The Recovery commences...
After some polling of several shops and hearing what they had to offer, I opted to go with
someone who claimed he would have no trouble saving the original fender and nose piece. I'll
wait for his permission before mentioning specifics on this gentleman's operation but suffice it
to say that the machinery that was being worked on in his shop combined with some work I'd seen
on one other GTA made me confident I was making the right move. So one cold late Fall morning, the
car began its journey to rejuvenation and recovery.
I promised myself that, as much as I wanted to, I would not show up at the
shop too often and possibly annoy the guy performing the work. I was so stressed over
the whole affair that I really wanted to be present for any nasty surprise, and the
waiting would certainly be murder for me, but I tried my best to stay away.
Imagine my surprise when I showed up and saw how far work had progressed.
It was nice to see how rust-free the car had managed to stay, underneath its skin.
The initial intention was to take a few shots of the damaged fender off the car, but it had
already been straightened by the time I showed up!!!
Obviously he'd put in some serious effort into getting the job done quickly, because every
factory curve was restored as brand new.
Even the factory VIN tags were saved from destruction! A car restoration dream-come-true.
On a nearby stand was the nose piece... refinished with a look so rich that you would be
tempted to bite into it like it was fine chocolate.
Even some door dings that were there since the car was new were addressed by the shop, without
resorting to painting. What a masterpiece!