Realignment of inner wings

[ArthurH 7]

Sadly, we found the Armco at Pembery last weekend :-)

 

 

Apart from the new front bumper and valance we need to source, we need to tackle a crumpled inner wing.  To make matters even worse we are confident the engine has moved towards the nearside, as all the N/S driveshaft end float has gone 

 

I have been reading the 2012 pinned article "205 Jigging Data" which is helpful, but I have no idea about where I could get that done (in Essex), even if I could afford it (any estimates on price?).  So I suspect it will be hammers of various sizes....  Can anyone suggest which measurements we should be first aiming for?

 

We have started unpicking the spot welds holding on the 'light panel' (if that is the correct term), so at least we should be able to get reasonable access to the inner wing.  Would anyone have good photos of what we need to be getting back to?  The nearside inner wing is a bit different (battery tray, no engine mount)

 

At least we have 5 weeks before the next event (Snetterton)

 

 

[welshpug 1,657]

to have it done professionally you need an old school body repair shop, get it mounted on a jig with the engine and box out, go from there,  most of the data you need to get it straight is on that thread.

 

if you're going to have a crack at it yourself I would get a portapower, a hydraulic body straightening kit, Machinemart do a clarke item which along with some good blocks of wood will get you somewhere near.

 

i'd steer clear of just bashing it, that tends to just make a mess, stretch panels in the wrong places.

[Leslie green 110]

To get it done professionally is going to be a silly amount on money , cars are usually pulled before any panels are removed as that helps align it , old school is pull until the bonnet  is parallel to inner wings again and the gaps close up either side assuming hinges are ok or replaced, if you look at wing to bonnet gap it will give you a good idea if the whole front has moved over which it usually has even in a fairly minor sideways bump. I watch a local bodyman pull cars most weeks , car goes on a basic jig clamped to sills and 10 ton puller does the rest . Some of the cars had quite major damage , when the panels align its straight or straight enough to do .

[DamirGTI 342]

In this type of crash , often the strut top on that side moves off center too .. not necessarily backwards , but up at an angle .

If having strut bar then need to check both sides .

 

Agreed ... putting it on a jig will get expensive pretty quick , there's a lot of prep. involved dismantling , engine out etc. till you ready to actually start pulling it .

 

If you have near or preferably in you're yard a concrete or steel pole , a tree , even an mate with a 4x4 ... weld on a few hooks on the crashed parts in few different positions , tight up with the old seat belt or chain to a pole/tree and very slowly and gently reverse the car (have a mate help you) whilst looking at how the crashed parts stretch back into position they should be ... you'll need a few time try , some patience , and experiment a bit with the pulling angles . But quite a lot could be done/pulled out like so on a DIY basis .

 

Once you've pulled out the kinked areas back in center  - strut towers , engine mounts etc. ... then start dismantling/cutting the crashed body parts .

 

If i where you , i'd pull it out in center first so the front end is square , then cut off the entire piece of the wing from the strut tower till the front (leaving just the strut tower) align and weld in straight/donor piece cut from another 205 at the scrappy (any 205 base model will do) ... if done neat could never tell it's been smashed .

I did a few cars with such damage , they turned up good .

 

Make yourself laser leveling tool with some steel bars and builders/construction laser :

 

 

 

 

 

"Tram gauge" also so you can measure the distances/heights etc. : 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best luck !

D

 

 

Edited June 22, 2022 by DamirGTI

[ArthurH 7]

Thanks guys.  The good news is that the camber does not appear to have changed, nor has the front to rear wheel center dimension.

 

It was a hell of a job to get the bonnet back on - the front pins had been snapped and once replaced it didn't fit - however, from what you have said. we could use that bonnet fit to tell us when we are close to straight again.

 

We see the logic of bending everything back at once to help with the alignment but just couldn't get the necessary access with the light panel on.  Because its a big enough job anyway, we are trying to leave the engine in.

[Leslie green 110]

Arthur Tussik above is an absolute legend (watch him on utube) and can fix anything but some of the earlier stuff he fixed was well dodgy when he put things like a new(used) rear end on a 7 series with butt welding but these days he fixes things properly and has fixed some very high end stuff. You could learn a lot from him.

[ArthurH 7]

Thanks Leslie, I'll defo have a watch.

 

By way of an update, we finished unpacking the light panel yesterday and have found the impact has not just moved the inner wing to the NS, it has also caused a small amount of concertining along the chassis rail. I.e., some bulges in the chassis rail facing the timing belt. I guess to repair that, I need pull it forwards.  Given where the car is, I would struggle to do that with another vehicle - I'm more tempted to buy something like this  https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/333196201900, but not sure where I would push against.  The strut mounting?

 

Regarding the light panel, is there a better option (price or quality) than to buy something like this:  https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/123349115896 ?

[DamirGTI 342]

That's pattern "Klokkerholm" light panel ... all the pattern body parts will be "off" in comparison with anything OE made (has to be "made off" because of legal/license reasons)

 

With regards to Klokkerholm specifically , they're body parts are usually decent made and fit well thus not a lot of adjustment is needed which is often the problem with pattern body panels (gaps , mounting holes etc.)

Only , the thickness of the pressed metal panels is bit less/thinner than the OE part .

 

That hydraulic body repairing set will be pretty much useless or vaguely helpful in this type and area of damage you're having .

Either pull it out strapped against something sturdy in reverse (if needs must , drive off to the nearest forest and find an tree to pull against) , or cut the bodywork all the way back till the end where the metal bending ends ie. till the solid area , and weld in straight donor piece in it's place .

 

Need to start pulling it out in direction of impact first , then see what happens and if needed make some corrections in pulling angles/height.. two or three pulls might well be enough just to align the strut tower , engine mount and chassis rail (though , chassis rail might be tricky to straighten in one go without doing a few cuts around it to "relieve the pressure") the rest cut of and weld in straight donor pieces .

 

D

 

 

[ArthurH 7]

Thanks Damir, precisely the level of detail I need :-)  I'll order the panel now.  With the radiator out, I don't want to run the engine for more than a few minutes at a time - but that could be enough.  I currently have a 3 Tonne dumper truck on hire, so I think that will make quite a good 'dead weight' 

 

I'm thinking this sort of clamp would be suitable to grip the front of the chassis rail to allow it to be pulled forward?  https://www.amazon.com/Voyager-Tools-Heavy-Tightening-Clamp/dp/B07GVRW67F

[DamirGTI 342]

Anything sturdy which wont crumble/bend/fall on you're head will do as an support for pulling ! or as an "pulling force" (say an 4x4 or a truck/lorry) .

 

I fear that clamp will not be of much use either .. that one is mainly designed/meant/used for bolting on the pinch welded edges of the bodywork to be pulled/rolled out , you'll struggle with where to attach it on yours and with the angles of the clamp vs pulling direction .

You'll need a few (i'd say 2 or 3) different types of them clamps to "unfold" the damage you're having without the frame machine pulling tower . + those clamps cost quite a bit $$ for each one .

 

I'd simply weld on a few DIY clamps/hooks made out of some scrap iron you're having laying around .. obviously thick enough and welded sturdy not to break while pulling . Make a few , and weld on a few different position on the damaged body areas and use them for pulling (cut them off later once done) ..

 

For comparison and some ideas "how-to"  , take a look how Mr. Lion repaired this R. Rover (also on a DIY basis : no frame machine nor fancy tools) :

 

 

 

 

 

 

D

 

Edited June 24, 2022 by DamirGTI

[Leslie green 110]

To pull the chassis leg out you would really need it on a jig to hold the centre of the car solid and resist the huge pulling force , even if you attached it to a tree you would just drag the car along with the fore or inflict more damage as the chassis legs are probably more solid than the passenger compartment , the subframe may be bent now too. Might be better looking for another shell 

[Tom Fenton 1,542]

I think this is repairable but needs pulling on a jig by someone that has experience. 

[ArthurH 7]

Thanks again guys for your suggestions.  II have watched (and appreciate) all the above videos (Arthur Tussik and Bodgit & Leggit).

 

Later today, I'll weld some tabs on to try to pull out the creases from the horizontal surface of the inner wing, but yesterday we tried using a rope to spread the load across the rail.  We had a little success, but putting a lever bar inside the chassis rail was probably more effective.

 

Pulling directly forward was OK because we could chock the wheels, but diagonally / sideways is proving far more of a challenge as the car is just sliding.  To hold the car in place, I'm thinking of attaching a strap to the subframe as that would spread the load across both chassis rails?