First job was to strip the shell bare so the full extent of the damage could be seen. This revealed which panels required replacing and which could (or would have to be due to the rarity of some panels) be repaired. Thankfully the inner wings were strong if a little rough around the edges (these panels alone can set you back some £600). Panels replaced included; both front wings, both doorskins, sunroof plating over (fiddly job to get right without distortion), front and rear valence, floorpans, chassis leg sections (most of), wheel arches and much work on the roof to give it back the strength it lacked due to the previous repair.
After the shell had been repaired professionally on a body jig (poor structure had allowed the shell to sag and it required straightening) it was modified further to include seam welding where appropriate, strengthening in certain weak areas, new suspension turrets to improve the rear suspension and locating points were prepared for the 6pt Safety Devices roll cage which was then fitted. Where required lead solder was used in place of body filler to smoothe over repairs, this has the advantage of not allowing moisture to lift it as can happen when using fibre fillers.
The shell was then sent off for full sand blasting and etch priming before being thickly coated on the underbelly with gravelex stone protection, several layers of primer and a top coat of original Signal yellow paint.
The shell was then finished at home with copious quantities of seam sealer and epoxy mastic before being generously protected with Dinitrol 3125 cavity wax and rust inhibitor which was injected into the chassis legs under pressure.
This I hope has resulted in a fully protected car which provided it receives proper maintenance should never suffer from rust again.
It took me a good while but I eventually found an original thin cast 78 dated set of RS 4 spoke alloys and not the far more commen capri laser alloys. These are not reconditiond wheels but appear original polished alloys as they still display the original casting flaws present, these would have been removed using modern diamond cutting techniques. These wheels are shod with Yokohama A539 rubber, which should be perfect for the car being it is going to be mainly a dry use vehichle.
