As with any restoration project, important issues get addressed first and as time goes by the minor ones get attention. Same is the case with this project. Now that the car is running around, I can focus attention to minor annoying niggles. One such is the collapsed bonnet seal. Due to this seal, the bonnets does not sit properly. This defect can be seen in the misaligned chrome strip in the picture below:
A picture of the seal below. Arrows point out the collapsed sections. Note that it is fixed to the scuttle via rivets:
I ordered the seal from UK. It arrived in just 5 days and cost GBP 21.00!
In order to remove the rivets on the side of the bonnet, access is from inside the car which means the trim below the dash and the side of the foot wells has to be removed.
In the picture below, the old damaged strip is in the process of being replaced by the new one.
Job is 99% complete. Note new rivets. These will be painted black to replicate the original look.
The final result is very satisfying. The bonnet sits correctly and the chrome bead lines up nicely with the one on the body.
In these pictures the camera flash has picked up many defects in the paint. What has to be appreciated is that this is the original factory paint from 1948.