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www.leylandprincess.co.uk
PRINCESS
2000ST
This is a
quite unusual Princess that I acquired in mid 2003. Although this 2000HL automatic
was built in July 1980, it was hovering around the showroom for almost 14
months before it was finally registered in September 1981. It would seem that
people were put off by its rather loud and, as far as I know, unique to
Princess, snapdragon yellow paintwork, a colour that would normally adorn BL
models such as the Mini, Maxi and Marina. The car was eventually registered
by the family run supplying dealer and was used by a family member. This car
has had 3 more owners since then but as purchased, it has only covered a
meagre 19,000 miles. But don’t let
that deceive you, the car was not in A1 condition by any means, it would seem
it has spent most of its idle life standing outside in all weathers, which
has taken its toll on the bodywork, and the paintwork was by no means
perfect. Most
enthusiasts relish the thought of restoring a classic during the winter
months, and that’s fine provided you have a nice warm garage to work in.
Well, as you can see in the above picture, I do have a garage but it’s not
big enough to fit a Princess into (it could do with a coat of paint as well!)
and it’s far from warm. But, I decided to grab the Bull by both horns and get
started, come hell or high water. After a visit from my mate and Princess
enthusiast, John Capon, at the end of December 2003, he decided that he could
spray it at the end of January, effectively giving me 4 weeks to prepare it
for a new coat of 2-pack snapdragon yellow. Preparation,
as any painter will tell you, is everything, so I had to start by removing
things like lights, bumpers and trim. Then it’s a sanding block, 600 wet and
dry, and loads of patience. Every night after work, and every weekend,
freezing cold, I was sanding, and just when I thought it was all done, I saw
another bit that wasn’t quite right. The biggest problem was the doors; every
one had excessive corrosion around the lower corners, so I decided they
really weren’t worth messing around with unless I wanted shares in a car body
filler manufacturer. Luckily,
I’d broken a 1978 Princess in 2003 and I’d kept the doors from it as they
were in very good condition as the previous owner had treated them with
waxoyl. So, on they went, but I had to spray the hinge side of the doors
yellow first, as the spray gun won’t reach in there. I decided not to replace
the drivers’ door, as it was slightly better than the possible replacement.
So, after
four weeks it was ready for its new coat of paint, and that was the next
hurdle. I live in Southampton and I had to get the car to Honiton in Devon,
95 miles away. Initially, I was going to tax the Princess and drive it there,
but the thought of driving it that far, with most of its trim missing, and it
not having been further than the MOT station in the last year, filled me with
horror. So, I decided to fit my Rover 800 Vitesse Coupe with a towbar and
borrow a spectacle lift to tow it down. I left home
at 6.00am on Saturday on probably the worst day of the year so far; gale
force winds and driving rain causing the trailered Princess to wallow about.
I arrived in Honiton at 8.15am, as I’d made pretty good progress, despite the
weather. The Princess was taken of the trailer and straight into the spray
booth for drying out and final prep. And we only had one day to get it
painted. It was now or never. John did an excellent job in difficult
circumstances. Considering the fact that I was not quite sure whether my prep
would be any good and the weather and travelling involved, I have to say that
I am extremely pleased with the result. All that was left now was to wait
until Sunday morning for it to dry properly, get it back on the trailer, and
take it home. |
Princess 2000HL
as purchased.
Taking it home.
Weather was not good
for resto work.
After being masked and a few final blobs of filler and primer,
John decided she was ready for the topcoat.
It’s in there somewhere!
3 coats and 2 hours later.
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