At Classicarco - Time for Makeover!

It felt just Great to arrive at Classicarco's workshop in Manchester, after the events in Holland and my worries on the remaining stretches of once more loosing power on the Highway. But everything worked perfectly, and after meeting with Mark and his guys, the Volvo went in for a thorough inspection.

The car had obviously been worked at sometime around the mid eighties or early nineties in order to stop ongoing corrosion, but the budget had not allowed the already visible damage to be properly repaired. The already mentioned rough patches on the car all date from this job, and as a very efficient way to protect the already damaged front fenders, interior mudguards from Lokari had been fitted. First thing was to have them removed, and beneath everything looked perfect, dry and well covered with protective wax. This shows clearly that such mudguards can be recommended for all 1800's which do not serve as trailer queens only.

The initial inspection did not reveal any other unknown faults, but the questionmarks about the true condition of the fenders and sills would remain until the work of looking beneath could start. After this I left Manchester to visit my son who is studying in Northern Yorkshire.

A few weeks later, Mark started to send me emails about their various findings. The most worrying was that both front fenders were in fact quite severely corroded, and he therefore recommended a full replacement as the only advisable remedy. Sills were in far better shape, except for an area at the base of the A-pillars which was a quick fix after removing the outer sill. The main problem of having fenders replaced on any P1800 is just to find them. They are quite expensive, and as they require extensive visible welding after fitting it is an expert job. The left fender was available and immediately ordered, whereas the right was reported out of stock for several years. It is said that they will become available as a reproduction later this year, but timing is highly uncertain.

The breakthrough came when Mark reported back that he'd found a supplier in UK who had a NOS RH fender in stock with some surface rust and minor dents, asking for a high price. I told him to grab it quickly, and the negotiated price showed to be reasonable and the damage from storage was only superficial.

To date, and as the enclosed photos show, the bodywork has advanced to replacement of both fenders and the sills have been repaired. Next update will come when the car starts to be prepared for new paint - 105 Gold Metallic of course!