This is a read-only archive of the old Madabout Kitcars forum. New posts and replies are no longer possible, but every thread is still here to browse and read.
I would like to thank all the people who went to so much trouble to take the piss!
Taking the piss is a most important part of the forum, and we would be worse off without it!
So thank you all, even you WCA....
Right, I flatted down the boot lid yet again and re-sprayed it today.
I am pleased with the result, and I don't think I can improve on it much with more paint, but after letting it harden, I will mop it to as good a finish as I can.
Well that will be most of the painting done, I only have the bonnet, the doors, and the complete car body left to do, that should be a doddle judging by how easy the boot lid was. :-)
Paul, thanks for those links, there are some really nice cars on that site, I enjoyed seeing them.
Reference DVLC, that's what I was trying to tell you way back about the system, the more questions you ask, the bigger hole you dig for yourself in the end!
Well, its had about 5 or 6 coats now. I had not really intended to put that many on, but with each coat, I noticed more blemishes and marks, which had to be flatted out, also with each coat, the finish got better.
It is not perfect, and there are one or two marks still there, but they are very hard to see, and I will live with that.
Would I take the car to Goodwood with that boot lid?
Yes I would.
I now have to get the rest of the car to the same standard!!
No Mr T, I don't think it is yet. I just wanted to see what the colour actually looked like on a panel, and also see what kind of a job it was going to be doing the whole car.
It took a long time and a lot of effort just to do the one small boot lid to a reasonably good standard.
I can now see the formidable task ahead of me to get the rest of the car up to that standard.
Logically, if I can do one small panel okay, then with enough time and effort, I can do the lot.
I will get there, but it is a question of time and effort.
Oh Danny, on the subject of extra power, I always fit a de-cat pipe on to my cars.
Its generally accepted by all accounts that a de-cat gives the car between 6 and 8 BHP more power.
The figures came from a chap who used to fit de-cat pipes, and he would put the cars on a rolling road to check the gains.
6 BHP was the smallest gain he ever got, and 8 BHP was the largest.
Its easy to make a pipe, take off the cat, measure the length needed, and a pipe can be clamped in place.
If making one is too much trouble, they can be bought ready-made, and just bolt in place of the cat.
I have so many bits of kit ready to bolt on to the car in so many places, that I am worried I will "lose" them, so, with the boot lid ready to bolt on to the finished car, whenever that may be, I put the hinges and luggage rack on it ready for the big day.
The paint finish is excellent, and it was done deliberately with rattle cans, so all you people out there who want to do the same, it really is possible to get a good finish using theses things.
It can be expensive, time consuming and needs patience to get the paint on right, but it is do-able, and anyone who tells you otherwise is being a bit of an areosol.
Wow that looks great! That has definitely set the finish standard for the rest of the car now. All the prep work will keep you warm, now that the temperature has dropped! Lol.
Having studied the forum with reference to which mirrors to put on the car, and looked at all the comments about not seeing anything in them, I finally decided to use classic 50's / 60's mirrors, as used on the MGB's.
It pleased me to find that they came in stainless steel, so I ordered some and they arrived.
I happen to like flat glass in mirrors as opposed to convex, and these mirrors came that way.
I spent most of the day with the car outside in the sun, trying to work out the best place to put them. I decided against putting them on the doors, as that would not be as stable a position as the body.
I eventually drilled the holes and bolted them in place, ensuring that I could actually open the (Lambo-like) doors, without tearing the mirrors off.
Having done that, I drilled out the original Spitfire inside mirror,and tapped a 5mm thread in it, so now it attaches to the centre bolt which holds the top trim to the windscreen.
It looks okay, and I get good rear view in it.
A whole day, but another step in the right direction methinks.
Reversing back into the build tent was altogether a new experience!
[IMG][/IMG]
[/IMG] 
[/IMG]
[/IMG] 
