Body work photos of my red Mark

[billcu]

I decided to patch up some rust on my red Mark VIII. I didn't want to spend a lot of money on it, I just wanted to patch it up for a few more years of winter driving. It's not a Concours restoration but it's a lot better than the rust holes. I spent about 250 bucks on materials (mostly the paint and I still have enough left over for my bumper)

I'd like to thank my good friend Scott who did most of the hard work and painting.

I started out sandblasting the rusty areas. I wanted to keep the repairs below the door moulding because I didn't want to repaint the whole car.

After sandblasting we brazed in some steel, applied Bondo Glass, then finished it off with Bondo and painted it.

These photos are very ugly so, be warned.

 

[maxmk8]

Wow that is really really creepy .

I am glad it is back to normal again though

 

[steve]

It came out nice.

 

[driller]

Such is life in the rust belt!

Good job Bill!

 

[BigBoyBoelts]

That looks real good now!! Good fix up!!

 

[billcu]

Thanks guys. I'll try to get some better photos soon. The sun was going down when I took these photos. I spent most of the day cleaning the car. I haven't been able to clean it for about 2 weeks while we were working on it. It got filthy.

The during photos of the brazing look a little thin, but when it was done it was solid. We stopped often to let things cool down and clean things up (and take photos).

I had the rear seat out and the padding pulled back to make sure we didn't have a car be que.

 

[jamies98lsc]

nice repair bill. im sure even if it didnt come out perfect its much better then it was. when i lived in mass and took these things apart up there i saw that all the time, since moving to florida i have yet to see a car like that again, except that garbage spring feature i stripped last month, its so nice not to have to worry about that happening to them down here, i do not miss working on marks like that. but, for the miles and conditions your cars see, it looks great now!

 

[billcu]

Thanks Jamie. My green Mark is in much better shape, that's why I drive the red one in the winter.

I know that you've painted a few front bumpers before. Got any tips?

Mine is very chipped up. Should I sand it all down or is there some type of filler that can be used on the rubber? Also did you use the flex additive in the paint? I've heard that the additive only lasts a couple of weeks and is only needed for installing the bumper. I plan on leaving the bumper on when I Paint it.

Any tips are welcome.

 

[Trixie]

Nice fix! I never realized it had that much rust, that was painful to look at.

 

[billcu]

Yeah, I've been touching it up with rattle cans for a few years now. An advantage of this color is that it's hard to notice any work down low on the rockers. The original Chip Guard hides a lot too.

 

[jamies98lsc]

bill the front bumper should be sanded first, specially if you have chips in it, to even out the surface, but dont sand it down to the actual yellow bumper material cuz once you do, that doesnt like to sand smooth, it seems to stay rough and roll up on the sand paper like boogers!! then a good sealer primer and base/clear will fix it right up. i put bulldog in my paint and clear when i fixed my car, its an adhesion promoter and flex add all in one. the guy at the paint supply store told me that todays paints dont need flex additive like they did years ago, specially dupont paints, he said the base paints are flexible right from the start for more durability. now i was going to buy regular flex additive and why would a paint supply store talk me out of spending more money? i trusted him and so far have perfect results still, im still shocked that i painted it and you would never guess it was painted, specially black, cuz believe me i am no paint pro!!

 

[billcu]

Thanks Jamie, good info! That bulldog sounds great.

My bumper has some very rough spots, but they are still grey. I've seen the yellow on T Birds and Cougars though.

I'll see what's there when I start sanding.

Thanks again, I'll keep updating this thread as I continue the work.

 

[jbird97]

if u were drivin on fort tonight then im pretty sure i saw u, if it was u, car looks real good, specially for being a winter car

 

[billcu]

If you saw a red Mark, it wasn't me. I was driving the green Mark or an orange MGB.

 

[billcu]

I'm still trying to get a good photo of the rockers. It's hard to see the rockers on this car.

I still haven't done any polishing or waxing on them yet and I still have to blend in the tape lines before and after the side mouldings. I put the mudflaps from my green Mark on the red Mark to protect the paint. I've got some new ones on my green Mark now (thanks again Driller).

I hope to paint the bumper this week.

Here's the best photo I've got so far of one of the rockers. Sorry no close ups.