Back to the E9 at last

One of the labels I created for these posts is "distractions." I never thought that working on cars would be much of a distraction, but in getting ready for today's session I realized that I have not touched the E9 since May and the major distraction has been cars. The same exercise reminded be of the value of this blog; I was able to go back and review the last work done so I could pick up where I left off.

After a bit of head scratching I decided the best way to finish closing the hole above the RH rear tail light would be to make a one-piece patch with a fold to match the shape of the trunk sill. I began by using a die grinder to clean up the shape of the opening and to cut back any thin metal around the edge. I already had a scrap piece which eliminated the cutting out step. I did the fold in the vise, whacking the piece with a hammer, simple but effective.

It just so happened that the rear edge ran along the downward break for the rear panel, so that while the patch sits inside the front, LH and RH sides, it sits on top of the rear edge. I actually had to lower the rear edge a bit. This made positioning the patch much easier, but it was still a problem. I ended up making a brace out of scrap that created a shelf for the patch to sit on, which pulled out after the patch was tacked in.

My welding has not improved, but I did manage to get the patch secured without burning too many holes. After grinding away most of the rubble I applied some POR-15 Epoxy Putty to blend in the seams. Next time I will begin with grinding.