1842 replies to this topic

[Petrol]

Thanks for the pics. It's a bit late to mod the shell but I still have chance to work on the subframes.

 

The weather is closing in now and to spray anything in the garage, I need to get the shell outside. I'm also a bit fed up with bodywork so have decided to start on some other parts.

 

I'm making up all new brake pipes using the originals as templates

 

 

Might be worth a mention that some of the nuts on later models are a combination of metric and imperial, there's even brake pipes with metric at one end and imperial at the other!. Then there's short and long nuts so what you end up with is this lot

 

 

I couldn't source them all in the same colour which is a pity.  They are all zinc plated but the golden ones have been through a passification process which is a bit more durable than a straight zinc coating

 

I started making the center console some time ago, it needs more trimming to look a bit more elegant but this is how it stands at the moment

 

 

 

 

The most important button!

 

 

 

Apologies if the thread is a bit fragmented but you don't half get bored doing the same thing week in week out.

 

 

Pete

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ben_O]

Looking good Pete.

 

I know what you mean about getting fed up with one job. I alternate too, doing more bodywork at the moment and loving it but after another week or two, i shall go back to cleaning up other bits and pieces,

 

I really like the centre console. Much better than the ones on the market in my opinion

 

Ben

[Jared Mk3]

That centre console will good when it's done. I like the start button as well.

[Petrol]

Thanks. Decent day today so I put it on the spit to spray the box sections with this wax

 

 

 

Upside down first

 

 

Then same again the right way up. This ensures complete coverage

 

 

Unlike waxoyl which I don't rate at all, Dynax penetrates right into the seams. 5 hours later and it's still searching.....

 

 

 

Pete

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ben_O]

Bet that was a brown trouser moment putting the car upside down on the spit!

 

cracking as always Pete

 

Ben

[Steve220]

Totally agree about waxoyl. I hate the stuff personally.

[Petrol]

Spit was no problemo really Ben, done it enough times. I'm fully aware however, there will be plenty of brown trouser moments on the build

 

I keep buying stuff in advance like this Kad timing cover

 

 

Trouble is, I have stuff all over the place and when I need something, I can't find it

 

Dynamat light under the roof skin - I'm trying to save weight. Also fitted the roof aerial and part of the loom.

 

 

Fitting the head lining was never going to be easy. Heat helps so I used a hair drier. Hung it over the spit bar

 

 

You can't really stretch vinyl but it makes it much more pliable and easier to fit

 

 

Started stripping the chassis black paint of the rear subby

 

 

Fitted the front to rear brake pipe

 

 

Used stainless P clips, bolts, washers and nylock nuts for this. Also used a nylon spacer behind the P clip to prevent water ingress.

 

 

 

The spacer also makes the P clips sit flush to the floor pan.

 

Pete

 

 

 

 

[Mini Waco]

Wow..  looks like it is really coming together beautifully.  Are you putting in the headliner for final at this point?  I"m guessing that is a new liner since you removed the sun roof for a solid top panel.  I'm getting excited for you!

[Steve220]

Excellent work Pete. I love to see the updates of this project. Quick question - does the cable for the roof ariel run down the drivers side A pillar?

[domdee]

Thy subframe looks clean! How did you get all the paint off?
How are you going to paint it?

[Mini-Mad-Craig]

Just re-read this project from the start and can't believe how far it's come. Has to be one of the most thorough restorations I've seen in recent years, definitely one of the best! And some great references for people going through the same processes. I love that you always have time to take photos with measurements and references to help people out.

 

Well done, a stunning build.

[Petrol]

Wow..  looks like it is really coming together beautifully.  Are you putting in the headliner for final at this point?  I"m guessing that is a new liner since you removed the sun roof for a solid top panel.  I'm getting excited for you!

 

Yes it's in for good. I bought a genuine 2nd hand one as after market ones can be difficult to fit without creases. I have still a bit of finishing off to do but I'm happy with it so far.

 

Excellent work Pete. I love to see the updates of this project. Quick question - does the cable for the roof ariel run down the drivers side A pillar?

 

Yes it does and it's a good idea to use some good quality tape to fasten it to the roof. This ensures it doesn't foul the headlining. It's also important to have a good earth at the back of it to reduce ignition noise. The cable comes out here

 

 

The large round hole is for the door check strap and it's not a good idea to route it through there.

 

Thy subframe looks clean! How did you get all the paint off?
How are you going to paint it?

 

I used thinners on kitchen paper towels to remove the bulk of the paint (took ages) Then used a plastic brush in a leccy drill to do the rest. It needs a quick shot blast and a few burrs removing before it's primed with Electrox. Then it will be seam sealed and sprayed with 2K paint. I'm not a fan of powder coating as it has some major downsides.

 

Just re-read this project from the start and can't believe how far it's come. Has to be one of the most thorough restorations I've seen in recent years, definitely one of the best! And some great references for people going through the same processes. I love that you always have time to take photos with measurements and references to help people out.

 

Well done, a stunning build.

 

Thanks for the kind words. Every car build has it's challenges and sometimes a pic makes all the difference. Believe me, I have searched high and low for the simplest of things so hopefully, some of the pics I've posted will help.

 

it's also fair to say that I've had a huge amount of help from this forum and in particular, a local guy who pops on this forum from time to time.

 

Phil, you are a legend

 

 

Pete

[Mini-Mad-Craig]

If there is a project of the year award I think it should be this. Let's see what voting we can get underway.

[myredmini]

Looking awesome!

Quick question though. May I ask what you're concerns are with powdercoating?

[Petrol]

It may be a bit OTT this project Mini-Mad-Craig, but I’m just trying to pass on what I know about fabrication and rust prevention

 

 

 

Sure myredmini , rust always starts on edges as it can be difficult to apply sufficient thickness for best protection. When spraying paint, you can give any edges a few extra coats. For maximum protection it can be brushed on prior to spraying though the end result can look a bit messy. You don’t have this luxury with powder coating as several coats can’t be applied. Furthermore, as the heat is applied to “melt” the coating, it tends to reduce the thickness on sharp edges.

Whilst the edges have little coating, most of the component will have a thick coat. This is not ideal where suspension parts are bolted on and can lead to flexture between the subframe and the suspension component – not ideal. Another problem is if the powder coating chips, water gets behind and rust starts. The first you will know is a rust stain and more often than not, the coating can be pulled off as a sheet revealing no end of problems. Water trapped behind a coating will never dry out so it’s worse than a chip on conventional paint.

Another thing to consider is the state of the part prior to coating. When I stripped the paint off the new rear subframe, it was rusty. When I bought it, I was offered a powder coated one but refused. I can only assume the powder coating would have been applied straight over the rust.

Just one other thing….. With powder coating there’s no protection inside of the seams and on a subframe, there’s lots of them. You can’t spray zinc paint inside prior to powder coating either, as the heat will burn it off. So IMO on powder coating – Upsides nil, downsides lots


HTH
Pete