This is Betty, her majesty the Bitch, wearing her new engine bay primer. Tomorrow, she´s receiving some seam sealant and (hopefully) the engine bay top coat.
As of today, this restoration is officially going FORWARD instead of backward.
I know, just watch me change that pipe for new stuff in a few days
But ..hey, that pipe is - AFAIK - routed the right way? It´s protected against all sorts of mischief when routed up, and then down again?
I thought you meant the feeder from the main cylinder >> T-piece in engine bay ...that is going to be swapped, it´s been nicked by the grinder..*blush*
I didn´t, I am an ex car painter - they´re all lifted from/removed from/pushed inside the firewall and/or properly masked. The only things we left in place were the dampers - and we had to. And we forgot to remove the horn bracket and the downward bump stops, but decided we can live with it. Besides, it´s only the primer - we can still fix stuff we don´t like.
It's looking very much better than before! What are the two big holes in the main crossmember for - just inboard of the dampers ? Not seen them in a Minor before - and they can't be adding to the strength of the crossmember!
Those big holes are the air inlet(s). One is normally plugged/blocked with a piece of aluminium, the other has a fitting that accepts the big air inlet hose. Both now ripped out for the sake of painting (and removal of mouse "nests" inside the crossbar )
Interesting. Fenchurch is a 1963 model and she has the same kind of heater, but she doesn't have those holes in the front of the bulkhead. The air comes in via the wheel arches through holes above the steering rack.
Alex Holden - http://www.alexholden.net/
If it doesn't work, you're not hitting it with a big enough hammer.
Soak the bits to be masked in cellulose thinner, & wipe 100% clean. Mask the areas closest to the paintwork with slack masking tape (don´t stretch it, just press firmly as it goes around the various contours). Then add another round of tape next to the previous layer, and then use aluminium foil or (thin non-bleeding masking paper) to cover up the larger areas. I prefer alu foil in cramped spaces and with stuff that has strange form - paper is always bulkier. Foiled cable harnesses take less space than paper masked ones, and allow better access with the spray gun.
If only I could show this, instead of typing it in - it would make sense. Maybe next time, with the mobile phone cam
Oh, while we're on the topic of masking, I was wondering, I have piles of unused rolls of pink wallpaper sitting at the back of the garage, could this be used for masking big bits off or is not strong enough?
Andy W____________1961 2-door 948cc (Sidney)_____________1963 2-door 1275cc (Emily)_______
Hard to say if it´s suitable. I´d object to it/be wary for a number of reasons:
Will it let thinner and paint through when oversprayed? WIll it shear/rip when wet and just ever so slightly tugged at? Will it accept masking tape? WIll it let itself be formed around quirky areas/shapes?
Will it give off paper fluff/or even silicone particles when touched? Will it accomodate dust particles (in the paper structure)? If it does, you are in a world of pain if you do a quality job.
Designated masking paper has a lot of preset advantages. It´s light, strong, dust/particle free, non-bleeding and readily accepts masking tape. I´d use the stuff you have for non-critical masking, such as protective masking of other objetcs in the workshop, wheel/rim protection and protection of underbody areas when spraying engine bay. For critical applications, use proper masking paper.
HTH/Richard
Sidney'61 wrote:Oh, while we're on the topic of masking, I was wondering, I have piles of unused rolls of pink wallpaper sitting at the back of the garage, could this be used for masking big bits off or is not strong enough?
Not worth the risk for the price of proper masking paper. Most wall papers will contain bleach.
Has anyone else got these big 'heater inlet' holes in the main front crossmember ? They look handy for getting behind the front damper mounts - but surely are weakening the crossmember.
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