Swifty's Navigator

[swifty]

Later on today i started to spray the top coat which took several hours and six coats later which used 3 litres of paint at a 50/50 ratio with high gloss thinners.

A lit bit of advice is to buy a decent pair of paper overalls because i bought some very cheap ones and once i was finished it look like i had been in the sun too long with red tips in my hair which amused the kids no end.

All in all for a first time attempt at spraying a car it has turned out ok.



IMG_6217.jpg IMG_6213.jpg

The second image is more like the true colour as the colour in the first image has come out lighter.




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The shine is not to bad and i believe that after the surface has been flattened off with 2000 wet and dry then another two coats of paint applied with a paint to thinners ratio of 25/75 then 10/90 it should end up up glossy. Then a quick buff mop with G3 followed by glaze and then wax for a good finish, i think i will wait and see how the next two coats go on i may be tempted to apply another three coats at 50/50 then flatten again before spraying the very diluted ratios.

Ive read some where that you should wait 4 weeks before flattening the top coat with wet and dry, does anybody know if this correct or too long. The reason given is to wait for the celly to sink.




IMG_6220.jpg IMG_6221.jpg

Sprayed inside the boot and rear arches which has added to the final finish.


Well that's it for today and see you all soon.

[Paul L]

Swifty - It certainly looks like you have achieved a very nice finish "straight from the gun".

I know very little about painting, but got the impression the real shine is achieved via the final sanding / polishing stage.

You will find a number of different approaches mentioned on this thread:

http://www.rodsnsods.co.uk/forum/tec...ting-car-98714

Good luck, Paul.

PS
Apparently red cars are faster.

[Roadster]

great finish - excited to see it on the road

[swifty]

Next stage of the car paint job was completed at the weekend after the whole body was blocked off with 2000 grit, definitely not one of my favorite jobs, a few pin holes became apparent after the blocking so i back filled with very fine filler then flattened off again.

First another two coats at 50/50 were applied then one coat at 75/25 and finally 90/10 that's 90% high gloss thinners and 10% paint although it difficult to spray at this viscosity it gives a fantastic finish.


IMG_6230.jpg IMG_6227.jpg


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Most of the slight orange peal effect has been taken away with the last two coats and a high gloss surface is left behind. There are a few dust particle's in the paint which will disappear with 2000 grit wet and dry with a small amount of soap added to the water for good measure, but all in all i was very surprised at how well the whole paint job has turned out, now i just have to wait at least a month before i block the whole body again for the last time.

Ordered the paint for the interior to hopefully finish all the spray painting off for this year.


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Two seats arrived which i have to make a couple of mounts for to suit the build as the factory mounts would be unsuitable.


Well that's it for now see you all soon.

[Paul L]

Swifty - Your paint looks great.

Were the pin holes in the initial coats of red paint?

If so, do the areas with the filler added need extra coats of paint to cover them?

Cheers, Paul.

PS
Your new seats look good too.

[swifty]

Paul The pin holes were in the high build primer which i had missed when flattening the primer but after flattening the painted surface they became visible, should of done more flattening of the primer i think. I decide to fill each pin hole with a very fine body filler then flatten off before the final coats of paint were applied, not sure if that is the correct way to deal with pin holes but its the way i decided to go down.

The seats where a little to high (it looked like noddy was sitting in his little red car) so ive had to cut the top floor away and make the usual recessed floor pans so that the seats are now angled back over and 70mm lower.
In the previous post showing the seat in place you can see that the back of the seat is higher than the rolled edge so by cutting the top floor away has dropped the seat back to below the rolled edge and also makes the hump surface fully visible.

[Mister Towed]

Originally Posted by swifty

Paul The pin holes were in the high build primer which i had missed when flattening the primer but after flattening the painted surface they became visible, should of done more flattening of the primer i think. I decide to fill each pin hole with a very fine body filler then flatten off before the final coats of paint were applied, not sure if that is the correct way to deal with pin holes but its the way i decided to go down.

The seats where a little to high (it looked like noddy was sitting in his little red car) so ive had to cut the top floor away and make the usual recessed floor pans so that the seats are now angled back over and 70mm lower.
In the previous post showing the seat in place you can see that the back of the seat is higher than the rolled edge so by cutting the top floor away has dropped the seat back to below the rolled edge and also makes the hump surface fully visible.

Thank goodness for that, I wasn't going to say anything but you would have found driving it very uncomfortable with the seats so high. Good decision.

[Mister Towed]

Seats look nice btw, very similar style to what I put in mine -



Where did yours come from?

[swifty]

The seats are made by OMP classic silverstone race seats.

I totally agree with you Mr T the driving position before the floor mod was done was too upright but now with the raked back look they are that little bit more comfortable although getting in and out will be a challenge especially with wet feet, will more than likely carry a piece of carpet around to place on the seats to get in and out with dirty feet etc.

[swifty]

Come across this site which may be of help in clarifying a few grey areas in a build http://www.motester.co.uk/mot-guide/. One point I was interested in was "does a seat belt have to have an E mark" , there is no mention in the guide of E mark required.

[Mister Towed]

Originally Posted by swifty

The seats are made by OMP classic silverstone race seats.

I totally agree with you Mr T the driving position before the floor mod was done was too upright but now with the raked back look they are that little bit more comfortable although getting in and out will be a challenge especially with wet feet, will more than likely carry a piece of carpet around to place on the seats to get in and out with dirty feet etc.

Getting in and out is very straightforward Swifty, not as difficult as you'd think. You do need to stand on the seats unless you're as flexible as a double jointed snake though.

I bought a set of Herald/Vitesse tailored mats (similar to those below). I use the fronts as intended but the ones meant for the rear footwells I use as seat protectors to step onto when getting in and out. Worth thinking about.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Grey-Trium...EAAOSwKIpWE8GV

[wharfedale]

https://www.dropbox.com/s/uks6io84d2..._9875.JPG?dl=0

I had mine made from scratch by the local trim man £350
and they give you moor room than frames. Keith

[Mister Towed]

Any more pictures Wharfedale? Car looks finished, are you on the road yet?

[Mister Towed]

Originally Posted by swifty

Come across this site which may be of help in clarifying a few grey areas in a build http://www.motester.co.uk/mot-guide/. One point I was interested in was "does a seat belt have to have an E mark" , there is no mention in the guide of E mark required.

Fitment and markings on seat belts is covered in the Construction and Use regulations, which legally trump the MOT testers guide -

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1...lation/47/made

Paragraphs 4 and 7 cover e-markings.

As for whether seat belts need to be fitted and whether they should be three point belts or lap belts, Regulations 46 (above) and 47 apply -

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1...lation/47/made

So, any vehicle 'first used' on or after 1st January 1965 but before 1st April 1981 needs a driver and passenger seat belt, but that can be a lap belt, while it's got to be three point belts for vehicles first used on or after 1st April 1981. Pre 1965 and no belts required.

Personally speaking I wouldn't run with no belts or a lap belt as my life was saved by a three point inertia reel belt in 1983...

[wharfedale]

Originally Posted by Mister Towed

Any more pictures Wharfedale? Car looks finished, are you on the road yet?

yes its been running since april I postred some pics on 22 May under sammio (thread)

[swifty]

Wow how time flies, its been nearly eight weeks since i last did any work to the car.
Today a little progress made i cut the floor away for the seats to sit lower and angled back over, will post pictures tomorrow.

Ive also bought another project, a 25 year old piece of British history that will hopefully increase in price.

landy.jpg


Well that's it for today see you all soon.

[swifty]

Pictures of the floor mods to accommodate seats.

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Panels sealed in place. Will used truck bed liner for the floor, applied with a roller to hopefully give a textured finish.

The seats are to be held in place with two bars fabricated to replicate the angled floor with fastening bolts at each side of the seats.

See you all soon, hopefully.

[Paul L]

Swifty - Nice work (as usual) on lowering your floors.

The photos above also highlight what a great job you have done on the cockpit sides too.
( Especially when compared to the plywood jigsaw puzzle I'm making. )

This really will be a stand out car when it is finished.

Good luck, Paul.

[Roadster]

Its really looking like a proper classic race car
Any pictures of the whole car have you fitted lamps etc?

[swifty]

Cheers Guys.

The car is still up an the axle stands so no pictures of the whole car just yet, it wont be off the stands until all the body work is flattened off as the extra height make's the rubbing down easier, less strain on the back.

Probably one of the last major buys for the build arrived today a 120mm tacho.

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Well that's it for now see you all soon.