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Outside the Car ...
( Want a closer look ? - Just click on the image to enlarge )
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Stripped Off !
About 5 litres of paint stripper and a few weekends work, the car was totally stripped to bare metal.
I don't know what sort of paint the previous owner put over the top of the factory stuff, but gee whiz it took some getting off! The car looks the same dark grey colour, but it's actually a protective coating I put on the bare metal until it got to the paintshop.
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New Doors ? No way !
The doors aren't new, they were just taken off and sent to the paint shop for blasting, and priming as they were very badly rusted in the window channels.
The car wasn't going to be painted for while yet, so the doors went in for emergency surgery. |
Roof Ready !
When the car finally made it to the paint shop, they started work on the roof first. Just like any other 35 year old Mini, it had a slightly dented roof. Doesn't help when the previous owner stored crap on top of it in his shed for over 18 years! |
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The usual Mini rust spots !
Like most others, the Cooper had rust in the usual spots. Underneath the accelerator pedal in the wheel arch, between the front quater panel and 'A' pillar and the window channels in the doors. |
Door Ripples !
Just about ready for the final colour, when Gary found some faint ripples in the door.
Be buggered if I could see them, but I guess he knows what he's looking for. And if it's not perfect, Gary won't be happy. So a bit more work to go yet ! |
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Pre-Paint Prep !
With the doors finally straight, it was time to splash on some paint. The insides of everything were done first. (ie) behind door hinges, behind the body seams, ect. Once this was done, the body seams went back on ready for final painting. |
Final Masking !
With the Pre-Paint Prep done, it was into the spray booth to be sanded back yet again, and masked up ready for the final colours of Marine Blue & Toga White. |
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Painting finished at last !
With both colours well & truly cured for about a week, Gary drowned the car with copious amounts of fisholine ! Once the fisholine stopped running from all the panels inside & out, Gary finally went over it a few times with a hand glaze. |
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