Welding & painting

[peterg]

I need to get my 403 repainted (amongst many other things!) but before I can the door frames need to be completely refurbished. Can any one suggest a welder who is capable of doing this work, ideally in the London/ south east area and give me an idea how much I need to budget for?

Similarly it needs a complete body strip and painting.

Finally are the window rubber surrounds and door lock rubbers available?

Your experience would be greatly appreciated.

Peter.

[Stefan]

The repair spectrum runs from a DIY respray to a total rebuild...I have seen a very decent respray on a 400 for circa £8000, but was recently quoted £18000 for my own (all depends on What Lies Beneath). Not sure what order yours is in - and welding steel next to aluminium is a skilled and tricky matter. Repairing Bristol steelwork is often a compromise without going to the alarming lengths of removing the aluminium skin entirely, when you can see the superleggera frame and what state its is in.
Firms such as Brabazon Motors, Mitchell Bros, and dont forget BCL themselves will certainly quote for the work but at their end of the trade it will be a major investment. Its now possible to spend 100k on a Bristol refurbishment...
Rubber parts are often available from BCL - always worth trying them first. If no luck I obtained mine from the BOC Australia who have been making their own, BODA also have many rubber parts in stock.

[Bristolian]

Mitchell Motors, Wiltshire, Tel: 01747 820223, contact Andrew Mitchell, does a full bare body up restoration and specialises in Bristols and Aston Martins. He is in the top end of the restoration business but does do excellent work.

403 windscreen seals are readily available through John Lawley, 07749 533169. Door lock seals are a little more difficult but can be obtained with a bit of a time lag.

John