Traveller Metal Prep .. And what to do about the wings ?

[JustinMinor1000]

So I am in the enviable position of having two almost identical white traveller.

The only truely different thing about them is the fact that one of them has no wood at all and the other is held together with chewing gum and string.

So my chewing gum and string car HAS to have new wood before Christmas BUT (As Usual) we are skint ... I have the £1800 to pay Steve Foreman but in all honesty no more untill January 2008 at least ..

Now the paintwork on this car is truely awfull, I am not kidding (You can ask ray he's seen it) it has been brushpainted with Dulux in places .. (but not gloss .. eggshell possibly?).

So the plan is this .. I take the Ali panels from the other car (the one without wood) and prepare them for painting. No Dulux here they are nice but some the extremities have corroded slightly. How should I prepare them for painting ? Nitromors and then Acid Etch primer? or just a rub down and etch primer.

Once I have repainted these bits I'll give them to Steve Forman to use in the new wood ... and he can give me the duluxed bits back to use on the other car.

Nobody has to tell me that this car is going to look really stupid when i get it back .. I know .. The idea is that a little later we will get the front half sprayed and reskinned doors put on ..

What do I do about the rear wings ? The ones on it are truely awfull and the ones of the other car are also terrible. Someone once told me that if you take rear wings off you can never get them back on because the coach bolts once removed will not return .. Anyone know about this ? Non standard holes inbetween the standard ones and wood screws ? Would only be for six months or so until we can afford new ones ..

[alex_holden]

Someone once told me that if you take rear wings off you can never get them back on because the coach bolts once removed will not return .. Anyone know about this ? Non standard holes inbetween the standard ones and wood screws ? Would only be for six months or so until we can afford new ones ..

I drilled new holes between the old ones and fitted new coach bolts in them.

[RogerRust]

If you are only fitting the wings for a short while onto your nice new woodwork use shorter thinner screws (and paint the heads) then you can put the proper coach bolts in later.

[bmcecosse]

The aluminum panels would be best just cut from new flat sheet (obviously not the roof!) if they are corroded - it's not expensive. Sounds like you really need new rear wings to go with the new wood - daft to economise on that - you will only spoil the new wood. But why not save a fortune and fit the wood yourself - you can buy ready assembled sides for a lot less than the cost you are quoting!!