prep work has begun!


this was supposed to go into the garage last week to get the downpipe and electrics sorted but the towtruck guy i booked didnt seem to understand the words "Early" or "Between 8am and 9am. the earlier the better" so had to reschedule to sometime next week :/
so whilst ive been waiting about i decided to get the car ready for paint (or do as much of the work as i can)
although the car doesnt have any major rust its got quite a few stone chips and small rust bubbles so its taking ages to chase them all back to clean metal etc. also fillered any small divots etc and fillered the rear arch where the new one was welded in. its come out pretty well but i'll perfect it when it stops raining.

ground back some of the rust scabs to reveal a few holes (its like this on the opposite side too)

ive since removed the tailgate, cleaned and rustproofed the inside as much as possible then put some fibreglass sheet inside to fill the void/back the holes then put filler and primer on the outside
also refurbed the badges when it got too dark to work on the bodywork...
sanded them back and gave them a coat of satin black then used blu tac to mask them off as tape would have been way too fiddly
the result:




came out pretty well to be honest.
Removed the bumpers so i could restore them and continue the bodywork


the front and rear panels are rediculously clean and unrusty. the tunnels which the bumper brackets go into have no rust inside them at all! definately unexpected but it was a pleasant surprise.
test fit the badges just because they look amazing next to the primer lol
(as mentioned above, the rust holes have since been repaired)



the only bits of rust found on the front panel (there wasnt even much surface rust. just small spots)...


everything was ground back to good metal. the crap bits were cut out 2 plates were put into the bad parts then eveything was coated in kurust, stone chipped and painted in black hammerite. i also put a bead of hefty roofing sealant in some of the gaps between the front panel and wings to prevent any water or crap getting in them.
the finished article:


really happy with the lack of rust on this car. the underside is rediculously clean too (had another peep under there whilstlooking for the bumper bolts.... turns out theyre inside the car

and finallyyyyyy
nice black bumpers instead of horribly grey and mossy ones

tomorrow i'll be prepping and priming the lower rear panel and reinstalling the bumpers and grill (which im cleaning with a toothbrush and soapy water as we speak... it will also get a blast of satin black tomorrow i reckon) then i'll be making a start on the bonnet...
cheers for looking