Hi,
I just bought a 1970 Coupe from an estate. The previous owner bought it in October 1972. So it looks like I’m the third owner. As far as I can tell, it’s absolutely bone stock with 32,000 miles on the odometer. I think the paint is original too, willow green.
Anyway, there’s one big problem. At some point, battery acid took it’s toll on the rocker panel below the battery. It’s a shame too because except for that, I’m not aware of any rust or rot. The paint looks like it will shine up nicely and the original interior is in good shape too. My plan is to keep it as original as possible.
Is it possible to repair the rocker with new metal and just paint that area to match? It’s such nice shape, I’d love to do as little as possible. I think the radio might even be original.
Welcome and congratulations David. If you can provide a series of high quality pics of the area inside and out of the engine compartment, under that area of the car and also inside the footwells with the carpet and as much interior as possible removed people on the forum can give you a good idea of what you are getting in to. The better the lighting and resolution of the pictures the better. The quick answer is yes you can but it can be a lot more involved than you suspect.
Congratulations on the purchase and welcome to J-L.
If that is the extent of the rust I see no reason why it cannot be repaired without a larger respray of the car. But that opinion is from one with limited experience in dealing with such thing hands-on.
Mine came to me in original paint and one thing I did was explore the inside of the sills with an endoscope to see what all was going on in there. Once I was satisfied all was well (no rust) I got it repainted simply because there were too many dings and little dents for me to ignore.
Check the frame rail that runs under the battery tray. Mine (a 68 OTS also in barfy willow green) was rotted clean through from dripping battery acid.
Rob
Congratulations and welcome to the club! I too, have a 1970 coupe, British Racing Green. A note of caution when you tackle refurbishing the paint (the paint on the whole car, not the area around the battery that you mentioned). The paint on my car had been neglected for some time. The clear coat had a “chalky” appearance and the entire body was covered in deep swirl marks where someone had tried to bring a shine to the paint.
I went to a local automotive paint shop and described to them what I was dealing with. They recommended a dual action electric buffer and two grades of Meguiars polishing compound. They also instructed me on how to use both the buffer and the compounds.
The process took about six weeks but was well worth it. I get compliments on the paint and it truly brought the paint back to life without me spending a fortune on a new paint job.
Good luck!
Thanks for the replies. I’ve owned quite a few British cars so I’m very familiar with how much trouble could be lurking underneath that beautiful body.
Right now, my plan is to have it taken to a shop. I’ve done body work in the past but I don’t enjoy it and frankly, I’m not good enough to tackle that rocker and the rest of what we’ll find.
I haven’t found a dent or even a scratch on the body. The original jack, hammer and knockoff ring were in the original bag in the trunk.
