PJ has now gone off to Sheffield for the next phase of bodywork and paint. This will take a few months to complete and I expect to have PJ back around October 2021. I’m really looking forward to starting to build him back up with all the new, shiny bits I have ready!
Before PJ went away, I spent some time removing parts like the lights and grille from the front end, ready for paint. He’s now ready to go, with his front end riding a little high, without the weight of an engine…
I have a bunch of shiny new carbon fibre parts to fit once the bodywork is done, so I trial fitted some of those parts, to get an idea of how it would look with them fitted. The boot lid will be painted, but the wheel arches and boot floor will remain in clear coat, as will the roof, when it arrives. The boot lid is especially impressive. I have the old boot lid stripped down to just the panel and the weight difference between that and the carbon fibre one is astonishing!
In June 2021, PJ left on the back of a recovery truck, ready for his transformation to begin. When he comes back around October time, he will look quite different, resplendent in his new paint.
For the time being, this is his new home. You can see a few of the other bits, such as the front end and fuel tanks in the background. The big black panel in the bottom left is a whole new bulkhead. We’ve still to decide what’s the best way of putting the bulkhead back to standard; replace the whole lot, or cut out and replace sections.
One thing that did become apparent is that my existing carbon fibre bonnet has sunk on one side. This is worse than I’d thought, so I’ve bought a new one to replace it. The last thing I want to do is have the old one painted and then not be happy with it, so may as well go for a new one. Also the new one from Carbon Weezel is a bit stronger than my old one, so should stand up to the heat a bit better.
Here’s a pic of the new bonnet.
