Making panels.......

yeah i see what you mean everything on the car is done for lightness all inside the sill are swaged holes etc.
however i am now more interested in being able to jack it safely after i have repaired all the damage so as not to undo the repairs if you see what i mean,
most cars have good strong jack ponts but i don't get it on this at all!
dave

Andy

I definitely need to see more pictures, also photograph the other side if you can, to show what it should look like when it is finished

Tony

Andy

You need to upload your photos to Photobucket or similar, and the paste the image codes into the message

I am sure that there will be somewhere on the forum that tells you all about it

Tony

Andy

Try like this


This is a picture of the general condition of the sill edge



Front Drivers side jacking point before cutting began



Close up of jacking point



Front wing area with attachment bolts removed



I am pretty clear about how to progress with making a new jacking point but its where to start building up the bottom edge and where to fabricate new drainage channels.

Tony

That really is a great help, thanks for taking the time to explain. Will get down to making some templates before I cut any more metal away. Will keep you posted.

Andy

This thread is the greatest thread EVER!!!
If only because it gave me the encouragement I needed to replace the towing eye on the BX. The BX is an ongoing project/swapathon that I suspect would make people here proud, check it out on the BXProject;


As requested, here is my experience of using this thread to create something fantastic! First up the remains of the towing eye, and what I need to duplicate (apologies for the pic being on the curse word);



It's not meant to have that sodding great big hole in the spreader! This is the only part unique to the BX 16valve, from what I can tell it was welded onto the car in a rush shortly before lunch break in the factory in Rene's. Its a pretty heavy bit of metal not quite 2mm thick!



This is the 'new metal' cut to size. It's 2mm plate. This is the bit that the thread really helped with, understanding the radiusing in corners etc. I can't show it pre cut because I marked up in pencil (ran out of chalk) so the pictures didn't come out. Its cut out with a 1mm cutting disc.



I'm reusing the 10mm bar that makes up the towing 'loop' mostly because i'm tight. So cutting it off with the cutting disc and a carefully shaped flat cold chisel (as suggested by this thread).


sandy flappy disc put to good use;



And the three pieces. Using the hints and tips here I realised I could bent this up in my vice quite easily if I gave the folding order some thought. I also gently adjusted/fettled the new steel into shape;



And finally the (almost) finished article. Its part welded, part tacked. When I bought the car the loop was out of alignment and regular brake downs haven't helped so I will weld it up fully once I can get the bumper on and make sure of the alignment.



Ah, done. All in, it probably took less than an hour, mostly because i've got a small garage so everything is to hand!

My tips would be the following.
1) Tape measures SUCK! If i'd had a steel rule, a set of calipers and square I'd have saved a LOT of time.

2) Pencil is grey, steel is grey (unless you have fancy Zintec), this is NOT a helpful combination. I have 144 sticks of chalk in the post for the next project (and rest of my life no doubt!).

3) Don't be afraid of cocking it up if your working on a 'new' part on the bench, you can always weigh it in and start again.

4) Metal sheet on your workbench, hook it to the 'earth' of the welder and now you don't need to do the earth lead shuffle/balancing act when your welding!

Thanks for your help Tony

Vanny - Great job and some good tips, A steel rule is definitely better for accuracy, and you could also use a scriber for marking out.

Wallopadonkey - Not sure about that but thanks for the vote of confidence

how about an OBE?

Andy

You could not stretch it enough to make it a 90 degree bend, but you will be able to stretch it enough to form a curve that covers 90 degrees

There are 3 pointers I could give that should help

Hope this helps

Tony