What to do with bent GTV

[gigem75]

The only collision shops we have around here are machines that only take 16 digit vin numbers and oak trees. I think the first step would be to dissemble the front end and then start pulling using the dimensions LT said were around here somewhere. Really don't have anything to loose and a lot to learn.
I have a great spider and GTV and will need to move one out of the shop or build a bigger shop or maybe get creative in the packaging. I do need to sell my jet ski to get it out of there that would give me lots more room.

[Subtle]

Subscribe..........

[spyder16]

A good body shop (Continental Collision in N. Austin) can do miracles with laser measuring frame machines. Probably find one in Houston as well.

[jjeffries]

...with the set of 105 fixtures. Do we collectively know who has such a set-up in this country? Alfaholics does. I realize that you may not wish to deal with the expense/hassle of this project, but in terms of "how to fix your shell", it can be surprising, once the the body is mounted on the "table", how little force is needed to push/pull the car straight (as evidenced by the two Ozzie blokes getting results just with come-alongs, as referenced above). I wish I had one (Celette bench plus fixtures). Check out the Porsche specific DDK website (UK) to look at a guy in England by the name of Barry who does nothing but restore one lovely 911 shell after another using his Celette bench....and prodigious experience/skill. John

[Pat Padden]

Gigem...this one'll be fun to watch.

[gigem75]

Here is the problem, on the vertical wall where the steering box mounts is wavey. I can take a straight edge and see at least a half an inch of daylite, whereas on the white parts car it is straight,


I would like to take the front and fenders off and have that exposed for repair. Any suggestions on the best way to take the front and fenders off?

[ossodiseppia]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gigem75 Here is the problem, on the vertical wall where the steering box mounts is wavey. I can take a straight edge and see at least a half an inch of daylite, whereas on the white parts car it is straight, I would like to take the front and fenders off and have that exposed for repair. Any suggestions on the best way to take the front and fenders off?

[60sRacer]

Here's the dimensions.

Robert

[Gordon Raymond]

With out the exterior sheet metal off, you will be pulling against that outer shell as well and it WILL wrinkle. (If you want, ask how I know that!) Once off, you can restore the front stub frame. Metal has a "memory" and will come back closely to where it was originally assembled. You will have to pull just slightly further to get it to stay straight.
I have a concern as to why the rear sheet metal was swapped out, and that bears a close inspection to determine if the car had only sheet metal damage back there, or structural damage as well.
Obviously the front end sheet metal was installed after the damaged exterior body work was removed, and, as mentioned above, the current exterior sheet may have been altered to fit the twisted front end. It will have to be altered again, in some areas to fit the correctly dimensioned stub frame.
I am VERY familiar with this situation, having done this identical job. One thing to constantly watch is maintaining correct front suspension mounting points in relation to one another, both right to left to firewall, and upper and lower to one another and firewall. Failure here gives you a straight body and stub frame, with crooked front suspension mounting points.

[180OUT]

Mike, why don't you call Robert Rogers and ask who he uses? Since he builds/repairs vintage Alfas, he's going to know all about what to do and who to use. Besides, it's not all that far from where you live. You could tow it over in the morning and be back by early afternoon.

[gigem75]

That's a good idea. i'll drop him a line.
I got the white car cleaned up and inside on rollers. This may be the long hard way of doing it but I was thinking of taking the crossmember and frame rails from the white one and putting them on the red one?
Thanks for the dimensions!

[gigem75]

Here is what I'm dealing with. Fender/s would have to come off. The vertical panel would have to be straight/vertical. Basically have to take the car apart and would like to use the good white panel in the red car. Or replace all the floor pans and inner,middle, and outer rocker panels and all wings on white car. I need a project but not a Waterloo.
ideas?

[ossodiseppia]

How about removing everything from the firewall forward and grafting on that same portion from the donor car?

[gigem75]

That's kinda my thinking. Actually taking one apart that far will be interesting. If anyone has ever done that I'd sure be much obliged fur some sort of order and method. I don't have any jigs or special tools but just enough knowledge to screw up two cars. But hey, what have I got to lose. Granted I could put the red car back together, it has had all the rust fixed did drive straight and lined up fine but it would never be near worth the effort it would take to get it back to this.

[180OUT]

It's called "clipping" and really should be done by an experienced bodyshop. People who are good at this can make one car out of two and it's hard to tell where one begins and the other ends. In the days before "salvage titles" it was fairly common for junk-yards to rebuild total write offs into more or less viable cars. It's skilled work but if you can find someone with the experience to advise, you'd have a great project.