Metalwork
I was thinking about sand blasting.... but I started fiddling and before I knew it I was already 1/4 the way through stripping the frame. First thing that I bumped into was filler. I have no problem with filler, it's useful stuff.....but not for filling big holes that should be beaten out first.
After it was all dug out I could set too it with the hammer and dolly
Nothing clever, just taking my time with a few simple hand tools and its pretty flat to touch (and feel). It won't need filler now, just a skim of putty befor the paint.
Next was one of the rear lights, its got some steel mesh welded in then filled over, I need to get the grinder out for this...
...but I couldn't be arsed with the noise.... so I sanded the underside ....
..and after some graft it was better than I had hoped..
The floor was all bent, so a few minutes with a hammer and dolly got it back to flat with the right lip on for the trim.
Next I decided to get some more paint off. Essentially I used paint stripper then a fairly soft steel wire wheel that fits on a standard grinder. As long as you take your time and don't push too hard it works fine without damaging the steel panel.
This unearthed a load of bodges. Yup, 26 years of dints, rust and cracks were found. It's gonna take a lot more panel beating and filler than I suspected....but it'll have less filler in it than it did when I bought it.
I cut the filler and welded plates out of the indicator apertures, I wanted to take it back to standard lights. As you can see, I need to let some new metal in there to make it all work as it it should do. Theres a fair few holes drilled in the frame that I don't know what they are for. I'm guessing that they are for extra luggage racks and/or lamps? I'll be welding them up anyway.