Hi, Tom...
I just finished a three-year restoration of my '73 Midget last October. =
It was my first ground-up restoration and I was able to do 99.999% of =
the work myself - from body work and paint to upholstery and trim. The =
0.001% I did not do was install a new windshield glass into the =
four-piece frame, although I tried until I gave up. I just could not =
compress the frame pieces against the new windshield seal enough to get =
the screws in, so I turned that over to a glass shop.
When I started, I had a good daily driver and just wanted it to look =
better. One thing led to another ("as long as I'm in here, I might as =
well replace this...").
Anyway, the first piece of advice I could give is to be patient while =
doing the bodywork. A lot of care in this phase goes a long way toward =
ensuring a good final product, especially working the filler. What =
looks smooth before paint can become surprisingly wavy after paint. It =
just takes care and practice.
I used an acrylic latex caulk in the groove between the trunk floor and =
the rear valence, not so much to make an air-tight seal but to keep =
water out of that joint if the trunk seal (now new) ever leaks. It was =
easy to work with and took paint well. On other panel joints, I used a =
seam sealer from my local auto parts store.=20
Good luck with your project.
-----Original Message-----
From: Thomas Wannenburg [SMTP:twannen@bgsm.edu]
Sent: Tuesday, April 22, 1997 5:39 PM
To: mgs@autox.team.net
Subject: Request advice for first -time restorer
I am "restoring" my 74 Midget. My aim is modest - a good looking driver =
which=20
will last. I do not care about perfect originality and will make =
"upgrades"=20
were beneficial but I do not want to change the character of the car. =
This is=20
not really a restoration but more a renovation.
I have started on the body work (because I had to replace a leaking fuel =
tank -=20
and want to finish all welding before fitting new tank). There was =
quite a lot=20
of rust in the back end of the trunk (boot) floor itself and the small =
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