thanks guys. Its currently opening with sky hooks, but may be gas struts? No nono, just get it together and paint the damn thing!
there must be an easier way of getting from A to B?
Yup, just like a long weight......its attatched to a piece of string!
JG, Chargerstang and Bigrich thankyou! By endurance we conquer !
I took a run down to Dorset today to Tribute workshop to collect my replacement bonnet. Chris and Dan were very welcoming and also sorted me out with some other bits and pieces. Many thanks for making it so quickly, and sorry for taking up so much of your afternoon....
The workshop and yard were packed with cars in all stages of build, from the moulds, to ones being laminated, new projects underway, finished bodies and the finished MX250C.
Like most cars this one looks so much better in the flesh than in pictures.
Heres a few pics from today...
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A Jaguar D-type shell awaiting collection.
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An A352 in black gell coat awaiting its GRP:
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Main workshop and Artisans!!
Tributes workshop is sited on a garage and I happened to meet with the owner who has been running the garage for 60 years! He is in his early eighties but still enjoys cycling to and from work, and servicing cars. He draws the line at Dual mass flywheels but has just serviced a nice Austin A35.
Here is the MOT bay:
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The link did not work for me but its ebay number 390537472159
MMmmmmm, thats interesting, and plenty of pics to look at. I dont like his choice of bonnet shut line.........
Thanks,
N
Bit of a long afternoon/evening. I wanted to get my new bonnet in whilst I have room so removed all the flanges from the body and feathered the edges. Chris had not made the lip on the new bonnet so that just needed feathering. Set it up upside down and ran a couple of battens over the join and fitted some self tapper to hold it in p;lace. Turned it over then fitted ply strips over the join with closely spaced self tappers to pull the bonnet and wings nicely in line. The ply is parcel taped on the inside so it does not stick (ok I forgot to do one bit!)
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Anyway all ready to turn ang glass in place, but I started to look again at where I had blocked off the vents. There was a 'hard spot' at the top of the vents where the slope changed. This is not noticable with the vents in place but to lose it properly would mean a lot of filler. So I thought sod it, its got to go...on the grounds of weight! marked it out and cut out an oval....Gulp.
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Feathered the edges and fastened a layer of smooth foam plastic stuff over the top. starting at the bottom and working my way equally around the sides as its a compound curve. A bit of a bubble at the top, but a small slit layed the panel flat enough.
Turned the bonnet over, put on two coats of flow coat (ran out of gel) and glassed in a few layers, plus a foam core to stiffen things up bit. Well you never know, some model may want to drape herself over the bonnet...........
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Glassed in the bonnet, but only one layer as I ran out of CSM. By this time it was very late but then had another idea!!!
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Put a couple of layers of matt on the wing edges, then put the old steel wings on, located by the tech-screw holes from before. folded the glass around the wing edge, and if the wing pops off tomorrow I should have nice wing returns. If they line up with the door I'll eat my hat!!
Pics to follow from phone....
'Live' workshop report
After a wet aftenoon at Goodwood, watching Escorts going sideways, and flipping quick to, its time for the steel frame to get glassed in..
I have added some thin still pads at the only hard spot to prevent crazing later.
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The frame is now glassed in with two layers. Just got glass under the return for the new shut line. Tomorrow it gets fitted for good. Well, if you know what I mean!
Chris, I need the number of your physiciastist, or maybe I just l need to learn to spell shrink ?
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Mixed results this eve. Bonnet fitted, and gaps on the doors are ok. Time came to cut the bonnet lip back to give clearance for the wipers. My lovely chrome wipers are of course taller than the Mazda ones, which would mean chopping back further than the original bonnet, which would look pants!
Therefore my compromise for now is to fit the original wipers and I will get the steel bits chromed.
Anyway, heres a pic.
I have sprayed the black bit white, and am forming a small lip hence the mess!
The point at which the front of the bonnet is not fair by anymeans. I am thinking how I can fix that without too much filler.
FOR SALE two chrome (well polished stainless) wiper arms and adaptors. Adaptors have been drilled, tapped and tapered to fit Mazda spindles. All new. £25 plus P&P.
Inhale polyester 4 times per day, and you will be fine!
They are 15" long. The adaptors are the one Chris recommends but I have improved them. They will need extending as per standard build.
Right, had enough, going home now. Spent the last couple of eves working on the front. It now closes onto the catch, which release from inside. Door gaps are okay and nearly there. Started to fit the lower wing sections too, drilling out the broken wing bolts. In between that I have been filling and fairing the bonnet. Thankfully I have now run out of filler. The whole front works well as Chris intends it, but as I have removed the bonnet and vents its been bit of a challenge to get the whole lot to run together as I would like. As well as closing ones eyes and running ones hand over offending areas (!) I also use a batten as this gives you a bigger.....picture!
Off to supper now. Photos when I get home.
Thanks Paul, I enjoy your detailed posts. Keep going!
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[/IMG]Right, had enough, going home now. Spent the last couple of eves working on the front. It now closes onto the catch, which release from inside. Door gaps are okay and nearly there. Started to fit the lower wing sections too, drilling out the broken wing bolts. In between that I have been filling and fairing the bonnet. Thankfully I have now run out of filler. The whole front works well as Chris intends it, but as I have removed the bonnet and vents its been bit of a challenge to get the whole lot to run together as I would like. As well as closing ones eyes and running ones hand over offending areas (!) I also use a batten as this gives you a bigger.....picture!
Off to supper now. Photos when I get home.
N
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One of those days when I planned to do so much but achieved so little!
The day was plagued by customers, so did one sand, fol and sand on the bonnet. The top is nearly there, but still needs more sculpting around the front vent.
Returned to it in the quiet of the evening and set about fitting the LHS bonnet catch. Then found the release cable pointed forward and touched the tyre as the catches are not handed. To change the cable mount to vertical I slotted the mount to let the wire cone up a bit then drilled and tapped the mount for an M8 bolt. On the bolt I put si cunifer pipe to act as a roller. Added another cable mount by welding on a small plate and then a nut for the cable outer. Slotted it for the wire, stripped the outer back a bit and hey presto, job done.
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Now I have two working bonnet catches. There is a grommet on the lhs for the bonnet catch on a LHD car so that bit was easy.
Very pleasing to see it pop open like a real one!!!
GreatOldOne and RedRatbike thank for your kind words. Your encouragement helps!!
The bottom part of the wing bolts on the original mounting points. The section of aluminium took a ridiculously long time to do, but was a pleasant session of metal bending.
That will keep the dirt from the bonnet catch, now need to gutter the water away from the wiper 'bin'. That needs to miss the catches too.
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The mounting flanges are cut from a panel of glassfibre 'I made earlier.
They are attached with a fillet of filler, and I will glass them in tomorrow, forming a return on the top at the same time, and addons a few mm to the edges to improve the door gaps.
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Thanks WCA, I'm sure tribute will find a simpler way of doing this! !
Hope the foot is getting a little better every day.
Chris- my primer is like milk.....long life!! I feel a spray day coming along very soon.
Thats if I dont change my front vents a bit. Im thinking smaller, and oval?
I have spoken to the same paintshop that Greyone used today. They said £450 to gloss or £850 ish to do the whole job. I will give the primer a go at least. Its the spray mist dropping onto horizontal surfaces that makes paying for a pro paint booth worth it imho. Maybe I will rig up an extractor........
Yawn....just driven to Wales.
Boats are easy, big flat panels to spray, with vertical sides or overhangs. There fore you get no paint mist settling down from above onto areas you have. just sprayed. All that settling paint needs to be compounded ands polished off which can take ages. With a boat you just paint it and thats it. A paint booth supplies warm air and extracts all the air Bourne spray as you go.
back to the road!
Week 19
Run out of filler.......
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Redrat..glad to be of service!
Hammy..SelectAutos Southampton or is it Woolston?
Peeps....the sun is coming....about time!
Martini.....a paint booth in my attic? Did that bit get lost in translation? How would I get he car up the stairs?
Frogman, it may look okay in the pictures........
Stripped the stone chip of the N/S door. Hot air gun and a tungsten scraper, then a whizz over with the random with 80.[IMG]
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After a bit of fairing applied a few coats of 2 pack hi-build primer to the bits that will be hard to get to.
This grey primer looks great when its dry, but when wet I can still see more fairing is req'd..
Stinks too!
Nearly gift wrapped and ready for primer.
Its gonna be a long night.......
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