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This is my first post since joining the forum and I hope to contribute to this great site. I bought the car last March off a fathers friend cheap on basis that it would be put back on the road. I have added 5 spoke wheels , a loud exhaust and an LSD mainly since owning it. Another project had prevented me from beginning this one but that has since been deemed too rusty. I plan on sorting the rust , get it Nct'd and maybe a Cossie kit if funds allow. Also toying with the idea of adding a turbo onto the existing engine.
When stripping the front of the car , i noticed a small rust hole behind the towing eye , i drilled all the spot welds and removed the panel to discover the bare remains of the underlying panel. this was the first bit of welding to be sorted on the car.
Decided to remove the front panel completely to weld
This is all i have managed to do on the car. I am currently in Final year in school so spare time is hard got with study and all that , so updates may be scarce.
Apologies for the very delayed update , the main cause being bad internet and exams. Not too much to report , got the front panel welded up and solid again to the best of my ability. All panels were hand crafted. Before plug welding on , the inside was well coated with red oxide primer , paint and Wax oil to help prevent further corrosion. Once in place and welded , I gave it a thick coat of oxide primer. Looks good enough I think.
I knew the left wing had a bit of a tip in the past , so got the wire wheel to it to remove all the filler. Badly dented and rust pinholes. Will be ordering two new wings from Rsturbos.co.uk , anyone have any previous experience with this crowd ? and what is the quality of non genuine wings?
A cheap set of Borbets came up on eBay and I couldn't resist the temptation. Think they will suit the car the finest , if she ever gets going . Will be refurbished once the rust is all sorted.
This past weekend , I dropped the front sub frame , engine and gearbox as one. Placed the sub frame back in again , so the car can be somewhat Mobile. Also discovered some corrosion on the back panel , while it was on the lift.
Had a few hours to spare over my two weeks off from School. Decided to tackle a patch of rust on the back panel which I thought was minor but the opposite was true . Used a wire wheel to clean up the panel , which didn't look too bad until I decided to remove the outer skin , which revealed substantial Rust. Kept cutting until somewhat solid metal was found . welded in a small piece at the bottom where it was pitted. The middle skin was fabricated from hand , it came out a little rough but sure it's hidden , so be grand. Plug welded that on and tackled the outer skin. made the outer skin from two pieces of metal , as it was too time consuming to form from one sheet of metal. welded that on and it came out ok , bit dimpled but , small tad of filler might help. Thats all for now , time will be scarce in the coming month
Finished my exams last Wednesday and have since been working on the Sierra. More rust as usual has been found as I strip her more. The back right bumper bracket was severely rusted so it was cut and repaired to the best of my ability.
The inner wing brackets were splitting at the seams so had to be removed. Made new brackets , not like the original but they'll do. The dimple dies came in handy .
Spotted another split seam near the battery tray , cut out rusty section and cleaned off any remaining rust , now solid again for another while anyway.
I have two new wings bought that I need to still collect. They are a pattern part so hopefully they wont be too difficult to fit. The wing mounting bracket had rust and were splitting at the seams , cut out and a new panel made. It was tedious to make but it does look an improvement on the old one. It was annoying having to strip the dash out to get access to the door hinge nuts but its done now. Doing the left wing first so I can use the right as a reference . The car look a state at the moment and I apologize for the mess of the shed. Hopefully more progress to come .
Another Much needed update. Not sure if the Photos in my previous posts are visible to ye due to Photobucket's new regulations. Progress is slow as always but I'm in no rush with this car. I hope i have all the rust found at this stage. A support on the inner wing was rusted from the inside out. cut out and replaced as best I could. Also if anyone at all is cutting up a Sapphire or has the top scuttle panel , can you let me know. its an awkward panel to make . Only rotten at the right hand side.
The Bulkhead Divider panel had seen much better days and was beyond repair. I said I'd have a go at making a new one , and it didn't come out the worst , made it from three manageable sections and welded them together. The dimpled holes may not be to everyone's taste but I like em. Gave her a coat of epoxy primer then.
A small pin hole of rust in the front wheel well turned out to be more than just that. A strengthening plate inside the front chassis leg had corroded from the inside out , Cut out and welded up per usual. These cars really do like to rot given the chance
I haven't time to update this thread fully but be patient . Spent a few days prepping the engine bay and underneath for Primer. Got it cleaned and sanded thoroughly . Given a rough first coat of Red oxide Primer for now.
Next area of concern was the Boot , I thought there was just a small rust hole but that wasn't so. The holes where the hitch was mounted had rusted and the area where the tow hook is mounted had rusted through. There was also deep pitting which was cut out and replaced. I had attempted to repair one of the petrol tank mounts but it was like welding cheese so conjured up something similar.
With the Left hand side of the car in the air , I tackled the rear of the floor which was in a bad state. Where the chassis leg attached to the floor , was bulging with rust at the seam , all cut out and the metal cleaned. Coated in a layer of Rust primer after welding.
One of the holes where the ABS sensor came out was severely rusted. Cut out and repaired.
Probably the biggest area of concern was the rear chassis leg and shock mount area. Where the chassis legs overlapped had excessively rusted at the seam and had rusted through to the floor. The repairs might not look factory but they're solid . The bottom of the shock mount had rusted. It was a pain to remove and to repair. After being welding , I checked with the R/H side and its practically dead on . Apologies for all the photos.
The rear L/H wheel well had areas of pitted rust and a hole behind one of the rear seat mounts onto the body. A bulge had to be recreated in the metal where the seat mounting bolt extended out , not sure if visible in the photos.
Not much progress has been made to the car in the past couple of months. Started an Apprenticeship as an Aircraft Mechanic so time is scarce with study and exams. Been focusing on the the rear two bumper bracket Areas. The left bracket was beyond repair so fabbed up a new one. Lots of surface rust in between the seams. I still have a small right angle bracket to plug weld in the boot area on the L/H. Toying with the idea of Wide arching the car , bought a set of Fiberglass arches and mocked them up. Any idea on websites that'd sell wheels with a suitable offset?
The last few months have been quite hectic. I have had exams all year round and am now just finished with two weeks holidays. Next stage of my apprenticeship is a year practical training in the hangar so weekends and evenings should be free to progress on the car. I have only really gained motivation in the past couple weeks after the passing of my two best friends in April following a tragic car accident. Hoping to finish the car in their memory.
Following the previous repair , The left sill was on the agenda. The outer sill was completely cut out. The majority of the middle sill was removed too to allow for repairs to inner sill and seat-belt mount. Repairs were made to where the floor meets the inner sill as there was excessive corrosion between the spot welded joints. rust had gotten to the seat belt mount so the welds were drilled and a new piece was manufactured. Middle sill repair sections were made from scratch with the addition of dimple dies for strength. I ordered two new outer sills and front wings a while ago so there was no delay. Haven't mocked up the door yet but hoping it will fit the sill nicely. The sills were all coated with red oxide primer and weld through primer before welding. Outer sill was plug welded on and flush welded to the pillars. didnt fully weld at the rear as new wheel arches are needed . (Apologies about the different image sizes)
There was rust visible between the joints at the rear of the floor so spot welds drilled and rust revealed. cut out and new pieces welded in. no photos of the final product.
One of the passenger seat mounts was bubbling so outer skin cut away and new piece patched in.
A repair had to be made to the front wheel well around the chassis leg. Started out as a small pin hole.
Hello James. Bought the arches off http://vautosport.pro/ . As far as i remember they were €120 plus delivery. Might have to email them if they are not listed on the website.
regards
Been welding away the past few weeks but been busy out and about with the beautiful weather. hopefully have the floors and drive tunnels solid soon. Also finishing up the recommission of our 1984 Deutz dx6.50. Wiring and a few cosmetics left.
Also plans for the engine have changed and I purchased an Early 1uz-fe Engine with the stronger rods with the full stock wiring loom and ecu. If anyone has done the swap , any info or tips would be greatly appreciated . Thanks.
11-01-2017, 08:27 PM
Sapphire GLs Restoration
and an LSD mainly since owning it. Another project had prevented me from beginning this one but that has since been deemed too rusty. I plan on sorting the rust , get it Nct'd and maybe a Cossie kit if funds allow. Also toying with the idea of adding a turbo onto the existing engine.
, the main cause being bad internet and exams. Not too much to report , got the front panel welded up and solid again to the best of my ability. All panels were hand crafted. Before plug welding on , the inside was well coated with red oxide primer , paint and Wax oil to help prevent further corrosion. Once in place and welded , I gave it a thick coat of oxide primer. Looks good enough I think. 
. Used a wire wheel to clean up the panel , which didn't look too bad until I decided to remove the outer skin , which revealed substantial Rust. Kept cutting until somewhat solid metal was found 
. welded in a small piece at the bottom where it was pitted. The middle skin was fabricated from hand , it came out a little rough but sure it's hidden , so be grand. Plug welded that on and tackled the outer skin. made the outer skin from two pieces of metal , as it was too time consuming to form from one sheet of metal. welded that on and it came out ok , bit dimpled but , small tad of filler might help. Thats all for now , time will be scarce in the coming month 
. Apologies for all the photos.
