Evaluation
Formula car rebuild/restoration and an insane work schedule kept me from giving the coupe much thought for about a year. Plus, my shop is constantly growing with the addition of new tools which usually requires additional projects. But those are other stories…
Almost a year to the day after dragging the coupe home I jacked it up to remove the suspension and start digging into the rust repair.
Left front corner, as received - no brakes, no CV-joints, Koni strut:
Right front corner, as received. Same as left:
Firewall. Generally, very good. A few spots have been treated with POR-15 but nothing major. Strut towers are mint. The windshield frame has had some Bondo repair but looks rust-free otherwise. Brake booster looks sad:
Left front inner fender and radius rod mount. This is going to take work! The black paint is POR-15. The battery tray usually resides here; it’s long gone and holes are patched with POR-15 brushed over fiberglass cloth.
Right front inner fender and radius rod mount. Not nearly as bad as the left.
The rest of the front end looks decent. The lower valance pinch weld is wavy (as most are) from getting caught on parking blocks or whatever, but not much rust and the panel is fairly straight. The bumper shock holes are banged up pretty good. Looking closely at the right headlight surround, it’s been smashed there and repaired but the damage appears isolated and does not extend to structural areas.
Now for a more detailed look at some of the good, the bad, and the ugly:
Left front corner:
Right Front Corner:
Left Rocker Panel and Floor:
Oh my!
Right Rocker Panel, Floor, and Wheel Arch: