Does it make sense to just paint the panels?

[Fanch00]

Hello everyone,
I need to redo the interior of my BT7.
I might as well repaint the car, since we see some oxydation coming out beneath the paint.
I am being offered - to keep costs under control - to just remove all panels (doors, wings, bonnet boot lid), take them to bare metal, prime them and repaint. No work on the substructure and from what we can see, the chassis is good so no work there either. Is it a good idea?

 

[roscoe]

It is both a good idea and a bad idea depending on the result you desire. If I were looking to purchase a car that I didn't want to start a restoration on, I'd be a bit leery of one that had your suggested plan and had not removed the shrouds or at least painted them in place with the panels. It might be difficult to get a decent paint match with you plan, and you should be prepared to address any issues you find underneath the panels. You may luck out on both issues. I'd guess you'll find something extra when you remove the panels but not knowing how long its been since it has been apart it is not possible to know. Opinions will differ but I think the best paint jobs are accomplished with the panels off and the shrouds in place.
There are those who will rightfully say that it is always best to " do it right". In this case the minimal to do that would be to remove the trim and windshield, loosen the panels, mask everything prep the car by going to bare metal and repaint. If it is not the first repaint you can bet there will be some panel work to do once stripped.

On the other hand you can get a car that looks great by doing what you suggest if you accept the risk of a poor paint match and glossing over issues with the front and rear shrouds. It's your car and your needs that must be met. If cost is the issue and you know what you don't know, yours may be the optimal plan for you to get it spruced up.

 

[HealeyRick]

As long as the car is rust-free, it sounds like a reasonable plan to get a presentable car at a decent price. It won't be concours, but it could certainly be a nice driver. I'd stay with the original color and if it is a solid car rather than a metallic matching the individual panels painted off the car shouldn't be a problem. If it's Healey Blue, panels should be affixed to the car before painting to prevent mismatch. BTW, that's how mine was done.

 

[Fanch00]

It is both a good idea and a bad idea depending on the result you desire. If I were looking to purchase a car that I didn't want to start a restoration on, I'd be a bit leery of one that had your suggested plan and had not removed the shrouds or at least painted them in place with the panels. It might be difficult to get a decent paint match with you plan, and you should be prepared to address any issues you find underneath the panels. You may luck out on both issues. I'd guess you'll find something extra when you remove the panels but not knowing how long its been since it has been apart it is not possible to know. Opinions will differ but I think the best paint jobs are accomplished with the panels off and the shrouds in place.
There are those who will rightfully say that it is always best to " do it right". In this case the minimal to do that would be to remove the trim and windshield, loosen the panels, mask everything prep the car by going to bare metal and repaint. If it is not the first repaint you can bet there will be some panel work to do once stripped.

On the other hand you can get a car that looks great by doing what you suggest if you accept the risk of a poor paint match and glossing over issues with the front and rear shrouds. It's your car and your needs that must be met. If cost is the issue and you know what you don't know, yours may be the optimal plan for you to get it spruced up.

Thank you for your reply. The front and rear shrouds are also removed, so there will be no paint matching issue. But you are right, we may find issues underneath on the inner wheel arches for instance, or the panel separating the cockpit from the engine compartment.
The trim will be removed, I am going to buy a new interior set from John Skinner.
We’re also planning to fix the chrome parts so that they don’t look too off over the shiny brand new paint.