Having got the body tub to a reasonable finish in grey primer, it was time to start thinking about colour coats.

The car isn’t being built as a concours example, but nonetheless I want the underside to look good. I also believe that with a good paint finish you can more easily spot leaks or other damage and it’s easier to wipe down than a bare stone chip finish.

The front and rear wheel arches have been stone-chipped, as has the area above the differential, but the main and boot floors are in plain pressed steel finish. The tub was rolled over on its back and several good coats applied.

Whilst this was curing, I set to on the other panels – bonnet, bootlid, doors, wings etc., as well as the smaller components that would be finished in body colour.

The tub could then be rolled over again and the upper panels painted. I reckon about half the surfaces won’t be immediately visible on the finished car, but I still wanted them to look good. The boot area, engine bay, as well as the floors, the area behind the dash and the outer surfaces of the inner wings will all be covered – but I know they have been finished properly.

By the end of this stage, I now have a fully painted shell, with all of the bolt-on panels done too

Now I need something to bolt it all on to.