Hi All
Well since my last post this is how far I have progressed with the restoration. The more I stripped it back, the easier it was to make the decision to take it back to a bare shell. There was more rust and structural damage then I expected (Maybe I was just hopeful).
It would appear that the car has been involved in at least two substantial accidents in the past. The front right corner and the rear end both should signs of previous repairs, of which neither have been done well.
Around both sides at the bottom of the front windscreen the rust damage is extensive. On the right side the holes are big enough to be able to see through into the cabin area. The boot area is also showing signs of being worse for wear due to the poor repairs. It looks as though there was no priming of rust prevention works done whilst it was being repaired. Also the brace (?) plate that runs from the boot floor up to the top of the inner guard is not connected. You can see where the spot welds have either broken or been separated, but not reattached. The floor around the back right hand corner has rusted through and there is evidence of rust damage across the back were the floor meets the vertical panel between the tail lights. As a result I am going to replace the boot floor, the water channels down either side of the boot and the box section under the bumper bar. I have been lucky enough to pick up a couple of rust free channels and fin sections for the rear guards. Currently I am carefully using a spot weld removal bit to split the inner fin/channel sections. If you don’t push too hard, you can feel the bit going through the inner panel and not damage or score the outer guard. Too much pressure and it goes straight through both layers.
The upshot of buying a complete car is, although the internal trims weren’t the best, they were complete so they can used as patterns when replacing them.
At this stage there is no plan to touch the gearbox or diff. Except for replacing seals where applicable. There appears to be no play in either. When draining the diff oil there was no sign of any brass floaty bits. I couldn’t feel any either when I rubbed some of the oil between my fingers. Eventually everything else will be overhauled. If anyone has a set of good rear reflectors for sale I would be interested to hear from you.
Meeting fellow Frogger Marty 404, has been a bonus. His car had rust in the same areas as mine and his advice/suggestions have been invaluable, considering I have never done and panel work before.
The plan is to put it back on the road in an as original condition as possible when it is finished. Currently it is white, but I will repaint it Sunburst Brown with a black interior. Was Black an original interior colour in 1969? White is so boring! Does anyone know what the colour codes are for Sunburst Brown?
Cheers
Dano
Well since my last post this is how far I have progressed with the restoration. The more I stripped it back, the easier it was to make the decision to take it back to a bare shell. There was more rust and structural damage then I expected (Maybe I was just hopeful).
It would appear that the car has been involved in at least two substantial accidents in the past. The front right corner and the rear end both should signs of previous repairs, of which neither have been done well.
Around both sides at the bottom of the front windscreen the rust damage is extensive. On the right side the holes are big enough to be able to see through into the cabin area. The boot area is also showing signs of being worse for wear due to the poor repairs. It looks as though there was no priming of rust prevention works done whilst it was being repaired. Also the brace (?) plate that runs from the boot floor up to the top of the inner guard is not connected. You can see where the spot welds have either broken or been separated, but not reattached. The floor around the back right hand corner has rusted through and there is evidence of rust damage across the back were the floor meets the vertical panel between the tail lights. As a result I am going to replace the boot floor, the water channels down either side of the boot and the box section under the bumper bar. I have been lucky enough to pick up a couple of rust free channels and fin sections for the rear guards. Currently I am carefully using a spot weld removal bit to split the inner fin/channel sections. If you don’t push too hard, you can feel the bit going through the inner panel and not damage or score the outer guard. Too much pressure and it goes straight through both layers.
The upshot of buying a complete car is, although the internal trims weren’t the best, they were complete so they can used as patterns when replacing them.
At this stage there is no plan to touch the gearbox or diff. Except for replacing seals where applicable. There appears to be no play in either. When draining the diff oil there was no sign of any brass floaty bits. I couldn’t feel any either when I rubbed some of the oil between my fingers. Eventually everything else will be overhauled. If anyone has a set of good rear reflectors for sale I would be interested to hear from you.
Meeting fellow Frogger Marty 404, has been a bonus. His car had rust in the same areas as mine and his advice/suggestions have been invaluable, considering I have never done and panel work before.
The plan is to put it back on the road in an as original condition as possible when it is finished. Currently it is white, but I will repaint it Sunburst Brown with a black interior. Was Black an original interior colour in 1969? White is so boring! Does anyone know what the colour codes are for Sunburst Brown?
Cheers
Dano
