AC Frua Restoration Part 2

[Emmanueld]

Now the left front fender repair which should be done tomorrow!
   
   The door sill ready to receive new metal:
   
   
   The inner piece being fitted:
   
   
   The outer piece being fitted:
   
   
   
   These are the step preceding welding, the fitting of each fabricated piece before welding! The last piece will be rolled over the seem to form a tight joint with the door.
   
   Emmanuel []

[Emmanueld]

Front right quarter panel 90% done:
   
   
   
   
   It has to be adjusted for the door and more welding needs to be done, then the panel will be shrank a little bit! These guys are so good, their specialty is Hot Rods, a typical American passion which involves mixing different cars panels or chopping roofs, etc. They don't do anything else but metal work! so their skills at working steel, aluminum and brass are amazing. If a steel panel is bulging too much for example, they have a special tool to shrink it, it's not a grinder or sender, it does not remove any metal, it just generates enough heat to actually shrink the panel. I have seen it done, amazing!
   
   Emmanuel []

[lyonheart84]

It's great that you have a Hot Rod shop working on the body as they really are good at making specialist panel sections. Great to see that your car retains the original Sill jacking points as most cars have had them covered over. They may or may not still be strong enough to use but they look great. They originally had chromed or alloy plugs fitted in them, hopefully you have these still or probably the Rod Shop can make some up for you.

[Emmanueld]

Brett hi, to answer your question about the sill jacking points, they are very strong since they are brand new. A few years ago I did an enormous amount of work at the bottom of the car. 1/2 the floors, were replaced, ( the outer half), all the sills, inner and outer, (there are actually 4 layers inside), all the out riggers, (rectangular tubing attaching the body to the chassis). So anything below the belt is new. The only sacrifice to originality is that the jacking points are flush with the sills instead of protruding. I thought it would be more pleasing that way. This is why I could not believed we missed the left rear fender then. The metal smiths worked 8 hours a day for 3 months to replace all the rotten metal. All the panels were duplicated respecting originality, even the floor boards have all the necessary ribbing. It looks stock. If people are interested I could post some relevant photos in another thread.
   
   Emmanuel []

[Emmanueld]

Front right quarter panel finished:
   
   
   
   Incidentally, it is very hard to set the door to front wing gap because of the design. When the door opens, it's edge comes very close to the wing edge. It may take hours to set it properly.
   
   Emmanuel []

[NDM01]

Really nice to see a properly done renovation.
   Keep posting the pics.

[Emmanueld]

Thanks, I am trying and I will. I hope this 428 will be one of the best around. It won't be a trailer queen, it certainly will be on one of the best driver, I have been playing with it for about 5 years, with different engines, suspensions, etc.
   
   Emmanuel

[Emmanueld]

Here, a little fun, The beautiful hand-made inner rear left fender we pulled out before I toss it!
   
   
   
   
   Emmanuel []

[Emmanueld]

OK! now back to the left front Fender, a little surgery:
   
   
   
   A new upper piece:
   
   
   
   The template from the other side, it matches Jeffrey's car!
   
   
   
   And now what we cut off:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   I would guess, most Fruas, will be very rusted, unless they have lived in Arizona or some place like that. To be fair, not everybody has access to a Hot Rod shop to rebuild their cars. Most body shops know how to replace parts, but when it comes to remake a wing for example, this is another story.
   
   
   Emmanuel []

[Emmanueld]

And now the front right wing after taking out 5-6Lbs of lead:
   
   
   
   
   I guess it's not as bad, the top part of the lip has no lead but the front and rear parts will have to come off! The problem is that they left the rusted piece behind! when it's all done, I will have a lightweight!
   
   Emmanuel []

[J Jones]

YIKES!
   You're right Emmanuel. A lightweight! With this latest effort, I'm sure you've passed the 100 lb mark on the bodywork diet your car has been on. Altogether, you must have lightened your car more than 250 pounds!
   
   Amazing - your car looked so good when you bought it. Who woulda thunk?
   
   Randy Reed told me a 50's or early 60's (I don't recall) Ferrari he restored for Pebble Beach had a fender made out of a road sign. Original craftsmanship! Good metal (in this case, aluminum) was in short supply postwar. Could that have still been true in the 70's?

[lyonheart84]

Good grief Emmanuel that's some major surgery on the front fender! That rod shop's workmanship is superb !

[J Jones]

BTW:
   I've known Emmanuel quite a while now. There are some very knowledgeable car guys waiting for any car he has tired of and wants to sell.
   
   You couldn't do better than buying a car that has been "Emmanuelized".

[lyonheart84]

LOL Jeffrey, I also suspect I could never afford any car that had been 'Emmanuelized' either !

[Emmanueld]

Here are some photos of the new wing taking shape!
   
   
   
   
   
   This is only tag welded for the time being, what is amazing is that the welding goes right through to the inside.
   
   
   
   
   Emmanuel!