
(Click on any image below to view larger size.)
- This 1958 Speedster came to me after sitting disassembled in another shop for 17 years. Less than 18 months later is was being driven regularly.
- This is just one of the usual places Speedsters are prone to rust.
- Without too much work it is good as new.
- Of course the opposite side of the dash was rusty too.
- Three areas of the frame were the only bad parts of the replacement trunk lid. It was not kinked and very straight.
- A scrap hood donated the frame sections needed to do the repair.
- The trunk lid hinges were torn out due to a previous unsatisfactory repair where the secondary trunk catch was not installed.
- Here is some poor damage repair from an earlier incident.
- The trunk lid and hinges are fit with the old nose section intact for fitting purposes.
- Nose and battery box removed awaiting new sheet metal.
- On the rotisserie, a new floor and longitudinals are installed.
- Painted in epoxy and topcoat black. It will be undercoated later in the process.
- The new nose being fitted.
- Beautiful body line fit.
- Nose complete with headlight buckets.
- The car now has the suspension on and weighted for door to body panel fitting. This puts stress on it to simulate how it will be when assembled.
- The process of panel fitting.
- While stressed, the windshield and top are fit. Replacement glass had to be ground and reshaped to fit the car with no stresses in it.
- Original Speedster seats with all the normal stresses and cracks.
- One of the stiffeners used to repair the seat shells for the long term.
- Two coats of epoxy primer.
- High build primer to fill tiny voids and scratches.
- Body guide coated to aid in block sanding.
- Special order orange applied. Only 28 Speedsters came with this color.
- Body masked for undercoating.
- The assembly process begins after sanding and polishing.
- Everything is returned to as new.
- A Skirmants built transmission.
- Long block from Competition Engineering.
- Ready to go in.
- Ready to be enjoyed!