Just had some body repairs done to my car...

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traineefarmer
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Just had some body repairs done to my car...

Post by traineefarmer » Sun Mar 05, 2017 9:22 am

...so i thought I would offer some thoughts and updates.


My coupe has had crusty arches front and rear since the day I bought it and although I have bodged it with some fibreglass and spray cans I knew the day would come where I would have to get it looked at by a professional to be dome properly and permanently (hopefully).

I had sourced a pair of good secondhand front wings from members on the forum and I had cut some rear sections from a shell belonging to scooby-dave which I hoped would be helpful to the panel beater.

The body shop that I had chosen to do the work was Andy's Cars in Shipdham, Norfolk. Nice and local to me and a very good reputation. I had visited several local body repair places before settling with Andy, but I was put off most by either the immediate assumption that because it was a Rover I just wanted and Fill-And-Bodge job on the cheap or that I was some sort of moronic time waster for asking for a quote for having a job done properly on a car of "such low value". :roll:

"I'm sorry mate, the car's so far gone it'll cost more than it's worth. I'd cut your losses and weigh it in" :evil: :evil:

By comparison, Andy's opening line "Cor, I haven't seen one of these in years. I used to run an 827, lovely car..." probably got him the job before the quality of his work and the fair quote.

The work quoted for was:

Remove front wings, treat and repair any corrosion found underneath and fit and paint supplied 2nd hand wings.
Carry out reconstruction work on n/s rear arch and repaint
Investigate corrosion on o/s rear arch and repair as necessary.

I wont publish the price on here as that was privately negotiated, but it was favourably between the £400 and £2500 prices I had been quoted elsewhere. A discount was offered if I stripped the interior and rebuilt if after.

The work took about 3 weeks and I couldn't be more pleased with the result. Andy wasn't able to use the rear arch sections I supplied because the extent of corrosion was so bad. He has replaced a huge section of the n/s rear bodyside - all fabricated from scratch from new metal. I consider myself to be a fairly good welder and fabricator but I know my limits when it comes to pretty stuff. Having seen photos of he metalwork prior to painting, what Andy has done to my car is pure artistry! It is very difficult to find evidence of the repair. The colour match is good and the blend line on the rear arch is only perceptible because the scratches on the original paint suddenly stop.

The o/s rear wasn't so bad, but still required welding due to perforation and reconstruction of the lip around the arch. The good news was the front wings. There was very little corrosion beneath the old wings, so the chassis just needed cleaning and waxoyling before fitting the new wings - which were also waxoyled on the inside.

In addition (and at no extra charge) the door bottoms were painted and the sills were given a coat of satin black.

The only criticism I can give is that the bumpers and trim could have been refitted with a bit more accuracy and care. A shame, but not difficult to correct once I got the car back.

Overall, I'm very pleased. I would recommend Andy to anyone looking for this kind of work to be done. His premises are a bit rough, but his workmanship and skills are first class.
Tom.

'97 Vitesse Coupe
'03 XC90 D5

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Re: Just had some body repairs done to my car...

Post by traineefarmer » Sun Mar 05, 2017 9:33 am

When it came to putting the car back together, I noticed something that may be helpful to anyone who has or is about to repair the sills on a coupe.

When I did mine I didn't strip any of the interior as I assumed I would only be welding to external metalwork. It turns out this is only partly true. A rookie mistake perhaps?

When I removed the rear internal side trims beneath the windows (the part that carries the wood trim and forms the "arm rest" for rear passengers) I found that there is some foam mouldings that are pressed into the inner sill section and had been damaged (on fire!) when I welded the sills. There were also some other foam soundproofing mouldings that had presumably been glued in place, but had fallen off and degraded through age.

I used some expanding foam to replace these parts and it is now noticeably quieter to drive.

If you have a coupe and didnt check these parts after sill repairs, it's definitely worth a look.
Tom.

'97 Vitesse Coupe
'03 XC90 D5

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Re: Just had some body repairs done to my car...

Post by rovercoup » Sun Mar 05, 2017 12:35 pm

We will have to take your word for it then Tom given the noticeable absence of photographs. :twisted:

Nice to get a car back with that sort of work done, and will help you enjoy the car even more no doubt. Time to get her ready for the first show, POL Saturday 15th April.

Enjoy now the nastiness has been sorted.
Rover 827 Vitesse Fastback Man Mk1 89
Rover 827 Sterling saloon Auto 90
Rover 820 Fastback 2.0 MPi Auto 90
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Re: Just had some body repairs done to my car...

Post by traineefarmer » Sun Mar 05, 2017 2:21 pm

I should have taken some pics when I picked it up. :roll:

It's too dirty at the moment to even see that it's had anything done. I'm still not sure that it's show condition... But at least it will be worth the effort to polish it now.
Tom.

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Re: Just had some body repairs done to my car...

Post by scoobyh123 » Sun Mar 05, 2017 2:51 pm

Glad you've got it back and you're pleased with it Tom! As for those bodyshops saying "..... cut your losses and weigh it in..." now the values are going up and they're selling for up to £10k on fleabay, you (and the rest of us) can tell people like that to grow a brain and stop listening to their know-all mates down the pub who don't in fact know much, if anything, at all! :wink: :D
Cheers,
Dave

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Re: Just had some body repairs done to my car...

Post by SJG » Sun Mar 05, 2017 8:51 pm

Really good news Tom, another cherished coupe that will stay on the road indefinitely.

I also stripped my interior out when I had the work done on my car. I think it helps as the person doing the work knows you are serious and have some ability!
Simon

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Re: Just had some body repairs done to my car...

Post by deano » Sun Mar 05, 2017 10:49 pm

And saved them time...
And time is money .
1993 Rover 827 SLI Fastback Mk2
1999 Rover 825 Sterling Saloon Mk2 (HGF)
------------------
Previously
1996 Rover 825 Sterling Coupe Mk2
1993 Rover 827 Sterling Saloon Mk2
1990 Rover 827 Sterling Saloon Mk1
1972 Rover P6 2000TC

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Re: Just had some body repairs done to my car...

Post by scoobyh123 » Sun Mar 05, 2017 11:04 pm

It also means they're not liable for broken/damaged trim that they almost certainly couldn't find and would have to heavily discount the job as a good will gesture to enable replacement when the owner found the right bits.

Of course, the flip-side of that is you won't be doing it against the clock so you're less likely to break or damage the trim and you'll know (in theory at least) how it goes back together after but if it takes a while to get the job done you may well forget some detail bits! Been there, done that, t-shirt etc. :oops:
Cheers,
Dave

'02 Honda CR-V SE Executive
'99 Jag S Type 3.0 V6 SE


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Re: Just had some body repairs done to my car...

Post by Slamm » Tue Mar 14, 2017 10:52 am

Good to find a reliable body shop, too many cowboys out there. Shame you didn't get any pictures, love to see the before, during and after photos

Shaun
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Re: Just had some body repairs done to my car...

Post by traineefarmer » Tue Mar 14, 2017 1:53 pm

Now the better weather is here, I'll get it washed and take some pics.
Tom.

'97 Vitesse Coupe
'03 XC90 D5

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Re: Just had some body repairs done to my car...

Post by traineefarmer » Mon May 01, 2017 8:52 pm

Finally got a chance to give it a quick once over with some wash 'n wax.

Image
Image

Reconstructed wheel arch lip. That's dirt and underseal, not rust.
Image

Pretty much all the metal in this picture is new and formed by hand. 10 Internet Pedantry Points to anyone who spots the cock-up!
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Tom.

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Re: Just had some body repairs done to my car...

Post by scoobyh123 » Mon May 01, 2017 9:14 pm

Looking good Tom!

Isn't the wheelarch meant to cover the bumper all the way and not have a pointy bit of bumper ready to impale some pedestrian victim?
Cheers,
Dave

'02 Honda CR-V SE Executive
'99 Jag S Type 3.0 V6 SE


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'94 827 Sterling saloon
'88 Volvo 760 V6 Estate
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Re: Just had some body repairs done to my car...

Post by traineefarmer » Mon May 01, 2017 9:18 pm

Correct!

That chamfer should stop roughly level with the chrome trim then flatten out to cover the leading edge of the bumper.
Tom.

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Re: Just had some body repairs done to my car...

Post by scoobyh123 » Mon May 01, 2017 10:34 pm

To be honest, i doubt anyone who didn't know 800s would spot it though. :wink: :D
Cheers,
Dave

'02 Honda CR-V SE Executive
'99 Jag S Type 3.0 V6 SE


Image
'94 827 Sterling saloon
'88 Volvo 760 V6 Estate
'95 827 Coupé LPG gone but not forgotten!

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