RESTORATION OF MY 1972 BC COUPE

Next I went on to the rear of the car, the lower valance panel.

                                                                                Fig 1-5

Fig 1-5. You’re looking at the area behind the rear bumper after the valance was removed. I had my suspicions about the presence of rust because there was surface rust and soft metal along the pinch weld. Sure enough, after cutting the panel out, there it was…

                                                                                Fig 1-6

Fig 1-6. Lower valance panel repair. If you look carefully, you’ll notice that most of the severe rusting occurred at the lower end of the valance while the surface rust was manifesting itself towards the top. Rather than grinding or blasting that surface rust, I cut it out completely. I strongly recommend removing and replacing those compromised surfaces with clean, new and stronger metal. This way, you can pretty much guarantee no further problems.

                                                                              Fig 1-7

Fig 1-7. Lower valance sealed. This inner section is now repaired, sealed and ready to have the new hand-made valance welded on. Rust won't be a problem here anymore.

Fig 1-8

Fig 1-8. The next step I took on was removing the rocker/sill panels. Right inner rocker panel removed as you see this area wasn't spared either! Lots of rust hidden on both sides. 124s, especially Coupes, are notorious for rusting in these areas. Externally, the tell-tale sign is the bubbling, or a crumbly soft pitch weld where outer/inner panel and floor board are welded up together. If you notice it on your car you can be sure to find the rot underneath requiring immediate attention.

            Fig 1-9

Fig 1-9. Right inner rocker repair. To repair this section, I did not limit the job to just welding a couple of metal patches. I actually cut the entire factory piece out. Central to a good repair job is the use of good gauge steel. I could have saved myself a bit of money, time and effort using a thinner gauge but here I kept it consistent with the factory metal.

Fig 1-10

Fig 1 - 10. Right front fender removed. This is a critical point on the car. The lower fender attachment at the rocker panel provides rigidity and strength. It bears the weight of the doors and also serves as reinforcement for your jacking point. About a year after purchasing the car, I had to change a flat tire on the side of the road one night. I remember the confusion of watching the original Fiat jack extend without so much as lifting the wheel a millimeter off the ground. When I looked under the car, I was more than little surprised to see that the entire section, weakened by rust, had crumbled under the weight of the car while I was jacking. That was really the moment I knew I would have to restore this car completely.

Fig 1-11

Fig 1 - 11. Right front fender inner structure repaired. You get an idea here of what it took to restore this section back to spec. The box section was carefully cut out as one whole unit and then copied to the millimeter on the workbench. Much easier.

Fig 1-12

Fig 1 - 12. Right front jack support repaired. Again here the section was carefully cut out as one whole unit and then copied to the millimeter on the workbench. Frame and jacking point is now done. The left side of the car was in the same shape and required the same work. Unfortunately, the pictures on this work were not very good but the previous photos will give you the right idea of what was involved.

Fig 1-13 a

Fig 1-13b

Fig 1-13 a and b. The underneath was not pretty and the drivers side was the worst. A large section of the frame rail had to be reconstructed. Also most of the of the floorboard was soft and crumbly in some areas.

Fig 1-14

Fig 1-14. The rear trailing arm supports were very weak too. Some fabricating/strengthening was needed as well on both sides

Fig 1-15

Fig 1 - 15. You’re looking at a section of floorboard from beneath the car. Specifically, it is the mounting surface for the center bearing support bracket. This is a weak point on 124s and I strongly recommend that you inspect and assess this area before starting any restoration. It’s easily overlooked. This area carries the wait of the driver’s seat and it tends to weaken over time, not just from the driver’s weight but also as a result of the loads exerted on the center bearing. From here it was on to the front end which required most of the work.

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