Okay, so today I’m gonna talk about my little Aston Martin DB6 project. Been tinkering with this thing on and off for a while now, and figured it was time to share the progress.
First off, lemme tell ya, finding a decent DB6 replica kit wasn’t exactly a walk in the park. Scoured the internet, checked out a few local places, and finally settled on one that seemed… promising. Should’ve known better, haha.
The kit arrived, and it was… well, let’s just say it needed some “love.” The fiberglass was rough, the panel gaps were HUGE, and the overall quality was kinda questionable. But hey, I’m not one to back down from a challenge.
So, I started by sanding down the whole body. Hours and hours of sanding. My arms were killing me! Then came the body filler. I swear, I used enough filler to build another car. Getting those panel gaps even remotely close to acceptable was a real pain. Seriously, if you’re thinking about doing something like this, invest in some good quality body tools!
Next up was the paint. Decided to go with a classic silver, figured it would suit the DB6’s lines perfectly. Primed the whole thing, then sprayed on several coats of silver. It looked pretty good… until I noticed the orange peel. Ugh.
More sanding. More buffing. Eventually, I got it looking pretty smooth, but it was a serious test of my patience.
- Sanding
- Priming
- Painting
This process feels like it took forever!
With the body sorted (more or less), I moved onto the interior. This was actually kinda fun. Reupholstered the seats in some nice leather, installed new carpets, and generally tidied things up. It’s starting to feel like a real car now. Definitely recommend watching some YouTube tutorials on upholstery. Saved me a bunch of headaches.
The engine was the biggest headache. I had bought a used engine from a junkyard. I planned to rebuild it. I had to disassemble the whole engine, clean every part, and then install new parts that I ordered online. The process was messy and tiring but I learned so much. I finally put the engine back into the body.
The last thing to do was connect everything. Wiring can be a nightmare especially if you bought a used engine. But thankfully the DB6 is a simple car, so it all worked out. Now I am able to drive the DB6.
Lessons Learned
This project was a serious learning experience. Here’s a few things I picked up along the way:
- Don’t cheap out on the kit. A higher quality kit will save you a ton of time and frustration.
- Patience is key. Bodywork takes time. Don’t rush it.
- Do your research. There’s a ton of information online. Use it!
Overall, I’m pretty happy with how the DB6 turned out. It’s not perfect, but it’s mine, and I built it (mostly) myself. Would I do it again? Probably not. But I’m glad I did it once.
