Welding A Capri Inner Boot Lid? (Novice)

[bricol]

It will take far longer than you ever imagined, but I bet the results will be better than if you paid someone else to do it.

Well - maybe not always. There's a guy near me, with a paint shop in amongst crammed together terraced houses.

I had a dented Lancia bonnet that no-one would touch - "you need a new one" . . . it had dented the outer skin, deformed the inner structure and distorted two of the openings in it that take various grilles. Took it to him with no urgency of repair. It did admitted take him a long time to get around to it, and it cost a bit more than originally suggested (but still a lot cheaper than one of the few second hand ones that very occasionally pop up.

You cannot tell it was ever damaged.

 

[Morrisman]

And once you have beautifully welded it and primed it, you stand back feeling a nice warm glow.....

.....and then put it on the car, and find its warped 1/2" along its length as all the welding was on the inside, and doesnt line up with anything else....

Ask me how I know.

 

[Spot the welders dog]

I'd follow most of what was said already: Knock back the surrounding area to bright metal. Dunk the lower half in a trough of citic acid for a few days/weeks (optional!). Put it aside somewhere dry but don't cover in a tarp.

Drag the original to 'mate with MIG' and start getting a feel for it around the window (which looks pitted to **). Try to unpick the lower half/slice the seam if needed - As @CompoSimmonite says: see whats savagable, could reveal a nice couple of patches to use, if not the whole section.

I poked a small rust bubble...

...It kept growing...

Oh - Still hopefull the rear will be better...

"think I've got a tin of filler in the shed!"

 

[tom2207]

I'd follow most of what was said already: Knock back the surrounding area to bright metal. Dunk the lower half in a trough of citic acid for a few days/weeks (optional!). Put it aside somewhere dry but don't cover in a tarp.

Drag the original to 'mate with MIG' and start getting a feel for it around the window (which looks pitted to **). Try to unpick the lower half/slice the seam if needed - As @CompoSimmonite says: see whats savagable, could reveal a nice couple of patches to use, if not the whole section.

I poked a small rust bubble...
View attachment 362257
...It kept growing...
View attachment 362258
Oh - Still hopefull the rear will be better...
View attachment 362260
"think I've got a tin of filler in the shed!"

Thats why they invented expanding foam ,,,

 

[Spot the welders dog]

Thats why they invented expanding foam ,,,

Sadly I don't have the budget for such a high end product

 

[Burdekin]

I made a new skin for a tailgate but the inside lower edge was rusty so also had to cut the old lower edge off, made a new one and oxy welded in the repair. This is the sort of thing you might need to do.

 

[outofthefire]

Sadly I don't have the budget for such a high end product

It'll have to be newspaper and tinfoil like the old days

 

[Tigman]

There's nothing like that feeling when you offer to repair that small hole in a friends car , you start poking and it opens up , filler , newspaper even plastic bags , those were the days !

 

[Burdekin]

It'll have to be newspaper and tinfoil like the old days

Shame the quality isn't there anymore, nowhere sells the structural newspaper and tinfoil anymore.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Shame the quality isn't there anymore, nowhere sells the structural newspaper and tinfoil anymore.

7 day shop on the corner?

 

[Onoff]

Pretty sure this exact repair is covered in Kim Henson's book on restoring the Capri. (I'd go and look but banned from that bit of the house as I've got Covid).

Pretty sure most of the repairs in there are dig out the rust, add some rust treatment and whack in body filler/fibreglass. Not for me I'm afraid! Makes a lot of use of lapped patches affixed with countersunk pop rivets! Not an Intergrip in sight!

Think a joggler is mentioned in there somewhere.

 

[tom2207]

It'll have to be newspaper and tinfoil like the old days

scrunched up chicken wire and isopon ,,, ah then a coat of black underseal

the good old days ,,,

back when I were a lad ,,, wheres me Hovis.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

I've had some success with mig brazing instead of mild wire...keeps the temps lower and is a bit more forgiving of my "less than perfect" prep. Think the one I did I cut the lip back....cleaned it out....then brazed on a repair piece to "look" like the original.

 

[tom2207]

Pretty sure this exact repair is covered in Kim Henson's book on restoring the Capri. (I'd go and look but banned from that bit of the house as I've got Covid).

Pretty sure most of the repairs in there are dig out the rust, add some rust treatment and whack in body filler/fibreglass. Not for me I'm afraid! Makes a lot of use of lapped patches affixed with countersunk pop rivets! Not an Intergrip in sight!

Think a joggler is mentioned in there somewhere.

back when pop on sills would pass an mot ,,, no welding required , just fit over the old ones and pop rivet in place , a few self tappers and off you go ,,,

 

[Onoff]

back when pop on sills would pass an mot ,,, no welding required , just fit over the old ones and pop rivet in place , a few self tappers and off you go ,,,

I remember welding a patch in (ok it was brazed), rear passenger footwell, MK2 Capri and being picked up for having one self tapper still in there. The MOT bloke was arguing it was screwed on! Had to really argue it was just for whilst it was "welded".

 

[James1979]

This is a handy link

MOT inspection manual: cars and passenger vehicles - Appendix A: Structural integrity and corrosion - Guidance - GOV.UK

Assessing corrosion and methods of repair for car and passenger vehicle MOT tests.

www.gov.uk

I’m repairing some corroded nastiness at the moment and don’t want the poxy thing back at MOT, so the above is from a tester friend

 

[steveo3002]

is the boot lid dead straight along the edge? im guessing it has a light curve which makes it harder vs a door skin repair

 

[Dcal]

is the boot lid dead straight along the edge? im guessing it has a light curve which makes it harder vs a door skin repair

Or easier.

There's is nothing harder in bodywork than keeping a flat panel flat.
I can't think of a panel that's truly flat, but the closer to flat they are the worse they are to work with.
(IMHO)

 

[Cobbler]

back when pop on sills would pass an mot ,,, no welding required , just fit over the old ones and pop rivet in place , a few self tappers and off you go ,,,

Done a Mini or two with pop rivets, inner & outer sills. It was accepted practice late 60s early 70s. I drew the line at sand & cement in the chassis though.

 

[Onoff]

Done a Mini or two with pop rivets, inner & outer sills. It was accepted practice late 60s early 70s. I drew the line at sand & cement in the chassis though.

I knew of a guy bought a DB4. The passenger footwell had been "plated" with a GTX tin. Lifted the carpet and there it was. The suspicion it had run over something and this was a quick fix.