The car has arrived, and we\u2019re all set to get to work! – as soon as we can clear some other projects off the decks, that is\u2026<\/p>\n
Overall, the car is a little worse in person than I\u2019d hoped, but the bottom line is that when you\u2019re replacing panels, it doesn\u2019t really matter how bad they are \u2013 it\u2019s the same amount of work to replace them if they\u2019re a little tired, or completely wiped out\u2026\u00a0 Overall, the car is solid, and the cowl is in good shape, inside and out \u2013 and straight, so we\u2019ve got everything we need here to end up with a perfect shell.<\/p>\n
The bonnet is a different story – I seem to have a different opinion every time I look at it\u2026\u00a0 There is a lot of lead filler in it, for one thing, that will take time to melt out before we can repair and re-shape the panels.\u00a0 The underpanel is totally shot \u2013 I can replace the rusted-out vertical support piece with a new panel (available in our online store), but the outer skin is rusted out, already has several over-lapped patch panels, is bent, dented, and filled with lead \u2013 I think I\u2019m going to have to admit defeat on this one \u2013 and I hate that!<\/p>\n
More bad news is that both the center section and wings have heavy corrosion in the \u201ccenter-to-wing flanges\u201d that run the length of the bonnet.\u00a0 We have the machines and skills in our shop to fix just about anything, but the amount of labor required on this one may make this bonnet too far gone, economically\u2026\u00a0 Luckily, we have no less than FOUR spare Series 1 bonnets worth of parts in the shop right now (in varying degrees of condition\u2026) that we can use to substitute on this project.\u00a0 Stay tuned for what we eventually decide to do on this one!<\/p>\n
The backside of the suspect, lead-filled LH rear wing revealed a total nightmare of poorly hammered-out creases, overlapped seams, brazed-up holes, etc., and so we\u2019ve already dug out an NOS replacement from panels we\u2019ve stashed over the years to handle just this type of problem.\u00a0 Panels like the rear wings aren\u2019t always available when you need them, so we\u2019ve lucked out by having this on the shelf\u2026\u00a0 In addition, underneath the damaged wing are crumpled front and rear wheelhouse assemblies that we will also replace.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The car has arrived, and we\u2019re all set to get to work! – as soon as we can clear some other projects off the decks, that is\u2026 Overall, the car is a little worse in person than I\u2019d hoped, but … Continue reading