First job today was to make up a pair of grab handles from the 4 that I had been supplied with - typically 2 of them had good chrome but poor quality handles and the other 2 had poor chrome but good handles - after swapping them over the now good set was cleaned up
Then fitted to the car along with the headlining trims around the rear quarter windows
The handles are sprung loaded hence they return to a pre set park position
Offside also completed
The metal trims will require repainting
Left as they are with rust ingress - the slightest whiff of dampness / condensation would result in the rust staining the headlining
like ink on a blotter
Next on the list was the rear parcel shelf - I doubt if this one would go again
New backing profiled from hardboard
Spray adhesive applied
Scrim attached
Vinyl patterned - note be very careful of just drawing around the backing - the danger is that you can cut it to the marked line of exactly the pattern size - when you need to be allowing for the flange edges - same old saying measure / mark twice & cut once
Again I'm just gluing the flange edges (on 3 sides only - front edge is left loose for now) no adhesive applied between the scrim & the vinyl - best method for the glue is to apply to both surfaces then leave for a few mins before making the bond between the surfaces
Then fitted to the car - note that the front edge is now glued to the rear upstand behind the rear seat
Rear parcel shelf infill panel in the making
Another top tip - when cutting darts to allow for the material to travel on radius / corners - do not cut the dart all the way into the flange / folded edge has the material may tear / or the cut become visible once the material has been stretched
Now fitted to the car
The staple line around the new trim & headlining can now be covered with a hidem banding
Like this
Then the offside
That's all the fiddly trim bits sorted but I sill have several other areas that require retrimming
Like the door cards
Again the backings are nothing more other than compressed cardboard which has warped with the dampness
The trim clips are useless - I wont be using this type
I removed the vinyl covering and trail fitted the original door card to check if it was suitable for the template pattern
Then transferred it the hardboard sheet
Cut & trail fitted
Strap duplicator utilised for marking the clip apertures up
You can purchase professional versions of these at some expense or you can do what I have done and bodge 2 Wickes gate hinges together
- 10 minutes work & £3.50 later
Alternative door card clip that I am using
Drill a hole adjacent to the clip and slide it on to the card - gives a secure clip that is adjustable - 'Very Simples'
Trial fitted to the door
Then ensured that the door closed correctly and that the new door card did not foul anywhere on the interior trim or door aperture
Backing removed from the door and the scrim bonded to it - I should be able to fit the vinyl cover to the door card in the morning
In other things achieved today - I took a little time out to go to the tyre fitters and get the tyres removed from the rims - returned home to drop the tyres off (needed the space in the car to collect something else) - then went to drop the wheel rims off at the shotblasters - then just around the corner from the shotblasters is my welding equipment / welding gas supplier - hence my repaired* MIG welder was collected
* No repair required - the guys put it through their diagnostic testing - serviced it up and could not find a fault - spoke to the engineer at length who asked all the right questions - what is the incoming electrical supply / how is metered etc - answered all of this then he came out with have you had any work done by the electricity supplier - yes was my answer - we had a fault with the incoming supply last year with the incoming supply to the meter arcing due to a loose terminal - Ah says the engineer that has my welder in bits 'Intermittent Power Supply' - when was that - same week that the welder played up and I brought it to you - Its an inverter welder - hates anything intermittent / disruptive on the incoming power feed and will play up like a good un - nothing wrong with it come and collect it - its taken me a little time to get there to collect it - loaded it up into the P38 - what do I owe you chaps - you don't - you bought the welder from us (3 years ago) - you purchase your gas & wire from us (well I do but only £250 worth per annum) - so I stuck them a tenner in the charity tin and brought it home
And its back on perfect form
I need to big these guys up for obvious reasons
More tomorrow - in fact lots more tomorrow
