This car was purchased in 1987 as is and has only been repainted once. From Signal orange to black. It is time that it is going back to its original color. There is a lot of originality still with this car. We will try to blend the new paint with the original details where possible. Stay tuned.
(Click on any of the images to view larger images of the entire project.)
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- This is how the car was purchased in 1987.
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- The original condition of the inside of the door. We are going to retain this originality where possible.
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- With a complete interior still in place, the windows are masked off for chemical stripping. Notice the original paint underneath.
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- After sanding and polishing the original paint, we can see our paint sample is just about perfect.
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- We start removing the rusted areas.
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- The inner rocker and jack point will need rebuilding as well.
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- The inner rocker and jack point will need rebuilding as well.
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- The front suspension pan is a common rust area.
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- The right rear bumper has damage and rust holes.
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- A replacement will be sourced.
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- The door is prepped to carefully pull out some dents.
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- This shows what we had to start with.
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- Here we have just a little more to go.
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- After the replacement bumper is blasted, we find a perfect part. No rust, no dings.
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- This insures a great fit and no scratches at assembly.
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- The deco strips are fit prior to any painting.
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- The hinge post panel is repaired on the bottom and the jack point is ready for welding.
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- The entire side is fit together so each panel works with the next one. The bottom of the rear quarter panel is not in place yet.
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- The fender, door, rocker panel and rear quarter are taking shape.
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- Next, the gas tank support is fit and welded in place. The gas tank is also fit before final welding is done.
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- Here the new front pan has been welded in place.
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- Prepped and ready for the first round of primer. Wheel well details will also be painted at this time.
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- This wheel arch had a solid coat of filler on it when we started. With some careful hammer work, only small details need to be filled.
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- Overall, mostly small factory variations needed to be addressed on the body.
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- While body panels are drying, small parts are painted and hardware is prepped for plating. Here the gas tank bottom is undercoated.
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- After undercoating, it is epoxy primered and topcoated.
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- The gauges are rebuilt with the original date code stamps preserved and ready to install.
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- The first round of primer blocked out showing a very straight body.
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- With the second round of primer blocked and wet sanded, the rockers are undercoated.
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- With the rockers epoxy primed, the body is ready for color.
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- It is time for clear.
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- After 3 coats of clear, we let it dry one week before color sanding and more dry time.
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- Most of the undercoating was very solid so most of the body received a fresh coat for appearance.
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- The fenders are new so they got a solid coat of Wurth undercoating.
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- With the dashboard in place, the restored gauges can now go in.
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- It is interesting how different the color looks depending on how the lighting is hitting the surface.
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- The back of the car is complete. The rest of the panels are polished and ready to go on the car.
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- The body is assembled. Windows, door handles and latches need to go on along with new wheels and tires.
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- A quick test drive. What a fun car!
