Today we finished the first stage of teardown on this untouched, low-mileage 1974 TR6 for restoration. This very solid example has typical undercoater all over the inner fenders that will be removed and replaced with Wurth Self Etch Primer under a topcoat.
Many of the inner surfaces will be blasted while the entire exterior will be chemically stripped to prevent warping.
Some great progress to report from Jetstream who finished the car Federal XJ6 in a DuPont hue similar to Ecurie Ecosse Blue. This 11-part paint benefits from a high-gloss finish. It was applied to entire body, engine bay and underside.
One of the top restoration facilities in Canada is RX Autoworks in North Vancouver. The last 10 years have been particularly successful for them. They completed David Cohen’s 1933 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GS 6th Series Figoni Coupe and subsequently won the 2012 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este outright. This car is very well documented in an e-book that s free for download from their website.
After the Villa d’Este victory, I thought the spirits would be high enough to let another photographer in the shop and poke around. Rob Fram graciously invited me in and all I had to do was find his Austin Mini out front! He showed me a stunning Lagonda V12 slated for completion next year. Also in the shop was and a fabulous Lancia B20 GT from a prominent museum in Naples, Florida.
Sitting on top of the paint booth was the same chopped and channeled Morris Minor I remember seeing as a kid in their shop. I think it looks fantastic!
The capable guys at Jetstream locked down a color for the Aston and put an impeccable finish on the entire body. I imagine assembly of the dashboard is next on the list. The color is Warwick Blue.
Progress is coming along nicely on the XJ6C. The engine, front subframe and rear subframe are out, with the dashboard left in.
New floor pans were welded in by Jetstream Custom Auto then the whole outside of the body was media blasted with the dashboard wrapped up. Now that I look at it, maybe the new floors could have been blasted too. Not long after this shot, the entire car was covered in primer.