P1800 Front Wing Fitting - New Panels from Volvo

Hi all, Does anybody have any experience of fitting the latest front wings that are available for the P1800 from Volvo? I have heard that these are a bit tricky to fit compared to the wings that were available some years ago. The latest wings have a darker primer than older replacement wings. Any front wing fitting thoughts gratefully received. Cheers.

Hi DJS, I may be wrong, but from what I understand, the latest front wings are pressed from the original moulds. This being the case, there shouldn't be much deviation from the 'originals' having come from the same tooling. Even over 40 years any wear in the mould would be nominal. The front wings should be fitted with the windscreen removed. The two seams (one from the screen aperture to the top of the bonnet aperature and the other from the wing to the nose cone) should be lead loaded otherwise there is too much oportunity in joins like these to trap moisture and start bubbling up again in a few years. Hope this helps, Gordon

Hi Gordon, Thanks for the reply. Another question for you. Do you butt weld these panels (this is what I was going to do) or do you joggle the joint? Thanks again, Darren.

Hi Darren, The panels are flat edged on the areas you mention with no flange. From the screen aperture to the top of the bonnet opening, butt weld. If you have TIG then use that as the heat won't spead so far and warp the panels and you'll have less of a faff when it comes to leading in the seam. Round the screen aperture, if the dash is out the car, spot weld them in. If not, then plug weld them but watch for that dash top! From the bottom of the bonnet opening down and onto the nose cone, butt weld. The seam underneath the headlamp and on down underneath the indicator has a flanged edge, so can be spot or plug welded from the inside. Hope this helps, Gordon

Perfect, Thanks Gordon. I'll probably end up using TIG for the butt welded areas. The shell is bare at the moment so I'll be able to spot weld around the screen etc. Darren

lead? 

Is there a good source for info on using lead as a filler? I have never done it but I am interested in how it's done.

Hi, It's not that much harder than using filler really. Just some health and safety issues to watch out for. You can pick up the process quite easily. I have got some pictures that illustrate the process. I'll be away for a few days but I'll try to post them on this thread as soon as I get back and get the chance. Gordon

Hi everyone, I have posted a brief summary including pictures on how to lead load in the articles section above. Hope you find it useful. Regards, Gordon