1978/79 GTS

[GTSPhil]

So I finished the roof on Saturday after fixing the steering on the White clubman.

I then Identified another bonnet that will be used instead of the current item.

In the beginning...

   


Top


   


Once done


   

[GTSPhil]

The boot lid

   


During sanding


   


   

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Due to the limited good clubman bonnets that I have, the original bonnet is still in better shape than the one I had thought about using on the very front lip.  The original bonnet did however get dented from the top where the latch is, but I have been duly informed that it can be sorted even though the support brace is right under neath the problem area.

So the sanding started again.....

The big problem area 


   


Why my car was never seen as being good enough to display or win something, and the end result of cheap resprays......

   



   



When you sand the offending area, RUST at the base that flakes to the top and sucks....



   

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The start of the body filler and why it cracked....


   


   


Now you would think why are this oke crazy enough to take this car down to bare metal.... till you see the layers of paint and primer and filler with some background light.... puts things in perspective.

   


On some areas the paint layers must be about 1.5 to 2mm thick, paint is supposed to be a few hundred microns thick.

After about 3 weeks of a few hours a day of sanding the end is coming near, due to time constraints and work commitments, the car will most likely not be ready for Cars in The Park, but if it is, lets see what kind of response it will be getting now.

[Jared Mk3]

That's a lot of work and well worth it Keep it up.

[GTSPhil]

I got worried about not de-oxidizing the car yet.

So I went about it on Sunday afternoon after some sanding again.  I applied my solution and waited the prescribed 10-15 minutes.

   

So this clearly became a WTF   moment.  I then used my solution (White Vinegar spirits to 2 parts water) and just kept on washing and rinsing with my scotch brite pad till we got to this...


   

Now you can spill water on the bare metal areas and nothing happens.  SCHWEET.  FYI the panelbeater/spraypainted said we are still going to properly de-oxidize the body with my proper de-oxidizer I bought from BuildersWarehouse before the respray will be done.  The Vinegar solution was found on a Youtube channel of a serious spraypainter/car restorer that swears by it, before he sticky rags the car and paints it.

[GTSPhil]

Okay

The panel beater took to the car and the roof had about 9 dents in it. That was sorted today and checked to be within 0.5mm of spec with a bent steel ruler. Was a true awesome sight to see a old school panel beater that can stretch and shrink metal to his will. The roof was very "spongy" in places if you ran your hand over it. Those areas was shrunk back to size and the "spongy bouncy" metal was taught again. Around the rear 7 other dents was removed on the quarter panels and boot area. So far so good.

[Thumz]

Phil who was the pannelbeater?

[Jared Mk3]

Should look stunning once in paint.

[GTSPhil]

Hi

Thumz the panel beater is a very good friend of mine, but he is fully retired now and his health are not so great anymore. Thus he has to take it slowly.

Jared I hope for the best, but there is still a hell of a lot of work to be done before even thinking of painting.
The nose should be coming off tomorrow and if time permits the new front RH floor panel will be fitted.

[GTSPhil]

Today was a very long informative day...

Firstly the GTS donor (1975/76) model (red car) had to be made into a rolling chassis, which consisted of finding and fitting two rear wheels.  Since the front hubs have been sold it was not present, the car was moved by two people taking the nose and manoevering it.

It started like this..... removal of the three wheel arches.

   


   


THE MOTHER LOAD FOR GTS OWNERS, THE ELUSIVE WHEEL ARCHES STILL USABLE....


   

[Vinay-RS]

Well done on sourcing the wheel arches! They definitely complete the GTS. I'd consider get a mould made of them, and then producing them to order for customers. Would be a great way to restore many GTS projects around the country.