This car was delivered to me in pieces. The bonnet alone is at least 13 different pieces. The first thing to do was assemble the body. Shim the bonnet hinges to get a good fit and mount the catches on each side to insure I have good pieces to work with. What followed is shown in the following pictures. When the owner gets this car assembled I will have pictures to show the completed project. The pictures do not capture the beautiful British Racing Green color.
(Click on any image below to view larger size.)
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- Looking in on the drivers side there is a bit of repair needed.
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- After dimensions are taken, the piece going across is removed.
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- The new section is fit in place.
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- The side area here needs to be replaced before the floor section can be put in.
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- After cutting the bad section out, the replacement piece can go in.
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- Many repairs are common to both sides.
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- The new floor section can now go in.
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- With the floor done, the far wall of the foot well can go in to close the interior back up.
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- This is a brace on the inside of the bonnet. It is one of only a few that was still glued in place. In had to be removed to repair the outer skin.
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- This picture is showing how beat up the panel was to begin with.
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- This is the back end of the bonnet where it meets the body. I can only guess that the curve indicates how much filler had been used at one time. This was all hammered flat to match the body contours properly.
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- This is the lower part of the nose that creates the front opening. Extensive repair was needed just to assemble the bonnet for initial fitting.
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- Here the bonnet is being put together. It is about 13 pieces that makes up the bonnet. Once it is in the final stage of fitting, it is never taken apart again.
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- This is the part that forms the lower part of the front opening.
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- After some diligent hammer and dollie work, it is looking pretty good.
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- This is typical of the old school repair work that I commonly run into. This section is part of the headlight opening.
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- Here the section is repaired and assembled.
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- This is on the body where the “A” pillar comes down. The gold color is more evidence of a previously brazed repair.
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- Here the area is being sectioned in.
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- Here a new door skin is going to be installed.
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- The entire rocker panel has been removed.
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- The structure inside is repaired before the new rocker goes on.
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- With the new rocker panel and door skin in place, the body begins to take shape.
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- Countless measurements and checks are done as the process continues.
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- Another rough spot is cut out.
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- A panel is fabricated and installed.
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- The complete body is test fit and adjusted.
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- Due to the size of the bonnet, a special cart was made to keep it easily mobile.
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- Epoxy and high build primer is next.
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- Here the guide coat is applied to aid in block sanding.
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- The body is put back on the rotisserie to provide easy access to the whole body.
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- The block sanding process. It is coming out beautiful.
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- The body was sent out for chemical stripping and e-coating. This is what it looks like inside and out.
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- The bottom is scuffed for paint.
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- The wheel wells are undercoated and then the bottom is painted in body color. The bottom is then masked off to protect it from over spray as the topside is painted.
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- The assembled bonnet gets painted on the inside right before the outside is done. There is no way to do it all at once.
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- The inside must now be masked off completely to protect it from over spray. It is a very detailed task.
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- The body is done with the front frame mounted waiting to be picked up.
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- Pictures don’t do it justice.
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- The door is fixtured for reassembly at the shop doing all of the assembly work.
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- The bonnet is ready to be installed.
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- Excellent detailing.
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- The interior is turning out perfect.
