MadaboutKitcars

Hi
I cant find the 250 video, which one is it in?

"Gold Rush" is the title

I took the grille and side vents off this morning ready to take it for paint on the wings tomorrow. Lights will come out when I get there as the whole front end will be repainted to make sure of a colour match.

Dropped the car off this afternoon and Tigga (250 Spyder) helped me take the lights out.

Whilst the front is being repainted Josh, the painter, is gaining to sort the slight sink marks where the bonnet pins once were and a few pin hole marks on one wing. I pop over tomorrow to photograph the under-wing strengthening.

It's a shame you have had the experience of cracking, but I guess having the flip front, it should be a lot easier for access to strengthen and repair than many other GRP bodied cars.

On the up side, the front will look even more perfect once it's done!

Are you still considering race stripes?

It is unfortunate, but it's just one of those things that is not expected until it happens to someones car. If the repair looks effective Chris could always decide to add it into future kits.

Hopefully by highlighting it other builders can add some strengthening in the vulnerable area and avoid having the same issue. We are also looking at way to mount the front on rubber pads when it's closed to stop the small amount of movement/vibration that the standard BMW catch allows.

I'm hoping to avoid putting stripes on as if the crack appears again at some point I can use vinyl stripes to disguise it if it's only very slight.

Cheers, Bob.

Hi Bob, vinyl stripes/decals won't hide cracks in fibreglass I'm afraid as you get bubbles coming through from underneath.

I had that happen where I'd cobbled together several bits of bonnet into a scoop on my Spyder, the flaws were practically invisible to the naked eye but allowed hot air to permeate through from the engine bay and raise little bubbles in the roundel on the bonnet.

As for the cracking issue, the problem could be down to the use of modern paint rather than old-fashioned cellulose. Hopefully I haven't got the wrong end of the stirring stick, but the way I understand it is that modern two pack sets rock hard while cellulose remains flexible.

My Spyder bonnet has to be flexed quite a bit at the sides to open and close it, which I've been doing for the last four years, and I've had no cracking anywhere (apart from the scoop as described above and which isn't down to flexing). Perhaps modern paint is just too 'good' for a fibreglass car? Just a thought.

Hi Mr Towed,

I didn't really explain myself properly regarding the stripes, I'd only use them if the new plan didn't work and I could see the cracks starting again at some future point. Then it would be ok to stripe over the cracks to stop me being obsessed by them. Mostly other folks never see them in the first place.

Anyway, I've been over to the workshop today and am impressed with the panels they are making to strengthen the area.
They will be screwed to the hinge box then the area behind filled with fibreglass paste. the panels will then be refitted with rivets and the whole area fibreglassed over the top so nobody would know that wasn't how the car was designed.
By the time that's all done and rubber pads mounted to stop the front vibrating, if it's still a problem, I'll blame my off road driving style.

Cheers, Bob.

The strengthening panels are now fully fibreglassed in. The cracks on the outside of the wings are redone.
Primer this afternoon then paint this evening.
Polish on Tuesday and I should be able to refit on Wednesday.

You can get a pretty good match to the paint using RAL codes to get some flow coat. It will transform the underneath of the bonnet and disguise the strengthers. I have used 15mm polypipe on mine but you can also use hosepipe, just don't tell the wife!

I'll have a go at flow coat, Thanks, Bob.

Here's a picture of my bonnet with flow coat on, took all of 10 minutes. Another coat will smooth it out even more, I'm not giving it another coat yet as I'm still not sure on the final colour.



There is a great video on youtube showing a mould being taken of an MG Midget front end, shows strengthen ribs being moulded, well worth watching.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXzR17LktSg

I've seen the video before, it just goes to show how important it is to get the buck totally finished to a very high standard . If you don't then every blemish is reproduced in fine detail as can be seen in his finished product.

I like the video because it goes to show that anyone can have a go and come up with a finished GRP item. Just take your time to get it right from the outset !

I was thinking of doing the same thing on my latest project but my suppliers said that you can only put on one coat of flowcoat as the wax in it will prevent any subsequent coats from sticking properly.

They advised that if I wanted to use several thicknesses to use gelcoat for the first coats followed by a final flowcoat.

Good point I hadn't thought of that. I will have to give mine another coat as I'm pretty sure I'm changing the colour. I will probably put some acetone in a spray bottle and give it a good clean of with some paper towels.
Just waiting to get back on the car but it's still too cold and damp. I know, i'm a pansy!

Just picked the car up.

The paintwork is lovely and the colour match is spot on.

This is the underside now it's finished, hopefully the cracking issues are now all in the past.

Fingers crossed for you Bob!

Nice job and good of you to share.
Now let's see the polished side in full glory!

This is all the photos I could take as the car is hemmed in again by a load of auto jumble that came today and is stacked under the carport.
It shows the areas where the cracks were all looking invisible now.





The grille and number plates went back on this afternoon so I though I'd put the new plates on. The yellow/white ones are still on the car as backing plates to the new ones so I can change them easily if requested.






I thought I'd found the ideal solution to the unattractive black plastic trim under the windscreen, A Jaguar XJS polished panel was in the auto jumble purchase. I may try harder another day but it doesn't look like it will quite first. Shame.
Cheers, Bob.

Looking great Bob, you have my fav 250 SWB!

Amazing!
I like the idea of the plates too.
Sorry officer, I forgot to remove the show plates...

How do the "show plates" attach to the reflective ones? Tenax fasteners are possibly a good way?

Simpler than that. They are just bolted to the brackets/body through holes in the same places on both plates.

Just fiddling about under the bonnet today.

I'm going going to do much to change it or bling it up, just some paint and a good clean really.

I used left over paint from the wing repairs to brush paint the front slam panel. Not perfect but much better than it was. Some more will be blue and the rest will be flat black.



I also took the engine covers off to repaint the stripes and have removed the BMW . I've made a plate to fill the space and ordered a new badge to go on it.
Bob.

Looking good!