Body Shell Preparation - Continued:
Attempting to tidy up the rust & old paint with various wire brushes in my drill just did not work.
More on that later, instead I measured the distance between the wheel arches on both the Cordite & Spitfire.
The Cordite is around 143cm at its widest point, which makes the Spitfire just a few cm wider.
( Which seems consistent with the "fast build" Navigator photo where the arches are just poking out. )
I did the cutting in stages so I wouldn't cut through anything I wasn't supposed to in error.
This gave me a much better view of what I was doing & I kept the arches as wide as practical.
Overall, the arches were in pretty good condition behind the wing, passenger side was worst.
Driver's Side:
Passenger Side:
While the angle grinder was out, I tidied up the lower bulk head corner on the passenger side.
The sill was already rotten, so it was better to remove all that was left of it.
I also removed a few of the brackets that I don't need & which seem to be water traps.
I also removed the lip that the soft top poppers are attached to as it was a rusty mess.
So instead of tidying up the pile of stuff in the middle of the car, I'd made it worse!
I then did a quick bit of shopping for some rust treatment & a sanding disc for my grinder.
This was definitely the right tool for the job compared to the wire brushes...
So I went around the boot & some of the other rusty sections to clean them up.
Unfortunately, by this time the light was fading & the weather turning, so I call it a night.
I was just putting the tarpaulin back on when the hail stones started, so good timing.
The plan for tomorrow is to prep both the front & rear sections for some painting.
I know I still have repair work to do, but I want to start treating / protecting the rust ASAP.
Take care, Paul.
Replies
Cheers chaps, it may have had one careful lady owner, but that was definitely a long time ago!