August 2005  Off to the body shop

It took about 6 weeks of hard work to get to this point.  The tub is finished but I have run out of time so the bonnet will be stripped by the restorers. Probably easier to do when it is disassembled anyway.

More slide hammer holes in both doors which will be MIG welded over. Rust in the door below the hinge nut plates, the result of the rubber drain tube breaking where it is clipped to the rear of the hinge fixing. Jaguar fitted the hinges before spraying the doors so there was never any paint here, hence the corrosion which was removed by spot blasting. In hard to reach areas POR15 Metal Ready was used, it completely dissolves rust if left on long enough.

With the car out of the garage there is still plenty to do such as freeing these seized door hinges. After standing for 17 years the aluminium hinge had seized to the steel pin. Applying heat and penetrating oil worked after several days.

Have to blast clean and prime all the hinges and latches and get them to the  restorers so they can check the door gaps before making a frame to hold the tub rigid, then the floors can be cut out and replaced.

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