Pain in the Rear! | Barn-Find Porsche 356 Restoration | Episode 19

Summary

In this workshop episode, the team tackles the Porsche restoration project with renewed vigor, focusing on the engine bay area. Despite a busy week with no progress on the Porsche and the acquisition of a new project, the episode dives into correcting a mistake made in panel alignment. A detailed process of trial, error, and adjustment unfolds as they work to correctly fit and weld a new panel to the chassis, ensuring proper alignment with the engine lid. The session is filled with technical challenges, teamwork, and a blend of frustration and triumph as they aim to reassemble the rear of the car. The episode concludes with a call for assistance from the 356 community regarding specific vehicle parts, showcasing the collaborative spirit of the restoration community.

Takeaways

• 😊 The video is part of an ongoing Porsche 356 restoration project
• 😮 A mistake was made in previously welding a panel, so it needs to be redone
• 👷‍♂️ John has come to help work on getting the engine bay fully assembled
• 🛠 The rear engine panel is test fitted multiple times to get it aligned perfectly
• 🔧 The engine lid latch is repaired and reinstalled to help position the panel
• 🎯 The goal is to have the back of the car mostly reassembled by the end of the video
• 😊 A new project car (a 1990 something) is hinted at but details are left for later
• 😅 Installing the rear panel takes all day and over 30 attempts to get right
• ⚙️ Additional parts like the wheel arches will be positioned based on the rear panel
• ❓ Guidance is requested on the purpose of some tabs on the newly installed panel

Q & A

What is the main focus of the workshop session mentioned in the transcript?

The main focus of the workshop session is to get the engine bay of a Porsche completely buttoned up, involving tasks such as removing the engine lid, rebuilding, and ensuring everything lines up correctly.

Who is John and what is his role in the workshop?

John is an individual who has volunteered another day of his time to assist in the workshop activities, specifically in the tasks related to the Porsche's engine bay.

What mistake did the speaker make during the project?

The speaker made a mistake by getting ahead of themselves and welding a new panel directly to the chassis leg without placing the rear engine bay panel in between, which was the correct order.

How does the speaker plan to correct their mistake?

The speaker plans to correct their mistake by drilling out the spot welds with a Worth spot weld drill bit, peeling off the incorrectly welded panel, and then properly positioning the new panel before spot welding all three layers together.

What is the significance of the engine lid in the project?

The engine lid is significant because it needs to be properly aligned and fitted into the aperture of the rear panel, which is crucial for the back of the car to be correctly reassembled.

How do the workshop participants ensure the proper alignment and fit of the panels?

They ensure proper alignment and fit by repeatedly offering up the panels, trimming and adjusting as necessary, and using the original engine lid for alignment checks to ensure it fits in the aperture correctly.

What is the 'order of the lasagna' mentioned in the context of assembling the car's rear?

The 'order of the lasagna' refers to the specific layering order of the car's rear panels during assembly, which should be chassis leg, inner panel, and then the outer panel.

What are the steps taken before finally spot welding the panel in place?

Before spot welding the panel in place, they perform a 'pill test' to ensure the primer holds during welding, prep the surfaces with weld-through primer, and carefully position the panel to ensure correct alignment.

What is the purpose of the primer used before spot welding?

The primer used before spot welding is a weld-through primer, which helps protect the metal from corrosion and ensures a strong and durable weld.

What request for help is made at the end of the transcript?

At the end of the transcript, the speaker requests help in identifying the purpose of two heavy, substantial tabs located on the rear end panel of a 356, which they are unable to find a use for.

Outlines

00:00

🚗 Restoration Challenges and Progress on the Porsche Project

The episode opens with an enthusiastic greeting and sets the stage for a productive day working on the Porsche restoration project. Despite a busy week with limited progress on the Porsche, the host introduces a new project, promising to reveal it soon. The focus then shifts to correcting a minor but crucial mistake made in the restoration process. The host realizes that the order of assembly for the rear engine bay panel was incorrect, requiring the removal of a newly welded panel to correctly position it between the chassis leg and the inner panel. This setback involves drilling out spot welds and preparing for the correct reassembly, showcasing the meticulous attention to detail required in such restoration projects.

05:07

🔧 Fine-Tuning and Fitting Panels with Precision

In the meticulous process of fitting the rear panel, the hosts demonstrate the iterative nature of restoration. They engage in a series of trials, cutting, and adjustments to ensure the panel fits perfectly. The focus on precision is evident as they carefully measure and trim the panel, ensuring it aligns correctly, particularly around the engine lid latch. The hosts display a mix of determination and light-hearted banter, reflecting the challenges and camaraderie found in collaborative restoration projects. Despite the repetitive nature of the task, their commitment to achieving a flawless fit highlights the dedication required in automotive restoration.

10:09

🔩 Final Adjustments and Spot Welding for Durability

The third segment illustrates the culmination of the painstaking restoration process. The hosts prepare for the final assembly by priming the surfaces and conducting a rigorous test to ensure the durability of the spot welds. They demonstrate a cautious approach, spot welding the cross piece that ties the chassis legs together, mindful of the possibility of needing adjustments. The meticulous attention to detail is evident as they carefully spot weld the back panel, ensuring it aligns perfectly with the car's structure. The segment encapsulates the blend of precision, patience, and a hint of humor that characterizes the project, emphasizing the satisfaction derived from committing to quality craftsmanship.

15:10

🎉 Celebratory Conclusion and a Call for Community Input

The final paragraph captures the triumph and relief of successfully integrating the rear panel. The hosts take a moment to celebrate the milestone, reflecting on the day's challenges and the precision required to reach this point. They meticulously verify the alignment and operation of the engine lid, emphasizing the importance of each component's placement. In a moment of community engagement, the hosts seek assistance regarding the purpose of specific tabs on the rear end, inviting viewers with knowledge or experience with 356 models to share insights. The segment concludes on a light-hearted note, highlighting the camaraderie and collective effort that defines the project, and hinting at the ongoing journey of restoration.

Keywords

💡restoration

The video focuses on the restoration of a vintage Porsche 356 car. Restoration refers to the process of repairing and refurbishing an old vehicle to restore it to its original condition. The narrator provides step-by-step details on the restoration work being done on the Porsche.

💡engine bay

The engine bay is the rear compartment of the car where the engine is located. A significant portion of the restoration work involves fitting a new rear engine bay panel and ensuring it aligns properly with the rest of the body.

💡spot welding

Spot welding is a key technique used in auto body work and panel replacement. It involves welding overlapping metal sheets together at certain points or 'spots' using an electrical current. The narrator spot welds the new engine bay panel in place.

💡measurements

Precise measurements are critical in car restoration work to ensure proper fitment and alignment of new parts and panels. The narrator emphasizes taking measurements at each step to get the engine bay panel positioned correctly.

💡original parts

Using original vintage parts from the car, like the engine lid latch, helps to retain the car's authenticity after restoration. The narrator installs the original engine lid latch.

💡step-by-step

The video follows a step-by-step, methodical approach to the Porsche's restoration. The narrator details each small step in sequence, from removing spot welds to test fitting the panel.

💡patience

Restoring a vintage car requires immense patience to get details right. Fitting the engine bay panel alone takes repeated efforts. The narrator advises not rushing the process.

💡customization

Some degree of customization and fabrication is needed when restoring old cars with missing or damaged parts. The narrators cut, trim and modify the new engine bay panel extensively to fit.

💡challenges

The narrator highlights how car restoration involves overcoming constant small challenges and setbacks, like realizing a panel was welded incorrectly.

💡satisfaction

Despite the challenges, restoring vintage cars can be immensely satisfying. The narrator expresses excitement when finally getting the panel aligned and welded into place.

Highlights

Welding a new rear engine panel onto the chassis

Made a mistake by welding the panel before fitting the inner panel

Test welding primered steel to ensure good adhesion

Panel fit is extremely close after much trimming

Fitting the original engine lid to locate the panel aperture

Bolting on the original engine lid latch mechanism

Final tweaks before commiting to welding the panel permanently

First spot welds to permanently attach the panel

Panel alignment checked thoroughly before welding

Celebrating getting a very difficult panel fully fitted

Additional panels located based on new rear panel position

Seek help identifying tabs on panel from 356 owners

Much work still needed to complete all rear panels and bumper

Taking time and care with alignment before permanent welding

Step backwards to fix incorrectly welded panel

Transcripts

hello everyone welcome to the workshop

welcome back thank you so much for

joining us we're back on the Porsche and

today is going to be a good day it's

Friday and I'm very grateful that John

has given up another day of his time to

come up here and give me a hand and

today in this episode we are going to

get that engine bait completely buttoned

up that's going to involve getting the

engine lid off the shelves off the

racking rebuilding having a look at the

engine lid catch getting that installed

uh to make sure everything lines up so

by the end of this video most of the

back of the car is going to be back in

place it's a big day um I have had a

busy week so unfortunately all week I've

not been able to actually do anything on

the Porsche um I have got a new project

though I've just bought a

19 you're going to have to wait a little

bit longer to see that um but I promise

I'll introduce it to the channel very

soon time to get on with this one

because actually the start of the

process is taking a little step

backwards because I've made a a mistake

a small one but I've I've done something

wrong have a look so you can see this

new panel that I've welded on here on

the back I got carried away basically

I've welded it on spot welded it to the

to the chassis leg um and then hammered

over under the lip at the bottom there I

shouldn't have done that I was running a

little a bit ahead of myself because

this new panel the rear engine bay panel

has to fit inside that uh and go in

between that and the Chassy leg so the

order of the lasagna on the back would

be chassis leg inner panel then the

outer panel as a free all stacked up and

I've gone and spot welded the outer

panel straight to the chassis leg

without the rear panel in between so I

need to go and get my worth spot well

drill bit drill out these spot Wells

peel this back off probably put a new

piece in and leave it loose so I can

slot the new panel in then spot world

all three together idiot just getting

too carried away when

M that was a long long good afternoon

John

hey Friday

traffic that's on the outside that's

what I was getting confused

with we

need

fers onest J

oh where am I boy what what you want me

to

do make

[Music]

lunch we're refreshing our memories from

last week and we're about to offer this

back on and see how how sneaky sneak up

on it we can be how many times are we

going to be offering this up today I I

reckon it's going to be about

50 take

one yeah okay yeah so a

look a

look we're

learning need end up wearing it then

we're not high enough

I just want to cut that it might even

cut D me might lose that I think we can

safely lose at least that

what

this spoken it's

off hey

well they are move out n of this is

safe see that's nice

oh oh hold it if I do it on side I can

transpose it oh you got loads I just

want you got load have

you

[Music]

I need a

clicker if you do that line then we go

sort of 4 in outside of it well I about

you give yourself a generous inch on

that like literally in

parallel

that was very slow

yeah oh my God yeah at least enough two

Ines you can have out of that no yes I

draw I car acoss the line look have a

[Music]

look take

off

these worth cutting discs it's lasting

well it's the first one it is lasting

well is

it righty yeah like see um back off

again whoa

look you how much we got to cut off from

the oversized panel look a little bit

we'll weld that in somewhere else yeah

we'll keep that we make another panel

out of that bit make front panel out of

that yeah

here we go first time you're going in

I'm going in W you're going

out are you in or you out you in

in come on come

on oh thanks thanks a lot put yours in

here you get that's

[Music]

Jesus it's quite emotional the rear

panel is very close to fitting it's

getting closer and closer we're trimming

and trimming and trimming and sort of

sneaking up and it's getting closer and

further in it's needs a little bit of a

trim here and there the whd on the back

needs a little bit of kind of relief and

manipulating to get it to fit just

right but we need to make sure it's

centered because in the middle of the

panel is the ledge the L latch for the

engine lid for the engine

lid and we also need to make sure the

aperture is by moving it in and in and

in we're actually making the aperture

smaller so we need to make sure that the

engine lid is actually going to fit in

the hole which luckily I've got it's

matching numbers to the car original to

the car still in original paint so I

think it's time to me to go up the

ladder and ramage around up there and

find the engine lid Bolt the latch to it

hang it on the freshly restored hinges

and see and that will help us know where

yeah where the middle is right let's do

it I'll get my hard hat right I'm going

up John found another pen going shopping

be careful up there can you put the

brake on huh

hey oh

look prestine SS heavy it's worse than I

remember it's worse than you

remember oh oh my God I have it notori

all right there you go stick the box in

there very nice this is

exciting free free bolts very

strange oh my

God don't you

cry when you

bleed

it's what you and I both

[Music]

need this is the latch for the engine

lid look at that original

paint original isn't it beautiful color

it is a beautiful color fed green it's

actually blue

it's going to end up on

there right let's get it screwed on

then was preventing I think we're still

on that though I

think did I not take enough off yeah

nowhere near no near I we're making this

panel fit this panel

what number are we on now this panel's

coming back off for another little trim

I got to be honest I think we're well

we're getting well in the 20s now yeah

we're get we're getting late

20s need all day to fit one

panel one simple

[Music]

panel

29 no this is 30

30

[Music]

like that up put it back

down hello that's latched when spring

compression

was become part of the process that

hasn't latched for many a

year okay have we been trying to latch

the Bonnet the boot to it and it the

latch doesn't work the latch was

actually broken I'm not saying that no

no this is

potentially and I will say

potentially the last time this panel is

coming off uh so all the

areas that are are going to be

sandwiched between each other are

getting

primed in a well through cler we're

about to spot world this on so we we

need to do a pill test so we got two

bits of the Tim we're going to use and

we primered it and we spot weld it

together can't peel it off D can't peel

it off

d d peel it off John I can't come on no

the world through primer is holding it I

think we can safely say that's got it

that's one and we've put about 50 in

there on each side million I could twist

it off that

still don't want to let

go I think I think we got it Dom look

one spot world that's crazy isn't that

amazing that's the one yeah I'm tearing

the world out now I can see look yeah

look yeah yeah the Steel's actually giv

up yeah spot world still on there

complete multiply that by 400 yeah

should be pretty good panel's not going

in yet the panel before is going in so

this cross piece that's tying the two

chassis legs together is going to get

welded in place that is going in now

first first thing this morning we've

been here and it's taken all day we had

a small break for some lunch little meal

deal from SSB

John he's out of control he's out of

control oh my have you

actually I'm glad he thinks it's funny

brilliant can tell it's not his machine

can't

you done a handful of worlds on this

back panel because we can get to it from

underneath even once the back panel's on

that's enough to hold it in position for

now just in case we change our minds we

change our minds which we we have done

we've been known to do a few times today

no we're being a little bit indecisive

uh that's it back panel back on now for

the last time and then we can actually

get that spot welded along this back

Edge and be part of the car woohoo

[Music]

it I'm down the top B not

this no it's fine don't keep touching it

cuz then you're going to move something

else but that's how it works it's fine

there are you happy about

this that looks good look at that in

there right going to draw this is it

we're spot welding it in it's not coming

out again I'm literally going to spot

weld it in now before John touches

something else and moves something

else just one there just

there yeah like that yeah

yeah oh on your on your hair on your

hair on the

clamp your hair yeah we're done

here yeah keep it Square sure yeah do

it oh it's on that's it well wow what a

day you

committed

yeah oh when you hold this it's quite

scary

[Music]

it's not higher there happy do it there

do it sure do

it a myir ah this not in here do you

want one more for luck just to hold it

on the go on the other panel the

receiving end where' you want to go on

the Ed of the panel there the original

spot wheel area is that

ready oh my

God ready

yeah four spot Wheels on the side three

or four down the back it needs a lot

more it's in the right place it's

completely we've checked every single

measurement possible left and right on

the select table front and back we've

got the engine lid actually hanging and

hinging and opening and closing and

latching perfect

really really good I just need to spend

some time now just hammer and dollying

little areas and committing with a lot

more spot worlds really but celebratory

chocolate muff no it's not chocolate no

Sicilian lemon Sicilian lemon quarter to

five now and we've done about 10 spot

worlds it just shows how long this takes

it's we're not rushing and we're taking

our time we're probably taking we're

being overly cautious overly cautious I

imagine but we only want to do it once

yeah it's true yeah well we've done it

about 50 times today but ultimately yeah

we don't want to be unpicking it to it's

nice knowing that that's all in the

exactly the right place we just need to

now add more spot worlds all the body

panels the rear skin the two wheel

arches all the bumper even everything is

dictated by that panel that we've just

put on pretty much because we've set

where the aperture is for the engine bay

spend some time now just tidy bits up

welding a few bits on few little bits

here and there and we're good John's got

a long drive home now so before I turn

all the lights off we'll say goodbye

goodbye we'll see you next time I hope

you've enjoyed it oh hang on before I go

have a quick look at this panel anyone

out there that's got a 356 we need your

help this is the the rear end that we've

just put on and we've got two quite

heavy substantial tab that's a 2 mil

there yeah and there just inside of

those

holes you don't see them on the outside

of the car comes out and over and almost

touches it but it doesn't touch it there

is a brace in the middle that ties back

to the outer skin we know that but these

I can't find a use for that is a bit of

homework for everybody uh anybody out

there that's got a 356 or knows anybody

that works on them or works on them

themsel what are those little tabs for

let me know neither of us have got a

clue right say goodbye John goodbye

John don't you

cry when you

bleed it's what you now both

need I came to take you to the

[Music]

light