Off the to the bodyshop then with the shell for final preparation. So I had to find someone who could move the body on a dolly from Protek to the sprayshop in North London. Almost any mover would be able to do this with a car on wheels, but on a dolly… well that was a different matter. In addition, I didn't want to just stick the bodyshell on the back of a low-loader and send it off… especially not on the return journey back from the sprayshop to Protek. I had a couple of fairly steep quotes until I came across Simon fromClassic Haul Vehicle Transport (www.classichaul.co.uk) who agreed to move the bodyshell both ways using a containerised trailer for a sensible price.

I used a bodyshop in North London called SC Body and Paint Skills (https://www.barnetsouthgate.ac.uk/sc-body-and-paint-skills) to actually spray the car. I found these guys as I was interested in learning how to prep and spray for myself and was looking for a course to show me how. They are not only a body repair shop, but also a vehicle repair training centre for Barnet and Southgate College with some absolutely state-of-the-art facilities. I particularly wanted Ian, who was my teacher on the course, to do the work himself. I'd seen some of his handywork already, and the sheer enthusiasm and attention to detail that he displayed when I was doing the course made me think that his end result on the car would be absolutely superb.

A bit more final preparation of the panels to ensure that everything was as smooth as it could be prior to spraying, and then into the spray booth for base coat and lacquer. Since this is a classic car, we are still fortunate enough to be able to use a solvent base coat and lacquer, rather than using water-based paints. It's not easy, as you've got to jump through some hoops to obtain the paint, such as produce the V5C for the vehicle being sprayed, but it's definitely worth it as the end result is just far superior with solvent than with water-based. Hark at me… almost sounds like I know what I'm talking about!

Anyhow, I think the pictures below speak for themselves.. by the way, any purists might want to bail out now… the colour… Aston Martin Tungsten Silver…