Anglia Progress
- Thread starter Jonny69
- Start date
- Joined
- 3 May 2004
- Posts
- 17,718
- Location
- Kapitalist Republik of Surrey
Bit of a late start today and not got very far compared to the rest of the week. I've been block sanding but not having much success so it's a good job I started on a discrete easy to fix panel, the bootlid.
Just had a chat with a mate on the phone and we think the problem is my grade of paper is too fine, that's why it's clogging up real fast and not knocking the orange peel back. Mark suggested 120 which I thought would be a bit too coarse since there's going to be topcoat going straight on it. I just double-checked my order and there's a few metres of 180 and 240 so that's a top result. Change of plan then - I'll be working on the flipfront instead. I can do a bit of prep on that, filling etc then blow the inside in with stonechip paint tonight and it'll be ready to handle tomorrow.
Right now, a few moments web surfing and a tea and donut (tip your head back and make that Homer Simpson mmmmm donuts noise)
Just had a chat with a mate on the phone and we think the problem is my grade of paper is too fine, that's why it's clogging up real fast and not knocking the orange peel back. Mark suggested 120 which I thought would be a bit too coarse since there's going to be topcoat going straight on it. I just double-checked my order and there's a few metres of 180 and 240 so that's a top result. Change of plan then - I'll be working on the flipfront instead. I can do a bit of prep on that, filling etc then blow the inside in with stonechip paint tonight and it'll be ready to handle tomorrow.
Right now, a few moments web surfing and a tea and donut (tip your head back and make that Homer Simpson mmmmm donuts noise)
- Joined
- 3 May 2004
- Posts
- 17,718
- Location
- Kapitalist Republik of Surrey
The flipfront is rough. It's old and it's got racing heritage. You can read that as it has been used hard, it's beaten to hell and it sat in someone's front garden for a long time. The great thing is it cost next to nothing and I've already made most of the repairs so everything else is cosmetic.
I need to add some holes at the back to vent into the heater. I thought about patching in a grill as per original but it's a flipfront with no features so it would be more suited to some racing treatment with the hole saw. 5 equally spaced holes should do it as sketched out:
Pilot holes first to ensure they all go in the right place:
Then *BAM* through with the hole saw:
Well not exactly like that because I was using my trusty 9V Bosch battery drill which is STILL going strong, it was a bit slower in real life. I got two perfect holes, two good holes and the one in the middle went a bit stepped but it looks fine:
Then I was a bit stuck what to do with the rest of the day. Because of the colour and the extent of the damage it's very hard to fill and see what needs doing on the flipfront. I decided the best line of attack would be to get a few coats of primer on it, then it's both flat and a colour I can mark up where it needs attention. First coat is a thin one:
Next a real good heavy coat which I was surprised didn't run:
And that's where I left off tonight. I have enough primer left for one more big coat on the flipfront so I might need to get some more depending what I decide to do with it. It's tempting to leave it rough because it's going to deteriorate on the car and I've always planned to make it a feature rather than try and hide the fact that it's flipfronted. So it's ripples in the fibreglass, no shut lines and straps down the sides. I think a few licks of stopper to fill the holes and I'll leave it at that.
I'm happy that everything is yellow. It feels like it's got somewhere now, it's so tempting to sling it all together to see what my car looks like in one piece again but I haven't got time for all that.
I need to add some holes at the back to vent into the heater. I thought about patching in a grill as per original but it's a flipfront with no features so it would be more suited to some racing treatment with the hole saw. 5 equally spaced holes should do it as sketched out:
Pilot holes first to ensure they all go in the right place:
Then *BAM* through with the hole saw:
Well not exactly like that because I was using my trusty 9V Bosch battery drill which is STILL going strong, it was a bit slower in real life. I got two perfect holes, two good holes and the one in the middle went a bit stepped but it looks fine:
Then I was a bit stuck what to do with the rest of the day. Because of the colour and the extent of the damage it's very hard to fill and see what needs doing on the flipfront. I decided the best line of attack would be to get a few coats of primer on it, then it's both flat and a colour I can mark up where it needs attention. First coat is a thin one:
Next a real good heavy coat which I was surprised didn't run:
And that's where I left off tonight. I have enough primer left for one more big coat on the flipfront so I might need to get some more depending what I decide to do with it. It's tempting to leave it rough because it's going to deteriorate on the car and I've always planned to make it a feature rather than try and hide the fact that it's flipfronted. So it's ripples in the fibreglass, no shut lines and straps down the sides. I think a few licks of stopper to fill the holes and I'll leave it at that.
I'm happy that everything is yellow. It feels like it's got somewhere now, it's so tempting to sling it all together to see what my car looks like in one piece again but I haven't got time for all that.
Last edited:
Nice one. It's been an absolute nightmare trying to spray today, gale force winds whipping up the drive and coming in to the garage too. I peg open my garage doors with a breeze block on each door, and the wind is strong enough to push it shut, the breeze block just gets dragged across the floor. Mental!
Soldato
- Joined
- 25 Oct 2002
- Posts
- 2,569
- Location
- Cambridge,York,Bristol
Nice!
- Joined
- 3 May 2004
- Posts
- 17,718
- Location
- Kapitalist Republik of Surrey
It's been quite calm here today. Started to whip up a bit after 9pm but I was finishing up by then luckily. It's not so much the spraying that gets affected, the wind rips all the masking off the car when it's outside
- Joined
- 3 May 2004
- Posts
- 17,718
- Location
- Kapitalist Republik of Surrey
The primer on the flipfront has done exactly what I wanted it to. It shows up all the pin holes, scratches, chips and cracks so I can see where to put the stopper. Stopper is a very fine filler specifically for filling small imperfections at the priming stage. Normally you'd only need a tiny amount but I've applied it quite liberally as there's a lot of holes to fill:
Then you rub it all back off. This is during:
Now it's ready for final priming once I've applied some stonechip along the front edge and at the tips at the back. These are the bits that are going to get smashed about on opening and closing so I can reduce the visual impact by adding some texture. Masked and sprayed:
And masking off:
Shows you can't leave anything anywhere. I had the car pushed outside and while I was working in the garage with the door down some **** punched a hole through the masking to see if there was anything worth stealing inside.
Then you rub it all back off. This is during:
Now it's ready for final priming once I've applied some stonechip along the front edge and at the tips at the back. These are the bits that are going to get smashed about on opening and closing so I can reduce the visual impact by adding some texture. Masked and sprayed:
And masking off:
Shows you can't leave anything anywhere. I had the car pushed outside and while I was working in the garage with the door down some **** punched a hole through the masking to see if there was anything worth stealing inside.
Last edited:
- Joined
- 3 May 2004
- Posts
- 17,718
- Location
- Kapitalist Republik of Surrey
They punched through the masking where the windscreen would be. Luckily I emptied the car so nothing to steal apart from the back seat. Just annoyed that some **** has the audacity to do it. Probably the same **** that nicked the petrol can out my other car because the boot doesn't lock. I'd better get it insured up just in case
I don't even want to speculate, the whole job stretches to hundreds of hours, maybe more.
Associate
- Joined
- 19 Oct 2002
- Posts
- 1,731
- Location
- Cloud Cuckoo Land
me neither
Soldato
- Joined
- 14 Jul 2005
- Posts
- 17,616
- Location
- Bristol
Means the hosting is down, probably OcUKed 
InvG
InvG
Yep, runs definitely
1) because I'm still a spaying noob and 2) because I'm spraying so close with poor light. I'm going to do the roof and back panel in one go, allow it to cure and then mask up so I can do one side at a timepushd right up against the wall. It was just too difficult to get in with the car down the middle.
It's this one:
http://www.screwfix.com/prods/21063/Power-Tools/Air-Tools/mavity-Feed-Spray-Gun
Says it needs a 2 hp/25Ltr compressor but mine is 1/3hp and 10 litre approx and it copes fine. It's just running constantly but the pressure seems to hold ok.
That looks identical to my spray gun except the colour, mine is a Sealey one, cost only £35 and I've been able to get extremely decent finishes from it painting in metallic. I'll be attempting my bumpers on my MG over the next week or so, I've only ever painted things like spoilers with it before so looking forward to the experience!
- Joined
- 3 May 2004
- Posts
- 17,718
- Location
- Kapitalist Republik of Surrey
Yep, sorry folks the images are down. Hosting got spanked
Here's some from last night on another file host. Got 3 good heavy coats on the flipfront and I'm really happy with it. All the pinholes and scratches are buried and I'm really pleased with how it's come out:
Stonechip paint under the primer:
The sanders arrived yesterday with a lot of sanding paper so I can get on with the blocking down this week. The weather is taking a turn for the worse though so I'm not sure if I'll get to spray it next week. I need it to be dry and preferably above 10 degrees C. I've booked the week off work anyway but I can cancel if I need to
Here's some from last night on another file host. Got 3 good heavy coats on the flipfront and I'm really happy with it. All the pinholes and scratches are buried and I'm really pleased with how it's come out:
Stonechip paint under the primer:
The sanders arrived yesterday with a lot of sanding paper so I can get on with the blocking down this week. The weather is taking a turn for the worse though so I'm not sure if I'll get to spray it next week. I need it to be dry and preferably above 10 degrees C. I've booked the week off work anyway but I can cancel if I need to
Last edited:
Associate
- Joined
- 19 Oct 2002
- Posts
- 1,731
- Location
- Cloud Cuckoo Land
That stone chip stuff is a miracle worker! I'll be putting that on mine once i get as far as spraying! Are you just using bog standard masking tape to mask it. I've had problems with it paint underneath that stuff. Or worse still the edge coming off when you peel it back leaving a mess.
- Joined
- 3 May 2004
- Posts
- 17,718
- Location
- Kapitalist Republik of Surrey
It's a good quality masking tape from the paint factors and it's fresh. That stuff they sell in Homebase etc is rubbish - avoid like the plague - and make sure you don't use old tape because the adhesive degrades and it either won't stick or it'll leave residue when you peel it off. If it's lifting the paint when you peel it off then either the surface wasn't prepared well enough or your technique needs fettling. Are you pulling it away from the paint? peel it straight up and it'll pull a bit of the paint off with it. You can also get a scalpel blade and score along the line for a nice sharp edge when you peel the masking off 
Associate
- Joined
- 19 Oct 2002
- Posts
- 1,731
- Location
- Cloud Cuckoo Land
It was kak tape on only vaguely prepared lacer painted poorly We weren't that interested in quality at the time seeing as it was for this. http://www.thousandmonkeys.com/ginllfixit/
Good tips though. I'll probably have loads more questions when I get to that stage. A depressingly long way off at the moment.
We weren't that interested in quality at the time seeing as it was for this. http://www.thousandmonkeys.com/ginllfixit/Good tips though. I'll probably have loads more questions when I get to that stage. A depressingly long way off at the moment.