MadaboutKitcars

Looks lovely mate, great for your first time mate well done indeed

Slight setback today I'm afraid. While cutting back the paint with G3 I've found a couple of patches where I didn't get enough paint on the car and the primer is showing through

The inside curves on the bonnet were both really difficult to get the gun near due to the paint cup sticking out underneath, and there's a patch on the back that I guess I just missed -





These areas are going to need a few more coats of paint in a day or so. Luckily I bought a five litre flagon of the Jawel pure silver, and I'd also decided I need to repaint the gearbox cover to match the car so will be mixing some more up anyway.

So, I've put the car back on its wheels today so I can move it outside and get a better look at the rest of the finish before deciding if the whole thing needs more paint, or if I can just redo the bits that aren't up to scratch (pun intended).



If nothing else I'm very happy with the stance.

T, is it just more topcoats now? Or anymore filling...have you sprayed the dashboard?

Dash is done and looks great.

Although I have found a few flaws in the finish here and there I'm not going to worry about those, just deal with the patches where the paint clearly isn't thick enough. Ultimately I can always sand the whole thing down and start again if it doesn't go well.

This is all sounding scarily familiar! Keep at it matey, you'll get there and it'll be more than worth it in the end. Trust me!

It is looking really good. And that's a very nice silver.

Mr T - The stance is great and the rear lights really work now their mountings blend in with the body.

And I'd just like to remind you of these wise words...



Good luck, Paul.

Managed to get a bit done today. Thought I'd get on with fitting the instruments before the steering column goes back in. Allowed an hour but it took far longer than that - I had to rewire most of the lamps and warning lights and access to the back of the gauges was a complete nightmare, very restricted with lots of sharp edges to scrape my knuckles on. Still, it's starting to look like an almost finished car now





I did manage to short the electrics out while testing one of the lamps, I guess I've blown a main fuse as the whole thing is completely dead

Oh well, at least it'll give me something to do tomorrow.

Great Dashboard !

Agreed on the dash, it looks the dogs danglies mate. Really looking forward to seeing it all fitted up and looking like the finished article, almost feels like the end of an era looming on the horizon.

Looking absolutely bloody amazing T! Loving the dash! Can't wait to see more!

Thanks for the kind comments guys. I'm very pleased with the way the Porsche 550 dash blended in to the Spyder body. It took a lot of work but I think it was well worth the extra effort. I know some people like a dash with loads of auxiliary gauges, but I've always preferred simple, functional instrument arrays myself.

If anyone's wondering about the holes either side of the speedo, they're for lights to monitor the methanol/water injection system: a green one to tell me when the pump's running; and a red one linked to a float switch in the water tank that'll start to flash when I've got about a litre left.

Hoping to get a bit more done today, I know Sammio build deadlines tend to be like mirages - they fade away as you approach them - but an on the road date before the end of this month is actually looking realistic. If I can sort the electrics...

Get that MOT station on standby!

Dash looks great. Very period. Keep going.

top job i think going to look very nice indeed not long now ...

Looks excellent, should be too much longer. Hopefully you get some more sun.

I read today that the UK is stuck in a weather cycle that's going to give us another ten years of wet summers in a row.

Nothing to do with global moaning, I mean warming, just one of those weather patterns that crops up every millennium or so.

Oh well, better buy some waterproofs, I suppose.

Having decided to fit the instruments before the steering column because I thought it'd be easier with the column out of the way I thought I'd pop the steering column back in today.

Five minute job, surely. Without all the wiring from the instrument cluster acting like a fishing net and getting in the bloody way.

It took hours of hanging upside down dropping washers on my eyeballs and manipulating too big spanners 1/16th of a mm at a time with my pinkies before I managed to get everything done up tight.

Still, one step closer now

Looking very nice T, finished before the end of the month? :-)

That's the target date as that's when the SORN runs out and I'd rather tax it than SORN it again.

If I achieve that it'll only be eighteen months behind schedule...

Nice spray job Mr T! All looking very good.

Thanks Seanick. The paint isn't bad for a first go. There are one or two places where the paint's perhaps a bit thin, and some of the harder to get to areas appear to have a bit of patina, as if the paint's been on the car for fifty odd years, possibly because I haven't put quite as much effort in with the G3 and waffle pad where it's an effort to reach. Having said that, the most visible surfaces have taken on a pretty good shine with only hand polishing.

I think I've shown that the diy car builder is able to get an acceptable finish with no previous experience, a cheap compressor and gun and a lot of research on t'internet, but I can also now appreciate why a pro spray job costs what it does.

Aiming to get it out into the sunshine(!) today to get a proper look at it in good light. Will decide then if it needs a bit more paint anywhere.

T, it's coming on really well. Get out and drive in the summer and tinker in the winter. Nice to see you up so early. Look forward to seeing pics later on.

excellent stuff Mr T, the car will draw admiring looks and I bet no one ever mentions the paintwork anyway!

build, drive, enjoy!

not long now....

Is that a void I spot on the leading edge of the cockpit?

Only joking, looks great

Well done mate, you done good ,fair play at least yours will be on the road soon.