dry reassembly
Repair and renewal of the Lola T70 body have been my main focus but work on the other parts is ongoing simultaneously. An occasional dry reassembly gives me a feeling of progress and a sensible check that all is going in the right direction.
Major restoration is complete and the whole body has had several coats of sealer and several of primer applied. As the front end is refined it will go through quite a few more shape/seal/prime/fill/shape cycles.
Sneak peek at the engine bay.
From a higher vantage point, the radiator and engine bay openings are visible. The new carburetor stacks plate is positioned and ready for finishing.
The front tire has just been through its latest sanding cycle, and the remaining red spotting/glazing material gives it the pinkish hue.
Body refinements
Each color and material change reveals the history of the shaping - jelutong, Timbermate filler, three primer colors, and glazing putty.
Surface development over time is vividly shown by all the odd shapes and colors on the front end. Jelutong shows through where the most material has been removed.
Timbermate filler used to create the hood (bonnet) bulge is tan and three different primer colors give useful concentric rings of color. As sanding proceeds the changing colors give surfacing feedback. Red spotting/glazing fills the tiniest imperfections.
Once it gets to this point it is primed again to get a true idea of what needs to be worked on next. The whole process is repeated until it is right.
The radiator opening was moved back about 3/4” (1.9 cm) and the hood bulge was added.
Moving the radiator closer to the cockpit and making it deeper has been a longer process than it may seem to be. Chiseling out the proper shape, filing the resulting gap, and gradual refinement of the surfaces, corners, and edges has required a great deal of patience.
The shape of the cockpit is also very important. It must be a ruled surface all the way around. That gives minimal distortion to the windshield for better driver visibility. The joint where the cockpit meets the body is tricky as the paint removal left nicks and scrapes that need to be filled and sanded to give a clean smooth line.
The original paint has been removed from all corners, edges, and surfaces except the edge chamfer on the taillight recess.
Every tiny bit of original Sunoco Blue paint was removed from the car from nose to tail to prevent reaction with the new finishes to be applied. The rear, in particular, has been a bear. Tiny chisels and scrapers were needed to get down into the joints. Fixing the inevitable dents, dings, and scrapes is taking just slightly less than forever.
This view also shows the multi-step process of filling, sanding, and priming repeatedly. The rear spoiler plate extensions were replaced and blending them in with existing bodywork takes diligent attention.
Yet another fender and nose shaping - 4th? 5th? 10th? - I’ll just keep going until it looks and feels right.
Because I significantly reshaped the nose, it has required the most attention. The rest of the body has been straight forward other than the paint removal.
My block sanding techniques have improved since 1982, so the result is smoother surfaces and transitions. It’s great to feel the shapes and flowing lines of Tony Southgate’s amazing forms as I work.
spotting/glazing
Spot glazing is applied in small sections since it dries so quickly and dissolves the primer if applied in big globs.
Jelutong pores and other small imperfections need to be filled with glazing putty to get a smooth surface. It takes a good bit of time on larger surfaces and in situations like this where every surface joint has been disturbed by the paint removal.
Fortunately, it dries fairly quickly, and sanding is easy. Shrinkage is reasonable but additional filling is often needed.
The bottom surface required significant sanding to flatten it, resulting in many, many spots to be filled.
The bottom required the most sanding to get it back to flat. This is the third (at least) filling needed.
After each priming new divots to be filled are discovered . Every step forward leads to an even closer inspection, so it’s normal to see more things to fix.
so many tools NEEDED
Just a few of the many tools used for the bodywork.
This shows the wide variety of tools needed to make things right. At this point I’ve smoothed the whole body up to 400 grit. I have to label the bits of sandpaper to keep from grabbing the wrong one (220, 320, or 400).
I made multiple sanding blocks using different thicknesses of acrylic shaped to fit specific needs. I also use styrene, 3D printed PLA, carbon fiber strips, brass, steel, rubber, dowels, and whatever else works. Sanding sticks come in handy for just the right situation. Flexible sanding sheets and semi rigid sanding foams are great for the curves.
A diamond coated file, steel scraper and the tiny chisels also have their place. The red Dspiae oscillating sanding tool isn’t all that useful in such finicky work as this, but it does occasionally prove its worth.
I’ll smooth everything up to 800 grit with a final 1200 grit sanding before the Sunoco Blue paint is applied. After painting the sanding continues up the grit ladder until it’s ready for graphics to be added and then 2K clear.
Stubborn persistence is what it takes to get the bodywork and all the details just right.