Flat out awesome!
The clamshells are now finished, painted black inside and out. Looking at several boxers I arrived at the paint line between black and body colour. Today we put the belly pan on, used strip tack as a sealant which is dumdum like the factory used and we let it squeeze out like they did. I used a body hammer to roll the diagonal edges in the front wheel areas. The pan gets painted black when the rest of the black is completed. The belly is put on at the factory with the chassis upside down before body panels are in place. We did it the hard way but it was the only way that made sense under these circumstances. Note black texture on forward rear inners. The factory must pull the tape off while the texture is wet because the cars Ive looked at all have a thick clear tape line but product that looks pulled over the smooth covered areas. In this case the line is pretty clean but with the black boxer trim over it its going to kick butt. The boxer trim isnt cleanly cut off at the upper radius of the central channel. It goes up onto the underside of the upper lip as seen by how its taped off. The rest of the taped off areas are self explanatory and correct. Once the texture dries we do the black then finally the silver on the forward engine bay wall. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Huge smile on my face. It's obvious that we're on the cusp of reproducing all of the finishes that she received back in '76. It would have been possible (easier in fact) to aim for mirror-perfect surfaces as opposed to factory-correct, but for my money, factory-correct is absolutely the way to go (warts 'n all). Paul, I have to thank you for sticking to your guns and insisting that 19271 be restored "the right way". She's gorgeous, really she is. Thanks so much.
You're welcome and thanks for the chance to put this special car right! It sure has been a huge mental challenge to correct years of enjoyment and get the details right. Theres nothing more difficult than trying to replicate someone else's work whether its the factory or a custom shop that you're copying. Its that hardest thing to do, to make it messy the right way or not make it too good. Im proud of the dust in the frame paint! Im proud of the sloppy fiberglass mat above the upper control arms. Crazy I know.
I have the thought of an over-restoration points deduction constantly on my mind, I believe its a 2-3 point hit. Its tough to make it like a production car would be back then. Were constantly asking ourselves why would they do something a specific away and it always comes down to the fact that its just a car (at the time) being assembled the most efficient way possible. Figuring out the order of the various steps brings us back to 76 in a way. Its like we are getting a look into how they did things then and why. The triangular cover plates at the cabin corners were something that sticks out in my mind. Trying to understand the order in which the exterior paint was applied vs the black expanded metal grills being installed in the cabin vent slots, the black that was applied to the area before the panel was riveted in over the hole followed by texture covering it up then black paint over that then an additional black undercoat that was applied over the seams. That particular area was a mystery that took a while to solve but we got it right. The rear safety catch on the clamshell was another challenge. Its a simple component but figuring out how and when they installed it and why and what they did after was a head scratcher too.
The black is finished next we do the silver on the forward firewall. Painter took the photos and his flash washed out the black. Ill take pics monday. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
These pictures makes me want to do my 308 this way. It is so nice. But it would take me eternity to do it. Congrat Paul, this is pure art in my opinion.
Black is done. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Really love the boxer trim on the orange. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
We put the doors on today and front clamshell to free up some space and prepare it for the trip back to me for reassembly. Rear clamshell will go on once the silver in the engine bay is finished. In the last photo note the lack of black on the forward face of the hood hinges. Because we hung it vertically like the factory to paint the inside back we replicated the factory lack of black on the hinges. When the bumper is on you'll never see that detail but I wanted to duplicate it. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Blacked out cabin slot, etc... Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Man alive ... I know I'm biased, but she looks magnificent Paul. Terrific work. Can't wait for my next visit so that I can appreciate in person. The orange against the black backdrop really is a wonderful combo. Wow.
I think the 2nd and 3rd ones in post # 566 are nice too as they do a pretty good job of accurately representing the Rosso Dino colour (I think it might be a tricky colour to photograph accurately).
As Paul's the OP he'll have to respond to that. For my part however, the decision to work closely with Paul and to put her back to her original state (as well as we're able to) was definitely the right thing to do.
