Inner wings

[Whippetgood]

Hi,
I have an 81 DHC and the bodywork is generally totally solid with no evidence of corrosion except where the front inner wings join the the front wings. The front wings are totally solid, as are the suspension turrets but I can feel a split in both inner wings where they meet the front outer wings. Is this a complete wing off job or can a strip be welded in? I might look at having repairs done this winter but in the meantime I can flood the wing voids with Bilt Hamber and build up underseal in the wheel arch to arrest the corrosion. Is this a reasonable strategy or should I just bite the bullet and get it seen to asap? Anyone got any suggestions as to rough cost of replacing both front inner wings?
Cheers, Jon

[Beans]

To start with when you remove the wings carefully (a few hours work unless you're skilled ) they can be re-used.
And removing them (if necessary) will provide proper access to any hidden rot.
As for the initial question I am not sure what the extent and exact location of your problem is.
But bear in mind that as a rule thumb most of the rust is hidden from view. So pictures might help!

These were both rather solid looking wing areas ...

[Whippetgood]

Thanks Beans,
I'll look at them in more detail when the weather improves (garage too narrow to work in!).
Cheers, Jon

[Rich K]

Hi, if you do decide to go down the route of just letting in repair strips or patches be careful when cutting or welding the left hand side (nearside in UK) as the loom associated with the headlamps etc runs inside that wing cavity and usually sits somewhere on the top side of the inner wing towards the turret side. It’s easy to cut or melt it if you are working below it. Ask me how I know!
Rich.

[sonscar]

I too found the wiring loom,character building.Steve..

[Whippetgood]

Thanks for the wiring loom warning - I would never have considered that!
Jon

[johnnyj]

Hi. I concur with the above, it is better to remove the front wings to assess the condition of the inners. Using a spot weld cutter you can take the outers off, keep them for re-use and have a good poke around the inners.

From memory it is better to remove the wings by leaving the engine bay gutter (attached to the wings on the top edge) on the car. The wings as standard have a gutter spot welded to them - separate the wings at that point and leave the gutter on the car. That allows for better re-attachment.

https://t-r-7.blogspot.com/search?q=front+wing

Cheers

John

[Whippetgood]

Thanks John, I'll enjoy reading through your restoration blog.
Jon

[Beans]

...I'll enjoy reading through your restoration blog ...

And when you've finished reading John's blog, you can switch to mine
https://tr7beans.blogspot.com/search/label/Restoration%20FHC

[Whippetgood]

I've already started on your blog Beans - there's a wealth of information there!
Jon