Ol' Rusty - FB/EK Sedan

[funkyscooter]

Thanks Rob - I always manage to choose that hardest path first. My fear of manipulating the boot lip is that you will see a pretty obvious dip in the lip. I'll have another look.

[Blacky]

I agree with Rob, there is a seam and some bracing under there - as unbelievable as it may sound - a small job anticipated could end up a big job in reality , yeah I know, that NEVER happens when working on old cars but it just might

[funkyscooter]

If it were me I would have a go at bending or shimming the boot to hinge mounting surface so the hinge is swinging further in the shut direction, bringing the lip lower. Possibly you've considered this already.

Thanks Clay - yeah, thought about that - the issue would then be that the corner would line up and the sides/back would be low. Might have to manipulate the corners down a bit and the back/sides up a bit, along with a more aggressive shim strategy.

[funkyscooter]

I agree with Rob, there is a seam and some bracing under there - as unbelievable as it may sound - a small job anticipated could end up a big job in reality , yeah I know, that NEVER happens when working on old cars but it just might

One of the many reasons for procrastination - that seam. Obviously it is necessary as the join between two panels - not sure if it's also there for strength

[Brett027]

Hi Scott ( Happy 2024)
My two bobs worth. A gentle nudge on the bootlid corners with a 4x4 block on the edge and a hammer just to see if you can lower it a mm or two. I know there is a bit of give in them as I had a smilar job on my sedan.
It's likely that a bit of the original lead has been worn away from the seam. If you were game, a bit of lead wiping and file follow up would quickly get that right and keep in the spirit of your exceptional restoration.
B

[funkyscooter]

Hi Scott ( Happy 2024)
My two bobs worth. A gentle nudge on the bootlid corners with a 4x4 block on the edge and a hammer just to see if you can lower it a mm or two. I know there is a bit of give in them as I had a smilar job on my sedan.
It's likely that a bit of the original lead has been worn away from the seam. If you were game, a bit of lead wiping and file follow up would quickly get that right and keep in the spirit of your exceptional restoration.
B

Hey Brett - another vote for gentle persuasion!
Gotta say, I've read Greg's build and his lead wiping exploits. Still not sure I'm ready to tackle that! But hey, it could be yet another new skill, maybe I should.
Thanks for the feedback, and have a great '24

[EK283]

Hi Scott,

The boot on my car never did fit right so i decided to replace it, once the new one went on I found it sat proud of the rear lip nearly half an inch !

The conclusion was the boot lids were different or the car had a hit in the rear at one stage but i could not see any evidence of this.

In the end i used a porta power to push the rear panel out to suit the lid. Its a bit like your issue now. Because these cars were hand made (not by computerised machines) the workers would swap panels around to for best fit and so be it.

In your situation I would look at cutting off the boot hinge weld and jack up the lip in the hollow whilst tapping down the surrounding lip and checking the gap as i went,then reweld the hinge back on, Or you could get rid of the led, undo the spot welds and reposition the lap joint, again by jacking it up. Once in position reweld the spots.

You can also tap the boot corners down as suggested for final small adjustment but be careful as you may bottom the skin on the frame and it will leave you with a crease.

Once you get that right then lead wiping is a good idea although not totally required. If you stich weld the joint then you can apply body filler to take up any hollows.

You have the skill, just go for it !

Greg

[funkyscooter]

Hi Scott,

The boot on my car never did fit right so i decided to replace it, once the new one went on I found it sat proud of the rear lip nearly half an inch !

The conclusion was the boot lids were different or the car had a hit in the rear at one stage but i could not see any evidence of this.

In the end i used a porta power to push the rear panel out to suit the lid. Its a bit like your issue now. Because these cars were hand made (not by computerised machines) the workers would swap panels around to for best fit and so be it.

In your situation I would look at cutting off the boot hinge weld and jack up the lip in the hollow whilst tapping down the surrounding lip and checking the gap as i went,then reweld the hinge back on, Or you could get rid of the led, undo the spot welds and reposition the lap joint, again by jacking it up. Once in position reweld the spots.

You can also tap the boot corners down as suggested for final small adjustment but be careful as you may bottom the skin on the frame and it will leave you with a crease.

Once you get that right then lead wiping is a good idea although not totally required. If you stich weld the joint then you can apply body filler to take up any hollows.

You have the skill, just go for it !

Greg

Thanks Greg - good to hear of another owner with a poor fitting boot. The boot and body I have was assumed to be a match as they are both EK hydromatic and painted wedgewood blue. But can't discount a swap, or bad fitment.
You are on to something with cutting and welding the hinges, as I did that when I replaced the boot gutters and maybe the panels had a chance to relax a little in the process. I take lots of photos but not sure if I ever took a before of this area with the boot on. What might have been a slight issue is now compounded. There has been a fair bit of removal and replacement across the whole back area there.
I think I need to stand in the shed and stare at it some more

[Brett027]

That's it Scott. 90% thinking, 10% doing is a recipe for success.
If the hinges have been moved, then that sounds like a starting point. However, if it's only the back corners that are high and the rest of the sides are aligned to the guard height, then raising the hinges will lift the sides higher too. That may not be what you need. Perhaps just lean hard on a corner (with a block to even the force a bit) and see if it goes down. This will give you an idea of how much give is in the lid.

[funkyscooter]

Still working on the boot lid fit - let's just say it's a work in progress. In the mean time been finding and polishing chrome bits off the car. Starting small, will work up to some of the bigger exterior pieces. My thinking is if they look okay then that will do. There are a few bits that will need rechroming like door handles which have worn most of the chrome off, but not going for mirror finish so happy with most of these.

IMG_3357.jpg (1.46 MiB) Viewed 622 times

There are a lot of scuff marks still on some of the handles. I have some extras so I might try cutting one a bit more aggressively to see what happens.

[Errol62]

My advice, check the handle splines are good before you invest too much effort.


FB ute fixer upper, EK van on rotisserie

[funkyscooter]

My advice, check the handle splines are good before you invest too much effort.


FB ute fixer upper, EK van on rotisserie

Will do Clay. They are all a bit sloppy from memory.


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[In the Shed]

My advice, check the handle splines are good before you invest too much effort.


FB ute fixer upper, EK van on rotisserie

Hmmmmm…… good advice that!

After refitting passenger door trim (new Bailey channel & quarter vent rubbers) refitted inside door handle, yep job done, cool! First trip to the Nats and Daughter couldn’t get out the car handle all loose. Do you think I could thank farkin thing to stay on? Turns out the splines were knackerd. Found one in the spares box and all fixed.

[funkyscooter]

Spent the morning looking for an internal rear view mirror. This slowly drifted off and I ended up searching for exterior door handles, which I either need to get re chromed or replace. Checking the current price on Resto Country, and discovered that they are currently selling REAR door handle pairs at 33% off (168.50), but FRONTS are still around $250. So out to the shed to work out what the difference is between front and rear.
Grabbed the front and rear RH handles. Same part number.
Layed out the 2 different length buttons from the front and rear. One is 6.25mm shorter than the other. Had all 4 in the same container, and labeled one passenger, not front/back so not 100% sure which is front or back.

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Got the rear door out of storage and grabbed a lock, confirming that front and rear locks are the same part numbers. Attached the lock and measured the depth from the exterior to where the shaft presses against the lock 'paddle'. Was about to grab a front door down and measure it when I had the craziest of ideas.
Check the workshop manual.

IMG_3423.jpeg (820.5 KiB) Viewed 519 times

Nice one idiot!
Anyways this has confirmed that to mod a rear exterior handle to a front handle, I could either....
A: extend the shaft by 6.25mm

IMG_3424.jpeg (1.18 MiB) Viewed 519 times

or B: add 6.25mm to the 'paddle' as roughly mocked up here.

IMG_3425.jpeg (775.81 KiB) Viewed 519 times

With my limited tools I will most likely go with B. Unless someone has an option C that is not "stop being a tight arse and pay the extra $80 for a combined 1/2in of steel rod"
Extra bonus, ebay has a $15 discount if you spend over $150 so 4 handles and a bit of additional required effort for $322. I guess I will know soon enough if this was a good idea.

[Errol62]

Love your lateral thinking Scotty. Yes, the pin length is the only difference. Maybe a front knob could be used from a manky front handle, in a good rear handle?


FB ute fixer upper, EK van on rotisserie