Repairing Leo\'s gates

Started repairing Leo the twin cab's gates today. The bottom box section
was pretty much gone, thin, full of rust and still wet inside! (bit
like the rest of him was really).



So I chopped the bottom 100mm off - about as high as you can go
without cutting into the nice oval pressing. Folded up some bits ...

the pic below is from the outer side. You'll notice that I'm most of the
waty through hand forming the bottom lip and that I still have
to finish the ends....



Pic from the back. The bottom box section is a bit taller than orig
but I wanted it to back the welded join on the other side. This section
is made from 1.6mm steel (rot now ya bugger.....).



regards

RobK

1.6 Plan on keeping him a while Rob or did you Ovedose on GJs caramel

Thanks for fix and chat the other day

Oh and I got too sit in Leo.:thumb too very very sweet

I always enjoy your metalwork posts rob, great to see work done by someone who knows what they are doing.

awesome rob as said everywhere i love ya work and admire it lots always good too read for inspiration!
lovely
cheers
rhys

great work when will u have my Twin Cab finished

out of interest Rob, what training/qualies have you?

Fantastic work yet again Rob, they will look a treat once done - it nice that the forum provides an avenue to document the work behind such projects. Once you see the gates in paint, people often don't realise what has been required to get them there! This way everyone can appreciate it that much more!

Well,

Been driving leo around rather than working on his gates. Have
a week off and taking the kidz on a surfin safari to the Island
tomorrow but thought I'd do a bit more on Leo's gate(s)...

I've gotta say this has turned out to be one of the most difficult jobs I've done...any
heat at all and the gate twists and/or bends - even with that whopping
bottom box section I've made for it...skin is difficult to shrink too - just
keeps expanding!

It's like they were made under some pressure and 'forced' into a jig
when manufactured..

I even started thinking about making Jarrah gates but I have this thing going where I've rebuilt everything on Leo just to prove you can save anything - it mightn't be perfect but its all original leo..

Anyway, finished replacing the bottom box section and outer skin




Had to 'stress relieve' it (cut it again) in order to get it straight....



First 'rough fill'. No straight into hi-fill this time!



RobKnn[ Edited on 20-9-2005 by splitbusaustralia ]

awesome stuff 🙂

How clean is your workshop !!!!

wow!!!👍👍👍
awesome stuff!!

I could sit and watch someone doing this shit all day - I sadly dont have the patience, or tools, knowhow, shed, dual cab...!

Longest thread I've ever run - and for the repair of a single gate!
Stringing it out better than than Daryl Somers!

Anyway I haven't spent a lot of time on Leo's gate(s) because I've
been reflooring and fixing up the house after a restumping
job. If you want to see a disaster get an Edwardian house that's close
to the ground and that still has lathe and plaster up in half the rooms.......then
get it restumped!

Anyway, have one gate into high fill. A 400 sand on this, a recoat and
then 600 sand and its ready for paint....looks OK from the 'front'



You can see from the back that the bottom box section is obviously much
higher and that substantial work has been done on the gate..doesn't look
too original from this side..



I didn't remember to take a 'before' shot on this
first one. I'd cut it up,
starightened it a bit and welded some bits in before taking a pic ........so I thought
I'd do a before shot to give you some idea what these things are like..

here's a pic of the rear gate...as you can see they're a bit bent, twisted
and rusty to boot....



Couple of close ups of bottom...





and the top....




regards

RobK

p.s. I've changed servers along with what seems to
be most of the Vw community (onya Brad) but I've
got some probs and my webpages are down and my robk@splitbusaustralia.com email addy also is dead at the moment.......

Nice work as always Rob. A pleasure to watch.

Great work - its always nice to see the before shots - makes you appreciate the end result that bit more.