[giulia_veloce]

Hey guys.

Hope this hasnt been mentioned anywhere else on the BB,but did anyone know that the front sill section (under the front gaurd ) was different.
I had them made here and sold some to a few Alfa restorers.
When they got them,they asked why we made the front edges different.
I asked the noisy guy that made them,and he said= I coppied them as i saw them from an original car.
I asked the Alfa restorers to cut the bottoms off their gaurds,and they believed me and said =gee,you are right.
I suppose the cant really be seen,because they are hidden under the gaurd,but thought it was interesting.
It takes him about 3 hrs to make them from a flat piece of metal.
I guess he is a real Panel Beater.
Oh,,the noise when he makes them = wear ear protection.

Robert

 

[1750GT]

Robert, I don't recall this being pointed out by anyone before. Your guy is one heck of a beater.....he does nice work indeed. I don't know what the labour rate is down under but if he were where I live....at 3 hours per piece....I would be tempted to go for a complete new outer sill! Now would your guy be able to reproduce the flat panel that is directly behind this piece? Can you get a price for this from him?

 

[giulia_veloce]

Hey 1750GT

Yes,its an interesting thing ,the difference in the sill ends.
Maybe,next time someone cuts off the bottoms of their gaurds,they can verify it.(original cars only that havent been replaced previously,of corse).
As for your question,only cars that come here get repaired by him.Nothing seems to be impossible by him.The piece in question, is not normally a problem in Australian cars.
I only ever saw him repair one side(the piece you are talking about)..He just cut it out,repaired or replaces it,(butt welds,not overlapped),grinds the welds,makes it look original.
We played around with a few sills,purchased from overseas,and found that too much was required to make them fit properly.So he removes the complete outter sill,repairs it,generally replacing the front section as in the pics.Also,repairs to inner sills if required.
Just looking at the threads in the BB about body repairs,I find the Aussie cars dont rust as bad as the overseas cars.
Maybe Akitaman (hope i spelled it correctly) can supply or recommend someone over there that can help you with that section.He does fantastic work.And maybe he can recommend some that can supply good quality sills that dont require 3 days to fit.
I have learned a lot from my panel beater.Its done here in my factory,but he is a noisy bugger.Make sure everything is lined up on the sill before its welded on.Especially the bottom of the door-the sill gap.Amazing how many cars out there have had the sills replaced and they dont line up.(big gaps).
By the way.the sections in the pic are 1.1mm zinc anneal.The original sill is .8 to.9 mm.
Harder to shape,but lasts longer.
Anyway,this has been great typing practice.
Hope this helped.
Ill post some pics shortly of some work he has done,and some tips I learned.
Most of you know the tricks,but some dont.
Lets encourage the ones that dont,and might be inspired.

Robert

pics to come

 

[giulia_veloce]

Well,its 3pm,I have a headache,Its beach weather,but I have to stay here a few more hours.I cant go home,cause the wife will make me clean the gutters etc,so Ill waste some time here.
Some pics of repairs that inspire me.
Sorry about the quality of the pics,the camera makes the repairs look bad.
Best part is the door,boot and bonnet gaps.All even.
Ok guys,what would we all prefer?. Original uneven gaps or factory gaps that range from 1mm to 10 mm,or 5mm gaps all the way.
I always hated the bootlid on 105 cars that always sit up when closed.
As in the pics,its perrrfect.Yes there is a boot rubber installed.
Door gaps are perfect.There is no door rubber in them at the moment,but it was done with door rubbers installed.
How many 105 cars doors dont close easily,and stick out when closed.?.??
Easier to modify + repair them now ,before its painted.All close perfectly with rubbers installed.
Floors are done here.Bad pieces removed,remade using new steel,butt welded in place (not overlapped,)using a number 4 oxy tip..
Anyway,if anyone is interested,ill keep writing and keep the pics going.
You never are too old to learn.I learn everyday.
Will someone teach me something new please.

 

[giulia_veloce]

1300 junior 1970 pics drop nose

Gee,the pics make the car look bad.Oh well.
many have visited here and have appreciated the work.
What you are looking at is bare steel.
It has a special coating on it that stops it rusting.
The whole car is file finished.
Will hopefully be a concourse car when finished.

 

[rafael]

thanks for sharing the pictures. Your panel beater is really an artist...

 

[giulia_veloce]

He sure is.
He did his panel beating apprenticeship at Mercedes Benz Prototype department Germany.
Came to Australia,couldnt speak much english,and was sweeping floors at a panel beating shop.
Pity he now has a full time job at a Porche panel beating specialist,but he works for me part time,I like the quality,but hate the NOISE.
I saw him yesterday at his work.He still uses his Snap On panel beating hammer after 18 years.Its had a few different handles though.

 

[1750GT]

Well I'm inspired!....but I'm still at the floor structure repair stage and not the fine tuning detail and fit-up stage. Now if only your guy could come up here for the summer I could sure use a hand in that department.

 

[giulia_veloce]

Hey again Rossano.
Im just taking all the credit for his work.
He make things look so easy,and nothing is a problem.
I remember him taking off the front panel(pictured) from the President at the time,AROCA N.S.W,GSGT.
It was off in about 20 minutes.(air hacksaw)
We both said= hope he knows how to put that back on.
Back to your floors,There is an easy way and a hard way.
The easy way= You take all the bits off first = seats,carpet,sound deadening etc.Clean it up the best you can.Then give it to a panel beater to do it properly.
You will get a better job done,and save yourself a lot of money.
Most panel beaters wont take the time to remove things.
Amazing how many floor sections are welded in overlapped instead of butt welded.It doesnt take that much extra time.
The picture shows a GSGT drop nose front panel that he repaired.Hope you can see the shrink marks (oxy).Its also file finished .Its nearly completed.
He makes things look sooooooo easy.Im sure lots of panel beaters can do the same thing,just prepare the sections for them before you give them the car.
Sorry about the picture quality,it makes the part look yuk.

Robert

 

[giulia_veloce]

I think Im getting off the subject off sills here,but ,here is a pic of a genuine Alfa,NOS sill that we use for measurements.Also,some of the NOS panels allso used for measurements.
The parts are used to make templates etc,for bottoms of gaurds.sill shapes,curves etc.
Thanks for helping me with the typing practice and the use of my camera to put pics on here.
Its written to inspire people.
As said previously,its written for the people that dont know,as there are a lot that do know.
Any comments welcome.

Robert

 

[karmat]

Wow Robert, that's a lot of NOS panels in that shop! I cut apart the sills on my 1968 GTV and they looked just like the ones pictured in your post #10. They are original to the car. Any idea when they were changed to this style? 1968 was a transitional year so maybe that's why it had the later ones?

Karl

 

[1750GT]

Robert....while we're on the subject of fits and gaps.....what does the gap around the hood measure at? Is it the same as the doors (not that it should be...just wondering really)? Also, because now that my hood and front wing are off the car, I would like to have this information available for when I do get to that stage of the resto.

Thanks

 

[Alex]

Hi Robert,

Just scooting around for some info following the PM I sent you a day or so. What happened to the photos in this thread? Seems like someone just came in when nobody was looking and made them vanish into thin air ...!!