Page 1: Into The Shop
May 2000

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Now in Bobileff's shop, the first step was to strip the body and chassis to the metal and see what we had. Most of the body was blue under the black. It was still blue inside the doors and the windshield frame. A color match was done so the car can be returned to its original Brambilla blue. The nose clip was not blue under the black. Perhaps it was stripped to repaint it, or perhaps it was replaced.

I knew the rear clip was bent. It looked like it had been dropped on its tail, and the left wheel arch was bent up. It didn't close properly. I was told that it was off of the car during service in Seattle when another car had slid in the snow and crashed into it. Plausable since the frame didn't appear bent. Fortunately, the rest of the body is in good shape. No surprises were found under the paint.

Front and rear clips. Damage to the left rear wheel arch is visible. Notice the other nose clip just to the left, from the other Miura.
From the front, after a bit of dismantling. Note the placement of the spare tire, on top of the gas tank. The fuel filler is just to the left in front of the tire. When the body is in place, this is accessed through one of the vents on the hood.
Pretty ugly, isn' it?
No doors.
Here they are. Fortunately, there are traces of the original color in the door frames.

Next came the frame. And the rust.

The doors and all the suspension components were removed from the chassis. Gary tells me this took quite a bit of pounding, heating, and some cutting to accomplish. The body was painted with a gray sealant to prevent rust. The floors were cut out, and the rust repair started. Gary has probably done this a dozen times. All Miuras are prone to rust in certain places. For example, the gas tank sits on three fiber strips which retain moisture. The tub where the tank sits does not drain well, so the floor eventually rusts through. Mine is no exception.

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