Roger Zimmermann

In July 1995, the rear fenders were ready. It was not an easy task to form the lower part (the one that was eaten by the rust) with a correct flange for the wheel opening. My friend did the RH rear fender, and then he had some trouble with the police and his drinking habits. Therefore, he could not come anymore as he was without a driving license for some months. Fortunately, I could learn a lot with him and I did the repair for the LH rear fender. As everybody knows, to weld a steel piece in the middle creates a lot of heat with the mandatory distortions. These distortions had to be corrected before the rear fenders were welded on the body; otherwise, some spots could not be reached any more from behind. Those who are familiar with sheet metal know what I'm speaking about. The second picture shows the LH fender which is ready to be welded on the body. A great moment!

The “new” string was installed. It’s more difficult to close the loop because the material is slipping more than cotton. After some up and downs, it seems that this is OK. I’ll let it that way for the moment; I will check if the tension is getting less and less, but I don’t think so. In between, I removed the chromes parts to both front fender and I removed as good as I could the orange peel, something I did not when the model was ready. The almost 30 years old paint is still good and the shine is nice. Not as deep as the Mark II paint, but quite acceptable. I wanted to show the smooth surface with those pictures; I did maybe 12 or 15 and kept only those 2.

Heavy...Really not with a diameter of 0.2mm! Yes, that's the thread I got from Christine. Can be polyester or another chemical product. Speaking about its strength, yes it's heavy compared to what I had before!

If you don’t find what you are looking for, ask the wife! And, indeed, Christine came with a string her mother had since ages. I did a resistance test by rubbing about 100 times the string over a sharp piece. Its looks not very nice now, but I still cannot break it! The sting I used before was submitted to the same test: after 10 times, I had 2 pieces. A string with Kevlar may be stronger, but what I will be using now is good enough. Anyway, thanks a lot Mike for the suggestion! Without you, I would have used my cotton based string, without thinking further.

If that vehicle was run with paraffin (plus some gin or whatever), no wonder you have such a mess in the exhaust!

10 years more usage and the pipe would be full of carbon! It could also be that the vehicle was used for small drives and never went really warm.

Up to now, I found resellers only. By one, who is selling per meter, I asked details like flexibility and diameter. Let see if I'm getting an answer! Fortunately, the accident at the door is marginal as the door is made with polyester resin and fiberglass. It will not be a repair like Jeff had to do! I suppose if that door would have been in metal, the damage would be more consequent.

Since that window lift design was developed in the seventies, there was a problem with the string tension: either too much or there was slop. The tensioner I did then was not very helpful; time to do something more efficient: it’s a pulley on an arm, as well as a spring giving something similar with an engine’s belt tensioner. Indeed, there must be 2 tensioners but the tests I did are quite satisfactory with only one. By reaching my glasses this morning, the electrical wires were catch in the glasses and the door fell on the floor. The lower corner at the right is showing that misshapen; fortunately, the molding will hide it at the outside. I have no paint anymore; I will try to mix some to hide the inside damage. I’m now searching for a Kevlar string to avoid future breaks of the cotton string; a good idea indeed, thanks Mike!

Your problems sounds familiar to me, even at another scale!

Yes Mike! Most probably if I had a digital camera at that time, that report would be more detailed with all the good and not so good aspects of the body work. In retrospect, it was a great adventure!

The panel between the trunk lid and the floor had some rust spots. I had to remove that panel for repair. The same original Biarritz panel was too rusty to be rescued. The LH rear fender is again on the floor; some work was done on it: I could rescue the lower part from the de Ville floor and, with some modifications, weld it to the main fender. It's the reason why the bottom of the fender is white. About at the same time, I had to cut the lower corner of the windshield. I could get another part from the de Ville to do a proper repair. The windshield in the background was broken, but still needed for the alignment of the "new" lower corner.

After the floor was ready, I could weld in place the outside rocker panel. The rear fender is not yet welded on the body; during the work at the front, I put the fenders on the body to spare some space. During August 1994, the rear compartment was ready and primed. Suddenly, there are less parts lying on the floor. To see them in place is making a good feeling. It's necessary with such a project!

Mike, the string broke most probably because of the stress. Have a look at the attached picture I did right now. When the window is going down, there is extreme stress on the string just after the pulley on the extreme left, because the window is coming to its stop. It the same on the extreme right. The string on the left near the motor has no tension now, but it will have a lot when the window is up. There is a pulley and a spring on the right behind that broad piece of brass, but the device is not well done and inefficient. As you can see that the string at the left of the motor is frayed, after about 10 times up and down. It's also a candidate spot for weakness. I did a search at that magic Kevlar reinforced thread; unfortunately, the diameter and other properties are not described in all the sites I had a look. If the properties and diameter are available for my needs, it will be the solution because I will not be able to avoir the stress at some places. Are you confused with my tentative of explanation? Me too!

Many thanks to search for solutions! It could be that the age has an influence: I tried to tear the remaining string: I could to it easily. On the contrary, I tried the same with the string I have since years (therefore it has the same age): I cannot tear it. I could not tear the remaining string from the rear window either. It could be that the string went weak for an unknown reason. I'm sure I could find a similar product locally. Anyway, the string diameter is important and the fact that it has to be "bent" on rathe small radii. The string I have has a diameter of .45mm (0.018") and the small pulleys have a diameter of 2.8mm(0.11"). Anyway, something to think about! By the way, what about the string's health of the other side? As the LH door is not yet installed, it's not too late to have a good look at that string. I've not yet searched for that Kevlar string; it's making its way into my old brain! I'm glad that the windows from the Mark II are purely mechanical, actuated by the electric motors.

To rescue that quarter window, I supposed that removing the RH door could not harm; there is anyway something wrong with the window from that door. Indeed, the string here is broken too! As it will be easier to repair the door when it’s out of the car, it’s like one stone and two flies. It was an easy task to remove the front fender, pins from the door and disconnect the single switch. Fortunately, the wiring is staying into the car, easier than on the LH side. There is too much play at the hinges; I noticed that I tried to solve the problem long ago with some soft soldering on the pins. I will have to increase the hinges holes and use larger pins. While I was at removing parts, it took the back window out. It was glued with contact cement which does not age well.

Well Mike, I could do it for 30 year, I should be able to do it now! But your suggestion could lead to an idea.

Yesterday way a really bad day for the model: after removing the window’s guide, I did a guard at the upper guide, and reassemble the whole. There are only 3 screws; I had the whole afternoon for the story. Then, I tried the quarter window. Strange, it goes very slowly, like a dead battery. But the string stayed in place until it was a tiny “crac” and the string broke. I will have of course to replace the string and, inside the model I will have to do 2 knots when I have difficulties to enter just one hand. The question is coming again, how did I do that for 30 years? For the moment, everything is out: the motor, the window and the guides. I’m putting the model on the side for a couple of days until I’m getting the energy to solve that problem or to let that quarter window fixed in the up or down position.

Well Carl, you don't write very often, but when you do, I'm getting red in my face! Thanks anyway for your exaggerated comments.

Thanks for the kind words! Well, if somebody will want to restore the Mark II model, I'm wishing a lot of luck. As you probably saw, I intended to just improve a bit the Toronado model and I'm going from trouble to disaster!

Murphy’s Law? While removing the RH trim panels to check the window switch, I noticed that the string actuating the quarter window was no more in its lower guide. This guide is attached to the body with 2 screws inserted from the wheelhouse. Easy to remove, but it was another matter to reinstall it. How did I do that many years ago? Sure, front and rear windows were not yet installed, I had no glasses and the body was not yet installed on the frame. With some tricks that guide was in place after about 2 hours. I tested the switch just to see that the string went out at the upper guide! It stayed there very brave when the string had the wrong position at the lower guide; Did I that different path years ago to avoid problems at the upper guide? I don’t know. I will remove the channel and modify the upper guide. It seems that I will be busy for some time! To unscrew the lower guide, I had to remove the wheel. It was a good opportunity to put a drop of watch oil into both ball bearings. Have a look too at the brake drum; I don’t remember exactly how I did them; I just remember that the drum itself is brass and the fins are made with polyester. I see now the importance of documentation, even for a scale model. As you probably know, Toronado cars had a monolame leaf spring at the rear. Unfortunately, I could not duplicate that single leaf and had to make a conventional system. The parking brake from the model is the sole to function without problem because the actuating pedal is at the right location to be pushed with a finger.

In fact, welding with the MIG system is rather easy. Of course some practice is needed; I had plenty of opportunities to practice! If you can be supervised by a teacher, your welding technique will be great.

A comment to the point #1 from your report: by sanding the runs, you are sanding the surrounding surface too which makes almost impossible to have a perfect flat or even surface, unless you remove everything! #2: the spray gun should be after each use as clean as it was when new. It translate that way: 5 minutes spraying the the paint, 1/2 hour to clean the gun. This is why the rattle cans are so practical!

The door’s wiring was installed yesterday and the electrical continuity tested. As I cannot do a conduit with rubber like the real car, I wrapped the wires with an strange electrical tape: it can be lengthened getting thinner and narrower. The benefit of it: it is self-adhesive and is extremely difficult to unwrap, in contrary to the regular electrical tape. Don’t ask me its name, I don’t have it and don’t remember where I bought it. Then I installed the trim to the door’s shell. Today, I refreshed the seats (logical, with so many driven miles!) by using a leather paint I have since ages. It’s very thin, is hardly covering, but gives uniformity because the leather was not perfectly tinted when I bought it. When the paint was dry (it takes a few minutes to dry), I rubbed the leather with a leather conditioner I’m using indeed for my real cars.

Those days, I have sometimes difficulties to remember which forum must have what report. I'm presently active on 7 forums, but with different subjects. I just hope that the right reports will find their way! As there is no heater in the old barn, the activities during wintertime are very limited. The "B" pillars were back and welded at the end of March 1994. The rear of the body is ready, with the exception of the rear fenders. It's time to go towards the front. The damages are less important, repairs are nevertheless needed. Rotten sheetmetal was cut away, new parts formed and adjusted. The front floor's support is coming from the same Sedan de Ville; the one from the Biarritz was too rusted. Next to the sheet metal work, I was also searching for parts as many were either missing or beyond repair. I could buy many parts of good quality by Gene Schacter in Canada. Unfortunately, he left this activity; I am missing him as a good and not expensive supplier. There is reinforcement at the front "A" pillar between the outer and inner rocker panel. As the original one was no more good, I did another one. I choose to add some length as this place is critical for shaking. Maybe it was not necessary, I did no calculation... During summertime, I could finish the front floor, replacing the rusted areas at the RH and LH front pillar.

Sorry Tim, I sold it almost immediately. It went in Sweden if I'm right. To avoid false hopes, I modified the title; I should have done it long ago.