A month later and no sign of Spring, Dioniso March Update

In the last six weeks the groundhog saw his shadow, and the nasty Winter continues. Inside work is all that is possible at this time of the year, and Roadster uses this opportunity to focus on the mechanical, body and interior stages of our projects. Once the Dionisio car was fully stripped, the chassis was media blasted. Higher end builds include the paint stripping of the undercarriage as well as the exterior and tub. Exposing areas of concern is always our first priority. Since we don’t have X-ray vison, we simply can’t trust what we see on the surface. We simply won’t know what may be lurking underneath the paint unless it is removed.

Luckily, this chassis was from a Southern climate. Previously undercoated cars can be a mixed blessing. While the material does protect against rust to a degree, it also can hide oxidation—especially if it was not applied properly or when the car was brand new. We have seen many examples that looked solid at first glance–but were a basket case once the undercoating was removed. The Dioniso undercarriage was very clean and without issue.

As shown in the photos, our Dionisio starting point presented few challenges for our body shop. While it is true to some degree that anything can be fixed with time and money, it certainly makes for a more efficient project when a project is based on a solid platform.

While all Roadster Salon chassis are carefully vetted before being eligible for our restoration program, about 25% of our customers provide their own. Typically, these are spiders that belonged to other family members and have sentimental value. “We see spiders that have been stored for years and are too far gone to save economically. But some customers insist that we move forward, regardless of rust concerns. If directed to do so, we can restore a car that has been sitting at the bottom of the ocean.”