Whatever happened to the Aerodeck?

I'm shocked and embarrassed. It's been two years since I started repairing the wheel arches on my 1989 Honda Accord Aerodeck (and wrote about it on here). So it's finished, right?

Er, no. Sorry.

I'd like to offer a few things in my defence, your honour. I've had quite a lot going on besides cars for much of that time; I've started work on the Matra Rancho in parallel (more on why I've done that in a moment); but most of all, the Honda has been a lot more work than I expected, and a lot more difficult.

About 40% of the metal in this picture is new, because the bottom 20-odd centimetres of that inner wheel arch tub was completely rotten.

It's also a hugely complex shape. There are compound curves, with all sorts of hollows and bulges and flanges and goodness knows what. I've looked at various of my own cars and a lot of videos online, and I have yet to find a car that's more convoluted under here than the Honda Aerodeck.

I haven't given up though. The reason I've started work on the Rancho is not because I'm abandoning the Honda, but because it's actually a much more straightforward job: although there's an awful lot to do on the Matra, the shapes are a good deal simpler to make.

It also means I've had quite a lot more practice at welding, as well as fabrication. Some of my early welds in the picture above could benefit from some further tidying to close up pinholes, but the more recent weld below is much neater. It's still visible, but that's mainly because it's better not to go too far in linishing the welds back to retain more strength, especially where the work will be hidden.

I haven't made a video about the Aerodeck for a long time because the feedback I got was that most people aren't interested in it - which is another reason for switching to the Rancho (although in fact the restoration work on that hasn't really generated much interest either).

I will do an update when the Aerodeck metalwork is finished though, just for completeness and for those few loyal folks who have been following along this rather lengthy journey. If that's you, then thank you.