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I'M GLAD YOU MANAGED TO PERSUADE HIM TO REVERSE THAT CILL DECISION ...It was a nice idea but the practicality of it was always going to be an arse ache ... Coming on nicely now though Jeff ...
Well I have not stopped working on this for the customer, spent a LOT of time getting the door, bonnet, boot lid gaps correct, the side window frames are permanently fitted now and wont be coming off.
Some pics for those interested, gaps as was .
I wont post loads up but you get the idea, they really weren't great and the customer is looking for nice even gaps all round.
So this was the result of a lot of time spent.
So we were happy enough, next stage was to get it in to the booth, mask it up and wack on the Polyester Primer
So once the Polyester is knocked down we will go on with the ordinary 2k primer, this will be a week or two away as I have a fair bit on at moment with other work.
Customer has not made a final decision on colour, but it will be Blue and very dark.
Looking mighty fine, great gaps, they do seem to be one of the main make or break details. It looks as if you have built up the trailing edge of the bonnet to get the gap correct, I can't work out how you managed it. With my doors the new skin touched the edge of the bonnet all the way so that the door could not be opened fully. The only way I could work out to do it way to take material away from wing to allow the door to open but you have gone about it in the opposite way.
One point to watch out for is the bonnet hinge. I carefully made sure that my new profile on the door had plenty of clearance which it did. But I noticed I was getting a small chip on the edge. What I hadn't realised is that the hinge moves when the bonnet is closed,The door edge was pressing against it when fully open but the hinge has flex in it so I didn't notice it.
I had noticed on the DNA 2fifty video that they have small plates fitted to the inside of the check strap. I fitted 5mm plates and now the door doesn't hit the hinge.
Are you going to be painting the underside of the bonnet? They do to me look a little unfinished if not painted but I would hate to think how much prep work would be needed. As always I have a cunning bodge planned. I have sent away a sample of the paint I am intending to use and had 2.5 kilos of flow coat made to the nearest colour match they can get. I intend to coat the underneath of the bonnets and boot lid, It won't be anywhere as nice as paint but I think it will look much better than plain GRP. Just working on my bonnet and boot gaps, I'm aiming for 2mm all round.
I done the same as I done on my car, just taped a sheet of Alloy to the leading edge of the bonnet on the outside and ground the inner skin away, then built it up with a couple of layers of Glass.
Of course it is wider than needed so you put the bonnet back on and trim it to shape.
So you reshaped the bonnet to suit and made it thinner on the edge?
With the polyester primer filler, what grade of sandpaper will it hide? I know you are meant to use very fine paper but would suspect a coarser grade would give the timer something to grip onto.
Front top of the door panels where they meet the bonnet look much neater. Something on my "things to tackle" list.
The trailing edge is about 2-3mm thick, it needs to be thin so that the door wont hit as it opens.
I knock the filler down with 80 grit to start, then I finish off with 120 followed by 240, the Reface will cover a multitude of sins, pinholes, scratches etc, I still have some small pinholes to fill this will be done with a fine filler before the final primer.
The other thing is the Reface wont go thru a normal gun, it needs to have a 2.5mm or 3mm setup, it goes on with a very rough finish.
Are you going to be painting the underside of the bonnet?
Believe it or not, all i did with my Quantum (which had already been on the road for 2 years), was to clean the rough underside of the bonnet with acetone and then brush painted matt black celulose paint on. It's lasted 5 years without falling off and looks good.
The trailing edge is about 2-3mm thick, it needs to be thin so that the door wont hit as it opens.
I knock the filler down with 80 grit to start, then I finish off with 120 followed by 240, the Reface will cover a multitude of sins, pinholes, scratches etc, I still have some small pinholes to fill this will be done with a fine filler before the final primer.
The other thing is the Reface wont go thru a normal gun, it needs to have a 2.5mm or 3mm setup, it goes on with a very rough finish.
I was going to use Reface on my Triumph Roadster but I'm not sure now. It says it can't go over aluminium so I've etch primed the car but it looks like you can't use it over etch primer. So I've gone over it with standard grey primer but this is an acrylic paint which might not be good under Reface either !
Thanks, I can see that I'll have a problem with my frames (the top corner is touching, and the other top corner has a 12mm gap - so I'm thinking I'll have to do a lot of re-working. I had planned on getting them nickel plated (rather than chrome), but had to put some rust killer on them today, as the rust was 'taking a hold' I think I may paint them now.
Ref my build, I've just finished extending the front inner wings (using galvanised steel mesh, and fibreglass. Fixed using the 3 original fixing bolts at the front, and some rivnuts (never used these before, so it was a learning experience - the tool has to be unscrewed after use, so not that quick to use). At least the weather's been good - oh I was sidetracked with tarting up the disc brakes, the backing plate and outer edges of the discs are now a nice gloss black.
DX84 draught excluder for the boot seal, £2.95 per meter.
OWS1 waist strip, this is the seal that fits between the glass and the top of the door I hope to user this rather than the alloy strip but I will have to build the door up at the top, Every other supplier only sells it in 1 meter lengths which is too short.
Thank you, I'll have a look at those.
BTW Today, I've been working on the rear wheelarches liners (again galv. mesh with fibreglass. I know it's going over the top, and there are quicker cheaper ways of doing it, but I'm enjoying the process, and like to do a good job! I didn't see the need for any rivnuts, as they held themselves in place anyway, so just bonded them in with crystic bonding paste, then fibreglass around the edges. I'll put on a final layer of tissue tomorrow, and maybe a bit of filler to smooth it all off. Happy days!
Thank you, I'll have a look at those.
BTW Today, I've been working on the rear wheelarches liners (again galv. mesh with fibreglass. I know it's going over the top, and there are quicker cheaper ways of doing it, but I'm enjoying the process, and like to do a good job! I didn't see the need for any rivnuts, as they held themselves in place anyway, so just bonded them in with crystic bonding paste, then fibreglass around the edges. I'll put on a final layer of tissue tomorrow, and maybe a bit of filler to smooth it all off. Happy days!
Mike,
From my sketchy memory was it Nubodi who were building your car ? or have plans changed ? I do remember you ordered your kit in a cream gel coat.
Well, in reverse order...Yes, I ordered it from Chris with a cream gelcoat (Ral 1013), and Nubodi kindly removed the old panels, fitted new ones, and did the glass/locks and lights. Just leaving me with a bit of tinkering to do.
My plan is to have my own 'build' thread, but I haven't found the time yet, and don't want to hijack this one. So for the time being you'll have to use your imagination. I am taking photos as I go... Cheers, Mike
