. . . And I Thought It Was Clean! (Post # 51)

The Alfatross has been at the Vintage Autocraft Spa for Collector Cars for about four months now getting massaged and pampered as never before. Vintage Autocraft's invoices list the on-going processes:

1. construct a body cart and transfer The Alfatross from its rotisserie.
2. remove the drip rails and clean off the filler
3. soak the hood latch mechanisms and restore functionality
4. install hood and deck lid to check fit
5. remove deck lid skin from frame for repairs, bead blast and epoxy prime frame.
6. clean corrosion from deck lid skin
7. remove door skins, blast frames and skins.  Repair rust on frames.  weld and re-drill door panel attaching screen holes to fit 2.9 mm screws
8. epoxy prime door frames
9. repair door skins 
10. Media blast and repair corrosion damage in left front wheel well by welding and grinding
11. Fabricate and weld small rust repair at base of left rear drip base and quarter window

The Alfatross gets a butt-lift:  One of the problem areas on the body was the trunk.  At some point in the past the trunk area was dinted and the trunk area just didn't match the contours of the body anymore.  This necessitated removing the steel frame from the aluminum skin and bringing everything back into alignment--not an easy job!  

Let's face it, the last 60 years has been pretty hard on all of us--Cars and people alike.  But unlike us people, in the hands of a skilled plastic--I mean body--surgeon like Tim Marinos The Alfatross can be restored to its former beauty and youthful appearance. 

The steel frame around the perimeter of the trunk lid was tweaked.  The way
 to straighten the frame was to remove the aluminum skin.  Ouch!   

The analogy with surgery on humans is apt: As the following images show, once the knife is applied and the skin peeled back it is not a sight for the faint of heart.  It's the sight of rust, not blood, that makes me cringe! 

The Alfatross' skeleton is made of mild steel with little or no corrosion protection applied by Alfa Romeo when it was built in 1955.  So the surgeon's first task is to expose and inspect elements of the skeleton.  Because the aluminum skin is wrapped around the steel skeleton the surgeon does not have the option of physically separating the body from the chassis for a "frame off" restoration.  Another complication is the fact that many of the elements of the skeleton are hollow: round- and square-section tubes that might look fine on the outside, but be hiding dangerous levels of corrosion inside.  

Repairing the corrosion inside the left front wheel well necessitates removal
of  the outer panel to expose the area behind it.

Corrosion inside the left front wheel well is a good example of how insidious this type of corrosion can be.  The exterior corrosion is obvious, but what lies behind it, inside the enclosed space?  You could just repair the exterior surface, but what if the corrosion is more extensive?  We want The Alfatross to last another 60 years, so let's do it right!  All the following images courtesy of Vintage Autocraft.

Here is the same area after "debriding" the corroded panel and affected areas
 hidden behind it--a good example of hidden damage that would have been an
even bigger problem later if only the outer panel had been treated.  

The same area following debridement and welding in replacement panels
with the appropriate contours.

The same area ground down and epoxy coated.  The outer panel still has to
be shaped, welded in, and epoxied.

Another example: The bottom of the radiator bulkhead on the right side
 showing the corroded panel .

The same panel in the radiator bulkhead after cutting out the corroded part
and welding in the replacement.  

It looks like The Alfatross will be at the Vintage Autocraft spa for a while. Tim has identified a lot of other areas on the chassis that need rust repair.  The doors, hood and trunk all have aluminum skins wrapped around steel skeletons--and the potential for corrosion in the hidden spaces between them.  

When all of that is finished the doors, hood, trunk, windows and trim will have to be test fitted to make sure they fit before moving on to the bodywork stage.  Keep those photos and descriptions coming, Tim!