A Mostly British Obsession
Faded but still going strong
The first coat of high-build primer went on the GT today. Jim did most of the prep and spraying–I did a bit, enough to show I definitely can use some practice. My goal is to get the fenders, bonnet and doors ready for primer by the end of next week, in addition to getting the initial blocking and fill done on this car.
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I took an hour or two and cleaned the inner fender on the right side of the engine bay. A bit of touch up and some wax, and it will be fine for this non-show car. The paint is 42 years old, after all. It’s a shame that the cotton cover on the wiring loom dissolved when it was touched, because mechanically the loom is in good condition. I will probably (for the short term) wrap it in cotton tape, which won’t be “right” but keeps me from forking out $450 for a new loom–and the repair will look better than what’s there.
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Used “aircraft stripper” on the door jambs today, and it worked pretty well. You can tell it’s pretty potent because it stinks all to heck, like carb cleaner on steroids.
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Only the wheel arch lips and the door jambs remain to be stripped of their old paint…feels like progress. I’m going to try doing the jambs with chemical stripper, which should be an adventure. Chemical strippers (in my experience) seem like they should work great but are almost always as tedious as mechanical stripping, with the bonus of noxious, messy goop to contend with.
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Progress is proceeding at a glacial pace on the 1967 GT. My friend Jim has welded in the repair panels for the few rusty spots, and I am slowly working my way around the car, taking off the cruddy red paint job and getting rid of crud in the normally hidden areas.
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I have the fenders, valance and rear hatch off the GT, preparing for a few minor patch panels and then paint. Car is remarkably good, all things considered. Most painful is going to be getting all of the red overspray off of places I will not be painting, like the underside and inner fenders, which all still have very intact undercoating.
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Alternative Blasters in Marysville finished their work on the GT–they were quick, friendly, and reasonably priced…definitely going to use them again. They did not do the bonnet as they were uncomfortable with blasting the aluminum.
The car is really very good for a 42 year old MG. The passenger dogleg (just behind the door) has a couple of holes (which we’ll patch) and the lower front fenders are rusted, with some associated damage to the front of the sill. I have new lower fenders and I think (hope!) the sill can be patched.
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I put the GT on the car trailer and drove it to Alternative Blasters (in Marysville) to have the cruddy paint job removed. I left the glass in, as it makes life easier for blaster, but will remove it when the car is back. Then it’s on to rust repair (lower front fenders) and new paint in the original grey (which you can see a glimpse of where the tail lights were).
The Ford put in yeoman service (yet again) hauling around my other machines.
In one of those fortunate coincidences, a gentleman up in Anacortes was offering a set of good wire wheels with nearly new tires to fit an MGB on craigslist for $200, and since I desperately needed tires, I emailed as soon as I saw the ad. Fortunately, I was the first to be able to get to his house–the GT now has new boots.
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The ’67 GT arrived today from San Diego. My friend Paul is manning the wheel while Dave (of “Dave and the Dog” auto transport) guides him off the trailer. The car is very straight, valance panel aside, and the paint is baked, along with the interior. But it’s a nice car. And as a bonus, it was originally painted Grampian Grey, a nice medium grey which I hope to return the car to.
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