MadaboutKitcars

Paul,

I meant to ask, on your Harrow job vid what or how did you get the camera mounted to get the low down shot ?

The camera must have been perched low down ?

Jeff H - I did try to find a way to mount the GoPro that would recreate the original camera angle.

Unfortunately, I just couldn't find any way of securing the camera in place that would actually work at all.

Thankfully, I did feel slightly better when I found these photos of how the professionals did it!



So my cheap and cheerful alternative was to use an extendable 'selfie stick'.

I taped the stick to the back of the car for the exhaust shot and to the side of the car for the wheel view.

I was able to adjust the length of the stick until it was roughly at the right height off the ground.

Although it took a few attempts before I managed to get the camera pointing in the right direction.

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Saturday Spin:
Needed to collect my new rear stop/tail light from the Post Office, which seemed like a good excuse for a run out.



Then I took a bit of a detour on the way back and have now clocked up a total of 903 miles.

I left the car parked on the street when I got home, so I could let the engine cool down.

Later on I was able to check, and top up, the engine oil, which is still weeping out.



The big kid in me still loves the fact that this bonnet opens on hinges I made myself.

The really good news is that there was definitely some warmth in the sunshine today.

So until next time, take care, Paul.

Same here Paul Just finished my bonnet hinges and I really am chuffed with the result.

Glad the car is getting regular use Paul ...they are a blast to drive , whatever the weather ...

Have you given any thought to when you are going to paint her yet ?

Paul,

I am sure you are well aware, but if/when you get round to splashing the paint on just be sure to get rid of all the old primer, it is porus and will lead to micro blister in the future.

Just a heads up.

Jeff.

Which could be a bonus if you are going for ''racetrack refugee found in a barn '' look !!

Or BIG roundels, they hide tons of blemishes..

Or go for metallic silver - even if the finish isn't great an awful lot of people think it's just weather-worn aluminium. And roundels. Roundels are good.

I post replies and a proper update tomorrow.

But I've only just heard that John Surtees had died.

Deggy - The photos of your bonnet hinges looked good.

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Lancelot, Jeff & Mr T - Thanks for all the feedback/suggestions and I will have some Barry Sheene #7 roundels.

Based on today's weather I think the time to start prepping for paint is not too far off.

As I had set myself the target of at least 1,000 shakedown miles and I am less than 80 away from that now.

I am just debating whether to get the car back to JY CLassics to get the oil leak sorted out before or after paint.

The other thing I am a still battling with is the standard of "smoothness" I will be aiming for.

Don't get me wrong, I have no intention of doing a botched paint job, but I do not want/need a glass like finish.

I think as long as I sort out the main 'lumpy' bits, I'd be happy with an overall "lived in" look.

I've also applied for the one of the Goodwood Breakfast Club meetings in June, so that is a good target.

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Springtime in London for Swordfishes…



After another really hectic week at work, it was great to be out with the sun shining today.

It was certainly warm enough to encourage the 'fair weather' convertible drivers to get their roofs down.
( I passed 4 today. )

In fact, by the time I had nipped into Sainsburys on the way home it was warm enough to ditch my outer layers…



And drive the last mile or so in a t-shirt.

I also had my first offer of a straight car swap (although just for the day) while stopping for petrol.

When a young man offered me his immaculate Audi TT RS coupe in exchange for my car, as it was "Dope".

Until next time, take care, Paul.

Paul ..................... Deleted before I get banned

So... how much was the TT worth ? Tempted to swap - sell - start again.?

Dave

Dave - The Audi was worth at least three or four times the value of my car.

Plus it is more reliable, faster, has a roof and no doubt a working heater, etc.

Thing is, I doubt if his really nice car gets anything like the reaction my humble effort does.

As for starting again, unless I move to a house with a garage, any future car building projects are banned.

Cheers, Paul.

Wasn't the 'swap' just for a day anyway? If you did take the TT and sell it on for a profit under that deal you would be moving house. To The Big House...

Paul, had you thought about painting the car in yacht paint?
We had a yacht in Essex a few years back and every few years we would paint the hull in navy blue with international paints paint. Put it on with a fine foam roller and a fine foam brush for the nooks and crannies. You do get excellent results for very little effort. The paint is designed to flow out and not run, as you can imagine, painting a hull is all vertical so you need a paint that won't sag. If you scratch it, just give it a rub with a scotch pad and go other that area with the roller again, you won't see the blend. I recon £45 on paint. You would need a colour that would give that patina effect, BRG or dark blue would work well.
I would suggest putting a garden gazebo up with side curtains so you can give the inside a good spray with fly killer before you start, stops the little buggers landing on the wet paint. I have been using a bit of thinners in the gun to give the gazebo a good dousing 5 minutes before spraying and it has worked well. I did spray one sill out of the gazebo as I was out of room and rushing. Every flying thing for miles was attracted to in in minutes.
Only downside is if you decide to paint it properly later you would have to sand it off.

Mr T - Don't let the facts get in the way of a good story.

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JaguarTVR - Welcome to my build thread.

The BRG paint I have is apparently 'Truck Coat' and it sounds similar to that yacht paint.

It is designed to be applied by brush and should leave a thick coat of paint that can then be sanded back for a smoother finish.

Thanks for the fly spray tip, as I will try to rig up some sort of gazebo paint booth.

Cheers, Paul.

Try painting some of the Truck coat with a small dense sponge roller and sponge brush on some scrap first. If I remember correctly Truck Coat is an enamel type paint so should have similar properties to yacht paint.

I built a large extension a few years back and all the paintwork was Dulux liquid gloss, I put it all on with the sponge tools and had no runs at all, normally I end up with runs and drips everywhere, it's a good paint but horrible to put on.

JagTVR - I like the idea of using some practise pieces for test painting.

I've sure I will be able to find something suitable in my fibreglass graveyard.

It would be interesting to see how different brushes/rollers/sponges turn out.

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Windy Miller



Work is going through a bit of a hectic phase at the moment, so I really wanted a chance to get out in the car today.

I wasn't too bothered about the strength of the wind, but the every changing cloud formations did worry me.

Eventually, I decided to take a chance, but no sooner had I started moving my wife's car off the drive it started to rain.

So even though it was only spitting, I kept the car covers on.

Unfortunately, a bit of light drizzle was not going to get me out of some gardening chores.

So I was outside raking the lawn instead.



Which quickly filled 5 bags!



Then I had to rescue the lawn mower from the messy shed.



Before the grass finally got its first cut of 2017.



The good news is that if I am back working in the garden then the nice weather can't be too far away.

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At the first sign of the sun trying to break through the clouds I headed out for a drive.

Only about 15 miles, but it is still a great way to shake off the work stresses.

Pulled into the local industrial estate on the way home to grab a few photos.







Until next time, take care, Paul.

PS
Only saw one 'hard core' driver with their roof down today...

Two blokes in a battered old MX5 that were clearly enjoying their drive and went crazy when they saw me driving towards them.

Enjoy!
Better weather coming your way (I hope).

Molleur - Thanks, it was certainly nice and sunny today.

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Blustery Saturday
Unfortunately, despite the lovely sunshine, it was still quite chilly when I set off today (just before noon).

But that was nothing compared to the HUGE wind buffeting I got heading up the M1 for 20+ miles.

So I took the scenic route home, which meant a lot of traffic, delays and a quick 'pit stop' at a garden centre.



Thankfully, I remembered to pick up some flowers for Mothers' Day on the way home.



Racked up just under 60 miles, which was enough to edge me over the magical one thousand miles mark.
( 1,003 to be precise. )

So at some point I will need to switch over from driving the car to sorting out a few niggles and starting the preparations for paint.

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Top Gear
Good to see "On days like these" being used on last week's episode featuring the Fiat 124.



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Westminster
We have this painting in our dining room…



And I remember the huge crowds around this area when I took my car 'sight seeing' last year.
( Including across the bridge in both directions and around parliament. )

So watching the tragic scenes from there this week really hit home.

"Let's be careful out there."

Take care, Paul.

That Friday Feeling…
Yesterday was the hottest day of the year, but I was stuck in an office.

Thankfully, I was able to get off work early today and take the car out for a spin.

One tale to tell from the trip...

I was looking for an photo opportunity around Wembley stadium.

Ended up on the two lane one way system around the big industrial estate around the back.

I could hear a car tooting their horn, which in itself isn't unusual when I'm driving driving around.

However, on this occasion, the tooting continued in earnest and I became concerned something might be wrong.

So I slowed and looked over my left shoulder to find a little old lady in a Mk1 Micra smiling and waving at me.

Unfortunately, we was so excited by my car, she them proceeded to swerved into my lane!

I ended up smoking the tyres doing an emergency stop to avoid crashing into the side of her.

So I ended up heading to a local park for a photo instead, in the hope it might be safer there.



I parked the car in the street when I got back, so I could check (& top up) the oil when the engine had cooled down.



Give the rate the oil appears to be leaking, I will need to get this fixed before ending to Norfolk.

Just realised that today marks 7 months since the car has been on the road.

So until next time, take care, Paul.

Sunny Sunday
I had to drop something off at one of my mate's today, so it was a good excuse for a spin in the Swordfish.

Then from his house I took a detour on the way home ending up at Marble Arch and along Park Lane.

A sea of double red lines meant there was no where to pull over for a tourist photo.
( Although lots of tourists have now got a photo of my car driving around the sights. )

So I figured I would make another attempt at getting a Wembley photo.
( Hoping to avoid Kamikaze grannies in Micras this time. )

Unfortunately, they were putting traffic cones out for an event as I arrived.

I then turned down one side road to find two Police wagons blocking the road.
( I got a nice smile from one officer as I three pointed turned my way back the other way. )

So in the end, this was the best I could do and after all the hassle, the sun was in the way at the top of the arch.



Note: The amount of positive reactions this car generates driving around town is really off the scale.

I am currently looking into the option of hiring a lock up garage for a short while so I can have somewhere decent to paint the car.

As, unfortunately, I just don't think I am going to be able to get the gazebo to work on my sloping driveway.

So lets see what I can find in the next few weeks.

Cheers, Paul.

A Cunning Plan...
Due to a change in work plans, I ended up with a short bonus session in the car this afternoon.

Initially, I had a jumper on, but when I got stuck in traffic that had to go, although it was a bit chilly when traffic was moving again.

Still, as our American cousins are fond of saying…

"We reserve the right to bare arms."





Just grabbed a couple of other photos.





As this could be the end of my regular driving sessions for a while.

Because I now need to bite the bullet and start drawing up (and ticking off) my "snagging" list.

These jobs will include:
- Replacing the dodgy rear stop/tail light on the passenger side.
- Fitting bonnet pins to stop the rear edge lifting at speed and/or in windy conditions.
- Finishing off the bonnet lip on the body shell, which has a few gaps in it.
- Finally repairing the damage I caused when the car fell off the stands.

By chance, I was reading an article in Classic & Sports Car magazine last night.
It was a reader's car, a Triumph 2.5PI, and they mention a great garage in Acton, W3.
So I rang them up this morning and they will take a look at my (oil leaking) engine in a few weeks time.

So the current place is to get some of the odd jobs finished before then and drive to Acton.

Once the engine is taken care off, I will be officially off the road and prepping for paint.

Given the Frankenstein nature of my build, the 1,000 miles shakedown idea was a good one.

As today's sunshine gave a good contrast along the driver's side to highlight the "lumps" all this driving has brought to the surface.





Although if you look closely, you will also spot some damage caused by a stray angle grinder.

So I definitely have quite a bit of filling and sanding ahead of me.

Until next time, take care, Paul.

Happy Easter!
Spent a week in Ireland visiting my wife's family and friends.



Unfortunately, where we were staying was at the end of this little lane with no Wi-Fi.
( Much to the complete horror of my daughters. )



Apparently Rory McIlroy will be getting married here shortly.



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Anyway, I'm back in the UK now and sneaked out for a quick spin earlier today.



I've also been thinking a lot about the standard of paint finish I can achieve.
( And re-reading how builders like Swifty and Mr T painted their cars. )

I will definitely be trying to sort out the main lumpy bits seen in my last post.

However, I know that I will not be able to achieve Jeff H's high professional standards.



The reality is that this build simply took too much out of me and I just can't face the huge effort required for great paint.

So, as with my things in this build, compromise is required and I can live with something that isn't 100% perfect.

This means that I will also simply live with some ugly "gaps".

E.g. The boot cut out is still one of my favourite features of the car.



However, both the boot lid and body shell shifted slightly during the construction process.

This means that there isn't a smooth transition across the gaps in the humps.
( Although the angles of the photos make these look worse than they are. )





Thankfully, these gaps will not stand out as much when the car is British Racing Green.
( But will still be there if you run your hands along the join. )

There was a time when something like this would have bothered me.

But these days I would rather be driving a car that is less than perfect, than spending hours chasing perfection.

The reality is that cars like Swifty's have been built to such a high standard, that they deserve great paint.

Whereas, I am just so happy that my 'warts and all' build is actually on the road, rather than just a collection of bits on my driveway.

So I am currently making a list of all the things I need to buy and am looking forward to finally starting the work.

Until next time, take care, Paul.

Paul,

Love and admire that approach. After all you build the car for your pleasure and that comes through with your posts.

Whatever the outcome you should be proud. I'm sure I would be.

Dave