Mk1 2000 mo/d saloon.

[TedTaylor]

Hi Laurence

PM sent.

Ted

[laurence]

All,
An update of progress with the Mk1 project.
I managed to strip quite a bit of the external trim myself without too much trouble, the stainless steel roof/gutter trims were a little reluctant at first but did eventually came off without being damaged/bent out of shape,-all trim pieces have been stored carefully and will be cleaned up before reattachment. I imagine that it must be very tricky to reattach without damaging the new paintwork, -if anyone has a method that will limit any damage would be good to hear.
The car then travelled,under its own steam, to the workshop for removal of lights,door cards and of course engine/gearbox and o/d.While this part of the job was going on the donor 2500 engine arrived and work will be starting .The gearbox will be going to Mr Papworth who will also prepare a J type o/d and higher ratio diff.
Body is now going to the painter for a thorough prep before painting in its original conifer sometime in January.
Thankfully no really bad grot spots have been found, the worse hole was at the base of A pillar on the underneath of the outer sill, there was also a small hole located on the drivers side inner wheel arch.
Hopefully there are some photos attached to give a better idea, any observations/comments warmly welcomed,
cheers,
Laurence

[Alan Chatterton]

Looks like a cracking shell to start with there! should be fairly simple (in comparison to other rusty rotten ones we are all restoring!) job to get that back together.

Looks stunning, can't wait to see more progress.

Well done and keep at it.

[Andy Thompson]

Blimey - its a minter - imagine if you could find a scabby TR5 like that underneath

Should be great fun when finished

[englishbull]

Nice work Laurence.............

Look forward to seeing it.

Lee

[laurence]

Thanks Allen/Andy/Lee for your positive comments.
Further update,
Progress at the painters has been rapid and thorough, car having been stripped was taken to the painters where all old paint was completely removed to bare metal. The really good news was that after the paint was removed it only revealed bright shiny metal,- i was a bit worried that removal might reveal something ugly, but thankfully not. All the nasty pockmarks on front wing edges/boot edges and bonnet have been ground out and treated prior to the application of primer. I am not an expert in paint application,or much else to do with cars , but i am pleased with progress thus far. Having seen a number of cars that my painter has completed i'm hopeful the finished job will be pretty good. As the car will be a daily driver i am not looking for concours perfection it is the driveability under tough conditions,-the stevio and similar come to mind,- that will be my marker.
Hopefully a few photos are attached to illustrate progress,
cheers for now,
Laurence

[laurence]

will try to add photos again!

[laurence]

All,
It has been a while so thought it was about time for an update. In the last six weeks the repaint has been completed, hopefully a few photos are attached to illustrate progress nearing completion. The engine is stripped and ready for a careful rebuild, as yet not made the final decision whether to run webers or SUs , any thoughts/opinions would be appreciated. Gearbox/j type o/d/diff,lsd,half shafts and hubs are in the safe hands of Mike Papworth and are nearing completion.
Will post some engine photos in due course,
cheers,
Laurence

[2SwissTriumphs]

That looks like a lovely finish - and a cracking colour too !

Keep us updated with progress, looking forward to seeing it progress

[laurence]

Thanks for your comments Martin, i would like to get to Morges this year so you never know the conifer green Mk1 might visit Switzerland,cheeers,
Laurence