Rear Valance

[myoldjalopy]

I found this behind a pile of wood in my shed. It has sustained some crumple damage at both ends. Wondering if it can (easily) be put right or no. Otherwise only some surface rust.
One side:

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The other:

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[mogbob]

If you've done the Restoration Bodywork course or are a professional body shop guy or gal......then it would be
an easy fix. It's always difficult with just photos to fully assess what work needs to be done. Quote " only some surface rust " ??
My definition of that is no more than 30 minutes rubbing down by hand. It's a bit more serious than that in my book. On a positive note , once the metalwork has been straightened ( or curved where appropriate ) the rust can be ground down and anti rust formulation / treatment applied. You might need some filler in places. The " plus " is that the bulk of the currently rusted area will be behind the bumper blade on completion.
Metal bashing with dollies , hammers , etc = a morning / afternoon's work max. De rusting , rust treatment , applying filler , and a few coats of primer would fill another half day or more depending what's lurking underneath
the rust and paint.
I'd resurrect it rather than throw it away. ESM are selling metal valances at £150 + VAT each and a lot of people don't like fibre glass substitutes.
Bob

[myoldjalopy]

Thanks Bob. The rust actually looks worse in the pics than it really is - a lot of what you see is dirt. But - I have no experience of panel beating so probably not cost effective to pay for someone to do it. Pity as it would have made a good spare......

[ManyMinors]

I'm sure you could make it "useable" with a bit of work but those valances are very flimsy and tend to stretch easily when damaged. In my experience they are quite tricky to get properly back into shape. If it is both bent AND rusty, it is probably beyond it but why not have a go and try yourself? What have you got to loose?

If you want to restore a car to perfect original condition you will want an original steel one, but I would be perfectly happy to have glassfibre valances on my "daily" Minor. If they are prepared and painted properly it is hard to see the difference without looking underneath or feeling them

[myoldjalopy]

You are right 'ManyMinors'. Half an hour with a hammer, screwdriver and a vice has made a vast improvement! Once it is de-rusted a judicious bit of filler and a paint job should have it totally useable

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2020-05-10 14.09.07.jpg (1.94 MiB) Viewed 684 times

[ManyMinors]

That looks to have been excellent use of a bit of "lockdown time"