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

Sammio Builds and discussions Sammio bodied car builds and specials

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  #2961  
Old 10th May 2017, 20:09
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Micky1Mo & Molleur – Cheers chaps.

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

Jeff H – Thanks for the encouragement and the filler tips.

I’d almost forgot what a great job Fatbloke did with his paint job.

The fact he went from this…



To this…



Gives me hope.

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

A Bit More…
Added some more filler to the driver’s side.



Which is now a lot smoother than before.



The other area that needs major attention was the bonnet.

Which isn’t really surprizing given that it looked like this at one stage!



The angle of the sun made it had to get a good photo, but this is where the join is a bit lumpy.
( Not sure why the photo is so small either. )



Until the new tin of filler arrives, I’m still struggling on with the other one.



Again, what I am left with is a lot smoother now than it was before.



That was all for this evening, although at some point I will need to start washing down my driveway again.



Until next time, take care, Paul.
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  #2962  
Old 10th May 2017, 20:45
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Keep plugging away Paul and you will end up with a fantastic finish, it may seem that it takes for ever but once you have finished you will stand back with a huge grin on your face and now it was all done by yourself.

Good luck matey.
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  #2963  
Old 11th May 2017, 21:01
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Swifty - I will definitely end up with a 'finish', although I doubt it will be 'fantastic'.

But don't worry, I will still take pride in whatever standard I manage to achieve.

Especially as the filler work I am doing now reminds me of just how much chopping & changing I did!

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

Still chipping away…
There was one small dip/dent in the bonnet that needed to be fixed.



Which is easier to see after the first round of sanding.



So that has been filled.



And sanded back.



I also sanded down the rear of the bonnet on the passenger side.
( As that was pretty lumpy due to all the 'cut & shut' work in that area. )



Filled and sanded that too.





Finally, I tried to improve the rear driver's side arch, where more Frankenstein wounds were inflicted.







Once I have tackled the worst of defects I will get some more etch primer on and see where I stand.

Unfortunately, the more time I spend up close to the bodywork, the more imperfections I see.

But I simply do not have the time to get OCD about chasing a glass like surface at this stage.

So I'll just see how close I can get over the next few filler sessions.

Cheers, Paul.
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  #2964  
Old 13th May 2017, 14:44
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Perspective - Part 1:
I've been re-reading a number of old build threads to remind myself how other people painted their cars.
( Including Misted Towed, Viatron, Swifty, DaveCymru, Scottie22 & FatBloke. )

First of all, hats of to everyone for putting so much effort into prepping/painting their cars and sharing the details.

The other day, I posted a photo of my chopped up bonnet to remind myself why there was a lumpy join.

Which lead me to dig out a few old photos to illustrate the whole Frankenstein Hillbilly nature of my build.

This was the body shell before it got its first coat of etch primer.



And this was before I cut out the boot lid, added two tail pipe cut outs, added part of the bonnet to extend the bodyshell & reshaped the wheel arches.

Similarly, the bonnet was extended at the rear and re-profiled to match my home made scuttle.





Plus I gave it a 'nose job', reshaped the lower front valance to clear the chassis when opening and reshaped the wheel arches.

So before I start beating myself up for not achieving the same high standard of other people's paint jobs…

I must take comfort from this simple fact that I have managed to get my Triumph Swordfish on the road…



Despite the fact it has ended up with a long list of significant differences to the Sammio Cordite I started off with.



End of Part 1…
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  #2965  
Old 13th May 2017, 14:45
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Perspective - Part 2:
Whilst all the above it true, I had a real "Every cloud has a silver lining" revelation/moment earlier on today…

It had all started off well enough when I took my long board to the passenger side of the body shell.



Then I extended the area at the rear edge of the bonnet on the driver's side.



Next, I had a look at possible locations for attaching brackets to hold the bonnet locking pins in place.

At which point I quickly realised this job would have been a lot easier if I'd done it before fitting the heater and dash.

As there seems to be very few options for evenly spacing the pins out that doesn't clash with something else on the bulkhead.

Thankfully, I may have found a potential solution due to the way my body shell's scuttle area overhangs the Spitfire bulkhead underneath.

So if I had the pin/bracket located around somewhere around here…



The other end of the bracket could have a bolt going straight through the scuttle around here.



Note: This is not the 'real' bracket, I was just looking at the spacing.

As this may turn into a bit of a mess, I will also look at Psycho Pops' approach which was to copy racing Lancias.



So far, so good, with the slight exception that the clouds overhead were a little bit darker than the weather forecast had predicted.
( Not a great photo. )





Undaunted, I mixed up and slapped on a skim coat of filler on the passenger cockpit side.



You will notice that this isn't a particularly good photo.

And that is because in the time it took me to get the last bit of filler on, the sky went black and the rain starting lashing down.

To say I was turning the air blue around me would be a serious understatement.

I had to stretch out the tarpaulin to keep it from sticking to the filler…



Before I dragged everything else back into the porch.

But it was after this that I could really accept that I will not end up with a high class paint finish and that is really OK.

Building this car outside is the real achievement and a 'somewhat rough and ready' paint job will not take anything away from this.

( Well in my eyes at least and woe betide any tyre kicker who wants to highlight the faults in my car when I'm done. )

Anyway, it the time it has taken me to write all this up, the sun has finally returned outside so I'd better carry on…

I'll be back with more updates later, cheers, Paul.
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  #2966  
Old 13th May 2017, 15:09
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Paint it metallic silver and at worst it'll look like bare aluminium with a sixty year patina, but it's more likely that it'll turn out looking like it was sprayed an hour before the big race back in '53. Silver hides a multitude of prep sins...
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  #2967  
Old 13th May 2017, 17:31
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Mr T - As I was re-reading your build thread it did occur to me that painting my car silver would be a good idea.
( As I loved your story about the two guys discussing how your car still had it's original paint with 60 years of wear. )

But, for better or for worse, I am going to stick with British Racing Green.

Especially as the yellow band around the nose will hopefully help to tie in my yellow #7 roundels.

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

Quit While You Are Ahead…
Turns out the fresh filler on the passenger side got a bit 'smudged' when I was throwing the covers on.

Plus it was now rock solid which made sanding it back into some kind of shape a lot harder.



Next I decided to brush on some etch primer I bought in a tin.



This would let me test brushing and highlight which areas I had prepared.





It is not easy to tell from the photo, but the driver's side...



Is now miles better than what I started with.



This is a close up of a section of the rear wheel arch which was just outside the area covered with filler.
( But had the original etch primer layer sanded off when the filler was been sanded down. )



So at some point I will be working my way around the body with some knife putty.

I was just getting ready to start mixing the next round of filler for the bonnet, when I felt it turn cold.

And, sure enough, the dark clouds were rolling in once more.



I just couldn't risk getting caught out in another shower, so I packed up and called it a day.

Obviously, by the time I finally got the cover back on, the sun was back out.



But that will do for today.

Until next time, take care, Paul.

Last edited by Paul L; 13th May 2017 at 17:37.. Reason: Typo
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  #2968  
Old 13th May 2017, 19:51
molleur molleur is offline
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Looking good, keep inching away!
I think the BRG with yellow would be stunning.
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  #2969  
Old 13th May 2017, 22:36
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I would consider ReFace by Upol as suggested by Jeff. It is like putting a smooth artex on and then sanding it smooth. As Jeff suggested it can be put on with a small gloss roller, this would give you a really good base for you final finish.
I have a feeling that it shouldn't be used over etch primer, you will need to double check.

It covers really well, two coats would hide the rivets on Mick's Monaco! (almost).
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  #2970  
Old 14th May 2017, 05:56
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Molleur – Thanks.

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

Jag – I like the sound of that ReFace stuff, as tackling small blemishes in my body work will be a pain.

The advice I was given by the ’Truck coat’ paint supplier was that the following layers were required/compatible:
- Etch primer (due to my car’s surface mix of raw fibreglass, gel coat & filler )
- Undercoat (which I noticed yesterday is actually a high build primer of some sort)
- Top coat

So I might test some of the undercoat I was supplied with just to see what kind of coverage it provides.

One of Jeff’s previous tips was to remove all the original etch primer that I’d been driving around in.
( As this was likely to have absorbed moisture which would eventually micro blister the top coat paint. )

Therefore I intend to sand down the whole car as part of my preparation and give it a fresh coat of etch primer.
( Thankfully, the stuff in the tin is a lighter shade of grey so I can keep track of this work. )

Unfortunately, I was woken up early this morning by the sound of the rain lashing down outside.

Which means there is still a risk of moisture contamination while the car is stationary outside under a cover.

But this ties back with yesterday’s theme of perspective, as I am building/painting my car in less than ideal conditions.

Right, I’m going back to bed now and with a bit of luck I’ll get a bit more preparation work done later on today.

If not, I will keep chipping away at it after work during the week ahead.

Cheers, Paul.
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  #2971  
Old 14th May 2017, 10:03
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Been a long time since I caught up on the thread - life has been getting in the way.
You are making great progress Paul. The shot of the side after the long board shows how little new filler remained.
For me the fact that it is a road legal car that gives you joy everytime you take it out makes the labourious task more bearable.
I am confident that even with your OCD in check your finish will be better than you ever dreamed.
Hopefully catch up with you before the end of summer.
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  #2972  
Old 14th May 2017, 15:50
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Roadster - Welcome back, hope your new job is going well and thanks for the encouragement.

I am now pretty confident that the worst of the lumpy bits will have been taken care of by the time I am finished.

But I don't think I will really know what it is going to finally look like until the dark top coat goes on.

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

Limited Sunday Service:
I sanded down a larger section of the bonnet and the etch primer highlights some of the low spots.
( Ignore the grey on the bonnet bulge, that was done separately. )





Although they are not as deep as they may look and I want to see what difference (if any) the high build primer makes.

So after cleaning the surface down, the etch primer went on.



I also did the passenger side of the cockpit.



Now at this point I have not removed any of the accessories (lights, mirrors, etc.), so the car is still road legal.

Which means it was OK to drive it out onto the road to get a better look in the sunlight.

The first thing to note is that Mister Towed's top tip about painting the car silver is just that.

As the light grey is so reflective I can't actually see how straight, or otherwise, the body shell is.



But on the face of it, the driver's side is definitely in the right ballpark (give or take a bit).



A quick three point turn later and the sun was really making the bonnet shine to much to see anything.



The passenger side.



Now as the sun was shining, I couldn't resist driving the long way around a few blocks so that the car was pointing in the right direction for the driveway.

The other reason I haven't started stripping the car down is that I applied for a race track slot at the Goodwood Breakfast Club - Soft Top Sunday (4th June).

Unfortunately, I don't know when they send the confirmations out, other than "nearer the time", so I might have to chase that up during the week.

However, I have identified the last few areas for some major filler/reshaping work.

I need to blend in both of the body shell extensions back to their respective cockpit sides.
( So I will remove the lower strap brackets for better access. )



I am also going to do some work on the area around the rear corner of the cockpit on the driver's side.
( Where the contour of the rear wheel arch passes close to the cockpit. )



Unfortunately, with a long list of domestic chores to tackle that was all for today.

So until next time, take care, Paul.
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  #2973  
Old 14th May 2017, 16:02
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50 shades of grey..........snigger snigger
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  #2974  
Old 14th May 2017, 16:24
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  #2975  
Old 15th May 2017, 16:30
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Nothing wrong with multi coloured grey is there Paul.
Honest
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  #2976  
Old 15th May 2017, 17:54
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Making great progress Paul

Keep it up - love the weather watcher photos as well as car pics.

Dave
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  #2977  
Old 16th May 2017, 20:26
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Deggsy - Deep down, I must confess that my car is currently not looking at its best.

DaveP - Cheers, unfortunately today was another day where the forecast was wrong.

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

Bloody Weather!
Glorious sunshine when I'm at my desk working, but as soon as I'm ready to stop work early to work on the car in rains!

So I was a little nervous when I finally got outside and just exposed one corner of the car to play with.



I removed the bottom bonnet strap.



Then I really pushed the boat out and unwrapped the front of the car completely.



Which allowed me to remove the bracket from the other side too.



I then covered up the engine bay.



Before taking my long board to the body shell extension on the driver's side.

As you can see, there is a large area with, thankfully, a shallow dip.



The passenger side was quite mild by comparison.



But both sides got a complete skim of filler.





By the time the filler had just started to set hard, I felt a drop of rain and that was the signal to pack up for the night.

Which means I will be sanding down concrete when I eventually get a chance to get back to this job.

So until then, take care, Paul.
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  #2978  
Old 16th May 2017, 22:40
deggsy deggsy is offline
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Paul Have you tried 3M filler in my opinion the best you can get expensive but if you shop around you can get it quite cheap I picked up a tin at Stoneleigh for £9 normal price on e bay £27 bargain and it's Shoooo smooth and easy to use.
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  #2979  
Old 17th May 2017, 17:44
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Deggsy - Thanks for the filler tip.

Although, I really hope that I won't need to order any more filler before the paint finally goes on.

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

A Complete Wash Out
Due to a last minute change in my 'real work' plans, I ended up at home today with spare car time available.

Unfortunately, it has been raining pretty much all day and I haven't so much as peeked under the covers.

Still, at least the replacement tin of filler I ordered has finally arrived.



The alternative option for my bonnet latches also turned up today.



As part of me thinks these would be the most KISS solution to the problem.
( Especially when compared to any over engineered solution I am likely to come up with to mount the bonnet pins. )

Obviously, I still need to see how they actually look on the car first and also decide if I should paint them BRG.

While it was raining I ordered a few more 'sponsors' stickers to help cheer me up.

Especially after I remembered I need to do some extra work around the rear lights, so they sit a bit flusher than they do now.
( Plus fix some gaps caused by the front indicator fixing bolts. )

The "To Do" list was also extended to include patching up the gaps on both sides of the body shell bonnet lip.

Plus adding some extra fibreglass matting to the underside of a section of the bonnet, which 'bounced' when I was sanding it down the other day.

So until next time, take care, Paul.
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  #2980  
Old 17th May 2017, 20:39
deggsy deggsy is offline
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Paul
Are those latches stainless or alloy?
they look like a good option.

Cheers

Deggsy
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