My year started by dropping off BumbleBee's bonnet to my trusted paintshop on 6th Jan, thinking that being the beginning of a week away would allow tangible progress by mid-month.
Not so - these lads are admirably attuned to the "replace rust/metal with metal" ethos, not plunging into the filler-tub until necessary. Already having fashioned a couple of nice wheel-arches last year they have set about the bonnet with its infamous inaccessibility.
Sure enough the massive wedge of filler along the front was eventually extracted, leaving the ragged remains of the complex front lip; what remained of the inner leaf was completely refabricated and welded into place after some study of the shape and curvature of our handily-placed project car whose bonnet I was able to display to them first-hand. All this after some generous rust-proofing was painted in.
A couple of days ago - yes they dot in-and-out of several jobs concurrently - the entire lip had been welded back into place/shape, leaving a small access-hole each end for a long straw to shoot in some Dinitrol or equivalent - a luxury that the original design didn't allow seemingly.
In addition, having advised that all the bonnet paintwork was suspect and that they'd have to strip it down fully before repainting, more corrosion holes were revealed along the sides - usual suspect places which are impossible to get at.
That's 5 weeks now and I can see another two down the line. It will have all its metal restored and will likely last long enough to see me out
Another nice thing will be the possibility of refitting that black grip-strip along the inner edge - couldn't do that before for the thickness of the filler. That same wadge was so generously applied that it would hit the corner of the foglight upon closing, inducing a 2" crack
Allow for a further week getting all the dust cleaned out and a March outing beckons! At least though it's been out of the cold, wet and salt since the New Year and it's kept the mileage off, at 178k it's deserved some lighter use especially after the Turin trip last June
Thinking ahead? Maybe have a rethink about the car-cover....after me carefully renewing mine to avoid u/v damage to light lenses, general dirt and interior fade my paint-shop boys say they are the
worst things for paintwork!
