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!