Once stripped of all components the body needed new outer sills, kick panels (the “sides” of the bulkhead) and inner wings. These parts were, and still are, easily available. As mentioned earlier, the rear wings & deck were in good condition.
The Chassis needed the whole area around the trailing arm mounts replacing. It had been plated here at least twice. Once the welding was completed we moved the car to a larger workshop to paint the shell. The general idea was to rebuild chassis & body but do minimal work on running gear, leaving that work for when the car was in running order.
Making the front wings fit proved to be troublesome, on wing was a pattern part (not OE) and was about half an inch shorter than the needed. This required some careful filling with lead to build the right shape around the headlamp. Panels were painted off the car; i’m not sure this is a good idea, it’s actually easier to paint them on the car and there is much less chance of damage.
Final fitting-up was done in a single garage, it took about 6 weeks to put the vehicle back together. The plan to carry out minimal mechanical work hit a snag when we realised the engine wouldnt start due to low compression (rusted valves from idle time), so a quick rebuild of the head took place before the car was ready for the road.