“DAVE’S WORK WAS OLD-SCHOOL TRADESMAN”

the insurance company agree to what they would repair, Dave and I went over the rest of the car and put a plan together of what needed to be done to bring it back to a completely rust-free car, with all minor dents repaired and a new coat of paint.

The rear end needed the left hand section of the beaver panel replaced as well as the bumper bar repaired and chromed. The front needed repairs to the grille, bumper bar front panel supporting the headlights as well as the bonnet straightened.

Next Dave went through all the known HR rust spots and decided to:

Reskin all the doors;

Weld replacement sections into the corners of both guards;

Make and weld in place a new bottom lip for both the bonnet and the boot lid; Remove rear window and cut out rust at bottom of window frame;

Remove some rust spots from behind the stainless steel sill trims.

Dave’s work was consistent with an old school tradesman and he was insistent in doing it correctly and making sure every panel was straight and all gaps were correct.

While the car was being repaired I retired from work and decided to put the car on club plates. After spending the first few weeks of my retirement helping put the car back together it was ready for a roadworthy in Dec 2017. The finished car caught everyone’s attention because it was so straight and the paint work was a mirror finish.

Like me, the car is semi-retired. Gone are the days when it risked the dangers of peak-hour or the weekend Bunnings car park. These days it’s a cruiser reserved for the occasional club run.