The Restoration, Vol. 3: Paint and Body
Anyone who has ever torn into a project for an overhaul knows that too often, the work takes longer than originally anticipated. Is that a bad thing? No. Rather, it’s the nature of things. Sometimes you don’t know what you’re getting until you’re at that very point of no return. In terms of this 02, that’s the theme for the stage we have just completed: paint and body.
We would like to preface this chapter with part of what makes us so excited about this project. All of the paint and body repair was done by the highly skilled folks at Weatherford BMW’s paint and collision center. There’s something special, in our opinion, about being able to give this classic the proper treatment it deserves: factory paintwork.
Something about it seems almost ceremonial. These cars rolled off the assembly line so long ago, and many haven’t seen a BMW service department in decades. Maybe it’s a metaphorical homecoming, or maybe it’s just us getting carried away with the nostalgia. One thing is for sure though: the car was in good hands.
As you can see, there were some real layers to chip away at with this car. Despite how good it all looked before paint was stripped down, there were a lot of smaller issues and imperfections that needed to be addressed. The first time we visited, the car had just started the process of sanding, and was about halfway through. Much like a tree’s inner trunk rings indicating its age, you can always see a car’s past when you start sanding away that top coat of paint.
You can see from the photos here where rusted metal (see: spare tire well) had to be cut out and replaced entirely. The engine bay was cleaned up where noticeably, the snorkel was removed from the nose panel to return the car to a more correct configuration.
Our second check in with the car came a number of months later, where we found a subject which had changed more thoroughly. A shell that was once some kind of offbeat, Nissan-looking light blue, was now cloudy and speckled with gray and black. And, speaking of the paint color, the decision was made to ditch the custom shade that it was before and bring it back to a cult classic: Fjord Blue. More on that later.
The following photos provide more insight on the latter part of the prep needed to get this car into the booth. The body was looking much cleaner and smoother, with all of those problem areas not really looking like problems anymore.
Here’s where the action starts. Our third and last visit to the facility was to document some of the paint process.
When we arrived, the 02 and all of its extremities were staged in the paint booth. The techs were wrapping up the final prep, and the Fjord Blue paint was bottled up for application.
To have the car in the same booth as all of the new, tech-loaded BMW models (as well as Teslas) must have looked pretty unusual to the staff, but it was easy to tell that it was a welcomed change of scenery. Techs would occasionally pass by the booth as the car was being sprayed, peek in, and smile.
Because we weren’t suited up to shoot inside the booth, we got our coverage through the glass windows. A disclaimer: the glass was coated with an anti-adhesion agent, which was explained to us as something that keeps paint and clear coat from sticking to the surface. That said, our photos have a pretty foggy look that ended up looking pretty dreamy.
With paint and bodywork complete, one of the biggest strides of this restoration is now in the rearview mirror. There is still more than enough work to be done, though, so we will have plenty of updates to come in the future.
For now, it’s back to the shop to cure and prepare for the rebuild. We’ll be back soon with more, so check this space again next time you get a chance.