SteveP
10-16-2020, 11:03 AM
I've been dreading the body work on my roadster since I ordered the kit a year ago. Building the chassis was great fun and I learned a lot, but the specter of body work was hanging over my head. I finished the chassis and started dragging my feet. I built a paver patio for my wife, painted a couple trailers, learned to operate a backhoe, dug a friends water line, etc. Anything to put off the body fitting and finishing. After a couple months I ran out of distractions and I started sanding the seams on the body. I called Jeff Miller to ask what filler would be compatible with his paint. Jeff was very clear. He said, "Stop! I'll do it". He didn't have to tell me twice.
I loaded my car in a trailer and drove it 1800 miles to Jeff's shop. Wednesday morning we unloaded the car and Jeff started fitting the body to the chassis. Yes, a big hammer was involved, as well as trimming excess bulb seal the instructions seemed to call for, adding spacers between the body and radiator mount and other tricks not in the instructions. While we were working, Jose, who has worked 18 years for Jeff. had quietly carried my door away. About the time we had the body mounted, Jose brought the doors back. He had ground out the seams along the top and filled them with high strength filler, feathered and sanded it. Jeff took his grinder and opened up portions of the door opening, muttering something about how they would cause problems later if not removed. Then he mounted the doors and fit them to the openings, starting at the front and working back. When he was satisfied with the gaps he mixed up some filler and blended the front door tops to the body. I would have fought to fit the doors for a month, cut too much to try to fit the door front tops and messed up the gaps, etc. It was awesome to watch a master work. As Jeff predicted, we had the body fit to the chassis, doors fit, roll bar, windshield, exhaust pipe and body mounting holes done by 3:30.
Jeff is modest, he admits to doing about 600 roadsters. Jose said the truth is more like 1000. The experience shows. We are lucky to be building kits where there is such an experienced community available to help. I learned a lot. The trip was well worth it.
I loaded my car in a trailer and drove it 1800 miles to Jeff's shop. Wednesday morning we unloaded the car and Jeff started fitting the body to the chassis. Yes, a big hammer was involved, as well as trimming excess bulb seal the instructions seemed to call for, adding spacers between the body and radiator mount and other tricks not in the instructions. While we were working, Jose, who has worked 18 years for Jeff. had quietly carried my door away. About the time we had the body mounted, Jose brought the doors back. He had ground out the seams along the top and filled them with high strength filler, feathered and sanded it. Jeff took his grinder and opened up portions of the door opening, muttering something about how they would cause problems later if not removed. Then he mounted the doors and fit them to the openings, starting at the front and working back. When he was satisfied with the gaps he mixed up some filler and blended the front door tops to the body. I would have fought to fit the doors for a month, cut too much to try to fit the door front tops and messed up the gaps, etc. It was awesome to watch a master work. As Jeff predicted, we had the body fit to the chassis, doors fit, roll bar, windshield, exhaust pipe and body mounting holes done by 3:30.
Jeff is modest, he admits to doing about 600 roadsters. Jose said the truth is more like 1000. The experience shows. We are lucky to be building kits where there is such an experienced community available to help. I learned a lot. The trip was well worth it.