The donor shell
It all began with sourcing this shell locally. The shell had been stripped and partly welded. The owner decided though that his welding was not up to scratch so decided to sell. The bonus was that the rest of the car came with it, including the logbook.
As usual, it needed a from end, door steps, sills and the usual floor repairs. Surprisingly, the boot floor was solid, and the previous owner had replaced one rear subframe mounting plate on the heel board. This panel just needed the welds tidying after confirming it was in the right place.
Disclaimer
I am no weldist or paintist! I have qualifications in Motorsport and Motor Vehicle Engineering. My day job is teaching the mechanical side of how cars work, so body work is not my forte. If you think my welding is poor or my paintwork is rubbish, that's fine. I do it because I think I can!
Smoothing the engine bay
I decided the bulkhead had to be smoothed as well as the rest of the engine bay. So out came the grinder and welder. The offside area around the pedal box mount was badly corroded so this had to be changed.
Stripping it bare.
The problem with stripping the engine bay and smoothing it is the amount of stuff that is in there. The wiper motor has been relocated to the inside of the bulkhead and changed for something a it newer with less play in the linkage. I have had to fabricate new spindles are arms to suit.
The bonnet hinges are something I want to change, I have two options here. I have seen a type that will mount as the originals but open the bonnet in two stages, or to swap them for something different with a gas strut.
New metal
The floor needed the usual work, both front floor plans needed replacing and two sills. The rear valance was rotten so it was replaced with a new one with closing plates. I decided to go for one with 5 holes in it, I might put some fog lights and reverse lights in them, or even cover it over with a body kit.
The rear lamp holes have been blocked with mark one conversion plates. I don't intend to use mk1 lamps, I want some small LED lamps in there that are different.
Trying to keep it tidy
With so much bare metal, and many new panels, the shell was looking a bit rough still. I decided to send it away to have it blasted and then coated it with epoxy primer to give it some protection. I knew it needed more welding, but at least it would keep the rust at bay.
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