Conifer Green TR4A Bodywork and Mechanical Overhaul

In late 2022 we were lucky enough to have a LHD Triumph TR4A dropped off here for a full bodywork restoration and respray on behalf of a customer from France. When we received the vehicle, the paintwork was in poor condition, as can be seen below. His wish was to have a beautifully restored body with fresh paint in the original conifer green colour. When we get vehicles in such as this one, we aim to give estimates on the work we do before carrying out any work itself, to give the customer the best idea of cost. This is sometimes a moving goal post however, as we can run into further issues once we start any jobs. Communication between us and the customer is always paramount however, and we always consult them with any issues that may arise.

There were several outer panels which were replaced, including one full door, both front wings, one rear wing a boot lid and the bonnet. This was mainly down to the condition of the current panels on the car and or the length of time it would take to repair the current panels. We do sometimes find that it can be cheaper to put new panels on the vehicle rather than repair the current ones, due to time taken to repair and labour costs involved. We always take this into account when estimating for all of our customers to ensure they can get the best price available.

The guys in our body shop have the process of fitting the new panels to the car straight away to ensure body lines will be consistent once the car is deconstructed to be painted. This makes the fitting up process much easier at the end of the job. You can see below the new panels that have been fitted to the vehicle before filler and paint work is started. To ensure the body lines were as best as possible parts of the body had to be re-shimmed in order for the vehicle to look its best once completed.

This car not only had body work completed but also a mechanical overhaul while here at TRGB. A full engine service was completed, including a coolant flush, an updated ignition system fitted, brake overhaul with new calipers and other miscellaneous fittings including suspension parts where necessary. It was then tuned correctly by our experienced mechanics and taken for road test to ensure all work carried out had presented no further issues.

Once the mechanical work on the vehicle was completed, the body shop got down to doing any necessary repairs to the inner shell that were needed. Some of these repairs included, a newly fabricated battery tray section, lower b post section repairs and to strip back all other paint work on the outer body to ensure no hidden issues under any previous filler work. We know all too well what can be hidden on these cars!

After this work was carried out, it was on to possibly the most important part of the job and preparing the vehicle firstly with epoxy primer and then with body filler to ensure a lovely smooth surface before painting. There is then high build primer sprayed on before the final top coat is applied. The work needed here can take from anywhere between 100-250 hours where necessary. When the guys are happy with the lines on the car and the surface they have prepared, the car is then left for a week or two to make sure that no sinkage occurs, to ensure the vehicle has no ripples in the final finish.

For the finishing top coat we traditionally use a 2K paint, rather than the original cellulose paint as the colour stays truer for longer. Once the top coat is applied the car will then go through several stages of polishing to get a glossy finish, with a mirror shine. The time taken to complete this job, alongside others in our workshop took 9 months in total. The customer was extremely happy with the results and now has a freshly renewed car to enjoy for a long time to come. You can see the finished results below.