|
|
|
Jun 17, 2019 21:25:48 GMT
|
unrelated, but kind of related, this popped up on a spotted facebook group, Acoma Comtesse. my favourite things about it are the stabiliser wheels, it also has a gulwing door on the nearside, and is front wheel drive !  That thing looks utterly terrifying! Have to admit that how terrifying to drive the Invacar isn't has been one of the biggest surprises. Only thing which is a little unnerving at least initially is the tendency to wander in sidewinds. Have to wonder if that one is like some of the Bond microcars with the whole engine attached to the front wheel and with the whole lot rotating with the steering. -- -- -- As of this afternoon it feels like we're actually getting pretty close to the offside front corner being built up to a suitable standard to be ready for finishing. The work from yesterday was extensively sanded back (I'll be finding dust for years) to help define the profile before laying down another layer of paste over it.  The swadge line is still a little wobbly, and I've got a plan to tidy that up when doing the next stage of sanding. Likewise the radius needs to be cut back a bit further as it's still a bit too sharp a bend. Once that's done it will probably be a few coats of resin to toughen it up before throwing some paint at it.   It's not perfect by any means, but I think will qualify as "passable" once finished up and painted with a bit of care. I still hope that at some point in the future I might be able to get a mould cast off a car with sound bodywork here to match the profile more precisely. I've also started to build up the lower edge of the offside corner too. It doesn't need anywhere near as much work to get it to a usable state thankfully.  Really wish I'd discovered this glass fibre loaded paste sooner as it's so much easier to use than the old school separate Matt and resin approach. Having done a bit of anecdotal testing shows it to be more than strong enough for this job. Hopefully I'll get time to get it finished tomorrow and start throwing some paint at it. |
| |
Current fleet: 73 AC Model-70. 75 Rover 3500. 84 Trabant 601S. 85 Sinclair C5. 06 Peugeot Partner 1.6HDi.
|
|
|
|
vanpeebles
Part of things
I am eastbound in pursuit of a white Lamborghini, this is not a recording.
Posts: 981
|
|
|
|
unrelated, but kind of related, this popped up on a spotted facebook group, Acoma Comtesse. my favourite things about it are the stabiliser wheels, it also has a gulwing door on the nearside, and is front wheel drive ! Is the lawnmower, a spare power unit?  |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Jun 18, 2019 11:34:47 GMT
|
unrelated, but kind of related, this popped up on a spotted facebook group, Acoma Comtesse. my favourite things about it are the stabiliser wheels, it also has a gulwing door on the nearside, and is front wheel drive ! Is the lawnmower, a spare power unit? no.... upgrade. |
| |
'80 s1 924 turbo..hibernating
'80 golf gli cabriolet...doing impression of a skip
'97 pug 106 commuter...continuing cheapness making me smile!
firm believer in the k.i.s.s and f.i.s.h principles.
|
|
vanpeebles
Part of things
I am eastbound in pursuit of a white Lamborghini, this is not a recording.
Posts: 981
|
|
Jun 18, 2019 11:37:52 GMT
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Jun 18, 2019 16:32:48 GMT
|
the acoma comtesse... makes the invacar look positively spacious and luxurious.  definitely compact.   as added bonus , is easily pushed ...or pulled!!   ....or if you reaaly need more space and an extra wheel... the super!  its a looker!!!! |
| |
'80 s1 924 turbo..hibernating
'80 golf gli cabriolet...doing impression of a skip
'97 pug 106 commuter...continuing cheapness making me smile!
firm believer in the k.i.s.s and f.i.s.h principles.
|
|
|
|
|
Jun 18, 2019 18:24:37 GMT
|
The radius of that corner being quite a ways off was bugging me...so out with the grinder again. At close of play today this is where we were.     Still not perfect, but is close enough now that I think I can call it "good enough" given I started out with this.  I am going to be finding dust for months.  (Yes I was wearing a dust mask). |
| |
Last Edit: Jun 18, 2019 18:37:31 GMT by Zelandeth: Fixed broken image
Current fleet: 73 AC Model-70. 75 Rover 3500. 84 Trabant 601S. 85 Sinclair C5. 06 Peugeot Partner 1.6HDi.
|
|
|
|
|
Jun 20, 2019 22:01:06 GMT
|
I had a feeling this morning that this was going to be one of "those" days, and indeed I was correct. Spent the entire day running around all over Hell chasing my own tail. As such was limited to about twenty minutes in the garage while dinner was in the oven. This was however sufficient to move things along with the Invacar bodywork. The nearside corner was now showing roughly the correct profile following the work a couple of days ago, however the surface was still quite rough as the underlying foam had been revealed in a few areas. The resin there had ensured that it was structurally fine, but the finish was obviously going to need work before we could even start to think about paint. To remedy this I managed to scrape just about enough filler out of the ancient tin I stumbled across the other day and slathered it on, trying to do as much as I could to ensure that it was worked into the surface to leave as few pockets of air as possible (the same was done for the slight void left around the crack just below the indicator).  Then once that had just started to harden I hit it with the sander.   Will want a little bit more sanding before a resin layer is laid down over it, however I had to abandon things at that point as the timer telling me dinner had to come out the oven was beeping at me. Not sure how much time I'll have for cars tomorrow, but if I have some I'll get that given a resin coat so it's solid, then the whole area will want another light skim of filler so it's vaguely smooth before I start throwing high build primer and top coat at it. |
| |
Current fleet: 73 AC Model-70. 75 Rover 3500. 84 Trabant 601S. 85 Sinclair C5. 06 Peugeot Partner 1.6HDi.
|
|
|
|
|
Jun 21, 2019 13:01:27 GMT
|
|
Thats really taking shape!....(pun intended) this is such a fun project.
JP
|
| |
I know its spelled Norman Luxury Yacht, but its pronounced Throat Wobbler Mangrove!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I suspect that tomorrow is going to involve lots and lots and lots and lots of sanding.   Even before sanding the rear valance is looking a lot smoother now... I'd forgotten how roughly I'd just slapped the filler on there originally!  |
| |
Current fleet: 73 AC Model-70. 75 Rover 3500. 84 Trabant 601S. 85 Sinclair C5. 06 Peugeot Partner 1.6HDi.
|
|
|
|
|
Jun 22, 2019 23:55:17 GMT
|
|
Well that's been a less productive afternoon than I'd have liked in terms of Invacar bodywork.
The primer I applied yesterday appears to have reacted with the paintwork underneath it and had dried to a crackled finish - but hadn't actually dried fully. So there's going to be a lot of work to remove that before I can move forward with that. Kind of wish I just had some nice gloopy coach enamel to throw at it right now!
After a couple of hours of fighting with that I lost patience with it and moved onto other things. The moment that my sander decided to expire with an almighty bang I decided to take as an indication it was time to move on to something else. I'll drop by Toolstation tomorrow and pick up a more substantial sander...have a feeling that's something which I'll thank myself for in the long run given the scale of this job.
|
| |
Current fleet: 73 AC Model-70. 75 Rover 3500. 84 Trabant 601S. 85 Sinclair C5. 06 Peugeot Partner 1.6HDi.
|
|
|
|
|
Jun 23, 2019 22:08:47 GMT
|
As predicted had hardly any time at all in the garage today because this had to be sorted out.  Got started around 1000. Eventually fell back in through the door about 1900. Path still needs attacking with the pressure washer, but it's a lot better than it was. I did get a couple of things done though. Firstly was actually digging out a hole for the compressor to live in so I didn't keep falling over it every time I walked into the garage.  Long term it will go in the far end of the garage and I'll have piping installed to get the air to where it's needed. For now though this will do. It's a noisy sucker of a thing so I may well make a "shed" for it outside and just pipe the air in at some point. Following the (violent) expiry of my detail sander yesterday I made a trip out to pick up something a bit more manly which hopefully won't go pop as soon as it gets worked hard.  That seems a bit more like it. Didn't realise when I picked it up that it's got an adjustable speed control, but that's quite a nice feature to have. It'll have a baptism of fire shifting that horrible undercoat that's been put on the Invacar! Obviously will need to either fix my existing detail sander or get a new one to deal with the fiddly bits as this one is obviously not a precision instrument! |
| |
Last Edit: Jun 23, 2019 22:21:09 GMT by Zelandeth: typo
Current fleet: 73 AC Model-70. 75 Rover 3500. 84 Trabant 601S. 85 Sinclair C5. 06 Peugeot Partner 1.6HDi.
|
|
wc
Part of things
Posts: 45
|
|
Jun 23, 2019 22:45:39 GMT
|
|
Variable speed I find particularly useful when using my 125mm angle grinder/heavy wire brushes (sometimes use my sander like your one for light/smaller wire brushes and works great). Slowing the brush rotation down definitely prolongs the brush life and also allows it to "dig" in better than when going at breakneck speed over stuff like underbody sealer. Also does not eject wire bits at supersonic speed which is good for preserving your health...
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Jun 23, 2019 23:09:18 GMT
|
Variable speed I find particularly useful when using my 125mm angle grinder/heavy wire brushes (sometimes use my sander like your one for light/smaller wire brushes and works great). Slowing the brush rotation down definitely prolongs the brush life and also allows it to "dig" in better than when going at breakneck speed over stuff like underbody sealer. Also does not eject wire bits at supersonic speed which is good for preserving your health... Yeah, I can see that being really handy. 600-3000rpm according to the documentation so a decent range of adjustment. |
| |
Current fleet: 73 AC Model-70. 75 Rover 3500. 84 Trabant 601S. 85 Sinclair C5. 06 Peugeot Partner 1.6HDi.
|
|
vanpeebles
Part of things
I am eastbound in pursuit of a white Lamborghini, this is not a recording.
Posts: 981
|
|
Jun 24, 2019 10:08:50 GMT
|
Slow setting with a flap wheel is lovely for taking paint off, without blasting the panels the death |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Not been anything car-wise going on here today (scheduling an appointment from 1330-1530 does a good job of destroying a day's productivity) but ended up finishing up getting the path cleaned up...for all it's a minor task in the grand scheme of things, it makes a big difference in the first impressions when walking up to the house.    Need to get some mortar to touch up a few bits. Aside from a bit of lifting of the slab in one spot it's not looking too bad for a 38 year old brick path though. |
| |
Current fleet: 73 AC Model-70. 75 Rover 3500. 84 Trabant 601S. 85 Sinclair C5. 06 Peugeot Partner 1.6HDi.
|
|
|
|
|
Jun 28, 2019 23:42:16 GMT
|
Got a few things in this morning.  Wow...that respirator is so much more comfortable than my old one (for which filters ceased to be readily available for a couple of years ago and I used the last one a while ago). It must be half the weight for one thing. Mainly though it means I've got a decent variety of sanding discs on hand meaning I could make a meaningful start on mission "Remove all the horrible crinkly primer from the Invacar." That's one mission... here's the biggest problem paint wise though. I have *not* painted this panel yet.  Some other panels have even more layers on. The top coat on there is ridiculously thick, poorly adhered to the undercoat (so it tends to chip off in chunks), and has quite a rubbery texture which appears to be precisely the right consistency to clog sanding discs. I am seriously starting to consider attacking the thing with paint stripper...though I've no idea whether that's likely to be bad news for the fibreglass itself... anyone got any idea? A good 80% of the spot repairs I've got to do are due to pits and chips in the top coat...just getting back to a more or less bare shell would probably save me a bunch of time. After an absolute hell of a couple of hours I got the bulk of the gunk off the offside front wing and was able to throw some more (decent!) primer at it so I could see what I was doing. Couple of bits needing some more filling but we're getting there. This primer is basically just a guide coat here and will mostly be sanded back off, I find it nigh on impossible to see what the surface is doing without a uniform colour laid down.  Remember what a mess this looked like a week or so back? We're getting there. New sander is a great bit of kit. The speed control is an actual speed control too...so even at the lowest speed you've got the full 1200W on tap. Reckon this will be probably more useful when polishing than sanding, but it's a feature I wasn't expecting. Likewise the fact it's got a soft start system. Trigger is nicely weighted and well placed, and the latch is well positioned so it's easy to reach but hard to activate accidentally. Well happy with it so far. Item code 80451 from Toolstation if you're looking for one. While it's producing an order of magnitude less dust than the old one was, it's still going absolutely everywhere.  I really need to have a good think about the Invacar paintwork.  It's just such a mess (even discounting the rubbish I've slathered on) that painting over it is going to get me nowhere. Sanding it *all* off will take forever...and given how fragile fibreglass is I'll probably mangle a bunch and require even more repairs... really wish I still had random bits of bodywork sitting around I could throw some Nitromors at to see what happened... How *would* a body shop strip paint from a fibreglass car? Know media blasting would be the first stop for steel...but I'd assume that's too violent for fibreglass. |
| |
Current fleet: 73 AC Model-70. 75 Rover 3500. 84 Trabant 601S. 85 Sinclair C5. 06 Peugeot Partner 1.6HDi.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I use a product called AS-10 paint remover however it is also known as resin remover which may not be suitable for your cause...nitromors has gone to the dogs and I rate the above as fantastic. Body wise your doing a bang up job at around 80% & I feel a small amount of work would get you a perfect finish. Namely purchasing a "long block" kit off eBay such as this: rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F163583665735 Coupled with some 70*420mm 80 grit sanding strips. I use the "mirka abranet" brand to quickly knock down the filler. A search will also find these in various grits. I am by no means a master/expert panelbeater or body prepper. Just a beginner who learned as he went and from advice given. If I were tackling this job now. My steps would be: 1: apply filler with small amount hardener (yours looks very pink, smaller amount is suffice) 2: knock back (shape) with 80 grit long block. 3: Once Happy with shape. Apply dolphin glaze over filler work to remove deep scratches. 4: sand dolphin glaze with 180 grit sanding disc and prime using a highbuild primer. Sorry for the hijack lol, but I'm thoroughly enjoying this thread and wanted to give something back to possibly help you make it as good as possible and I hope this helps. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.☺️☺️ |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
good choice with the respirator , they are comfy , effective and good value for money. curve ball thought on paint...but have you thought about rollering? you could probably get away with slightly less perfect prep..lay some heavy coats on then once cured flat and polish out. (check out freshnmintys proton paint job). might save you a load of tedious work for only a marginally less refined finish.
|
| |
'80 s1 924 turbo..hibernating
'80 golf gli cabriolet...doing impression of a skip
'97 pug 106 commuter...continuing cheapness making me smile!
firm believer in the k.i.s.s and f.i.s.h principles.
|
|
|
|
|
Jun 29, 2019 11:01:50 GMT
|
I am by no means a master/expert panelbeater or body prepper. Just a beginner who learned as he went and from advice given. Really appreciate that. Useful to have some actual experience based suggestions for products. This is the first work with fibreglass beyond patching up some cracked coach corner mouldings where precision was measured in feet, so it's being a continual voyage of discovery where I'm finding problems and figuring out solutions almost daily. good choice with the respirator , they are comfy , effective and good value for money. curve ball thought on paint...but have you thought about rollering? you could probably get away with slightly less perfect prep..lay some heavy coats on then once cured flat and polish out. (check out freshnmintys proton paint job). might save you a load of tedious work for only a marginally less refined finish. I have thought about it, but probably the biggest problem is that the paint on the car is already ridiculously thick in places and is already prone to splitting off in chunks and sheets. Rollering stuff on over that is doomed to failure I reckon as the pits are pretty deep and it's not going to make the coats already there stick to the car any better. I'm also trying to stick with a readily available paint I can pick up at any parts store in the interests of making future touchups easier. I've already found with the one door I've done that there's no problem getting a perfectly decent finish, just really need to do something about the 1/8" of paint already on there and get the bodywork vaguely smooth. The high build primer I used reacting with the old top coat on the front quarter was a curve ball I could have done without though! |
| |
Last Edit: Jun 29, 2019 11:07:41 GMT by Zelandeth
Current fleet: 73 AC Model-70. 75 Rover 3500. 84 Trabant 601S. 85 Sinclair C5. 06 Peugeot Partner 1.6HDi.
|
|
|
|
|
Jun 29, 2019 11:18:20 GMT
|
|
2 options.
Strip paint off - paint stripper is ok on fibreglass. Use stripper to get the bulk off then sand the rest.
Leave paint on and apply a 'barcoat' a special paint that seals the surface against any new paint going on top.
Problem with option 2 is you are painting over rubbish paint.
|
| |
|
|
