Quote:
Originally Posted by hreg240
Thanks Alan,
I wholly agree, a bodyshop would cost far too much to warrant using one. I'm glad my situation has changed as that eases the pressure on me fixing it myself - whereas before I'd be stressing to do it one weekend, ready for motorway miles during the week.
Upon finding that rust yesterday, I started banging about with a screwdriver all down the car. I'm glad to report that I didn't go through the sills at any stage. I presume the rust at the n/s front is from where dirt was getting held behind the mudflap - I say this because the mud flap was at an awkward angle (not held correctly) and a lot of dirt and grime came off when I pulled the trim.
I'm not surprised really, more a bit sad if anything, as Gertie is such a characterful car and now she's going under the knife so to speak.
No doubt it'll all get done, maybe not to a factory fresh standard, but I had a certain vision for the car anyway, so this will allow me to do it.
At least this thread is about to become far more interesting!
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Your job changing such that you don't need to commute would be a bonus. Without having seen it up close I'd say you could do all the work over three weekends:
a. One where you cut out all the rot and do all the preparation. Work out which panels you need and get them ordered (Brookhouse Volvo delivers quickly). You could test fit and mark all the panels after work on the Wednesday as the eves are getting lighter. Get a spare sheet of steel (about 1.5mm) and fabricate any filler panels and patches you might also need.
b. The next weekend get all the welding done; it will be best done in one hit as a lot of the time will be in setting up and preparation. Leave everything finished in grey primer when you stop for a beer at about 6pm on Sunday eve.
c. A third weekend for the redecoration. It is mostly stuff that is low down and won't show much (except maybe the wheel arches), so probably a rattle can finish would be plenty good enough.
It wouldn't do any harm to drive around in grey primer for a while, so weekends 2 and 3 may not have to be consecutive. You will need to decide which direction you want to take the project in, so having a little break to think about it after the metalwork might be a good idea.
Good fortune.
Alan
