The shell arrives !

Just been to inspect the shell....its really very impressive. The thing needs quite some work before it goes to paint. There are seams that need to be sealed in the engine bay and the boot that need to be done. In addition to this the doors and bonnet and boot need a little work on the fit.

One striking thing is that you don't really appreciate what a body shell is until you inspect it and realise that there is so much to add to it to make a car. Each nut and bote will need to be fitted ! At the moment I'm making a list of the items that are different between the old shell and the new.

Here's a few:

The seat belt mountings are for inertia reel rather than the static type with the anchor point on the outside top of the body.

Boot lid drillings for the badges on the boot lid need to be drilled

There are many drillings that are in the shell that even with over 20 years of ownership and staring at the engine bay I can't recall what every one is for !

The next stage is to decide on the paint and underside strategy for protection. At the moment I will be going for a rubberized stone chip that is painted and then clear waxoiled.

One of the other reassuring things is the number of clips and hooks that are attached to the body for holding the wiring loom to the shell. The attention to detail is very impressive.

My thoughts now are on the wiring; do I replace with the original method of wiring or do I use relays for the high current systems such as the main & dip beams, the indicators, horn electric fan etc. I have seen some web sites that describe solutions for this - still undecided.

Now I'm spending the Christmas week refurbishing the quarter lights ready for introduction to the shell and the screen so that they can be pre fitted prior to paint.