Tidy-up time

Craig continues his quest to save the modified ZS 120 he told us about in December’s issue of MGE and takes advantage of a break in the weather to focus on its bodywork.

In the most recent instalment of my latest ZS resurrection I berated the weather for preventing me from giving AO03 BXH a proper clean to see what I’d actually bought. But we were soon blessed with some glorious autumn sunshine, allowing me finally to crack on with properly evaluating its Trophy Blue bodywork.

I’d already much improved the ZS by getting rid of a collection of rather over-the-top stickers. Though, in the process of removing them, I did find out the hard way why a couple of them were there, hiding some big chunks of paint damage. A chance to get it out of the workshop and into natural daylight, though, would allow me to see what it would need to bring it back to decent condition.

Truth be told, it wasn’t bad at all. Most of the panels were straight and tidy and, for a car that’s going to be a daily driver, I’m not going to get too sniffy about minor little dinks. There were a few areas that would definitely need attention, notably a scrape on one wing, through which rust was already starting to appear, and two sizeable scuffs on the front bumper (which I always thought was an odd place for a sticker).

I decided the repairs were just about within my DIY skills, so I ordered up a can of Trophy Blue colour-matched spray from WLW Autopaints, a mail-order supplier whose paint has always been a perfect match on my previous cars. I decided I’d get the ZS up in the air, while I waited for the paint to arrive, so I could take a proper look at the underside.