Half Fitch repair

Post by **shemat** » Sat May 09, 2009 11:14 am

When I removed the front wing this is what I had. Apart from the holes and the various plates which have been welded on, the captive nut on the inside of the wing bolt was no longer captive and I had to cut through the bolt. I'm thinking of getting a half fitch repair panel from ESM and fitting that, its a '53 series 2 so is it the correct panel? I'm a relative newcomer to welding, how difficult is it? How do I remove the old one? Does the panel come with the captive nuts already fitted? Can anyone give me advice / instructions on how to proceed? Am I over-reacting, maybe theres an easier way! Please help.
Thanks
Matthew

Post by **Redmoggy** » Sat May 09, 2009 11:47 am

Its not an overly difficult repair but will require some thought. Firstly the A post will need to be removed so take lots of measurements to ensure the door will line up. The flitch is also spot welded to the inner Kidney panel. Lots of ways to remove it. I tend to rough cut panels out with an air chisel or grinder and then tidy/trim everything to fit. You will need to do some practise at plug welding and welding in general as it an important part of the structure.
Heres a little taster of what you have to come.

Post by **bmcecosse** » Sat May 09, 2009 1:32 pm

Probably better to just cut out the poor bits -and weld in sheet steel.
FLitch - not fitch BTW!

Post by **Redmoggy** » Sun May 10, 2009 1:01 am

In order to effect a decent repair you will need to remove the patches and the A post cover plate (back of the A post) this can be done with a spot weld drill or carefully with a grinder. With this removed you can see how far the rot go's behind the post. Cut it all out and re-build from the inside out. Use at least 18 swg steel and make sure everything is perfectly clean before you start with the welder.
All the best
Rod