852 replies to this topic

[ryomini]

Wow

you have put a lot of very good work into this project

I find the pictures just don't show how much time and energy goes into these vehicules

well done on your diy paint booth, mine was pretty similar

hope that you can keep going at this pace

[JonnyAlpha]

Really coming together now mate.
Looking great.
You going to head down to beaulieu anyway?

there is always castle Combe in sept for a new deadline.

I may head on down to Beaulieu, just doing the negotiations now

The missus actually suggested I'd be better off spending time on the Mini ????? 

Wont be around in Sept though?

 

Any shows in July?

 

Wow

you have put a lot of very good work into this project

I find the pictures just don't show how much time and energy goes into these vehicules

well done on your diy paint booth, mine was pretty similar

hope that you can keep going at this pace

 

Thanks - really hard work but starting to pay off now, big celebration when its finished, I think the whole street will be with me, apart from some nagging old mare across from me, latest insult when I was grinding off the paint on the front lip on Sunday at about 14:00 was that I was a noisy BAS&^%$!!

[ryomini]

Jonny

glad to hear that you have a lot of support

still it is worth doing your best to keep everybody on your side

even the grumpy ones - you never know when someone else has had a bad day

[JonnyAlpha]

No updates lately but I have been working. I have spent a great deal of time prepping the body work after the first coat of Epoxy. Had to fix a few areas on the roof and filler her and there, especially where I welded the lower rear quarters on and the boot hinge panel in three pieces. 

I did loads of wet and dry and then found out I had probably gone too fine for Epoxy so had to scuff it all up again.

 

Well CSI tent erected on Sunday and after a good couple few hours of more prep some progress. The pictures don't do the painting justice to be honest as the lighting is either too low or over exposed but here it is (the inside at least).

 

My makeshift spray booth:

 

 

And after masking up a second coat of epoxy and two to three ish coats of celly:

 

 

 

Over exposed:

 

 

 

Another view of the tent  

 

 

Lurking under the tent - the crime scene:

 

The celly went on wet on wet over the Epoxy, I left the Epoxy an hour or so to fully flash off and it was a bit tricky getting inside, left a bit of me sock on the floor which I had to clean off and did a lot of stretching. The end result was really nice and smooth enough for the interior.

 

Well happy.

 

Oh - also managed to get a second coat of epoxy on the roof.

 

One more full day to get the body a second coat of epoxy, let it cure for a day, flat down with P800 then top coats wet on wet - job will be done!!

 

 

 

[blueovalcraig]

Amazing work mate. Well done

[JonnyAlpha]

Amazing work mate. Well done

Cheers 

[JonnyAlpha]

SO LITTLE TIME AND SO MUCH TO DO  :-(

 

Anyway some progress to report:

 

Things have been a bit of a blurr this last couple of months, work is ramping up (I am a very mature trainee teacher in my last month of a two year teaching degree) but I have managed to get a little work done on the Mini. But like it says so much to do and so little time!!!

 

Not sure what I did when but after spraying the inside of the car I started on the outside. I had already managed to get a second coat of Epoxy on the roof and needed to get another coat of Epoxy on body after doing some body filler.

 

Masked up for spraying:

 

 

 

I didn't get any runs with the first layer of Epoxy but for some reason I did with the second 

 

 

 

Elsewhere the finish with the lechler was superb.

 

 

 

 

The following day (once the Lechler had time to partially cure and after a little research) I gently sanded the runs with 500 Grit Wet n Dry until level with the rest of the paint:

 

 

Then late on Sat afternoon I got a window in the weather decided to start to Top Coats (I should have waited to be honest but hey ho you live and learn).

 

I finished at about 9:00PM after 3 - 4 coats which I later re-read was about 3 - 4 coats too little  

 

 

 

 

The following  morning in the cold light of day the paint looked patchy, at first I thought that this was primer showing through but after doing some research on the net I believe it to be blooming caused by moisture due to spraying too late in the evening.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This will polish out but I need another 4 coats of cellulose!!

 

All the passers by that have been following my progress have commented on how nice the colour is 

One fella says he had a Mini back in the 60's / 70's and it was Canterbury Green but I bought GN37 Almond Green (must be similar). He later found and showed me an old picture.

 

There's so much more to do - like start putting the interior together - but I need to finish painting the outside so sadly it will have to wait. 

I did however make a start on the battery cable.

 

First I prepped one end and soldered on a lug then bolted it in place:

 

The cable is then routed under the washer bottle and through the Inner Wing to Bulkhead support bracket:

 

 

It then goes through the bulkhead on the passenger side through a cable gland, the gland is in a hole that was already there - not a brilliant fit.

 

Looks a little close to the wiper motor location so I had better check before making it permanent 

 

 

 

 

[JonnyAlpha]

Finished work and home by 16:00 so cracked a couple of hours spraying the roof this evening as it was such a nice day, albeit a little of the breezy side.

 

 

 

 

That was seven coats so it should polish up nice

 

[blueovalcraig]

Looking good

[JonnyAlpha]

Looking good

Thanks - still loads to do sadly, need to patch up the door bases and the bonnet (Metal fabrication and welding) then spray them and the boot (which is in good nik). Then stone chip the front underside and colour coat it and refit all the furniture.

 

I wanted to get it finished by the end of this month but looks like I wont as I only have a week to work on it (last week of the month). 

[blueovalcraig]

I haven't started mine yet. Keep going out and looking at it with good intentions but usually get distracted by something else

[JonnyAlpha]

I haven't started mine yet. Keep going out and looking at it with good intentions but usually get distracted by something else

Get stuck in 

[JonnyAlpha]

Well I finally had a little time and some decent weather so it was time to apply the last four top coats of cellulose to my Mini.

 

First I had to wet sand it with P800 all over to give the next layer of celly a key. Here is the LH wing after a rub down:

 

 

  Then we had a sudden down pour and I had to do a little mopping up:

 

 

Tent is not fully waterproof!!

 

After the last sprayings session I was not going to attempt to spray unless the weather warmed up, luckily the downpour was short lived and the sun came out for most of the rest of the day so it was all guns ablazing to get ready to spray.

 

Once I had rubbed it down I re-secured the masking that was already there and then masked up the rest. Masking the roof was probably the most difficult. Did not want to get green paint on my OEW roof.

 

My missus took a couple of shots while I was spraying without me knowing:

 

 

 

 

 

Not a very good example of how to spray as the air line was wrapped around my leg an not over my shoulder, also I had no goggles on, but I was wearing a good mask  

 

And finally after five years it's starting to look finished  

 

 

 

 

Had a couple of bits stuck on the paint but hopefully they will clean up and polish out.

 

Did a few other bits along the way:

 

 

Bit more tomorrow hopefully?

 

 

 

 

[alex-95]

Looks great, should be on the road soon then?

[JonnyAlpha]

Looks great, should be on the road soon then?

Sadly not, I have a couple of days this week and then it will be laid up for a couple of months whilst I walk the South West Coastal Path. When I get back it will be Oct / November - not the best time of year to finish a project!!