Misty's post-accident re-build

[Matt Tomkins]

some more good progress this week, and a lot still to do tomorrow, before we load her uo to take her to the spray shop for the weekend tomorrow afternoon/early evening...
at least one more coat of primer, door gaps checked, dum dum in the front wings, more filling on the rear pannel, and a final scotch
hopefully doable, though
no choice really


my pigeonshitty welding:[frame][/frame]
^^that inner arch resembles puff pastry when attached with a welder -- especially difficult for a novice like me, but i managed it

ground down and ready to tidy up and smooth over with good ol' p38 [frame][/frame]

got going with the primer:[frame][/frame][frame][/frame]

and final job of the day, before i sliced my finger open on a burred piece of steel, was to bolt the front in place-- and it only blooming fits!!![frame][/frame][frame][/frame]

booked the M OT for the 18th June, so going to be an intensive fortnight of reassembly!

[Dean]

Wow amazing stuff. Well done!

[stag36587]

Excellent looking work - can you tell me what methods you used to strip paint and fill/prime?
Thanks

[Matt Tomkins]

Got back from the workshop at gone 11pm tonight -0- but she's done.
all primed, filled, sanded, primed 800 grit, primed and scotched.
ready to load onto the lorry 1st thing in the morning to go to paint. then just to put her all back together MOT booked for 18th June.

Excellent looking work - can you tell me what methods you used to strip paint and fill/prime?
Thanks

thanks,
We used a variety of different paint strippers and scrapers, and found wilkos cheap stuff to be some of the best.
but it didn;t deal with the 2k too well -- so we used an angle grinder with grit discs on to finally strip the pannnels, and began with it on the roof -- have to be careful though not to put huge grooves into the metal. then 80 grit, 120 grit, 320 grit on the metal before acid etch primer onto the bare metal.
then 400 and 800 grit, then 2k filler primer, 400 grit, p38 filler on the low spots, 80, 120, 320, 400, 800 on the filler, reprime, repeat the process.
finally, thin coat of the filler primer and 800 grit and scotchbrite

been a hell of a job, but it does mean i get a cheep respray and i can see why body shops are so expensive

[Matt Tomkins]

[frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame]

[Matt Tomkins]

So, she went off to the spray shop this weekend, which was a real eye opener. I would reccomend a few days helping out in a body shop to anyone attempting a home respray.

The spray shop, as it so happens, is on the industrial estate next to the cowley plant, so really, she's had a factory finish

To the trained eye of the sprayer, more prep work was required. my primer was a tad thin, and in good lighting, there were still some scratched from the rough grit from the grinder visible -- John suggested that a better method would have been a seaweed wheel.
saturday was spent flatting down, scotching and repriming,[frame][/frame][frame][/frame]
note the different colored primers for each coat, allowing you to see high spots easier. A black guide coat was also sprayed over the top.

Sunday was a hell of a day.
once the primer had cured off over night, it needed another full rub down followed by a wet sand with 600 grit and scotch all over.

then it was back into the booth, by 3pm for spraying.[frame][/frame]

then for a splash of colour[frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame]

then on to bake for 40 minutes, then *PING*[frame][/frame][frame][/frame]

then she was loaded up onto the trailer to come home [frame][/frame]

now just to get her reassembled ready for the MOT on the 18th june and national!

She will go back to the spray shop at some point once she's reassembled for a good flat and polish too

[C6Dave]

Brilliant job. Just don't sit down and count all the hours up it's taken and multiply by the going professional labour rate as it will frighten you

[DAVIDMCCULLOUGH]

Great job, I always enjoy putting them back together after the paint job

[Matt Tomkins]

well, we re-commenced today, but it's just been one of those days -- still plenty of welding to do underneath, before reassembly of the suspension can begin in earnest, and the engine/box be dropped in before we leave the workshop tomorrow night/friday morning, before electrics go in on friday. just have to hope things run a little more smoothly tomorrow

none the less, going reasonably to plan. Dampers in, one side torsion bar went in just before we left, and kevin did a stirling job welding the underside.[frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame]

[liammonty]

Looks great! If you ever see a Highway Yellow saloon (it's hard to miss...) in Headington, then that's me! Are you at Brookes, or down in the city centre?

Good luck with the MoT!

[Matt Tomkins]

Looks great! If you ever see a Highway Yellow saloon (it's hard to miss...) in Headington, then that's me! Are you at Brookes, or down in the city centre?

Good luck with the MoT!

oh cool! will look out for you yeah, i'm at brookes -- (scumbag college oxford )
i'm up near headington shops next year


Progress update:
Had a really good day yesterday, and got an awful lot done...
Colin came back to do the wiring, and with Kevin here as well, it was a case of many hands making light work[frame][/frame]
^^ it was a tight squeeze, but both travs leak

first job was to swing the engine/box in...[frame][/frame]

it fits![frame][/frame]

all new copper brake pipes going in all round, also note the new tow point[frame][/frame]

colin beginning to work his magic...[frame][/frame][frame][/frame]

she lives!!!!![frame][/frame]

[Matt Tomkins]

having been let down by ESM, progress has been pretty stalled, and this morning was spent trawling the motor parts shops to get essentialls to allow her to be towed home from the workshop tomorrow
really not happy, as i'd been told the parts were dispatched wednesday -- but there we go :/
going to have to put old track rod ends etc on to get her home, and really crack on when my goodie box arrives.

Brakes are in now, though[frame][/frame]
note the bright orange adjustment screws -- making life easy for the future

[Matt Tomkins]

looking good from underneath too, with brake lines all in now, and just bleeding, handbrake and adjustment to go.
prop in tomorrow, fuel line in, oil her up, and go for a start once the front's on

keep an eye for updates [frame][/frame]

cross member';s wrong though -- possibly 803? so need to get one and swap it over

[DAVIDMCCULLOUGH]

Its hard to tell from the pic but if the gearbox cross member is too deep its probably from a van which are quite hard to find these days, Im sure some one will be glad to swap!

[C6Dave]

having been let down by ESM, progress has been pretty stalled, and this morning was spent trawling the motor parts shops to get essentialls to allow her to be towed home from the workshop tomorrow

really not happy, as i'd been told the parts were dispatched wednesday -- but there we go :/

You can't blame ESM for Royal Mails declining service.

Of all the parts providers I have always found ESM to be the fastest.

It can be frustrating though, waiting for those 'bits' to arrive

[les]

Must agree, I've found esm tops for next day delivery, you were just unlucky there. Annoying though when you want to crack on.

[Matt Tomkins]

got her home now -- and no, it was an internal cock a doodle diddley up within esm, -- though admittedly the first one i've experienced -- was told it had been dispatched wednesday :/ very annoying
ah well, i'll just have to really work like mad next week to ready her for the mot/national [frame][/frame]

[Tamsin]

And the MOT result....?

[Matt Tomkins]

And the MOT result....?

sadly, but expectedly tbh, a fail -- but only little fettling jobs to do -- hoping for a retest tomorrow wednesday

[Tom and Maria]

Did you get the re-test today? What did it fail on?

Very impressed with the speed that you've done this in! Wish you were all nearer Exeter, I'd be calling for many favours.