Fiat 500 L, Part 2: New Metal

This is Part 2 of our Fiat 500 L restoration series. Missed Part 1? See how we found the car here.

With the shell stripped and the rust out in the open, it was time to put new metal in. The floor came first. Without a solid floor, nothing else on a 500 lines up properly.

New panels

Next came the outer panels. The new ones arrived in black primer, so for a while the car looked like a patchwork of old red and new black.

Front and rear

The front boot got a new floor too, and the rear panel was repaired and prepared.

Checking every gap

Before any paint goes on, everything has to fit. The doors, bonnet and engine lid went back on, and the bumpers were trial-fitted, so we could check every gap while it was still easy to make changes.

Zinc-plated fixings

While the bodywork was going on, the small parts weren't forgotten. Brackets, nuts, bolts and fixings were all cleaned and zinc-plated, ready for the rebuild.

Off to the paint shop

With the metalwork done and everything fitting, the shell went onto a truck for the trip to the paint shop.

Next: Part 3: Primer and paint