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Been a little quiet around here so I thought I'd share my latest project: New Paint ! I'll be adding bits and pieces here and there.
Anyhow......
I've been so happy with the way the V12 conversion worked out that I though I'd go ahead and get the car painted. It really isn't bad at all for a daily driver but at various times in the car's life it has had some panels painted and the color mismatch was starting to bother me. Once seen, you can't UN-see it ! This won't be an expensive paint job but at least it all be the same color.
I was very pleased that I don't have to fight a rust problem around the front and rear screens. Previous invoices from years and years ago show a fair sum spent on rust repair and they must've done a good job. There was only a hint of surface rust under the glass. This was easily sanded out and treated with Rust Mort. I cleaned and sanded the entire channel while I was at it and primed with epoxy primer.
A new windshield is waiting to be installed. I wasn't planning on the additional $369 expense but I broke the old one ! Gah !
A repaint is a good time to freshen and clean all the small stuff. That's where the fun comes in
I found that all the exterior lamps lenses, dull and lifeless from age, really come come to life by using the same products used to restore plastic headlights
The lens gaskets for the tail lights are turning to dust. I found some thin, self-adhesive foam weather striping that makes a decent substitute. I simply cut it into .125" wide strips and it fit into the lamp housings perfectly
Part of the project includes modifying the front side marker lamps to flash with the turn signals. There are various ways to approach this but all of them (that I know of) require the sockets to be un-grounded. I decided to replace the sockets with plastic pieces front NAPA. A Dremel tool was used to cut away the old sockets and enlarge the holes a bit to install the new sockets....which are simply a friction fit.
Good stuff Doug.....I’ve been in the process with my series 2 over the past months “prepping”...the current climate will give me heaps of time to finish.
Will be following your knowledge as always!
Bravo, Doug. Not only will you enjoy your new paint job for years to come, you are an inspiration to us all to turn off the television and get doing something positive. Hagerty had an article about a guy that took advantage of the streets being empty and took photographs of his classic car in front of classic buildings. Another article was encouraging vintage car enthusiasts to clean and tidy up their workbench, tools, and that jar of old nuts and bolts. I am using this time to detail my cars. Lots of YouTube videos on how to do it; I have found places to clean that haven't seen daylight since it went down the assembly line.
Stay safe, stay positive, put on some upbeat music and do something.
Doug
Is your car painted with TPA (Thermoplastic Acrylic) ? There can be real problems getting modern-type paint to go on top of it. Jaguar gave up using it at some point after 1982 o 1982, and went over to the normal Clear-over-Base, but I don't know what year.
This article seems to describe it quite well. Not one of British Leyland's best decisions ! Articles
Bravo, Doug. Not only will you enjoy your new paint job for years to come, you are an inspiration to us all to turn off the television and get doing something positive. Hagerty had an article about a guy that took advantage of the streets being empty and took photographs of his classic car in front of classic buildings. Another article was encouraging vintage car enthusiasts to clean and tidy up their workbench, tools, and that jar of old nuts and bolts. I am using this time to detail my cars. Lots of YouTube videos on how to do it; I have found places to clean that haven't seen daylight since it went down the assembly line.
Stay safe, stay positive, put on some upbeat music and do something.
Jeff
Nothing like a good project for some distraction!
Truth is, I started on this in January ago and figured I'd be done by now....but, wouldn't you know it, things suddenly became very busy at work and my spare time became limited. With any luck it'll go into the paint shop next week.
Doug
Is your car painted with TPA (Thermoplastic Acrylic) ? There can be real problems getting modern-type paint to go on top of it. Jaguar gave up using it at some point after 1982 o 1982, and went over to the normal Clear-over-Base, but I don't know what year.
This article seems to describe it quite well. Not one of British Leyland's best decisions ! Articles
I honestly don't know if mine was originally TPA and, like you, I've forgotten when the change was made. As it stands, I think every part of the car (except perhaps the roof; not sure) has been resprayed at least once over the last 35 years.
Wow, jag glass is expensive. My Jeep's new WS was just over two hundred...
Carl
Same color, yes.
The glass was actually less than I expected. I thought it would be $500. The brand is "Pilkington" which is a well known name. I got it from Summit Racing, which is an excellent vendor for all sorts of automotive parts and supplies, beyond their bread-n-butter hot-rod offerings.
A lot depends on volume, I reckon. A new windshield installed on my old Honda Accord was only about $200 including labor.
I am surprised Elinor is not here giving you the BLACK talk Doug.
Steve, I wouldn't even Think of it.
There are BLACKcar people, and there are Not BLACKcar people.
If Doug was a BLACKcar person, he would need no encouragement from me to make it BLACK.
(';')
I've always believed that my 83 was painted in TPA! it has performed quite well. No cracks and crazing. Still quite shiny. Only a patch or two on the bonnett are duller than the other parts of the car, including the roof!!
Black cars are striking. My son has a 64 Chrysler "K" car in deep black. he swapped an engine job to a pal that was a body and paint guy. It invites attention when driven. the only car in the fleet that enjoys a garage...
My Jaguar enjoys a garage, the Jeep does not Alas, the Jeep is showing peeled clear...
Carl
Time for a new paint job!
