Sometimes, we do not know what we will be dealing with until the work is well and truly underway.
We thought we would share these pictures with you.
This is a customer's 3.0 CSL that came in for some cosmetic paintwork. It was decided that the inner wing tops should be resprayed. Immediately it was clear that the tops of the front inner wings had a lot of body filler applied. Once this filler was removed it was very clear why this cover up job was necessary. Some very unpleasant welding was carried out by the last restorer.
This is a prime example of how these restoration jobs escalate. What started out as a simple cosmetic paint job, has now turned into major rebuild and fabrication work to this cars inner front wings.
Remember, at the time this work was carried out, the best 3.0 CSL in the world was probably worth no more than £10,000. It was those values that had a direct impact on the quality of work done to these cars.
It usually is the restorer that is blamed for poor workmanship, but in their defence it was often the owner of the car that had played a part by setting a very tight budget for the repairs.
I myself remember handing customer’s estimates that ran into tens of thousands of pounds and the first question that was always asked was, "what's the car worth when the works complete". Usually about a third of the cost of the restoration.
In the distant past, it was all too easy to make these cars look lovely with filler and good paintwork. Usually that is all the customers budget would allow.