Front right wing sheet metal work
Condition of the right wing before stripping was as confirmed after stripping and in exceptional condition. Despite the condition I could not understand why so much filler was used on this wing. Filler was applied as filler costs $20 gallon and primer costs $200 per gallon. The filler was stripped layer by layer with paint stripper to bare metal. The lower portion of the wing need minor panel beating to perfect, which would have been a better option. The upper portion had a few dents where presumably one would lean on the wing to make repairs in the engine bay. These were panel beated and any ripples finished off with lead.
It was surprising that so much filler was needed as the panel after stripping was perfectly straight. It appears that this body shop was treating the panel like a Boyd Coddington restoration, fill the whole car with filler, but did not sand off most of the filler.
The head lamp bucket was removed to de-rust the top of the bucket and to reach high up in the wing. This being a common rust area I wanted to be double sure that all signs of rust were removed. The top of the wing slopped down at the front, indicating that the wing was in good shape. With the headlamp bucket welded the area around the indicator light and head lamp was leaded and the chrome bezel trial fitted. Always best to trial fit a metal and primer stage as once painted and adjustment will need to be lived with.
You will loose count as to the number of time you will need to pre-fit chrome parts. It becomes rather monotonous as you fit and remove. I must add that I am not striving for perfection as a concours 190Sl but rather as Bruce Adam's of the 190SL Group International once said ' Do it one but do it right' was the motto I have adopted.
