engine and drivetrain '64 1800Ti Barn Find - Update!

[brbrian73]

Nice! Thanks for the long-awaited update. Looking forward to more. You're doing a great job. 

 

Brian

[MikeinNC]

Mike   That is fantastic   Glad you getting it going again!!!!   I still miss my 1800   

 

[mich02]

Good to see progress. Get this back on the road!

[Mike_B]

The rear panel is off...  It was just beyond my skill set to repair, so it will get replaced with a factory replacement piece.  The panel was leaded in around the tail light panel, so that needed to be melted away and there were about 10,000 spot welds that needed to be drilled out.  

 

I’m glad I pulled it though... There was rust hiding under the brackets used to support the rear bumper.  That portion of the trunk floor will need to be patched.

[Mike_B]

I drilled out the spot welds for the remainder of the bumper brackets to expose the rust.  A small patch was required and I test fit the rear panel.  It was clamped into place and welded.  

 

I figured I would also test fit the rear panel.   It fit nicely with body lines lining up as they should.  It doesn’t look like the panel will require much finessing to get it to fit properly.

[Mike_B]

Snow day here today so I took some time to spot weld on the rear panel. Fitment is spot on and the new spot welder worked like a champ 

 

Squeeze the handle, flip the switch and count to 2....  spot weld!  Now repeat.     

[Mike_B]

Something is getting loaded onto a truck...  Can’t wait!

[Mike_B]

I picked up some silicon bronze .030 mig wire for non-structural patching. This is essentially brazing vs. welding but that’s fine for non-structural stuff and doesn’t warp the panels because the heat is much lower. 

 

I filled in a couple hole on the front fender from the old hood latches and it worked great. Easy fill, easy grind and no warping.