Unbelievably, I've had this car for 12 years. During that time a lot has happened - I drove it as a daily for years, it got crashed, it got fixed, it got slammed, it got a rattle-can paintjob on the driveway, it got in a few magazines, it came to many shows, it came with me up and down the country. It's outlasted jobs, houses, girlfriends... but most of all it got rusty. Very very rusty.
It came off the road in 2008 after it became apparent that the rust was much worse than I first thought. At the time, some outdoor repairs was all I could do, welding it up on a draughty driveway. Plans were put in motion for a V8 engine conversion and the project suddenly became very big and very long-term (old thread can be found here). Inevitably life went through a few twists and turns and the project stalled. Even when I moved into workshop facilities, things progressed in fits and starts due to having too little time and too many projects on the go.
After about 2 years of not doing much at all on my cars due to living 150 miles from my workshop, things have started to turn a corner. New workshop facilities nearby and the cars transported to their new home have meant that I've finally been able to make progress! I wanted to begin a new thread now that I've got a bit more of a clear idea of how I want the car to progress. I figured it would be a bit easier to follow with a fresh start, too.
As well as getting very rusty and becoming a home to mice and rats (!) it's also become a bit rarer and a bit more valuable, so a patch-up on the driveway just won't do any more. Besides, this car is part of me! If I'm going to do it, I might as well do it properly. The direction of the project has changed in a few other ways too, which I'll reveal as the project progresses over the coming (many many) months.
So, where do we start with this new direction? First of all the shell needs restoration, so needs to be stripped ready for shot blasting...
^ Interior out. The mice had made a bit of a mess of the carpets, and a rat had chewed my gearknob but luckily no damage to the wiring or anything important!
^ Engine out again. Much of the engine bay had been stripped and boxed up years ago.
^ Doors coming off and getting stripped
^ The doors had been repaired about 10 years ago. They had held up pretty well thanks to the Waxoyl, but will be redone.
^ With the interior out, the rust wasn't all that bad! A lot of it had already been discovered.
^ On the ramp for a look underneath
^ Front and rear subframes were dropped...
^ ...as was the tank. It wasn't rotten which was a nice surprise
^ ...unlike the back bumper, which has had it. It's on the shopping list.
During all this stripping down, labelling and boxing up of parts, the front wings and bonnet were sent to the shot blasters.
^ I had a new old stock wing that I'd bought years ago, and had fitted another new wing to the other side.
^ Bonnet was a bit scabby underneath but was fairly straight apart from the dent I put in it crashing it.
^ Blasted!
^ A few areas on the bonnet need attention.
I then had them zinc primered. It gave me a bit of a psychological boost after all the stripping down. The primer felt like a forwards step.
I'm a way off fitting these, but they'll be in storage until I get around to it. The primer will protect the panels until I get around to repairing the holes and dents.
That's about where we're at at the moment. Next job is scraping off all the underseal and doing bits and pieces getting it ready for blasting!
It came off the road in 2008 after it became apparent that the rust was much worse than I first thought. At the time, some outdoor repairs was all I could do, welding it up on a draughty driveway. Plans were put in motion for a V8 engine conversion and the project suddenly became very big and very long-term (old thread can be found here). Inevitably life went through a few twists and turns and the project stalled. Even when I moved into workshop facilities, things progressed in fits and starts due to having too little time and too many projects on the go.
After about 2 years of not doing much at all on my cars due to living 150 miles from my workshop, things have started to turn a corner. New workshop facilities nearby and the cars transported to their new home have meant that I've finally been able to make progress! I wanted to begin a new thread now that I've got a bit more of a clear idea of how I want the car to progress. I figured it would be a bit easier to follow with a fresh start, too.
As well as getting very rusty and becoming a home to mice and rats (!) it's also become a bit rarer and a bit more valuable, so a patch-up on the driveway just won't do any more. Besides, this car is part of me! If I'm going to do it, I might as well do it properly. The direction of the project has changed in a few other ways too, which I'll reveal as the project progresses over the coming (many many) months.
So, where do we start with this new direction? First of all the shell needs restoration, so needs to be stripped ready for shot blasting...
^ Interior out. The mice had made a bit of a mess of the carpets, and a rat had chewed my gearknob but luckily no damage to the wiring or anything important!
^ Engine out again. Much of the engine bay had been stripped and boxed up years ago.
^ Doors coming off and getting stripped
^ The doors had been repaired about 10 years ago. They had held up pretty well thanks to the Waxoyl, but will be redone.
^ With the interior out, the rust wasn't all that bad! A lot of it had already been discovered.
^ On the ramp for a look underneath
^ Front and rear subframes were dropped...
^ ...as was the tank. It wasn't rotten which was a nice surprise
^ ...unlike the back bumper, which has had it. It's on the shopping list.
During all this stripping down, labelling and boxing up of parts, the front wings and bonnet were sent to the shot blasters.
^ I had a new old stock wing that I'd bought years ago, and had fitted another new wing to the other side.
^ Bonnet was a bit scabby underneath but was fairly straight apart from the dent I put in it crashing it.
^ Blasted!
^ A few areas on the bonnet need attention.
I then had them zinc primered. It gave me a bit of a psychological boost after all the stripping down. The primer felt like a forwards step.
I'm a way off fitting these, but they'll be in storage until I get around to it. The primer will protect the panels until I get around to repairing the holes and dents.
That's about where we're at at the moment. Next job is scraping off all the underseal and doing bits and pieces getting it ready for blasting!
