[Tony69]

Hey guys,

About time I started a resto thread on my 69 firebird convertible. It's your average OHC6, auto, floor shift, power disc brakes, no a/c, manual windows, power top. I bought it without an engine and I'm planning on dropping a 400ci.

I've done lots but it still seams as though I'll never finish it. With limited resources as far as parts go, its just not as easy as it should be. I'm doing all the work myself in my garage, and I like to think im doing it the right way, or atleast better than any local shop would do it.

I'd like to start off the thread by asking a question....

"How would you handle this?"

I was stripping the old paint in the door jamb area, when I hit a patch of fibreglass. After chipping the fibreglass away, this is what I found.

I've already repaired the section, and I'll show you how, but first I'd like to hear what you would do.

thanks for tuning in.

[azbirds]

It sounds like a great project.

[Unclesamscandy]

Metal patch, but what I want to add to this is that I suggest you remove the interior since the seats, panels and rug really only take no more than an hour to remove with the possible exception of the seatbelts which might be bolted down fairly tight (locktite was used in factory) because you don't want to damage it, cleaning it will be easier, and you never know what you will find under there. Best wishes and good luck on a cool project!

[Tony69]

Thanks

So yeah, metal patch is what I did, I ended up making three patch panels, just for that little section of the car.

The interior wasnt actually installed, I removed it to do other work some years back & just placed it back, so naturally I removed it before any welding took place.

I found that the inner metal was badly corroded as well, so I cleaned it up as best I could and welded in the first patch panel.

I then made the second patch panel & was pleased with the fit.

[Tony69]

Before welding in the 2nd patch, I realised that more corroded metal had to be removed.

I then had to make a 3rd patch. Since I was going for a finish that looked original, lots of time and patience was required.

Mock fit looked good enough. Finally, I was ready to weld. Tacked in place and I was feeling good about it.

[trmjr1]

Tony,

Looks good. Best to replace metal in those areas, especially on a convertible.

How do the rest of the rockers look?

Tom

[ANDYA]

Very nice work on the patch panels. You are doing it yourself so you know it's done right.

[rohrt]

Excelent fab skills!

[Tony69]

Originally Posted by trmjr1

Tony,

Looks good. Best to replace metal in those areas, especially on a convertible.

How do the rest of the rockers look?

Tom

Hi Tom,

Yeah, I've seen other convertibles flex when closing the door.. so I dont want that.

The rest of the rocker looks perfect. As you see in the pics, the rocker has pitting where I was working but I didnt feel the need to cut the rocker up. I also wanna drive the car some day.

What I did find kinda creepy was the inner rocker seam was opened up.
I could slide the piece of paper almost the entire length. I had a tough time clamping the seam together, but eventually welded it shut.

[Tony69]

Andya & Rohrt.. thanks for the compliments.

[rohrt]

My convert had rusted in the same area. I took the expensive way out. NOS 1/4 on one side and good used 1/4 on the other. What you did would have save me a lot of money.

[Tony69]

Originally Posted by rohrt

My convert had rusted in the same area. I took the expensive way out. NOS 1/4 on one side and good used 1/4 on the other. What you did would have save me a lot of money.

I hear you...I was wondering if this is a common problem for verts??

If parts were easily available around here, I probably would have replaced the entire quarter too (my quarters arent in great shape), but I've been forced to learn other ways of dealing with stuff like that.

Cost me just about nothing & I'm happy with the result. I'm especially happy with the edge where the two patch panels meet, turned out really nice. A little more welding/grinding and it should be perfect, no filler will be needed.

I'm pretty sure I'll find the same crap on the other side...and I'm gonna need atleast a new quarter skin for that side either way.

[Tony69]

One thing thats bugging me right now....

Where the door hinges bolt, the holes for the lower hinge have been elongated, and I cant understand why. More importantly, I dont know how to fix this, or if I even should. I mean, I dont want to accidentally weld the mounting plate solid or create a lump of metal that will cause the plate to sit skew.

I guess my question is...."how do I remove the door hinge mounting plate?"
If I can remove it, I can weld and grind the holes back to shape. Any ideas would be much appreciated.

...and all those dings & rough metal you see in the pic, I have no idea what happened there.

[rohrt]

????hmmm??? That is interesting with the door hing. I know that 67/68 have different door hinges. Not sure on the 69. Makes me wonder if the wrong door/hing was made to work.

Looks like your kick panel is off so you would know better then any about what kind of access you have to the door mounting plate. Never gave mine much thought. There should be some some movement for adjustment so as long as the hing covers the holes I wouldn't think it would be worth it to fill the wholes in. Makes me wonder if that side was hit and beat back into shape.

If you do want to fill the holes in, then use a copper backing. Weld wont stick to copper.

[Tony69]

There's a cage that keeps the plate in place, I cant see a way to remove the plate without cutting something. I'll take another look tomorrow. I've heard about copper but never actually tried it, so I was hoping somebody would mention it. Do I need a copper block or can I slide a copper plate in between? The hinges will cover the holes, so yeah, maybe I should just leave it alone.

Anyhow, I still want to fix some of the dents around that area, it'll look terrible as it is. Gotta find a way to get a dolly behind there... It's doubled up steel, not sure if its a good idea to grind smooth and fill with weld where needed? I didnt really take a very good look around there yet, but I'll get to it soon.

[Tony69]

So I've decided to weld/grind the door hinge area back to shape, but it was so bad that I cant quiet figure out the contours, and I dont have access to the other side of the car, so I've been looking for pics of the area.

The best I could find is this pic of a 68, but its kinda small.

If you have any pics of this area please post them up for me so I can get the section done.

Thanks

[Tony69]

So it's been a while. I'm kinda lazy to update threads & I've also been tied up with the Buick...but I'm here now so here goes:

My driver door is perfect condition and just about the only piece of sheetmetal that's ready for the next step.

Some work on the passenger door... (see pics)

Got a few dings on the top edge of the door..seems I need to make a special dolly to get them out...but then it's doubled up metal...so that can be tricky.

Thanks for tuning in.