The week after the Enfield Pageant is always a bust week tidying up and putting things away where they should be. Cars being worked on were moved in order to prep the cars for the Pageant, trucks transporting the cars have to be moved around and given back to LAR & SMR again. While we were moving things around we got the call from our friendly top class painter Paul. A car he had been working on was now ready to be delivered back to us. A customer owned 1967 Fastback that needs a full rebuild from bare metal. Paul had etched the car ready for the primer. (Thanks for the pictures Paul.)

The car is painted in the classic and loved Highland Green, and for those that didn’t know, Highland Green is the same colour as Steve McQueen’s Bullitt Mustang.

Multiple layers of primer added to the cars and then blocked back down again. A light coloured coat is applied to check the high and low spots.

The bodywork is masked up and paint is built up before more fine block work. Again the attention to detail is unsurpassed.

The car in various stages

The car was delivered back to us and put on the ramps in the workshop where Yogi got to work on the rebuild pretty much straight away, almost before we managed to grab some pics.

The attention to detail here is that the side detail vents that are fitted have the gaskets missing, allowing water to cause issues on the bodywork and inside. We make sure we fit those gaskets, here the subtle difference is not really noticeable, but such is our attention to detail.

The classic mistake made my so many painters on these cars is the undersill, a concours fail, if you are going that route. From the factory the paint stopped at the underside and a visible black line should be seen. Such is Paul’s level of detail.

The customer is still a little undecided about just how much work we will be doing on the car at the moment. But, we have been told the suspension, steering, brakes and rear axle are to be fitted in order to make this into a rolling chassis.

The rear diff is a very nice special build Truetrac limited slip upgrade.

The steering is getting the Borgeson Power Steering Box upgrade too.

The interior is a work of art too, the roof, floors inner arches all painted, in fact where the carpet and body panels go the paint goes there too.

The last part of the bodywork is the rubber seals in order to complete the final gaps.

The next job on her we shall have to wait and find out in due course, along with the final engine spec too.

We are going to show you some rare pictures not usually seen as the hood is closed so you don’t think of it. If anybody has tried to fit a hood spring to the hinges they will now the power of the springs and that they are not easy to fit. When the hood is up the spring is retracted so little or no pressure, but when the hood is closed an immense leverage is used to open those springs. You just don’t want to mess with these springs!

retracted open hood

stretched and closed

hood down

hood up

Adam is seen checking more paint colours are what the customer required that had come back to the yard taken from another Fastback. The colour is correct so the rubber is going to fitted to the trunk and given back to Paul ready to final gap the car.

WebShop New Product:

Modern day engine oils have come on leaps and bounds without a doubt for modern cars. Yet the old classic still have particular needs. We recommend the 20w – 50 formula. We currently stock two oils we recommend:

Pennzoil – click here for link

Kendall – click here for link

However, we are pleased to say that we now have a distribution to agreement to stock Kroon-Oil Classic Multigrade Motor oils. This oil is designed to meet the exacting American specs and has also been developed for the Classic Car owner of the 60’s, 70’s & 80’s. The oil is cheaper than the USA counterparts, but in no way a lesser product. We like this oil and would recommend it.

Kroon – click here for link

We are in a nostalgic mood today so we thought that we would share and leave you with this great rare photo.