But buying new toys is fun too Chuck

 

Thanks for all the feedback from the wood guys. Last question - I went to purchase some clear today - always use PPG products but the only clear they sell that's compatible with wood is their Delclear Acrylic Urethane - basically an older generation acrylic that can't be wet sanded and polished. I can't imagine filling all the wood pores and getting a dead flat finish without sanding so I thought I'd ask for advice on other products that work. PPG says their modern urethanes won't adhere to wood in all conditions - wondering if this doesn't matter for an interior application. Jon, you mentioned earlier a clear that appears to be sold only in the UK. Any advice appreciated.

 

Hmmm.
I'll have to go out to the garage and see what clear I used.
It was noxious stuff, requiring a full face respirator.
Cleaned up with lacquer thinner.

What ever I used, I could easily wet sand it and polish it.
It's still on my Bentley and a number of customers cars.

 

Here's what I used.
I used an air brush with only 5 to 10 psi, (if I remember correctly).
Anything more then that, it was all over the place.
I initially used a spray gun, but there was so much volume, it was impossible to control, so the air brush worked really well.

I mixed it to what it said on the can 4:1:1.
The downside is that the hardener was very expensive and by itself, the shelf life was only a month or 2.
I gave it away to a body shop so it wouldn't go to waste.

http://www.myrv14.com/buildlog/20160...peed_Clear.pdf

 

I used standard urethane clear, many people have used it with no problem, it does not like sticking to any oily wood like teak and sapele, but the walnut does not post a problem, slightly over reduce the first coat so it soaks in and you will get a good bond.

 

Just a few shots of the clear in process - two coats yesterday and another two this morning. John and Chuck, I ended up using a basic urethane clear (Matrix) on the recommendation of the paint guy - saved $100 vs PPG product. It looks like the original burl will be finished with a wet sand and polish, while the new burl will need another coat or two to fill some remaining grain. Jeff, the only benefit of the lamp is that it cures the material quickly which allows for sanding and recoating on the same day. I'll let everything sit at room temp for a week or two before final sanding and polishing. Thanks again for all the advice - it really helped. That Devilbiss TeknaPro is an amazing gun.

 

Nice job Doug, looks great, glad you like the Devilbiss gun, they are really good, what fluid tip and air cap did you go with ?

 

I used a 1.3 fluid tip and TE20 air cap, Jon. Pressure at the gun was 16-18 psi. The atomization on these modern guns at low pressure is nothing short of amazing - the mist is so fine I found myself overlapping 50 to 75% with no runs (of course most of these were horizontal surfaces!). I've never had so much control. The downside is that even with the high transfer rates you're putting a lot of mist in the air, and my little window box fans couldn't keep up - it took a few minutes to clear the garage bay. Ah to have a proper booth!

 

Good setup Doug, you could drop to a 1.2 tip, I am surprised you got that much mist in the air at that pressure, most clearcoat recommend 16 - 26 psi at the gun, so you are at the low end of that, mind you it doesn't matter, it the results that count and the clear looks fantastic.

A good gun makes such a difference, and if only I had a booth too!

Did you get any small fish eyes in the clearcoat ? I had a quite a few despite making sure it was all really clean, I got over it with some fish eye remover additive, but that had a side effect that I then had to counter.

 

No fish eyes at all, Jon. Before shooting the clear I wiped the wood with some PPG reducer I had left over, and placed the panels under the lamp for an hour to make certain everything flashed off - wondering if that might have helped. After four coats I still have a few pinhole voids due to the grain in a couple of panels - pretty certain they'll fill with the next sand/coat. Till next time.

 

Final sanding and polishing of interior wood today - pleased with the overall look. I think the cross banding at the gauges looks a little too busy, but will have to learn to live with it. Here are a couple of pics of the dash being trial fitted.

 

Superb job Doug

 

Can someone tell me how the lower wood trim mounts on the B pillar? I have the clips for the upper pieces, but can't locate any hardware that makes sense for the center square pieces. Many thanks.

 

They screw to the lower T shaped vinyl covered panel, the panel is then held in place with it's own clips, I can post a pic if you want.

 

Thanks Jon. No need to post pic - I remember the setup now.

 

Glad to be a memory jogger, let's face it that's the only jogging I'm likely to do !!!

 

Ummmm. Very rich!

 

Finally a beautiful Spring day in New England and a chance to put some miles on the beast. The car is a blast to drive - just need to sort the final ride height and locate a muffler or exhaust pipe knock somewhere.

I ended up taking back the front window frames which have been in limbo at the platers far too long, and now I'm wondering if the delay might have been a blessing. The more I look at the door mirrors the more I dislike them - in the front view of the car they look like little wings that have atrophied. Since the mirrors mount to the window frames I have the opportunity to source something that looks better and modify the mounts before chroming. Appreciate any thoughts about what might look better or to just get over it. There are also chrome covers available in lieu of body color - help or make the problem worse?

There's always something unexpected. I discovered the GPS unit I installed is voice activated, and the mic and speaker are at the rear of the unit. This was a problem with the unit permanently mounted flush in the dash, so the quick fix was to drill a small "grill" in the panel - yes, the freshly veneered and polished one. It worked, but wouldn't be surprised if the clear starts lifting at some point. I also discovered the interior light switches on the doors wouldn't work - the XJR circuits have control grounds (everything goes into a computer on this thing). We were able to locate some push button micro switches that did the trick.

One of the last things on the to-do list is to order front door glass. I'm trying to locate some Plexiglas that's the same thickness as the glass - figure it's best to test fit and check the power window function with cheap plastic before ordering the custom tempered glass. We've worked out the design for the interior toe kick, under dash and B-pillar panels - next weekend we'll sculpt some foam and lay up fiberglass for the cores. These will be covered in foam and vinyl to match the seats. Still trying to work out a fastener scheme without reverting to screws that show, but at this point we just need to get the beast completed. Happy Spring everyone.

 

Awesome Doug, absolutely stunning.

I see what you mean re mirrors, have a look at Callums Mk2, I think the Lucas style round mirrors look more in keeping, I think it's the shape of the mirrors that makes them look a little out of place, chrome covers may help, but personally I think it's the shape not the colour.

Re the drilled grill, it looks pretty cool and inconspicuous. You could try using a small paint brush and putting some clear inside the holes to seal the edge of the clearcoat, that should stop any lifting issues, just need a steady hand, but at least you could clean off any faux pas easily enough.

Look forward to seeing the solution for the last interior pieces.

Superb job Doug.

 

It has been a long journey Doug, but it appears that it was all worth it. The car looks just beautiful. As to mirrors, some people have used the Jag XJS mirrors on MK2s. I have an NOS pair if you have any interest. Certainly not pushing the idea, but I won’t be using them so they are available. They are chrome, with electric controls.
Lin