The car thread

[jacko]

As promised on the Hendrix stamp thread, here's some photos of my MG post restoration. I've had the car since 1982 but it was in desperate need of a polish so I took it off the road in 1997 and spent far too long walking past it. I started the restoration 'for real' around 7 years ago and I've done everything myself.  first off, here's what I was left with when I'd finished stripping the rust...

  There's a lot of fresh metal on there and everything has been rustproofed prior to painting. Just about every nut and bolt has been either polished or replaced with stainless...  

 

  You've seen the interior but I'll show it again. Had to strip the seats back to the frames and re-upholster them then all the carpets an panels needed replacing. I took the time to paint the dash when I did the bodywork.  

  The last two are just around the time I got her back on the road last July. The paintwork took forever. It's candy Apple Red so after the primer, there are 4 coats of metallic silver base, 6 coats of translucent red and 6 coats of clear which all had to be sprayed in one day (in my single garage - 10ft X 18ft). Once the clear hardened it was all rubbed flat and polished with several grades of compound (just like our beloved basses). It took forever to get it back on it's wheels and I doubt I'd ever want to do it again but I think it turned out ok.  

 

  We had our summer holiday in the borders I the car last summer and one garage attendant told me he thought the car had a very 'california' feel to it. Made me smile :-)  Looking forward to seeing Bill's TR and anything else anyone cars to show us.  Graeme

[hydrargyrum]

Sweet.  Color me envious.

[alembic76407]

Graeme, Outstanding on the MG , love the wheels, I bet she's a blast to drive.

[alembic76407]

Here's my weekend toy, I bought her in 1995, it's a 1987 944 with over 200,000 miles and still looks and runs great
 
David T
 
 

[lbpesq]

David:
 
Sweet!  My dailey driver is a '93 968 Cabriolet.  The red-headed stepchild Porsches are my favorite.  
 
Bill, tgo

[peoplechipper]

Yeah 914!...that MG looks too cool in candy apple...nice job to go way cooler than stock! so old British to keep the paint muted...

[gtrguy]

Beautiful MG! The restorers I respect the most are the ones that do the work themselves.
 
Looks like a lot of wood was used in the car when it was made.

[keith_h]

Graeme,  
The car looks great. I really like the hot rod type of feel it gives with the candy apple red. Wish your were closer as I will definitely need some advice when it comes time for the upholstery on my project car. I'll try to get some picks of it when the weather clears up in a day or so.  
 
Keith

[rami]

Hey guys,
 
Those are absolutely beautiful!  I have a personal weakness for a big, angry American V8.

[sonicus]

Here you go then , ___meet my new Sweetie . Her name is Galbani !
1978 Ford Ranchero GT .She has a 400 cubic inch V8 engine . That  is 6.6 L ..______

[hydrargyrum]

Wolf,
 
That looks fun.  Not to mention the cargo room in back for sunny days.  That was a different time in car manufacture.

[sonicus]

Hello Kevin ,  
                    Yes ,so far this vehicle has been an interesting project .It was sold to me  by the owner of a tire service company that owned too many vehicles and this one needed some attention of a kind that he did  not want to deal with anymore . He sold it to me for the right price and I dealt with the water leaks through the cargo bed behind the back window on my own quite successfully, as well as a little rust repair that now in gone and dealt with as well . Mechanically she runs swell and just needs a few minor suspension issues perfected ( rubber parts and  the such )    I am currently very seriously looking for a shell for the cargo bed so that she can be a practical equipment mover.

[rami]

That's REALLY sweet!  
 
Thanks for sharing the pic - wish you many years of pleasure with it!
 
Rami

[sonicus]

Thanks Rami

[jzstephan]