My new RX3 and restoration

[TRIND-FD]

Pictures pictures pictures, please :god

[steve garbutt]

Well i think a bit of an update is called for.
As most will know the bodywork is now all metal with all rust repairs sorted, it has been like this for a long time but i havent been happy with all the small imperfections in body panel shape and small primer imperfections.
As somebody had run over the roof, bonnet and boot at one point in its life, there was a lot of work poping the roof out and panel beating it to the correct shape, the same had to happen to the bonnet and boot as well as i didnt just want to fill it full of filler.
Well that is now complete and its just waiting for its last coat of primer.
Spraying the car will be the last thing to do as i want to get her running first.
These are some pictures of the last few months getting the panels as perfect as i possibly can.

[Grant Monkhouse]

Are you doing the roof a different colour? Or a vinyl?

[steve garbutt]

Not the best pictures as they are from my iphone but the best i can get for the moment.
The back lower body was then stripped of paint and surface rust then treated with rust neutralizer and stone guarded, and a nice layer of primer laid on.

[steve garbutt]

Are you doing the roof a different colour? Or a vinyl?

Nope roof is going to be same colour as the rest of the car Grant.
As you can guess we are still working on getting the roof straight in them pictures

[steve garbutt]

Front nose cone, bonnet and boot now the correct shape and almost all imperfections now gone, still a little work to be done.

[steve garbutt]

As i have now got a 12a engine and gearbox in, it needed a new gearbox mount.
I Wanted to do it only once so i made it properly in the first place out of 8mm steel.

[steve garbutt]

Due to our purchase of this fantastic piece of kit everything\'s getting sand blasted prior to painting including the gearbox brace

[steve garbutt]

As i had already completed the rear brakes a long time ago, next on the agenda was the front calipers.
So with a bit of optimism i purchased a caliper rebuild kit.

[Grant Monkhouse]

Sandblaster you say??? Nice:D 8mm for the brace? I made mine out of 6mm, but I\'m mounting it in 2 areas so that makes 12mm!

[steve garbutt]

Even though the pistons were stuck in the calipers i was amazed that after 2 hrs of struggling they eventually came free and i found they were in superb condition inside.
So after a little cleaning they were reassembled with the new kit.
You can see in the side by side pictures before and after cleaning.

[steve garbutt]

Sandblaster you say??? Nice:D 8mm for the brace? I made mine out of 6mm, but I\'m mounting it in 2 areas so that makes 12mm!

I know, overkill for a n/a 12a

[steve garbutt]

These two bits were purchased so on they went

[steve garbutt]

Yesterdays Job was to mount the nice big aluminium radiator i had purchased ,so there would be no issues with cooling.

[steve garbutt]

And today found me playing with the shot blaster again getting the front light holders looking almost as good as new
This is how they started off.