Roadster body work

[steve webber]

My 1963 SPL 310 Roadster needs some body work on the area behind the bottom rear of the front fenders.  A previous repair added Bondo but did not reattach the bottom rear oif the frront fenders, so they shake when the vehicle idles.  Need to locate a good knowledgeable body repair man who will not  make the same Bondo mistake.  Les Cannady is not answering his phone, and messages left at the number for Kevin Desirello have not been returned.  Aside from this repair the vehicle is in great shape, runs well, has new top and tonneau cover, generally looks great.

 

But I need the fender shake problem fixed.  Any recommendations for a knowledgeable body man?

 

Got a couple of nice responses since first posting Feb.6, but no suggestions regarding specific body shops familiar with 310 fender rust repair.  Must be someone who has had a good job done and can make a recommendation, I hope.

 

STEVE

Edited February 20, 2020 by steve webber
update

[datsunrides]

I don’t believe Les or Kevin do bodywork in house. Might want to go over to 311s.org and ask there as there are a ton of Roadster people in the LA area and should have recommendations.

[pdp8]

I just dealt with a similar issue on my 1200.  Someone slathered body filler into the rusty area of a fender and then it rotted out worse, necessitating almost a hand-sized patch.

Thing about most body filler is it's full of gypsum, so pretty much ideally designed to allow water to seep through.  Not a huge problem in a small dent but a disaster in dealing with rust if the back of the filler isn't painted.

I just did the work myself so I'd know whose fault it was if there were any issues.  I find a lot pf body guys aren't really welders and so see a lot of snotty repairs that will rust in a few years or decade (see above).  I'd get some donor steel and take it to a good welding shop with a guy who will gently skip-weld it in with a TIG setup, then take that to a body shop for filling and paint.  There is actually a guy up in the SF bay area who is great with rust repair and will do a little filler but would give it back in primer, bit of a drive for you though.  I'm sure there are plenty of good shops near you.