May 2004

This shows where the driver's inner rear fender tip was removed. This piece will be donated to project 914-03.

Close up of the fender tip removed.

This shows the passenger's rear fender before removal. This piece will be donated to project 914-03. You'll notice that a new open-sided shed was added to cover the 2 cars.

I used a angle-grinder, with a heavy-duty wire brush, to remove the paint, bondo and primer, to see where the spot-welds are located. This is the front leading edge of the targa top.

Shot of the fender removed.

Fender removed. I'll remove all of the paint, primer and any bondo, then determine any repairs needed. The edges, where the spot-welds were, will always need some type of replacement of the metal strips.

This shows the driver's rear fender after stripping the paint and bondo. This is the outside view.

This is the inside view of the rear fender. You'll notice that there was a previous repair for evidently rust, caused by the chrome piece that covered the bottom of the side targa vinyl. This is a typical rust prone area.

Close up of the inside repair.

Close up of the outside repair. There was about 3/8" of bondo that covered this depression. I'll remove the repair and butt-weld in a new piece and fill in the holes that are used to hold the chrome piece. I won't install the chrome or vinyl.

This shows the damage to the rear of the fender, caused by removing the spot-welds. I'll fill in all of the holes, before reinstalling this fender onto project 03.

Another area that will need to be repaired before it is reinstalled.

This shows the majority of the patch removed and a replacement set in place. I used a c-clamp and a couple of magnets. The piece covers about 3/4 length and also bends over to attach the inner door panel.

This is a close up of the attachment ot the inner door panel.

Close up of the end opposite the door panel. You'll notice that there is still more of the original patch panel. I decided to weld in two sections so that I could continue to keep the correct alignment.

This is a reference shot.

The new piece tack welded in. When you begin the final welding, you need to make sure that the metal does not get too hot, because the piece will warp. If if warps, you have 2 choices, cut the pices out and start over, or use a hammer and a dolly to beat it back into place.

After 8 hours of grinding, fitting and welding.

This is a close up the the new pieces welded in. I still have to finish welding, add the AllMetal filler, some grinding and hammering, then it should be finished. I still need to close the air-tube and fix the tabs that will be used to attach the fender back on the car.