Exterior down to bare steel (video)

I've been stripping the exterior with paint stripper (both Jasco and Kleen Strip) and have most of it down to bare steel.  Once the 4 layers of paint (original  Leaf Green, primer and white, primer and blue, primer and some black) were stripped I cleaned the exterior to neutralize the stripper.  I then proceeded to use a red Scotchbrite pad and some phosphoric acid/metal etch to prepare the exterior for paint.  I also used a wire wheel to clean up any plastic body filler that was on the car.  There was really very little bodywork done on the car over the last 50+ years and I was totally amazed that there was virtually no rust.  Here is a video of where things are at this point.

 

1959 Austin Healey Bugeye Sprite

Stripping the exterior to bare steel

In progress of stripping the exterior paint to bare steel.  Once I have all the point stripped off, I will treat the metal with phosphoric acid (metal etch), prime/seal, then start the process of making sure all the panels are straight.. No rust on it which is amazing.

Painted Original Engine

Painted the original 950cc engine which will go back into the car once it is refinished.

Restored Original Wheels

From the bugeye parts car I have taken the original steel wheels and put them back to original condition.  I purchased a sandblasting kit from one of the local tool stores and sandblasted the rust and paint off of the wheels to product a clean steel surface. 

I then used an airgun to blow off any dust or residue, then treated the surface with metal etch/phosphoric acid.  After treating the metal I primed the surfaces in preparation for the final original silver colored paint.  I will obviously also replace the valve stems with new ones prior to installing the new tires.

Built a rolling stand for the '59 which works really well.. making some good progress

1961 Bugeye Parts Car

Picked up a 1961 AH Bugeye parts car yesterday from a storage place in SF yesterday.  It has been mostly stripped and is pretty well rusted out but there are still lots of good parts on it including the original wheels which have been really difficult to find.  Also included are all suspension and brakes as well as some good sheet metal body parts which will be good to have.

Continued work on the Healey

Moving forward on the Bugeye with more paint stripping, welding a number of repair spots, and returning it to it's original condition... There was a cross bar welded on to the front of the car that didn't really go along with it's originality so I decided to remove it and grind down the area to provide a more original look.  Each of the repairs has taken a bit longer than expected as I have been dealing with a back issue.

I have so far cleaned up the engine compartment and have most of the passenger area stripped, treated, and painted with the base coat of rust preventative.  Once I have all the areas covered, I am planning on using standard primer and then at least two coats of finish paint.  The finish paint is still going to be BRG (British Racing Green).  I am throwing around the idea that I might get a little help with the paint stripping and wire wheeling.  Either get someone to help or possibly resort to paint stripper.  I did see a youtube video that showed a restorer using aircraft paint stripper and it seemed to be working well.... may be worth a try.  I'll post some pics of the progress soon.