Winter work on paint prep

In the dim past, this car was modified to widen the wheel arches and to repair front end accident damage. In additon the fender seams were closed with welding and liberal use of plastic filler. My intent is to as cheaply as possible make this car go again and to look all right at the same time.  I have two or three potential little british car recruits who don't want to drive a stick, hence my switch to an auto tranny.  I also confess that I don't mind a nice auto transmission for most daily driving.  I am planning to do at least the paint prep and possibly the actual painting.

The current plastic filler has various cracks that must be dealt with, primarily on the rear wheel arches and on the rear fender seams.  I intend to sand and grind out as much filler as I can to end up with a minimal skim coat only.  I will keep the rear lights "frenched" with commonly available LED light combinations, seen often on tractor trailers. The front turn signal/park lights will be restored to stock lights from Moss Motors.

I am sure some decisions, weighing practicality versus originality concerns, will arise.  The wheel arches will have to be resolved somehow.

Harbor Freight temporary shelter for sanding outside my garage.  

On the right the filler/metal crack is at the upper edge, where
the filler joins the original fender.

Rear fender seams ground out.

Crack in filler at junction with metal wheel arch edge,
on the left. The metal edge here seems to be a piece of pipe added
by the custom craftsman.

Some more summer work pictures.

My son-in-law and I worked hard in June and July for several days. We got the body off, frame and motor mounts redone and the body back on. Since then travel, duck and goose hunting and the need to finish up a prior commitment to an MG ZB Magnette have limited progress to some preliminary paint prep work.  I hope to get that done and the car painted by Spring.  Hopefully back on the road by June, we'll see.  

Two coats of rust bullet on the frame, first silver and then black.

Floor boards calked and painted:

Engine in frame, and then with body on:

The Iris Blue was a test coating, I am going to use a darker
blue in the end. 

Welding the motor mounts.

Miata seats, they looked good at first but
seem too high with the body on.

This bent throttle rod was par for the course with the carb
rebuild guy I selected.  SU Carbs is a fraud. 

The '58 ZB came along pretty well, I need to have some trim re-chromed
and then she should be done, as done as they ever are anyway.