June 09 - Work Commences!! at last

The red bonnet is the best of the two panels and there are two nice features, the teardrop and the flutes that I would like to keep. A new complete all metal bonnet panel is $8,000 so Im prepared to spend a little time to restore this one.

Plan:   cut the orange eyes and fit into the red bonnet.  

In removing the red light mount I found a serious amount of lead wipe and fibreglass.  After removing the dodgy bog I cut the eyes in and shaped the surrounding panel.  So far Ive used an LPG gas heater for the bog and lead wipe.  To cut the panel in i've used a fine cutting disc for the angle grinder, pretty simple really. 

There is a lot of rust to fix here, after I place the eye in and do the obvious panel work Ill get the whole panel bead blasted to show the remaining rust and surprises.

Next week the oxy set to tack in the new eyes.  The positions are visible in the last photo.

Ive now completed the alingment and insert of the eyes, and the guard repair panels were cut from the donor guards.  To impress the good wife Ive hidden the mixed colours and burn marks with some old spray paint.  The bonnet now looks the part.

The tacked in panels give a real sense of progress but dont show the hours of rust repair, welding, and hammer and dolly work ahead, but im happy that the basic lines have been recovered.

A quick coat of paint just show the wife a bit of progress.

Back from from sandblasting, there is a loy of surface rust whichshould come off with the surface grinder or some rust converter.  For the enxt few weeks there will be a lot of hammer and dolly work, repairs to small sections and some fine alingment.  The right eye sits lower than the left by about 15mm, now that the eyes are fully set I will correct the height hopefully with some light hammer work, otherwise the oxy set might be the option.

The next repair is around the seem to the front apron where the panel is badly rusted and a fir bit of metal is missing.