June 2017 to December 2017 - Body Restoration - Back to Green
After nearly 18 months restoring the chassis we took a breather before moving on to the bodywork in June 2017.
TPX 212 was taken to classic restoration specialists who will address all of the cracks, holes and imperfections in the fibreglass body, fit the doors and other body panels, get the panel gaps correct and finally paint the car in it's final colour. We have decided to return the car to Green, which was its original colour according to its build sheet and log book. The original colour can be seen in a few places on the car such as dashboard area inside the windscreen and it can also be seen in the picture below around the offside head light opening. We have decided to go with an Opalescent Dark Green after seeing that colour on a car in the workshop. It looks fantastic and is a period colour too.
This will be a critical phase in the restoration as the car will stop looking like a wreck and move towards the finished article. It is now that we will start to see the car coming together and starting to look like a Jensen 541 again.
But first.... Where to begin?
TPX 212 was taken to classic restoration specialists who will address all of the cracks, holes and imperfections in the fibreglass body, fit the doors and other body panels, get the panel gaps correct and finally paint the car in it's final colour. We have decided to return the car to Green, which was its original colour according to its build sheet and log book. The original colour can be seen in a few places on the car such as dashboard area inside the windscreen and it can also be seen in the picture below around the offside head light opening. We have decided to go with an Opalescent Dark Green after seeing that colour on a car in the workshop. It looks fantastic and is a period colour too.
This will be a critical phase in the restoration as the car will stop looking like a wreck and move towards the finished article. It is now that we will start to see the car coming together and starting to look like a Jensen 541 again.
But first.... Where to begin?
June/July 2017
The answer to the "Where to begin" question was - get it on four wheels!
Over the course of June and July 2017, the front suspension was rebuilt, which entailed restoring the majority of the original suspension parts and replacing parts that were beyond repair or had to be replaced from a safety perspective. The steering box was also rebuilt and installed into the car. Parts were sourced from various places, including some parts unique to the 541 which were sourced for us by the Jensen Owners Club 541 registrars, Dave and Jane Turnage, who have been a huge help throughout the restoration process.
Over the course of June and July 2017, the front suspension was rebuilt, which entailed restoring the majority of the original suspension parts and replacing parts that were beyond repair or had to be replaced from a safety perspective. The steering box was also rebuilt and installed into the car. Parts were sourced from various places, including some parts unique to the 541 which were sourced for us by the Jensen Owners Club 541 registrars, Dave and Jane Turnage, who have been a huge help throughout the restoration process.
It was great to finally see TPX 212 back on her wheels after several years of sitting on a dolly!
August 2017
Now that the car was rolling on her own wheels again, the work to restore the bodywork ahead of painting could begin.
The first task was to fit the doors, bonnet and side panels so that the general fit could be established. The aim is to make sure the line from front to back was correct. It turned out that it was impossible to get everything lined up correctly. It seems the chassis was not quite right and required a "subtle" adjustment in a couple of places to allow the doors to close in such a way that they were correctly aligned. A 10-ton hydraulic press did the trick ! The new door frames also needed to be adjusted in order to get a good fit. After a lot of "adjustment" the panels line up really well.
The first task was to fit the doors, bonnet and side panels so that the general fit could be established. The aim is to make sure the line from front to back was correct. It turned out that it was impossible to get everything lined up correctly. It seems the chassis was not quite right and required a "subtle" adjustment in a couple of places to allow the doors to close in such a way that they were correctly aligned. A 10-ton hydraulic press did the trick ! The new door frames also needed to be adjusted in order to get a good fit. After a lot of "adjustment" the panels line up really well.
September 2017
New Sills
Unfortunately we did not have a set of sills. The originals had not stayed with the car during the chassis restoration and a new set had not been made at this time either, despite this being part of the plan. We called up the 541 Registrars who happened to have a set of Aluminium sills we could borrow - they were not in great shape but would be perfect as a pattern from which to make a brand new set. Dave also provided us with a profile cut out taken from a car so that we could get the curve of the sills correct.
A new set of sills were handmade in Aluminium using the borrowed sills as a pattern and the profile as a guide - they look fantastic!
A new set of sills were handmade in Aluminium using the borrowed sills as a pattern and the profile as a guide - they look fantastic!
Preparing the bodywork
In order to get the bodywork ready for painting, a lot of preparation was needed. There is too much work to detail every aspect, but as an example, these were the type of tasks undertaken:
We also discovered that the bottom of the door skins were in very poor condition. This necessitated cutting off several inches at the bottom and welding new aluminium.
Additionally the inner wings were restored. Earlier in the restoration, during the chassis restoration, it was discovered that a section of the offside inner wing had been cut out at some stage and bolted back on. It was always a mystery why this had been done, but we re-instated the cut out portion anyway. We found out why when we came to re-assemble! It seems that with the steering box fitted the inner wing fouled on the steering box. We therefore had to cut out that section of the inner wing again, before fitting the inner wing. We then found a way to re-attach the cut-out section without it obstructing the steering box. It's possible this cut-out had been originally made back in 1955 in the factory (the joys of a hand-built car!) - we will probably never know for sure.
In the final picture below, you can see the boss/accountant making an inspection of progress so far !
- Sand remaining paint from bodyshell and panels. (A lot of sanding was required !)
- Repair damage to bonnet and make up new support bracket for corner of bonnet to hinge.
- Align doors to bodyshell by removing door skins, straighten frames and door apertures.
- Weld up door skin tops due to stress cracks.
- Weld up door lock. (A secondary door lock had been fitted to the drivers door at some point)
- Repair front wing O/S panel by cutting out and welding in repair panel.
- Make good boot lid and fit hinges.
We also discovered that the bottom of the door skins were in very poor condition. This necessitated cutting off several inches at the bottom and welding new aluminium.
Additionally the inner wings were restored. Earlier in the restoration, during the chassis restoration, it was discovered that a section of the offside inner wing had been cut out at some stage and bolted back on. It was always a mystery why this had been done, but we re-instated the cut out portion anyway. We found out why when we came to re-assemble! It seems that with the steering box fitted the inner wing fouled on the steering box. We therefore had to cut out that section of the inner wing again, before fitting the inner wing. We then found a way to re-attach the cut-out section without it obstructing the steering box. It's possible this cut-out had been originally made back in 1955 in the factory (the joys of a hand-built car!) - we will probably never know for sure.
In the final picture below, you can see the boss/accountant making an inspection of progress so far !
October 2017
Final Fibreglass Preparation
After a lot of work on fibreglass, which included fixing all of the blemishes and rebuilding the corners of the bonnet as well as fixing the multitude of star cracks, it was time to get the fibreglass ready for painting by applying a new layer of fresh glass to the body.
3 coats of resin were applied to the body-shell, which was low baked and sanded between coats. It's amazing the difference this made to the overall finish of the body. Smooth !
3 coats of resin were applied to the body-shell, which was low baked and sanded between coats. It's amazing the difference this made to the overall finish of the body. Smooth !
Filling the gaps
It was now time to get the body ready to take a coat of primer. Filler was applied where necessary so that perfect finish would be achieved when paint was applied. I was surprised by how little filler was actually needed, mainly on the aluminium components of the body-shell.
November 2017
Into the paint shop
It was time to put some paint on the car. It was rolled into the paint booth ....
... and an initial coat of primer applied.
Then a coat of grey primer - the transformation was amazing. Even in the primer TPX 212 is looking magnificent. Perhaps we'll leave her in grey?
Now more sanding and filling to ensure a perfect finish. The body is baked at about 70 degrees to tease out any air bubbles in the fibreglass that could ruin the finish in the future when the car is out in the sun. The inner wings have also been sprayed up in satin black. They look fantastic as well.
Going Green
The next stage is to apply the first coat of colour. The colour is Opalescent Dark Green.
The main body is now out of the paint shop. The final colour is truly coming through and is (in our opinion) absolutely fantastic. It should look great when the chrome is fitted to the car. There are still a few finishing touches to do to the paint finish and also the bonnet, boot lid and side body panels to paint before we can start putting the jigsaw back together again. So far, we are delighted with the result.
Before we go to the final rebuild phase we are still waiting for the gearbox and engine to be rebuilt. We also need to get the car to trimmer for the interior to be fitted. While we are waiting we dry fitted some lights and chrome. Workshops are dusty places though !
The bodywork is now complete and the final rebuild can commence. Sarah is very pleased !