(Click on any image below to view larger size.)
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- This is a 1956 Porsche Speedster owned by the same person since he raced it in the late 60’s, early 70’s.
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- He stripped the car completely, had it chemically stripped of paint and e-coated before it came to me.
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- The semi-gloss black makes it very clear as to the straightness of the body.
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- There was quite a bit to be done.
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- As you can see, there was no floor and both longitudinals were gone.
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- A number of braces were required to make it stable enough to put it on a rotisserie.
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- The next few pictures show the longitudinals being rebuilt.
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- Here the lower edge of the front bulkhead is replaced. The floor then attaches to it.
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- The next several pictures show how a damaged area is replaced.
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- All body patches are butt welded together.
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- They are then hammer and dollied into final shape as needed.
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- Here is a prime example of how well some replacement parts fit when received. Most fit better but virtually all of them need fitting.
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- The metal work is coming along.
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- A nice straight body line all the way down.
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- While the door fit is very good, there is still hand work that needs to be done on the rear quarter.
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- This repair will take a bit more work. The headlight bucket must fit in tight and even.
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- First the round contour is created and fit. Some of the old metal is still there for reference.
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- The rest of the damaged metal is removed and a new piece is made.
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- The next several pictures show how each piece must be made to fit. Tacked in place until they are all ready for complete welding.
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- The passenger side door was not original. That meant the door opening had to be made to fit the door.
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- They were made by hand when new. To get the same caliber of fit, they have to be hand made again.
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- Everything must be test fit before any body and paint work can begin.
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- Here the side Speedster spear holes are laid out.
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- Most people will not show any body filler being used. These pictures show how little is actually used when the panels are done.
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- Again, a minimum of filler is used to round out the contour.
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- Epoxy and high build primer are used to fill small imperfections that will be removed during block sanding.
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- A guide coat is applied to show the hi and low spots as the body is being blocked. This is where the body becomes very straight.
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- A rare 80 liter gas tank is fitted.
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- Body lines are checked again during the blocking stage.
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- Finish details.
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- The body in a base/clearcoat system.
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- The body is masked off for undercoating.
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- The clearcoat has been completely sanded down before polishing.
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- The wheel wells are masked to keep them clean while polishing.
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- It is ready to go back to the customer.
