In Jan 2004 I
purchase a 1966 BJ8, an import from the USA. The car was
originally delivered to Hamilton Canada in 1966. The colour was
originally Healey Blue.
The condition could be described as normal with rusted outer
sills, boot floor, outriggers, door pillars, damage to the front
shroud. With this restoration my intention was to do it all myself
and to this date nothing has been a big issue. The most important
thing for restoring a car is time (plenty of it ) and careful
planning, it’s not rocket science. An important part of the
restoration was to keep the car original and use the best paint
systems possible to avoid it returning to its present state. I
chose POR 15 products for its rust resistance and durability and
ease of use. I will then use a good quality 2 pack paint system
over the top.
Because the restoration involves cutting away about a third of the
vehicle I decided to do the chassis work and basic panel fit
before sandblasting the chassis and painting it with the
POR-15. Below is a brief photo diary of the process in bringing this
Healey back to life.
Picking up the car
Jan 04
Stripping the car
down
On the rotisserie
Feb 04
Rust in sills –
and everywhere!!
New sills,
floors and
outriggers April
04
Chassis Gusset treat
with Por15 before Replacement section is put in. Due to lack of
access once the new piece is in place
Replacement section
Su Carburettor
before rebuild Aug 05
After rebuild. All
zinc parts have been replated and new Carburettor kit fitted.
It was then coated with POR-15 Glisten PC for an everlasting new
look. The only part not coated is the Dashpot cover which will
be light glass blasted to give factory look just before it goes
on the road
The heater box was
badly rusted and was sand blasted before treating
The heater box came
up great. First a coat of POR-15 black then a light skim coat of
P38 filler, then another coat of POR-15 and finished off with POR
chassis coat (satin) to give the correct finish.
Boot rusty section
ready
for removal Jan 05
Replacement part
tack welded into place before tig welding
Boot painted
(brushed) with POR-15 ready for 2 pack system at a later stage
My workshop area
in the garage
Stripping old paint
off, ready for repairing and fit up.
Brush painted with
POR-15. Note the lead loading on adjoining guard to get gaps
correct
Starting to come
together now. Once panels are fitted up and prepped the chassis
will blasted and painted also.
The thing I like
about POR-15 is the finish you get from painting by hand. At this
stage there is no advantage of spraying panels when the finish is
this good. It has saved me a lot of time in cleaning spray
equipment out and waisted overspray.
In the next
update I should have all the panels trial fitted and primed
ready for Chassis blasting and painting.
