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1980 TR7 V8 - Repair Progress
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The bodywork on the green car was repaired by ABC body shop on College St. in Clarksville TN.
Their work was to a fair standard and their price was low compared to most other shops who would quote very high just to avoid the job since it was not lucrative insurance work. However, we have three issues that prevent us from recommending them: First, it took them over six months to even start work on the car! Second, they did not fit the left front fender properly and it remains to be seen how much it will cost to have this corrected. Third, they made no effort to paint the car the correct color, instead painting it a colour they thought would look good. It was primarily this latter attitude that led to them being fired from completing the work on the blue TR8 project. |
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| ... the door skin was scrap but ABC were able to straigten the one major dent in the front of the door shell (thus saving an otherwise sound & somewhat scarce part) and realigning the door hinges... |
... they also did a decent job of repairing the inner fender arch - actually repairing metal instead of replacing it is a skill all too often lacking these days at most bodyshops - send them a piece of sheet metal with even the slightest imperfection & you'd better send some cheese as well ... |
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| ... lower rear quarter panels are only available aftermarket and fitting them is sometimes difficult ... |
... the left rear arch was a real mess compounded by a previous owners botched repair attempt ... |
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| ... all that nasty surface rust and half stripped paint is finally gone after almost five years of ownership - was beginning to wonder if we would ever see the day!... |
... awaiting a final coat of primer and final colour coats ... |
... just out of the paint booth - it is now apparent that the gap between the left front fender and bonnet is far too wide - this will need to be corrected ... |
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| ... Wow! what a difference! the car looks almost as good as the day it left the factory at Canley... |
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| ... a new top installed ... |
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