It all started back in 2006 when i purchased what was allegedly a 1955 Magnette hot rod that was a little past it's sell by date and, to be honest, it wasn't until I took it apart that I discovered which parts were Magnette.
This is how it looked originally....
I wasn't particularly happy with the way the wiring regularly caught fire and the brakes instantly locked the front wheels making stopping at junctions a really nerve racking experience so a rebuild was in order.
First was to remove the tired 427ci (7ltr) small block Chevy lump and TH350 gearbox.
First was to remove the tired 427ci (7ltr) small block Chevy lump and TH350 gearbox.
Whilst I was doing this,Steve Shoobridge was going around the bodywork peeling off the stickers....that proved to be the beginning of a nightmare as one of them came off with 15mm of filler attached to the back of it. This is the only car I've ever owned that I've been able to remove the paintwork with a chisel!
The worst was a dent in the roof with 27mm (just over 1") of filler in it.
The bodyshell was beyond recovery as there was no way I was going to load it up with filler again (we had cut off more than 70kg of the stuff) so the only solution was to cut it off and start again.
The bodyshell was beyond recovery as there was no way I was going to load it up with filler again (we had cut off more than 70kg of the stuff) so the only solution was to cut it off and start again.
This left me with a roll cage made of seamed scaffolding and only welded where it could be seen and a couple of tired doors.
Follow the next step of our build on the Donor Car Page!
