My project for the new year is our Contessa Gold SS with Chamois trim. It's an L31 M21 GU7 car, built 22nd September 1976.
This build date slots the car into the 1977 model year as stamped on the VIN tag eg. 8D77TG....
My initial intentions were to do a full nut & bolt restoration to it's factory originality but I have now compromised a little to suit my own taste with some finishes & overall look. That said, It will look factory standard to most people. The purists may a have field day I guess but I don't care.
So far...
The car has been cured of tin cancer & repainted last year. The car had minor rust in some of the usual places but still needed lots of time to do the job properly. Overall the car was a "very good shell" to start with.
I've gone with the clear over base paint because I think this colour really comes alive & stands out far better than the original acrylic finish could do.
I made sure the blackout placement & side accent stripes were as accurate as possible using lots of photos I took from an original stripped SS hatch, a mate had at the time. I decided to go the the darkest black in gloss rather than satin finish. The other change I made was to blackout below the firewall seam & engine bay chassis rails. I personally like that area to disappear into darkness which helps the motor "float" in the engine bay.
It's been sitting, painted, for almost 6 months, waiting for me to finish the new garage. So now the fun begins!
I'll start with some photos of the car when I first purchased it last year, then follow with some progress shots to bring everyone up to date.
Cheers Ando
Attached Files
Edited by Ando, 11 January 2018 - 07:02 PM.