Screws and nuts...
The idea of returning the car to its original form brought with it, first and foremost, the necessity of making the vehicle road-legal. This means meeting all statutory requirements for public road use. You can read more about the challenges of veteran certifications in the SQUADRA CORSE section.
One thing that is legally impermissible is an installed roll cage. Currently, such a vehicle cannot be registered with standard plates or pass a technical inspection. Of course, many people install a removable roll cage, which they take out before the inspection. It is important to keep in mind that in the event of an accident, a cage might save your life, but it can have serious consequences for other participants—not to mention the stance of insurance companies and the police. In short, the cage had to go. Fortunately, its mounting points were not permanently welded to the chassis and could be removed relatively easily. The entire structure consisted of several parts linked by inserts and held together by bolts and nuts.
The next step involved removing the metal door skins, floor plates, and the racing seat. Since the goal is to modify the door handles—replacing the standard large ones with the smaller GTA versions—we have two realistic solutions. The first is to weld the larger handle opening, which risks unevenness and warping of the thin sheet metal. The second is to replace the door skin with a different material altogether. I ultimately see this option as cheaper and easier. The bottom part of the original metal door skin had succumbed to corrosion and would have needed repair anyway. Aluminum sheet is expensive, and carbon fiber feels inappropriate for a car of this age. Fiberglass appears to be the optimal choice for weight, cost, and ease of drilling. Unfortunately, there aren't many manufacturers offering such a part. I eventually came across the Czech company manufacturing fiberglass parts for motorsport. . While they only offered complete doors, the owner was very helpful and offered to custom-make just the replacement door skins, allowing me to keep the full window mechanism, interior trim, handles, and grips."