Stripping time.

So, with the paint colour chosen and all* the rust repair completed, the Mini’s off to Kiwi Metal Polishers in Rotorua to be stripped in their caustic tank. They come highly recommended by a number of car painters and restorers, which is unusual for dip stripping. They strip hundreds of cars a year, and are fanatical about neutralising the caustic solution to avoid any trouble later.

They even offer an etch priming service, where they seal the freshly-cleaned steel in lovely etch primer to prevent rusting. It’s an appealing option, but I have since learned that YOU MUST FIRST CONSULT WITH YOUR CHOSEN CAR PAINTER, because etch primer is not the ideal foundation for all paint systems. Oh dear.

*yeah, right.