Floor pan, sub frame and front beam ready for action

 

 

No battery tray rust, just a few dings to be knocked out.

 

Just dents. No rust.

 

 

Not certain but this hole looks original. Anyone know for certain?

 

Seat belt bolt hole to be welded up.

 

Seat belt bolt hole to be welded up.

 

 

The all important original chassis number.

 

 

 

Will cut the pan back open here, confirm the welds to the clutch tube are good and have it metal finished back to original shape etc.

 

 

Sub frame came up good.

Just a few small dings and scrapes to think about.

 

A big dent in the front beam which needs to be addressed.

 

Original front beam dipped and bare metal while I confirm it's straight and fit for re-use.

 

Original front beam number.

 

 

So a bit of work ahead of me now.

 

Lots of small dents in the floor pan to address. A couple of holes from seat belts to disappear.

 

Sub frame needs similar work and a stud welded back into it.

 

The front suspension is the main concern. I suspect it's a bit bent so will confirm that before I invest any time and materials into it.

 

Moving forward at a good pace. The car was complete and driving back in April 2013 so I think I am doing well.

Original 1500 'S' trans-axle in the stand ready for dismantling

 

 

This is the original trans-axle from the notchback.
 

I have always thought it was just about perfect (smooth as silk), but while the car is being restored, I will dismantle it, replace suspect parts as required and have it re-assembled as per factory.

 

So at this stage I am not expecting anything too bad. All original fasteners etc will be reused 100% and the casings will be painted once again in black as per original.

 

I might install a set of Gene Berg side plate savers just because I can, but that will be about the only deviation from original.

49 years ago today

As you can see, the notchback floor pan, rear sub frame and front suspension is now out of my garage and delivered to Minus Paint. Frank (Minus Paint) will dip all 3 items to remove all the crud and BS from them then de-rust them and finish off with a painting of etch primer.

 

It's quite exciting as the car itself was assembled on this day back in 1964, so 49 years later, the restoration begins. Not sure if it's possible or not, but I will aim to have the car completed by this time in 2014. Even if it's not achieved, it's a good goal to aim for.

1500 'S' floor pan 01/09/2013

 

First time this has ever been apart.

Clean and original paint on the hand brake. I will retain this as is.

Original tar stuck to the pan.

 

You can see where I had to cut the pan to make a repair to the clutch tube a few years ago. This will be re-cut and welded back so it's spot on before paint.

Not a bad floor pan considering it's 49 years old.

 

Surface rust was about what I expected based on the rust discovered below the rear window. Not major but something to deal with.

 

Next step now the pan is stripped down is to get a quote on chemical cleaning and de-rusting then I can attack the dents and dings etc.