H229 UMB Rolling Restoration
The first priority back in 2008 was to make the car safe and reliable. The mileage was relatively low at 77k so we recommended our Service & Perishables to instill confidence in the customer that the hoses were not going to burst on one of his daily commutes.
We also undertook our suspension upgrade which includes the brakes and steering components and basically makes the car feel better than new to drive. The subframe had rusted badly and was not useable so we sourced a good second-hand frame and shot-blasted & powder coated it ready for rebuild.
Although the bodywork was in poor condition, the customer wanted to enjoy the mechanical improvements for a while before undertaking major repairs to the shell.
In 2009, the car returned for recommissioning of the aircon, which in this case involved replacing the compressor.
In 2011, the customer was ready to improve the cosmetics of the car and so we set about stripping it of the bumpers, lights etc before it went to the bodyshop for its makeover...
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As the underseal has partly come away it reveals a hole by the safety critical seat belt mounting - a certain MOT failure. |
As more of the underseal is peeled away the extent of the rust is shown. |
Here you can see the repairs made to the seat belt mounting from the inside of the car. This is rust protected and the underseal renewed. |
These would have been hidden under the carpet, but given away by dampness when the car was taken out in the rain. |
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New metal is welded in to the floorpan. |
The wheel arches are the most common places for these cars to rust. This is a particularly bad example. |
Here we can see the wheel arch has been repaired with new metal and is primed in readiness for its first coat of paint. |
Unusually, this car has rusted on the top of the off-side front wing as well as patches on the bonnet. The hole was masked with duct tape which looked like a large plaster, causing some amusement. |
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A typical place to find rot & a reminder to get into the wheel arches with the hose when cleaning the car to get rid of trapped salt, mud etc! |
This is a view of the off-side of the newly painted car, now ready for the trim to be refitted. |
The finished result. We shall miss the black tape hiding the rust spot on the front wing! |
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