Col's Renault R12 Wagon restoration

Learning curve:

Today was the day to try out the polly wheels and the stud welder.

First stripped off the paint with a 100mm polly wheel which worked fine, took less than a minute to remove this much paint, so I think these were a good buy.

Next I welded some 2mm studs to the lowest part of the dent.

When I attached the slide hammer to the 2mm studs it did not grip to well and slid off the studs. So I removed them by cutting them off with side cutters and grinding off the stub left behind and then welded on some 3mm studs that the slide hammer gripped well on. Managed to remove most of the dent. The 3mm studs are actually easier to remove than the 2mm studs by getting the side cutters up close to the panel, leaving very little to grind off.

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Paint removed using the purple polly wheel in a 100mm grinder


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2mm studs welded tothe left sill.

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3mm Studs welded to the left sill

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Most of the dent removed.

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How it is tonight, still a little more work required.
 
schlitzaugen said:
Result! Worth the money it seems, that little stud welder kit.

What's wrong with the slide hammer, why doesn't it like the 2mm studs?
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The little locking wheel locks onto the 2mm stud but when the slide hammer is operated the hammer the slide hammer just pulls off the stud. I think the 2mm studs are for very thin metal like you find on a 4CV .

The weld time for the 2mm stud is about 2 seconds and the 3mm stud is 4 seconds.

I have ordered a pack of 500 2.5mm studs for $39 as I can't find 3mm studs at a reasonable price.
 
That truly is a fancy pants iron right there. nifty little thing.
 
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More on why the 2mm studs slipped out of the slide hammer. As can be seen from the photo below the locking wheel just made a pattern along the 2mm stud as it rolled over the surface of the stud, where as on the 3mm stud you can see where the locking wheel has locked onto the stud. Maybe the wheel is set a little high in the slide hammer letting the stud escape under the locking wheel.
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The 2.5mm studs arrived today so I was able to give them a try out. They worked pretty much the dame as the 3mm studs but did not break off so cleanly so there was a bit of grinding to get rid of the butt of the stud.


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Left side roof dents removed and studs ground off.

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Right side roof dent removed.

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Right side under rear bumper dent removed.

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Left side near where the exhaust pipe exits the car is a little bit of a mess and requires a bit more work.

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Also found this surprise today, a poor repair from some previous damage, not sure how this was managed but will have to come up with a fix for it. Might have to cut the mangled metal out and replace with some new.
 
Nothing to see here apart from a couple of pounds of lead filler beautifully wiped over every imported imperfection as was the rule at Heidelberg for both Renault's and Peugeot's............the gaps were never THAT big........
 
Did they make BMWs as well?

'cos I cut a 1966 NK 1800 for spares and it had the front wings attached with lead. Great job, but it totally puzzled me. Had to do a double take before I worked out what was going on.
 
schlitzaugen said:
It is surprising how many cars don't look it but hide hideous accident damage.

Is that hole in the dent by the exhaust left by a stud?
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I reckon a previous owner has use the car in the bush, there were dents in the back foot wells and the left sill. I reckon the muffler has been pushed up into the inner panel and deformed it.

The round hole that you see is where the rubber buffer goes for the tail pipe to sit up against as the rubber bands pull the muffler up.
 
Kim Luck said:
Nothing to see here apart from a couple of pounds of lead filler beautifully wiped over every imported imperfection as was the rule at Heidelberg for both Renault's and Peugeot's............the gaps were never THAT big........
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I'll pass on that idea as lead is to heavy and won't flow up hill to well.

I will probably cut out the panel and weld in a new piece of fresh metal.
 
Kim Luck said:
Nothing to see here apart from a couple of pounds of lead filler beautifully wiped over every imported imperfection as was the rule at Heidelberg for both Renault's and Peugeot's............the gaps were never THAT big........
Click to expand...
After removing lead filler from a Morris MInor 1000, I could see why lead filling was loved by some manufacturers, I spent some time in eliminating most gaps and dings but then learned how to apply a much lighter lead loading before repainting and finishing the restoration of my good ladies 21st Birthday present from her parents, even found lots of confetti in odd places due to the minor being very economical honeymoon transport. Just about ready for another restoration, like us it has seen better times.;) and use by children .....
 
Kim Luck said:
36 hours Melbourne to Townsville in 1974 in a '74, 1265 cc Renault 12 TL wagon with a six month old baby on board stopping every four hours to feed him tells me no-one needs a 17TS engine in an R12 unless you really want to aquaplane on a flooded creek crossing.......
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Never had road trains in 1974...
 
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