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JoergMoeller

Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2014
Messages
21
Hello,

I'm new on the forum and happy to sse that here are a lot of Terranos guys around ... in Germany it's hard to find other Terrano owners that are taking care of their cars.

Like mentioned in my introduction I'm trying to get my Maverick in good condition. Some of the work is already done, other still needs to be done. One of the main areas of concern are the front wings (both, left and right). I don't need to post pictures, they look like all other Terrano wings - totally rotten ;-)

I know that there are fibreglas wings available for ~150€ each. But they are not lega in Germany (chances are lwo that the TÜV guy will realize ... but in case of accident ... you never know).

I some of the threads I saw a mixture of metal work and fibreglas "art". Looks great but I suspect that this combination lasts very long.

So what I would prefer would be to cut out the rotten parts, what would basically everything below these plastic covers, and rebuild / weld them. I've a welding machine, a 60cm bending machine for steel sheets, hammers, metal shears, pneumatic tools, angle grinder, ... but I'm lacking a flanging machine and a .... aaargh not in the the dictionary ... a machine for stretching / crushing metal plates in curves ... I'm planning to buy a plasma cutter (wife wants some rusty garden decoration made of steel).

Has anyony already rebuild the wings, without fibreglas, using bits and pieces of metal sheets using amateur tools?

Currently I'm planning to cut two or three archs from a metal sheet and bend the middle one with the bending machine and weld them together to form a new edge for the wing. Cut out the rust from the wing and weld the replacement in.

I'm wondering if someone already did it like this and is willing to share his/her experience and give some advice?

The wings don't need to be beautiful, it's a "practical car" - no garage queen. It needs to be solid and has to last at least two decades (and the TÜV guys needs to accept it).

Btw: I'm sorry for my English, ... especially some car/metal work specific words are hard to translate from German to English.

Cheers,
Jörg
 
Hi Jorg, please do not apologise for your English. Your writing is pleasant to read and I fully understand every word.

I'm actually thinking about this very problem with my project truck. I was thinking about two or three plates to for the new arch and lip. Thought about drilling a hole through the good metal on the old wings. Then placing the new steel plate under this and puddle or fill welding together. Then using body filler smoothing the joint before painting.
The problem with welding thin plate together is the distortion caused by the heat so for this reason I don't think a seam weld would be the correct method. I have seen some very bad repairs done this way and they are not pretty at all.

My priority at the moment is to get my truck through it's MOT to make it road legal again. After that I can look at the wings and carry out some good repairs.

Good Luck
 
Hi Jorg, years ago we used to have a guy that specialised in crash repairs, his method was to rough weld bits of plate together to form the shape required and then fill in with lead wiping, first class job once you have mastered the art of temperature control to keep the lead just workable, a little bit too much and it ends up a blob on the floor, but worth a go, Rick
 
Hi Jorg, years ago we used to have a guy that specialised in crash repairs, his method was to rough weld bits of plate together to form the shape required and then fill in with lead wiping, first class job once you have mastered the art of temperature control to keep the lead just workable, a little bit too much and it ends up a blob on the floor, but worth a go, Rick

Just to confirm that I understand correctly: lead wiping ist the "art" of using tin-lead, instead of scraper, with flame, and a spattle made of wood ?!?

I was considering using tin for smoothing the welding seam as it's always a pain to grind inside corners. I think distortation because of heat shouldn't be to much of a problem when welding spot by spot, not rushing, ...

IAs much as I'm eager to get the wings right, I'm afraid to destroy them and make the first cut ... ;-)
 
Yes Joerg (sorry typo before) you have got it right, many older cars had this treatment on joins at the factory, Rick
 
Yes Joerg (sorry typo before) you have got it right, many older cars had this treatment on joins at the factory, Rick

There are some videos / howto's available ... but from a "craftsman" perspective: it always looks easy when you see someone doing it that has 20s exeperience with material and tools ... it's something totally different doing it the first time, but I guess doable if you've got some basic understanding of the technique and a feeling for the material.

There are some TV shows in Germany where total noobs try to rebuild old houses ... mainly office noobs without any experience/apprenticeship in building crafts. Kind of funny to see how they try to get the wand plaster (?!?) at the wall ... quite an easy job for my father (40years eyperience as a mason), sort of a challenge for me (with some fair craftman skills), ... quite a horror for anyone withou any clue how much water to use to get the right consistency, how much pressure to apply to make it stick on the wall, what time to wait that's it's dry enough to finish it, but wet enough to be able to finish it ;-)
 
Yes mate I can or could plaster a wall, shoulders gone now so no longer I am afraid, but at 68 I do not do so bad, currently recovering from a horisontal 6ft 1.5 inch diamond core bit drill through hard core and soil, from an access hole of 2 foot, took two days but did it, alternative was to take up beautiful wood floor and gun out the concrete below, not really an option as this is a open daily restaurant, Rick
 

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