bottom of windscreen pillar

[Ian Durrant]

This was a rusty crack in the paint til I poked it

[wb50]

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what did you poke it with a sledge hammer?

[Ian Durrant]

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what did you poke it with a sledge hammer?

No just a screwdriver and a ballpein hammer.

There was a thick (3mm) layer of filler and it had cracked and rust was staining the paint. This is probably a bodge that was done when it was bare metal resprayed in 1989. this is what was under the filler.

[redstag]

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Common for them to go here. Any sign of rust in this area should be treated with great suspicion.

Repairable but a pain of a job to do properly as the pillar has a reinforcing panel inside. You will need to remove the gutter (brazed top and bottom)then strip back to good metal and repair each layer before replacing the gutter.



Pete

[Ian Durrant]

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The panel thats inside is a reinforcing panel? It's very thin metal and on mine is floating freely not attached to the inner surface of the screen pillar on the left or the wing on the right. It looks more like some kind of internal gutter. If I need to get in and repair that I think I might finally have found the job thats beyond me :-(

[rjahunter]

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Snap !

[Moraystag]

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Ian Durrant wrote:

This was a rusty crack in the paint til I poked it

Sorry to see this Ian, thought my foot pan saga was a hard one, but this looks like it may be a bitch to sort out. Hope you have a cunning plan though



Mike

[dasadrew]

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Snap #2 :P

[dasadrew]

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redstag wrote:

....... the pillar has a reinforcing panel inside.....

Pete

bit puzzled on this. Haven't opened mine out yet, but I can only identify the inner pillar frame (B), the outer pillar frame (A) (which overlap), and then the rain gutter (C) which is riveted over both of them.

POSTSCRIPT: was just in the garage - I see what you mean now! (A) is that reinforcing section and sits inside the windscreen frame itself. You're right - that repair is going to be a small challenge!

[NickA]

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dasadrew wrote:

redstag wrote:

....... the pillar has a reinforcing panel inside.....

Pete

bit puzzled on this. Haven't opened mine out yet, but I can only identify the inner pillar frame (B), the outer pillar frame (A) (which overlap), and then the rain gutter (C) which is riveted over both of them.

POSTSCRIPT: was just in the garage - I see what you mean now! (A) is that reinforcing section and sits inside the windscreen frame itself. You're right - that repair is going to be a small challenge!

And NSS isn't what you want to see on a panel you need! Does anyone do repair panels or is it a DIY fabrication? Mine wasn't as bad as the pictures. I just needed a couple of piece of carefully shaped metal [1]

[1] carefully as in bent with a large hammer

[thaddeus]

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Hello there

This was always the nastiest area of the Stag to deal with. Many cars are rotten in this way but few get the attention warranted.

In the unlikely event of a roll-over this section would crumble leaving the roll hoop to protect your bonce.

Ideally the wing has to be removed to really sort it out. Failing that a section of the wing around the dog-leg can be cut out and stitched back afterwards. I would go for a curved cut line to limit the distortion. And remove the gutter.

The exact amount of new metal obviously depends on how bad the particular car is, but the internals need only be strong and not pretty.

I don't know if anyone makes these bits. Like most Stag restorers I made what what needed as it was needed.
My best advice if you want to make the sections is to make up card templates (cereal boxes are best) and after transferring the outline onto metal create the basic folds and then work the metal in-situ using a crosspein to get into the tight bits and a urethane mallet to create the curves.

When welding the section in make certain they sit flush or you will not be able to fit the wing edge nicely.

Good luck -Martin Thaddeus. Hope this helps?

[Ian Durrant]

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Thanks Guys. Luckily the other side is solid!

Frankly I'd probably be better off buying a used good shell and transferring my mechanicals over, but then it wouldn't be the stag I have owned since I was 20.

I think I'll take a section of the wing out rather than remove the whole wing. That wing never did fit quite right where the panel line is against the bottom of the windscreen so it will be an opportunity to get the gap right with some fettling when its welded back.

I still can't really see what extra strength is really gained by the inner panel as it doesn't seem to have anything particularly solid to connect to other than the inner door shut panel which is the bit being repaired anyway, perhaps it will be clearer once I have removed the section of the wing. If anyone has a pic of this area with the wing removed I would really appreciate it if they could post it up.

Looks like my investment in the MIG welder is paying off more and more!

[rjahunter]

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Oh no ! Looks like you've fallen into the same trap as me - in my case it's the absurd sums I have had to pay to restore my shell - but then a new shell wouldn't have been the same car as owned by my Dad in 1977 - see below. Wish I knew how to weld..........

Richard

[Ian Durrant]

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Hi Richard,

Frankly if I could lay my hands on my Dads old stag, i'd restore it too, whatever it cost me in time and money. I doubt its still in one piece though

The stag in my garage was my best attempt at replacing that car at the first opportunity I had to do so, it was once a lovely example all restored by me as a rolling restoration. I then had it professionally bear metal repainted in 1989. The deterioration in mine has been a slow process since then and for the most part i hadn't noticed it occurring, the car was still shiny with just a few rust bubbles beginning to show. Unfortunately and as is often the case, good paint can hide a multitude of sins. Too late now though, you can't just throw away a car you have treasured for 25 years. So I learnt to spray paint and do mechanics when it was the only way to afford things when I was 17 and now I am learning to weld at 45 to complete the skill set.

I am determined this car will be on the road once again, its just that date keeps receding every time i investigate another area of steel

[StagManiac]

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^^ Good man! I learned about car workings via my Hillman Imp and my Stag, which also was my first car that I owned! I never drove it before it had to be taken off the road after an MOT failure list as long as a very long thing.

I to cannot afford to pay someone to restore my car projects. Besides, my feeling is that this is a hobby and should not bankrupt me. I should enjoy it - like you do, I suspect - by doing stuff myself. If it seems difficult, that's fine. I can make time for it!

Anyway, it'll be very interesting to watch how you tackle this repair, Ian. Make sure to post lots of details, including pictures, please!

Paul