So...building the body on my ERA has been the best part of the build so far, it's not been easy, but its been incredibly satisfying. The results I have got have spurred me on to finish this build and plan the next. It's not been without its challenges though.
This is where I'm up to now.
I've managed to finish the front end including the bonnet straps, re-fitting the grill and the panel under the grill. I've also finished the mirror shrouds and wind shield shroud. The whole thing is looking really good and I'm pleased with the results I'm getting.
My original inspiration car, ERA R6B, is painted black and this was the route I was going to follow, however, I have decided to run with the bare aluminium for now. I had started to prep the aluminium for painting using Scotchbright but I think the effect its had on dulling the surface is really nice. For this reason, and the fact that we already have a black ERA, I'm going to run with the aluminium. I've painted the grill and will paint the fiberglass tail to suit but could do with a little advice on how to treat the Aluminium as it does mark. Should I seal it? If so with what?
I did have a disaster while painting the grill though. I had applied the last coat of top coat and had the grill hanging outside on my roller shutter door to dry. It looked amazing...right up to the point the wind blew it off its hook and it smashed in to the concrete floor. It remained structurally sound but it did quite a bit of cosmetic damage to the top and front. I invented a few new swear words that morning! I've patched it up as best I could and it looks ok, although you can still see the damage. My thinking is that I'll probably address this over winter as right now I just want to get it going and drive it. Then again I might just leave it and call it a war wound.
Next is the tail...the bit I've been dreading. I've never done any fiberglassing before so this should be a giggle. Any advice on this is very welcome.
Oh...and I made the dashboard as well!
