrow.

Dang RD, you'll have a whole new car before this rust odyssey is over. Great write up's and I'm sure everyone appreciates the time you take to post your adventures.

Impressive! Look out Ed China :-)

Picked a bit more....


http://www.racediagnostics.com/home/.../tower%207.jpg


The bracket came off without too much of a fight.


http://www.racediagnostics.com/home/.../tower%208.jpg


I'll weld in a new section after cleaning up.

http://www.racediagnostics.com/home/.../tower%209.jpg


Cooking in hot citric acid.

http://www.racediagnostics.com/home/...tower%2010.jpg

Making slow progress here due to little free time, working days and evenings, the MOT is due next Monday but I will need to push that back.Just welded a new patch into the bracket since the last update.http://www.racediagnostics.com/home/...er/tower11.jpg

Looks good. Pandora's box was opened.

You make that look so easy but in reality I know it's just because you've done this a lot... Guessing anyways. Good thing rust isn't too prone where I'm at. Nice work, keep at it.

I must say Race Diagnostics I have been watching your posts for a while - always informative and interesting. I can tackle most mechanical jobs but the welding and bodywork is best left to others. Nonetheless, your post do inspire me to learn welding and I would like to thank you for taking time in the middle of a job to take pictures and provide commentary. It's really appreciated, cheers

I would encourage others to have a go, I use a second hand welder I picked up on gumtree for about £80. I have had one hours mig training at a local college which was close to worthless, everything else I learned from welding forums and watching wheeler dealers.:icon_wink:


I am not very neat but I feel that I do the thing right and put in the hours to get it right, its not easy to buy that kind of meticulousness from a shop unless you are willing to pay big bucks.


I had pretty much never picked up a wrench till 5 years ago after being inspired by wheeler dealers to go out and buy the 450SL below. Of course without the collective knowledge of everyone here and at Benzworld maintaining these two would be impossible..... or unaffordable.

Some more progress this evening.http://www.racediagnostics.com/home/...tower%2012.jpg

Got a full day in today.

http://www.racediagnostics.com/home/...tower%2013.jpg

Made up a patch for under the wing.

http://www.racediagnostics.com/home/...tower%2014.jpg

Not pretty as it was difficult to weld up under the wing.

http://www.racediagnostics.com/home/...tower%2015.jpg

Then started picking at this new hole near the jacking point. It just got bigger and bigger, forgot to take a pic of the full extent, its another crazy double skinned area.

http://www.racediagnostics.com/home/...tower%2016.jpg

Anyway its about half done now.

http://www.racediagnostics.com/home/...tower%2017.jpg

Ok, I'll close this thread off with this pic, the last of the welding for the time being.

Having been used as a daily driver for 4 years and >30k miles, I think its time to make this a summer only car, it just can't take our salty winters.

http://www.racediagnostics.com/home/...tower%2018.jpg