My Ongoing Traveller restoration ?

[irmscher]

cant wait to see how far you have got nice mini

[the-green-monkey]

Unfortunately, not very Once I learn to weld however I will be on panel resoration duty (since the bonnet, front wings, and one door are savageable and either just have tears or a bit of rust that can be cut out and replaced) and things should start flying hopefully, that shouldnt be too long since the workshop is almost finished. And thanks, I do love my mini, cant wait to get the traveller on the road so they can ride together

[the-green-monkey]

Quick uestion for everyone, any idea what colour she is from the pics? Bare in mind the paint is very faded and has very little lacquer on it. I think it might be dove grey, fits the year, I think, and the trim colour etc. I just want to know because I think when we get it resprayed (a long time away but hey a man can daydream) we are going to get it redone the same colour.
Thanks

Ohh also, do you think the plate number is the original? I think you can see it in the pics on the first page. Cheers

[LouiseM]

Quick uestion for everyone, any idea what colour she is from the pics?

I think it's yukon grey which was used between July '60 and November '61. Dove grey is lighter and was not used on travellers.

[the-green-monkey]

Ahh thanks very much, Ill get a rattle can full at some point and see how close it is, If its pretty much spot on I will get a load mixed up so I can spray panels as i fix them so they can just bolt straight on when needed. What kind of paint do you recommend for spraying yourself in a garage? I hear on the mini scene 2Pak is the best but the loose base of cyanide is putting me off

[1mustard]

2k is best, just use a good mask and ventilation, also its better to have doors, wings fitted before painting, for alignment probelms etc and to make sure you get even paint on all the panels to ensure the colour matches, spray the shuts, insides of the doors first, fit then paint, you could take the panel out of one of the back doors to any good paint supplier and they will be able to match up paint for you no problem, i have done a much the same resto as you are doing, hope you have deep pockets!!!
keep up the good work!

[pegasus]

Great work so far, keep the pictures coming.
2k is good but dont attempt it without an air fed mask, its leathal stuff. I have done mine in 2k but i did every piece individually off the car, with no diffrence in shading of the panels. This doesnt happen as much with 2k as it does with cellulose, but cellulose is safer if you havent got the correct breathing apparatus.
Keep up the good work.
Mark

[LouiseM]

2k is best, just use a good mask and ventilation

2 pack paint is extremely dangerous and should not be sprayed without proper safety equipment. This means air fed breathing apparatus and an extracted spray booth. Breathing the fumes can be fatal and just using a face mask with ventilation is not adequate protection. Please don't take a risk with your health or the health of others.

[williamraff]

Do "NOT" spray two pack in your garage!!! If you value your health!! Thirty years ago health and safety information on two pack was not as widespread as it is now consequently many of us are suffering the consequences. I am 47 but my lungs are the equivelant of an 80 year old smoker - I have never smoked!
You only get one set of lungs - they are precious - do not abuse them.
Pay someone else if you want the two pack shine or work a bit harder on the cellulose but remember even cellulose is an irritant and can cause long term damage.
The linings of my lungs are hardening - I can barely walk upstairs -do not take chances.

Kind regards,Will .

[the-green-monkey]

Right thanks very much guys, 2Pak is definately out then. I really do not want to risk it because i only have a one of them little spray masks with the filters on either side. Will the combination of: spraying a panel at a time, using the spray mask, having a large extractor fan next to the work area and using celluslose be enough to keep me safe and still give a good paint finish?

[RobMoore]

I did mine in celly outside, rather nice job considering I had not sprayed before I got this car.
once your happy with the prep go for it start with 50/50 paint thinners and give a light dust coat to start followed by 2 or 3 wet coats and finish off with a really thin coat by thin I mean add more thinners to the paint so your at about 80% thinners.

[the-green-monkey]

Brilliant thanks very much everyone. Hopefully sart getting panels fixed and painted by the end of the month then ;)

[williamraff]

The beauty of cellulose is - if you make a mistake or are not happy with the finish -it is easy to rub down and buff up again. The end result though, is proportionate to the amount of effort and preparation carried out in the first place; but an excellent finish is acheivable in the conditions you describe.
Remeber though, that cellulose sinks as it dries; so any imperfections which look to be covered whilst spraying can show through once dried.
The trick with cellulose is less is more - continue to build up the depth with more coats rather than trying to apply thicker coats too quickly, flatten off with 200 grade wet and dry between dry coats if you want a perfect finish. The trickiest part is having the confidence and ability to keep the gun moving on the final very thin coat - beware -this is when it is most likely to run!

Good luck,Will .

[the-green-monkey]

Brillaint advise will thanks very much, are you sure you mean 200 though? not 2000? and should i give it a quick rub down before i apply the lacquer or not? thanks

[chickenjohn]

You can get a great finish with cellulose, it just needs more coats and more litres than 2-pack as celly is sprayed on 50% with thinners and so goes on in thinner layers. Also it takes more layers of primer to get the build of material. However, celly dries quicker and therefore seems to suffer less from 2K paint defects such as dust, insects etc.

Great finish is to ne had by wet sanding then machine polishing the cellulose paint after it is fully dry- this is much easier and quicker to do than 2K as cellulose is softer.

You will only need a carbon filter mask to be safe when spraying cellulose - such as the 3M one paint suppliers sell.

I agree with the others NEVER consider spraying 2K at home. Should only ever be sprayed in a booth.

[pegasus]

This may be of some help to you.
http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/spray-painting.htm

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/show ... hp?t=14051
mark

[the-green-monkey]

Quick uestion for everyone, any idea what colour she is from the pics?

I think it's yukon grey which was used between July '60 and November '61. Dove grey is lighter and was not used on travellers.

I cleaned some of the paint up today and i dont think its yukon, its quite blueish, but im fairly sure its the origonal colour because its the same colour in the little nooks and crannys and on the roof under where the headlining was anyone got a photographic colour guide?

[the-green-monkey]

Ok the garage is finally TIDY! I can begin work again.

So yesterday I got to work restoring panels, starting with the bonnet I stripped off the paint and sanded any rusty areas with 120 grit wet and dry (dry of course) luckily most of the rust was surface rust but there are a couple of areas, such as the holes for mounting the bonnet badge, that will need to be taken out and replaced because it's been eaten away. Once i had it back to bare metal I just gave any pitted areas a quick blast of filler primer and today I will get out to put on some grey primer to keep the rust out while I wait till dad can weld in some replacement mounting holes.

And while on the subject of welding, I had a go myself on some scrap steel.... Lets just say I need more practice before i work on the car

[the-green-monkey]

OK been doing a bit of work on the seats now (I know it seems a little premature but I'm trying to get all the little things done so once the chassis is fixed its just a simple case of bolt on the nice bits) and I am really surprised at how well they have come up I'll get some pictures of the restored part of the seat cover (the back of the seat) and of the unrestored part (the bottom) to show how well it has worked out. But first I will tell you my technique.

1) Remove top and bottom seat covers from frame and remove seat sponge.
2) Using "Shout Stain Remover" (this is the only thing I could find that actually removed most of the stains on my seats) spray the whole seat, not just the stained areas, and rub in with a soft bristled brush.
3) Wipe off foam and dirt with a damp cloth.
4) Leave in a bucket of hot water containing "Vanish Oxi Action Crystal White Powder" or other washing powder appropriate for soaking, for about 5 hours.
5) Take out of bucket and leave to drip dry.
6) Put the cover in a washing machine on long cool wash with more vanish.
7) Remove from washing machine and leave to dry completely.
8 ) (If you want to do it the cheap way like I did) using shoe renovating cream rub down the whole surface and get right into the grain of the vinyl and leave it to dry in, DON NOT RUB IT OUT.
9) Using shoe renovating polish rub into any areas that are more dull than the rest of the cover.
10) Using a chamois leather or similar soft cloth buff the seat cover to a shine (even if you dont want it shiney you will need to do this or the polish will come off on your clothes.

I would NOT SUGGEST you do this if your seats are just a bit dirty, I only did this as an experiment because my seats were in such bad condition it didnt matter if i ruined them (luckily i didnt and they look much better), you could probably also miss out the washing machine bit if you feel uncomfortable with putting vinyl in a washer but it had to be done with mine because of the rats . Also as an alternative to the shoe polish you can use proper seat resoring creams and dyes but they are upwards of £85, money I dont have, the shoe stuff only cost £6.50 from a local cobblers.

[the-green-monkey]

Incoming pictures!



The top of the seat was completely discoloured from being left in the sun, but now it blends right in.

This was one of the few marks I could not remove, I think it's paint

I will edit this post and add some pictures of the bottom at a later date but at present it is in the garage and its snowing outside