With this goal in mind, I spent several hours in the engine area removing old rusted material and installing good steel patches. I continued cleaning the entire area and buffed it all down with the wire brush with anticipation of applying POR15 and undercoating.
The next task was to graph in the repair fender. The trailing end of the right rear fender has been completely rusted away so the seller included a replacement fender when I bought the car. This fender section was cut from either a 356B or C coupe and included the material from the door post to the engine lid and from the window area down. It was much more than I needed.
The surgical process took me several hours. I first prepped the car by making a clean cut for the patch piece to be installed. I used my flange tool along the edge of the car and cut a matching section from the spare fender. After several fittings, I plug welded the horizontal line and then butt welded the vertical line where I used the holes for the bumper brackets as alignment. I finished the afternoon by installing both rear fender braces.
I revisited my rocker panel installation that I was not happy with. What you would never find in any book or discussion is the fact that the rocker panels are about ¼” too short at both the front and rear. I thought that I had installed something wrong until I found on Charles’ Convertible D website that they come short on purpose and then you have to build the edges up to fit. The rockers look much better now.
I then applied what I hope to be my last can of POR15. I applied an entire quart of sealant to the engine/transmission area and inside the rear fenders. While I did my best to cover up in long sleeves, coveralls, rubber gloves, face shield, and hat, I have it all over my body. I look like a Dalmatian. The following day I sprayed 3m Body Schultz inside the same areas, under the floor pans, and inside the trunk area. Once it dries, I will use a rattle can of Krylon matte black paint to finish it off.
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