Are you madabout kit cars      
 "We've Got Kit Cars Covered" Information about Madabout-Kitcars.com Contact Madabout-Kitcars.com         Home of UK kit cars - madabout-kitcars.com Various kit car write ups All the latest kit car news Kit car related and general discussion

Search
Manufacturers
Kit Cars
Kit Car Data sheets
Picture Gallery
SVA Knowledgebase
Clubs & Communities
Build cost estimator
Kit cars for sale
Knowledge Base 
KitcarUSA.com
Classic-Kitcars.com
 

Go Back   Madabout Kitcars Forum > Mad Build Area > Sammio Builds and discussions

Sammio Builds and discussions Sammio bodied car builds and specials

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #3081  
Old 10th June 2017, 19:36
Paul L's Avatar
Paul L Paul L is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Wembley, London
Posts: 5,056
Paul L is on a distinguished road
Default

Saturday - Part 2:
I ended up spending far too long sanding down the filler on the inside of the bonnet.
( As there was washing on the line, so there was no way I could use the angle grinder for a first pass. )







Unfortunately, I opened up a small air pocket on one of the tabs for securing the wiring loom.

So I had to mix up an absolutely tiny batch of fibreglass filler to fill in the hole.



Eventually I was able to finish getting some etch primer on the inside of the bonnet.





Preparing this inside surface has taken me a lot of time I wasn't initially expecting, but it was definitely the right decision to do it.

So the plan now is to apply a single coat of high build primer, then a coat of BRG, which I know will highlight the rough finish.

However, if I am actually showing anyone the inside of the bonnet I can talk them through all the work involved in building it.

My last job of the day was to make a start on sanding down the putty on the rear end.





I will finish this another day, as by now it was time to start preparing a BBQ for the four of us.

If this wind ever drops, I will put up the Circus Tent in the back garden for the bonnet and boot lid.

Until next time, take care, Paul.
Reply With Quote
  #3082  
Old 11th June 2017, 19:19
Paul L's Avatar
Paul L Paul L is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Wembley, London
Posts: 5,056
Paul L is on a distinguished road
Default

Odd Sunday:
Due to a variety of reasons, I had the chance to rack up some billable hours today, so the car work was sidelined a bit.

However, I made an earlier start by moving the bonnet and boot lid out of the Summerhouse and wiping them both down before 9am.





Then I started 'real work' while I left them to evaporate fully and got some more high build primer on mid-morning.

A second (and final) coat on the boot lid, although not much difference to see in the photo.





Whereas, you can definitely spot the difference after the first (and only) coat on the inside of the bonnet.





I must confess, I really like the 'honest', warts and all, nature of the inside of the bonnet.

I left all that drying while I went back to my laptop.

Unfortunately, there was just time for me to do one other job today and that was to start preparing for jacking up the car.

So I pulled some of my recycled timbers out from behind the summerhouse and gave them a quick trim.



The bottom ones were old roof joists from a local loft conversion and they are firmly nailed together.

So that was it for today, cheers, Paul.
Reply With Quote
  #3083  
Old 11th June 2017, 21:21
molleur molleur is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 1,401
molleur is on a distinguished road
Default

Looking good "One bite at a time"!
Reply With Quote
  #3084  
Old 12th June 2017, 19:34
Paul L's Avatar
Paul L Paul L is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Wembley, London
Posts: 5,056
Paul L is on a distinguished road
Default

Molleur - Thanks, although I could do with eating a bit faster.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Life Is A Rollercoaster:
Things started off well enough as I wiped down the inside of the bonnet.

As I needed to get the bonnet out of the Summerhouse so I could get the car jack and drag that to the driveway.

I also moved all the wood from the patio out onto the driveway too, at which point I then had a 'brainwave'.

Rather than start jacking the car at the front, I thought I should start painting the bonnet instead incase it was going to rain.

I painted most of it while it was flat on the lawn...



Before lifting it back up to get better access to paint around the nose.



I then left it back down, to avoid the wind catching it, and removed the masking tape from the edge.
( As I want to paint the edges at the same time as the 'sunny side'. )



At this point I realised that my change of plans demonstrated the fact I am, deep down, 'Biblically Stupid'.

Remember the last time I didn't leave a long enough gap between wiping the surface down and painting?

Well, apparently, I clearly forgot about this and lightening does indeed strike twice!

The only good news is that there was only a few small reactions to the paint in a few small areas, the bulk of the bonnet is fine.

But boy was I kicking myself for not sticking to my original plan.

Anyway, I then tried to remember all of the lessons I've learnt from jacking a car up on a slope…

First job was to mark all the wheels, just so everything can go back where it came from.



I then couldn't resist starting the engine at this point and I left it running for a while.



This time I made sure that the wheels stayed on until I was happy that the car was stable.

As it was, this really was a good plan, because I almost had another toppling over incident.

In the end the rear end in on two sets of blocks at different heights to level the car out.
( Ignore all angles due to the way I was holding the camera compared to the slope of the drive. )



Whereas, the front end is supported by the chassis cross member across two sets of blocks.



Despite what it may look like, the car is as steady as a rock.

Unfortunately, the suspension allows the front passenger wheel to drop and keep in contact with the ground.



So I needed to jack up the suspension to remove the wheel.

From another lesson learnt, I refitted the wheel nuts, to limit the damage caused to myself.



With the car secure, I could remove the tailpipes.



End of Part 1…
Reply With Quote
  #3085  
Old 12th June 2017, 19:35
Paul L's Avatar
Paul L Paul L is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Wembley, London
Posts: 5,056
Paul L is on a distinguished road
Default

Monday - Part 2:
By now, the car was looking very sorry for itself.



The wheels have only got as far as the patio for today.



When I put the bonnet back in the summerhouse, the BRG did make me smile.



Until next time, take care, Paul.
Reply With Quote
  #3086  
Old 12th June 2017, 19:37
Jaguartvr's Avatar
Jaguartvr Jaguartvr is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Egham, Surrey
Posts: 1,780
Jaguartvr is on a distinguished road
Default

If you used panel wipe you shouldn't get a reaction, it evaporates off in a few seconds. I think the reaction may be from something else.
Reply With Quote
  #3087  
Old 12th June 2017, 21:00
Paul L's Avatar
Paul L Paul L is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Wembley, London
Posts: 5,056
Paul L is on a distinguished road
Default

Jag - Would you believe I grabbed the white spirits instead of the panel wipe?

I think I've been out in the sun too long recently.
Reply With Quote
  #3088  
Old 12th June 2017, 21:06
Jaguartvr's Avatar
Jaguartvr Jaguartvr is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Egham, Surrey
Posts: 1,780
Jaguartvr is on a distinguished road
Default

Thats probably what caused the reaction, Put the white spirt back in the drinks cabinet where it belongs.
Reply With Quote
  #3089  
Old 13th June 2017, 17:37
Paul L's Avatar
Paul L Paul L is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Wembley, London
Posts: 5,056
Paul L is on a distinguished road
Default

Jag - The white spirits are now safely tucked out of the reach of children and stupid people.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Filling The Void:
Latest update from my 'real' work project is that I may be on 'standby' for a couple of weeks.

Which means I really need to make as much progress as possible while I have time & weather on my side...

Started by sanding down the areas where the paint reacted on the inside of the bonnet.



Ended up getting a bit OCD about this, doing far more than I needed to.

Especially when this is an example of what a 'good' section looks like.



Amazingly, I actually remembered to use the panel wipe today!

I then covered a much wider area with a coat of the high build primer to 'join up' some of the rough patches.









So it was really only the top and bottom ends that had any problems, a very large middle section was fine.

Back on the front driveway, I removed the petrol cap and taped up the petrol tank.







Then sealed up the boot area again.



I also sealed up the ends of the exhaust pipes.



End of Part 1…
Reply With Quote
  #3090  
Old 13th June 2017, 17:39
Paul L's Avatar
Paul L Paul L is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Wembley, London
Posts: 5,056
Paul L is on a distinguished road
Default

Tuesday - Part 2:
I started working on the area around the tail pipe cut outs.



Whilst I fully sanded down the body work, I just gave the exhaust surrounds a light sanding.
( As these would actually look better with a bit of wear on them. )



I sanded down the return lip of the rear wheel arches on both sides.





Note:
You can see the dirt clinging to the Tetroseal I used on the inside of the rear arches.
Which ties in with Jag's suggestion for not using it on the the inside of the bonnet.
( Especially as I still haven't fabricated any inner wheel arches for the front yet. )

It may not look it, but sanding back the area around the boot opening represents many hours of hard labour.



Unfortunately, the sun was beating down on me for most of this time and I'm slightly overcooked.

So I switched to mowing the lawn.



Which will allow me to put up the tent one of these days.

I also moved the wheels from patio to the bottom of the garden.



I've got to head out shortly this evening, so I will carry on tomorrow morning.

Until then, take care, Paul.
Reply With Quote
  #3091  
Old 14th June 2017, 15:41
Paul L's Avatar
Paul L Paul L is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Wembley, London
Posts: 5,056
Paul L is on a distinguished road
Default

Moving The Goal Posts:
The effort I put into sanding the area around the boot opening yesterday was pretty soul destroying.

As the original layer of etch primer really does not want to come off without a fight.

So last night I was seriously considering simply sanding down the top surface, rather than the whole lot.
( Figuring that most of the contamination from driving around would be absorbed by the outer surface. )

I woke up this morning with my hands slightly swollen and achy fingers, but then I saw the news.

That tower block is less that a mile from my mum's house and I dread to think what the final death toll will be.

When I stepped outside to start working on the car there was an acrid smell in the air that didn't bode well.

At which point the decision to be a bit more pragmatic about how much effort to put into prepping the car was an easy call.

I then had to test the stability of my block work when I realised I needed to remove the centre dash section again.
( As I forgot to tape up the holes from underneath when I removed the rear view mirror. )



The good news is that I was able to climb in and out without any issues.
( Well, apart from needing some steps to help me up that high. )

After spending a bit of time beard scratching I realised I couldn't seal off the cockpit fully.
( As I will need to climb in again to tackle the scuttle area over the dash. )

So I ended up with a mix of plastic sheeting and dust sheets.





Obviously, this is not ideal, but it certainly isn't the end of the world either.

There was only a little bit of sanding left to do on one side of this hump.



But everywhere else was just sanded down extensively, but not excessively.







Then everything was wiped down and a fresh coat of etch primer was applied.









End of Part 1…
Reply With Quote
  #3092  
Old 14th June 2017, 15:43
Paul L's Avatar
Paul L Paul L is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Wembley, London
Posts: 5,056
Paul L is on a distinguished road
Default

Wednesday - Part 2:
I also did the return lip of both rear wheel arches.



The bonnet lip was also cleaned up and etch primed too.







Which means that this section of the scuttle and the wind deflector lip are the last areas that need to be prepared.



But the next job was to get the finishing putty out and turn the nice grey primer into a spotty mess.









Then, despite the fact most of this will be hidden beneath a rubber seal, I did the bonnet lip too.



The sunlight on the light grey primer makes it very hard to see pin holes.

Whereas, the BRG in the shade makes it very hard to see anything.

So it was only today that I spotted a couple of areas where the paint reacted that I missed completely yesterday.

They were sanded down and given a coat of high build primer.



So, with a bit of luck, the inside of the bonnet is finally ready for a final coat of BRG.



That that was all for today as I had to knock off early to meet a friend.

Until next time, take care, Paul.
Reply With Quote
  #3093  
Old 15th June 2017, 19:37
Paul L's Avatar
Paul L Paul L is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Wembley, London
Posts: 5,056
Paul L is on a distinguished road
Default

Timeline Observations:
The other day, Mister Towed pointed out that the 23rd June would mark 5 years since the kit arrived.

However, my donor Spitfire actually arrived on 22nd April 2012, so this project has already passed the 5 year mark.

Although, strictly speaking, I should get 8.5 months off my sentence for 'good behaviour' / being on the road.

My last drive around the block was 14th May, and I started the painting prep work a week earlier on the 7th May.

So even though I've not been at this prep work for 6 weeks yet, it does feel much, much longer.

Still, the weather forecast for the next few days looks good and I really hope this is enough to make a big difference.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A Tale Of Two Cities:
Back in September last year, I posted this…

Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul L View Post
...On the way home, I quickly parked up in Holland Park, just to make the car look more like a real classic.



Around the corner from this road I lost count of the Aston Martins parked in the street.
Well, I checked the distance today and my car is parked a mere 900m from Grenfell Tower.

Although it might as well be a different country altogether, as I doubt any Aston Martins were damaged by fire.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The Long Good(ish) Thursday - Part 1:
It was another early start as I sanded down the scuttle and the wind deflector lip.

This actually required quite a lot of work to turn big undulations into smaller ones.







Then I sanded down all the finishing putty applied yesterday, starting with the bonnet lip.



Then followed by the rear end.



Driveway Sundial - Part 1 - 11.50am - Still in the shade.

Unfortunately, the wind was quite gusty at times which was turning the plastic sheet into a balloon / air bag.



So I had to switch to wrapping the dash and steering wheel in newspaper instead.



End of Part 1…
Reply With Quote
  #3094  
Old 15th June 2017, 19:38
Paul L's Avatar
Paul L Paul L is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Wembley, London
Posts: 5,056
Paul L is on a distinguished road
Default

The Long Good(ish) Thursday - Part 2:
Then I got some etch primer on, which always makes things look better.









Driveway Sundial - Part 2 - 1.50pm - Mostly sunny, but with some shade.



It was so hot outside, I didn't have to wait long before I could get to work with the finishing putty.

Although, given the mix of raw fibreglass, fibreglass filler and normal filler, it is no wonder the surface is less than perfect.





Last night I dragged the Circus Tent out of the Summerhouse before I put the bonnet back in.



This is as far as I could get single handed.



But my wife was able to help me finish the job later on.



Note: We had to leave the tent unzipped, as it felt like the wind was going to take it.

End of Part 2…
Reply With Quote
  #3095  
Old 15th June 2017, 19:39
Paul L's Avatar
Paul L Paul L is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Wembley, London
Posts: 5,056
Paul L is on a distinguished road
Default

The Long Good(ish) Thursday - Part 3:


Driveway Sundial - Part 3 - 5.15pm - Full sun.



Which made the sanding down of the finishing putty on the scuttle very hard work.



The heat was also a pain when it came to topping up the etch primer too.





I moved the bonnet into the tent and cleaned it with panel wipe.



Now, if I'd only stopped there, my day would have been good, without the 'ish'.

The actual time line was clean the scuttle, clean the bonnet, paint the scuttle, paint the bonnet.

Overall, the bonnet looks great.



But it was soul destroying to see that three areas reacted again.



It would be easier to understand it this problem was widespread, but most areas have no problems what so ever.

But in the great scheme of things, nobody died and it is only paint.

However, it was certainly a good excuse to call it a day.

So until next time, take care, Paul.
Reply With Quote
  #3096  
Old 15th June 2017, 19:42
Jaguartvr's Avatar
Jaguartvr Jaguartvr is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Egham, Surrey
Posts: 1,780
Jaguartvr is on a distinguished road
Default

I would suggest you use a whole can of fly spray in the tent before you begin painting. Give it 5 minutes to work and clear and it should stop all the little buggers landing in the paint.
I gave the inside of mine a good spray of thinners before starting and I didn't get anything at all landing in the paint.

Are you sure you haven't been using the white spirit again!

Last edited by Jaguartvr; 15th June 2017 at 19:45..
Reply With Quote
  #3097  
Old 16th June 2017, 07:35
Paul L's Avatar
Paul L Paul L is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Wembley, London
Posts: 5,056
Paul L is on a distinguished road
Default

Jag - I was going to follow your fly spray tip when I switched to doing the sunny side of the bonnet / boot lid.

I've also been a good boy lately and just used the panel wipe.

I've just come back from a visit to the tent and there has been no further paint reaction. < Touch Wood >

But it really doesn't make any sense to me, as all the other areas I treated in exactly* the same way are fine.

* I guess the key is that there must be something different about them, even if it is only something small, but I have no idea.

Anyway, this is another day, so I'll try to keep pushing forward.

Cheers, Paul.
Reply With Quote
  #3098  
Old 16th June 2017, 18:40
molleur molleur is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 1,401
molleur is on a distinguished road
Default

After the effected areas are rubbed down, try some epoxy sealant on those problem areas. That should lock in any further contaminants or whatever is the cause.
Reply With Quote
  #3099  
Old 16th June 2017, 19:07
Paul L's Avatar
Paul L Paul L is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Wembley, London
Posts: 5,056
Paul L is on a distinguished road
Default

Molleur - Thanks for the tip, although I didn't see it until after I'd had a go at fixing the problem.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Slow Friday - Part 1:
I was feeling pretty drained this morning, so started off with some gentle woodwork…

As I never actually got around to adjusting my wooden tonneau cover since the steering wheel went in.





But, as I inch ever closer to paint, now was the time to sort these out.

Before:



After:



I then added some sections of foam seal that I will not be using for the bonnet lip.



So these should now keep the covers from sinking into the cockpit when it rains and avoid damaging the paint.



It then took me ages to apply some high build primer to the body shell.











The combination of hot weather outside and a painter tired on the inside made for a very messy finish.

But just seeing the body shell back in one colour, after all this effort, did seem like a big step forward.

End of Part 1…
Reply With Quote
  #3100  
Old 16th June 2017, 19:07
Paul L's Avatar
Paul L Paul L is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Wembley, London
Posts: 5,056
Paul L is on a distinguished road
Default

Slow Friday - Part 2:
The rest of my car time was spent in the tent, which, although warm inside, was nicer that working in direct sunlight.

I started with the boot lid.



After an initial sanding, the lumps and bumps were showing up nicely.



After a bit more effort the whole surface was much smoother.



Unfortunately, it looks like some areas of high build primer were applied too thinly.



Which left me with a few batches to fix.



I also rubbed down the headlight rims too.



Finally, I sanded down the areas where the paint reacted on the inside of the bonnet.

But just to test things, I then added high build primer to one section, but painted BRG straight over the top of the other.



This was done in stages, as the high build primer was also used to cover the bare patches on the boot lid.



And the BRG was added to the headlight rims.



Which was a good enough point to stop for the night.

Until next time, take care, Paul.
Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +0. The time now is 08:52.

copyright © madabout-kitcars.com 2000-2024
terms and conditions | privacy policy