Aprilia Cabrio - here we go again

[stanley sweet]

That Aprilia had a stong windscreen frame. Good to know.

[lancialulu]

Boot hinged from the top but non black hood is interesting. Mostly has Simon's car details

[simonandjuliet]

Fascinating photos - during the war ? Thank you for sharing them - I would love copies if possible .....

The boot is especially interesting from my point of view because it has exactly the same quarter bumpers and I don't think it is top hinged, I think that they are a latch style over-lock. It would explain the cover plate on mine and the structure behind the panel.

I have had a very close look at how mine has been built and how any repairs have been made and I am as sure as I can be that the boot was always hinged from the bottom, but the locks were a later mod - using French sourced handles - possibly Citroen Traction (??) which would make sense

The biggest difference to mine appears to the position of the indicators, they seem higher than mine, but need to look more closely

I like the double spare wheel in the boot, without the cover

The old advert that I bought also showed a light coloured roof

[Kari]

The picture of the car in the ditch has probably been taken just after the war outside Switzerland. The truck in the background seems to be an US Army vehicle, but it's not visible if it's active or surplus.

In my opinion the car looks quite close to the one pictured in the brochure on picture 100_0082 further up on this tread. I am sure it has the bootlid hinged at the bottom with latches on top. Top hinges would'nt make sense as it would be too heavy to lift the lot. Perhaps the double spare wheel was an option as it was on the Augusta.

Simon: I will scan the paper copys to a higher resolution and send them to you.

Regards Karl

[simonandjuliet]

Thanks Karl, the pictures are a real help !

More on the floor .....

We have cut off the cill on one side and cut an inspection hole on the other with a view to understanding exactly how the floor was made so that it can be remade accurately.

As previously thought, the floor sandwich comes as far as the S shaped chassis rail and then the outer section is welded on afterwards along with the outriggers. There are box sections at the front of the chassis that incorporate the bulkhead support, but the rear box section that supports the door pillar, appears to have been added with the bodywork ie by the coachbuilder. Once I have clearer photos I will post them

The photo shows the position of the internal cross members and the outriggers supporting the bodywork. The chassis rails are remarkably good, only one small section to replace. Then a single,long repair piece to replace the lower floor where it is welded to the chassis rail. Once the front and rear box sections are tidied up, then the new outer cill can be added

Looking at the construction, the cause of "problems" originally was that water is allowed into the front of the cill from a gap inside the engine bay - so we will make a small mod to prevent this happening in the future !

[simonandjuliet]

Dog has been working on a large, tricky plate

Where necessary the honeycomb has been repaired and the bottom floor has been joggled to take the new plate.  It now needs to be drilled to recreate the spot welds along the chassis frame and then seam welded to the original floor

A lot of work to do nicely, not really justified in 2 lines .....

I want to get this bit right because the rest is so good !

[DavidLaver]

That twin skinned "honeycomb" floor is a really sophisticated thing...who would have thought???

[davidwheeler]

Just like a 2CV.

[simonandjuliet]

But 12 years later than the Aprilia !

The honeycomb extends into the forward arms that support the front axle. I have now removed all the previous repairs/patches to this side of the chassis

[stanley sweet]

I might be being thick - but how is the lower plate attached to the honeycomb? I can see that the honeycomb can be welded to the imternal floor but once you finish boxing it in that's no longer an option with the lower plate.

[simonandjuliet]

Hi Stan
Once the plate is made and trial fitted, it is removed and holes are drilled along the lines of honeycombs. Once refitted, the holes are then welded up, attaching the plate to the honeycomb above - effectively spot welding the plate in place

Looking at the original floor, it appears to have been done like this first time round. I haven't got any pictures but will take some tomorrow

PS will be in touch re other matters ......

[davidwheeler]

[quote aut!
pic=8991.msg65698#msg65698 date=1474633094]
But 12 years later than the Aprilia !

The honeycomb extends into the forward arms that support the front axle. I have now removed all the previous repairs/patches to this side of the chassis
[/quote]
Actually the 2CV was designed at about the same time as the Aprilia, the prototype was hidden in a shed during the war and brought out afterwards.

[simonandjuliet]

So, some industrial espionage going on .....

Dog told me that these spot-welds are not spot-welds but plug-welds. Next plate has been made and now fitted, but in order to line up the inner membranes for drilling the holes for the "plug-welds" we painted some gloopy paint on the inside prior to a trial fitting

[the.cern]

Jim uses the term 'plug weld' for this technique. I have always used 'pond weld', but that may be the difference between car body work and bridge construction where I learnt my term. The main thing is that it works ...... it is a neat way of welding your floor where access is impossible and, in my bridge days, it was a good way of increasing the amount of weld attaching two members together when the boundary length was insufficient to meet the design weld length requirement.

                                                                           Andy

[frankxhv773t]

Plug welds is the term I have always seen used as a car bodywork term.