1954 Nash Healey LeMans Coupe page 3



The work has begun stripping the old paint, I have decided to strip the outside of the car by hand in sections, then panel repairs can be carried out and primed to seal them off. Once this is done the inside and underneath the car will be sand blasted and primed. The image above shows how low volume cars are usually built. The roof skin is made in 6 sections then welded together. A great deal of skill is required to produce car bodies using this method.


The process underway of stripping all of the paint, and removing the surface rust with a Scothbrite disc. These discs are excellent for cleaning the surface with little damage to the panel and very little metal removal. As it is cleaned the surface is treated with a rust converter, which will prevent the surface rust returning while repairs are made.


The right side, where the surface rust is a lttle worse, it will take a another round of cleaning and treating to bring the surface back to a reasonable state.


The damage to the rear right quarter. Note the light patches in the images are where lead filler has been used previously. The trunk lid is aluminium skin and frame.


I believe the car must have been in the process of having the rear wings flared for wider wheels when it was caught in the fire, this will have to be undone. The car got so hot in the fire that the lead filler in the panel joins melted. The rough surface below the pillar is lead that has run down the body. The light areas on the door are lead.

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