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« on: June 15, 2020, 20:35:05 »
I need some advice about Aceca restoration, and hope I can find it here. Before stripping the body, there were indications in the paint that something was amiss above the rain gutters. After stripping the body, it was clear that there is a slit on each side above the rain gutter. The slit extends from the A pillar to the end of the rear quarter window. The alloy roof is carefully and evenly nailed with brads to the inside wood of the roof frame along both sides of the slit. At some point in the past, someone tried to solve this by applying fiberglass tape to at least part of the slit, but that did not last. I’ve attached photos of the slit. Apparently this was factory practice; I have been told that other Acecas also have this slit, and I have seen photos demonstrating that. My rebuilder and I are trying to decide what to do to ensure that there are no future body or paint problems arising from this method of construction.
My rebuilder thinks that because the slit is backed by wood, there will be enough expansion and contraction due to changes in humidity etc that it will produce cracking or other surface problems that will eventually show. He has suggested temporarily removing the wood framing to free the shell and then welding in a long alloy patch for the length of each slit. I am not so sure that’s a good idea.
Here are the questions I would appreciate receiving your opinions about:
1) What did the factory do to cover this area before painting?
2) Has the factory fix worked (that is, has it held up after all these years)?
3) If what the factory did can’t be done now or did not hold up, what should be done to cover this area?
4) If you’ve solved this problem, how did you do it?
5) Is there anything I’ve overlooked or don’t know about this method of construction but should know?
I look forward to hearing from folks who have dealt with this issue, and thanks for your time.
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