I set about taking the old tatty carpets out, priced new ones and the cost of re-trimming the interior, then I found the small hole in the chassis which got bigger and bigger the more I hit it with a hammer. So I thought I’d do a pro job and strip the lot and still be ready for Newark it would be a big job but still achievable with plenty of hard work not a problem.
The chassis had more holes than the colander we use for washing the lettuce, then the coup de grace, a previous owner had chiselled along the bottom and up the side of the bulk head I presume to remove the heater but had totally taken the strength out of the bulkhead. I was bitten by the Spartan bug so went looking for another replacement and found a chassis complete with most of the panels in Chelmsford so with a round trip of some 410 miles in the day I started again.
The new chassis had some surface rust mainly in the foot well (due to it being left out in the rain) 6 large circular wire brushes, 2 cheap angle grinders burned out (cheap is not always best) and a lot of sweat I had it back to bare metal. I’ve currently sprayed the chassis with its first coat of Hammerite smooth and fitted the panels taken from the original car, I prefer the shape of the bonnet of this model and the boot, unfortunately, the rear panels that came with the car are a bit short so I intend making my own from sheet aluminium.
I will hopefully add more news and pictures later.
I look forward to meeting other members and their cars at Newark and if I may pick your brains.
