Meet Max

Hi All,

I forgot to take pictures - so will have to remember next weekend. Over the last few weeks I have starting painting the upper tail gate, and the window regulator brackets.

Meanwhile - the original wheels, bumpers and back seat have been sand-blasted, primed and painted... Some progress pics:

https://i.imgur.com/RemnMLV.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/JltcbAD.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/YNK1twi.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/9AG9luH.jpg

Cheers,
GG.

PS - If anyone is looking for some 2DR RRC bits, I now have some spare...

Was that our local sandblaster & painter??

Quote:

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Originally Posted by chuck

Was that our local sandblaster & painter??

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No - it was down Bayswater way.

I have been thinking about trying out our local one - to see how good the new owners are, but I have not as yet..

Hi All,

Tiny update - all of the bumpers & wheels have been painted. The panel beater said "Everything is painted now and reassembled, still gapping up some panels though and I’m close to finishing the polishing bar a couple of panels we should be right to finish sometime next week I’m just wanting to go over it couple more times with the buff."

I'm heading off on a trip week after next, so I'm actually in no rush to pick it up... Lols

I've sent off the C-Pillars to be recovered, and am also working on a reconditioned dash top... Watch this space.

All good things come to those who wait..

Couple of pics:

https://i.imgur.com/4ex5g1p.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/XxoTK4v.jpg

Cheers,
GG.

GG,

Whilst having cancelled plans to study for a looming exam, last night I spend two hours carefully reading in entirety your wonderful and motivating thread.
What excellent commitment you've given to her.

I had a 1993 Vogue some years ago and a 1982 2-door some years prior, before the price hike, and regrettably let them both go.

I've just found a 1981 model, a 3-speed automatic in Sahara dust - and despite having had my heart set on finding an affordable 70's manual model, the price of this licensed and running example was actually accessible, so I acted. To be honest, I'm quite enjoying the automatic (which has previously been rebuilt and changing smoothly) to drive, it feels as though something is missing without that classic long gear shifter.

Thank you for the inspiration via your wonderfully photo-diarised account of the restoration. I hope you're enjoying your trip, wherever you may be.

I'll be sure to post my progress once I've prioritised the list of jobs. New tyres already en route (need to put an end to the faux-monster-truck look ASAP!!) Now just deciding how to most cost-effectively restore the Rostyles.

Nick

Attachment 171279Attachment 171280

Hi All,

It's been quite some time since I have updated this thread. Essentially it is because things came to a grinding halt when I got the car back from the panel beaters, and I was utterly disgusted with the job that was done on it. All of the photos that I had seen were what I call "10 foot photos" - looking at the photographs the car looks great, but when you get close and have a good look - it's horrible.. Every single panel on the car has problems with it - runs in the paint, bubbles in the paint, debris in the paint, etc. Every. Single. Panel.. Further inspection has revealed that rust that I had shown the panel beater and asked to be fixed, had simply been bogged over.. I took the car to another panel beater to ask for a second opinion and he spent a good hour looking over it, finding more problems then I had. His recommendation was "strip it back to bare metal and start again"

The original panel beater has since gone bust - there's a surprise - so I have been left wondering "what do I do?".. I see no point in assembling the car the way that it is - I can't stand the paint job, and if I tried to sell it any potential buyer would soon spot the many faults. I have had two AULRO members have a look at it and they both agreed - there is no point in re-assembly the way that it stands now..

In the meantime I have been doing other jobs.

Here is an example of the drivers sill (before cleaning), and then after cleaning and polishing. I did the same thing for the 2 drivers still, and the lower tailgate as well.

https://i.imgur.com/QrVfyg4.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/aAxwzzV.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/2pClUHu.jpg

The polishing hasn't really got into the deep groves, so I went to my local Clarke Rubber store and found a foam/rubber insert which I plan to install when I install the sills on the car:

https://i.imgur.com/YlhSHGa.jpg

The results are not concourse - but they are a lot better then what I started off with.

The trimmer has completed my center console:

https://i.imgur.com/m62rv2k.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/m62rv2k.jpg

I also pulled apart the air cleaner:

https://i.imgur.com/vFYacgL.jpg

Sanded it all back and painted it:

https://i.imgur.com/VIjUpCW.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/IPLsFR0.jpg

I cleaned all of the internal components:

https://i.imgur.com/Vv0m3JG.jpg

I also spent some time cleaning various vents:

https://i.imgur.com/JDsnIja.jpg

Another problem that I had was - when inspecting various parts that I had already painted previously (it feels like years ago), the clear coat had cracks in it.. WT? Sand them all back and re-paint them again.. :(

https://i.imgur.com/hCkejwZ.jpg

Further updates to follow..

Cheers,
GG.

Here is some rust that was meant to be fixed, but was bogged over...

https://i.imgur.com/5nOP5Hi.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/6MpSqdE.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/LHG8ZmF.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/s1w5gN3.jpg

All of these sections on the trans tunnel have been repaired:

https://i.imgur.com/QSl4rph.jpg

Chasing the rust - meant going deeper than originally planned:

https://i.imgur.com/y5ppPuf.jpg

Rust has been repaired in both sills, the trans tunnel, and a repair panel for the drivers side footwell has just arrived...

A good friend of mine is doing all of the rust repairs (I don't have a welder, and have never welded in my life) - which has been fantastic. Everything that he has found was meant to be repaired by the panel beater - in fact I was told that it has been repaired.. Grrrrr

On another note - I have made up some reproduction stickers. My stickers are not 100% the same, but they are close.. (I forgot to take a picture of my reproductions)

https://i.imgur.com/HsYa2An.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/d7mMSsk.jpg

I have been slowly accumulating parts over the last few years - things like seals, a restored dash top, dash binnacle and instrument face, window winders, interior trim panels.. I have sourced a lot of parts from Famous Four UK but also some locally..

I woke up one night and thought "I don't remember seeing the key barrels for the front door locks.".. I went into the shed and sure enough - both are missing, lost forever. The panel beater would have removed them to paint the doors... This panel beater not only has been a disaster, but he has lost parts (I wonder what else?) and it has been a complete an utter waste of money, money that I cannot afford. I had never paid a panel beater to paint a car, and used this one based on a reference from somebody that I know. I inspected his work, visited his workshop and liked what I saw. I'm now another one of those "restoration" stories that you hear about - somebody being ripped off, with very poor quality work...

The next steps are:
* Sand Blast and paint the floor panels (rear panel, trans tunnel, and 2 floor panels behind the seats)
* Repair drivers side footwell (A-Pillar) - I now have the repair piece from Famous Four
* Find a panel beater - paint the car
* Start re-assembly.

Cheers,
GG.

Wow that's crap, sorry to hear of this Tom.
Another bit of fuel to my distrust of so called specialist repairers.

What an absolute disappointment and waste of time and money. At least you still have the car, it could have been tricky if the panel shop had gone bust with it still there. Hope you can find someone to do the work properly and without any more drama.
Cheers,
Woolly.

I'm sorry to hear your tale of woe Tom. You would be able to weld, you've just got to give it a go. There's a bit to learn, but if you can write, you can learn to weld.
Don.