On Sun, 11 Oct 1998 CCampb8169@aol.com wrote:
>
> Hello,
> I have just recieved my new rocker panels for my tr6 from trf and realized I
> havent a clew how to get started replacing the rusty ones on the car. Can
> anyone give me some pointers? Anything at all will be appreciated. Thanks,
You handy with a welder? If not, you soon will be. Or your
welder-friends may become enemies :-)
First you need to pull off the front and rear fenders. They are often
tack welded at the top or bottom (or both)- a dremel tool or small hack
saw can free up the welds. Make sure ALL the bolts are out first, and
support the fender before cutting the last welds so that it doesn't bash
something.
Once the fenders are off you can see the (sad) state of things. My web
page (http://www3.bc.sympatico.ca/walker/) has got pictures of what the
rockers looked like on my TR4. They are the same as the TR6 rockers.
I fabricated a rocker out of sheet steel because I'm without a lot of
extra money. But it should be similar to your prefabbed one. I think
you're supplied with the metal all the way up to the seam where the
weatherstripping is (on the top edge) and down to the spot welds on the
lower edge.
Spot welds are easy to recognize- always 2 or more layers of steel, with a
"spot" of weld about the size of a pencil eraser holding the two together.
The "Proper" way to replace a panel is to get ahold of a special tool that
cuts away the spot weld, then use a spot welder to attach the new fender.
I had neither of these.
I found it quickest to cut the metal away with a thin cutter-wheel in the
angle grinder. You can also drill them thru with a twist bit. In my case
I did that where the grinder wouldn't fit.
What seemed to work best was when the metal was ripped away using the
cutter wheel, leaving only a strip of spot welds on. Then a cut between
each weld was made and the strip was bent so that it was pointing
perpendicular to the old (salvageable) steel. Then you're not grinding
thru so much metal. Just use the wheel to shave off the metal around the
spot weld until there's just the spot left. Then switch wheels to
somethign thicker (no use wasting the thin cutters) and grind the spot
flush.
I had to do a lot of restoration on the base metals as well. Plan to do
this. There will be holes in the corners, which may get bigger with a bit
of poking. You might want to get ahold of some 20ga mild sheet steel. I
bought a 4x8 sheet of it; that might be too much for you. You should be
able to get a 2x4 sheet for $10 or less.
What kind of welder do you have (gas or MiG?)
-Malcolm
* There is a FAQ for this list! Its temporary home is:
http://www3.bc.sympatico.ca/walker/triumph/trfaq.htm
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