Managing Director – Bridge Classic Cars
Unfortunately, it is a problem that plagues all classic cars at some point in their lives. But, caught early enough it can be easily sorted. We’re talking about rust. The dreaded plight that rears its head on old metal. That is the case of this 1968 Jaguar MkII 2.4 which Dave has been been working on.
Previously, this car has been in with Bridge Classic Cars for some sympathetic rust repairs but now it’s time to continue. There were two areas Dave concentrated on. The spare wheel well in the boot floor and the drivers footwell.
The hole in the drivers footwell had crossed out over onto the chassis rail so, Dave has made up custom patch panels to be able to bridge the gaps safely and securely underneath the MkII. Through years of experience and skill, Dave evaluated how much of the original metal would need to be removed in order to get rid of any corrosion and also create a strong enough span for the piece. After that, Dave used as close as original thickness material to create the multi-piece patch panel for the drivers foot well. After tacking the piece in, Dave slowly moved around the panel to allow it time to cool and settle and avoid any warping which may cause interior trims to not sit correctly.
The boot floor was much the same story. Using a patch panel, Dave carefully cut only what was needed to achieve a strong bond and a stable floor. All of the exposed metal was treated and then covered in several layers of prime and matching black paint to prevent the new pieces from rusting prematurely.
Expect to see more on the 1968 Jaguar MkII 2.4 very soon on the Bridge Classic Cars news page.
