Hi Folks,
My new Spitfire has arrived and is going to make one dandy project car. If
you're interested, I recorded the arrival for posterity:
http://www.ohms.com/spitfire/spitfire2.shtml There are several photos as
well.
Eventually, I'm going to have to replace some of the body panels and repaint
because of rust bubbles that are rearing their ugly bumps. I'm not quite
ready to dig into that yet, because frankly, I'm a bit intimidated. I've
never done any auto body work before and I'm not sure if now is a good time
to learn. The thought of takng a sanding disk to the paint just scares the
bejeebers out of me. Not taking the problem stuff off -- what do do after
the fact.
One thing that I wouldn't mind tackling (largely because the results
wouldn't be seen) is removing and replacing the badly rusted floorpans.
Here's where I need some help. How do I take out the old stuff without
cutting away too much? Is it easy to tell where the old pans drop in? My
understanding is that the original pans are spot-welded on. Is there a
"seam" that I'll be able to follow to take the old pans out? Are they
bolted on as well? My plan would be to pop-rivet the new pans in place,
then either try my hand at brazing or better yet, take the car into a shop
and have the new pans professionally spot welded into place. Alternately,
is it difficult to find body shops that will do the entire job? Is this
something I should even be attempting on my own, given my lack of
experience? If so, can anyone on the list recommend a good shop where I can
get this done in the San Diego area?
Much obliged!
Jeff in San Diego
'67 RHD Spitfire Mk3
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