Troubleshooting with Steve Rothwell

AUSTIN SPRITE RESTORATION QUESTION

Q I am currently undertaking the restoration of a 1970 Austin Sprite. The bodywork needs quite a bit of attention, and as this is a long term project I will be carrying out the work over several months. Once completed, I then intend to trailer the car to a local spray shop for the paint job. I am, though, confused. I was always of the impression that using a wax on the inner surfaces of the panels before fitting would be beneficial in the long run, but I have been told by the paint shop that this could affect the result of the finish and they would not advise me to do so.

Gary Dawton

Whilst wax is indeed a great way to preserve panels and will certainly combat corrosion, this is ideally applied to vehicles which have already been painted. That’s because the rustproofing solution contains silicates, which are the enemy of a paint shop and will produce imperfections in the paintwork. It would be more advisable to use a painted rustproofing compound on the rear of the panels, such