Paint

I'm sure I've now spent way more on bits and pieces than I have on paint..... All the crap I've been "working around" for ages.

eg:
--a bunch of nitto compressor fittings so I dont' have to constantly swap the same few fittings around..
--I finally purchased an airline filter. I have a copper tube setup in the air line I put into a bucket of ice to try and condense the moisture out ... and a water trap. But I've always wanted to buy one of those Motor Guard M30 filters. And I just found a copy of them for sale for about 1/2 the amount.

UniMig AT1000 Compressed Air Filter | eBay

Otherwise known as a "Toilet Paper Filter". You can put a roll of toilet paper in them to condense out the water rather than the expensive high micron filter cartridges. You'll know why you want them when you find the moisture blisters in your paint.
--bunch of push mount cable ties
--bunch of harness loom clips
-- Oh, check this out. A fuse/relays box for $20.00

Auto Car Fuse Relay Holder Box Relay Socket 6 Relay 5 Road The Nacelle Insurance | eBay

So the fan and headlight relays can be all cleaned up a lot better than they were.
--A rivnut set
--a small filter/regulator for the spray gun
--a cheapo reverse camera to make hooking trailers up easier
--a bunch of crimp on terninals
--a big roll builders plastic to line a spray area with
--some tack rags
--prepsol
--gloves
--masking film
--scrapers
--respirator filters
--micro cloths
--a set of wiring gromets and plugs.

see what i mean, its bloody endless.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachmen...t-p1190676.jpg

Oh this is the little fuse/relay box. I'll let you know what sort of quality it is when I fit it .... certainly a cheap tidy way of cleaning up the wiring.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachmen...t-p1190677.jpg

I cheaped out and got that really big (cheap) rivnut set.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachmen...t-p1190678.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachmen...t-p1190679.jpg

It seems to work quite ok. Sure I'd never trust such a cheap rivnut somewhere critical.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachmen...t-p1190681.jpg

but for stuff like this, the transmission tunnel cover and undertrays ... they would have to be perfect!

Yes I know, I should weld up all the spot weld holes.... but all this stuff ... it just takes so much time .... and this is supposed ot be the quickest "tidy up" so I can use the car .... not a restoration.

This stuff is so easy to use.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachmen...t-p1190683.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachmen...t-p1190684.jpg

The films is really easy to use .... The long one is 2 meters long.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachmen...t-p1190686.jpg

Its long enough, I can start outside of the door, and "wrap" the door in plastic. There is one HUGE negative with this film, that I'm guessing everyone learns the hard way. Where you spray the paint against it..... on the first coat it dries.... when you spray a second coat, the previous coat blows off and ends up in all the wet paint.

Last time I just used newspaper and taped it around the edges...... I'll be buggered if I can find any these days. I don't know anyone that buys a paper anymore. I went into bunnings and it was $18.00 for a tiny roll of paper to mask with (and I mean tiny) :o

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachmen...t-p1190685.jpg

So i went back to the auto paint place. They strongly recommended a dispenser .... I'm sure they are great, but at $112,00 ... I figured a length of metal to sit the roll on would be much better for me...

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachmen...t-p1190687.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachmen...t-p1190688.jpg

its a HUGE amount of work to paint these door openings... why on earth did I buy a different colour!

I only got the two doors done this evening.... its so bloody cold out there, my fingers turned numb and I couldn't get the tape off the roles [bighmmm] Oh wow, no wonder I think I'm getting old and feeling the cold.... I just checked the weather online. minus 1.2 outsides ..... "feel like" minus -5.2 :o

seeya,
Shane L.

Painting a car is a lot of work, especially redoing stuff. When I saw you were going with a new colour I thought extra work.

I collected a heap of free newspapers before last years 110 respray, and I still went short.

Yeah, have done one colour change on a vehicle before - including engine out to do under the bonnet. While I would never say never again, it certainly isn't on the top of my list of things to do although if I get my RRC running right, paint may be back on the cards at some point.

Keep up the good work, looking forward to seeing what it turns out like.

Well I thought I'd have all the door openings and "backs" of the panels painted today (eg: back of the bonnet, fuel flap, tailgate etc.... I reckon I've put over 4hours into just taping up those bloody door openings :o .... Then I dragged the spray gun out .......... and for the first time ever though "I probably should check this thing" ....... Yes, it's only taken me 20years to learn checking first is a hell of a lot easier to re-doing everything ............ [bighmmm][bighmmm][bighmmm] (if only I was joking). I put some left over 2pack reducer into the gun to see what it would do...................

And i"ll be damned, the bloody thing leaked everywhere when I tipped it forward .... The cap on the pot.... I pulled the gun back to bits and gave it another clean. And found white enamel paint from the caravan I painted a few years back in the lid recess. So I checked agian ............. (ie: hold it sideways, tilt it forward, back ..... even upside down).......... Damn thing start dripping if I tip it forward for more than 5seconds.... It appears to be the needle and seat. So back to bits again.... Then I cleaned the needle with some super fine steel wool..... and found a tiny amount of "melted" white enamel on the needle when I pushed it into the seat .... That damn enamel. it mustn't flush out of the gun with enamel thinner. So I have it out there now with 2pack reducer sitting in it (that stuff is so toxic .... you can feel the cancers growing just looking at the **** .... it will also dissolve pretty much anything if left in contact ...). Wow 2pack paints are scary toxic. AVOID unless you have an air fed mask and you cover every scrap of skin (especially the eyes). I'm also keeping away from the shed while it cures.... they make me feel sick in the stomach if I'm around them curing (POR Hardnose did the same thing to me).

The 45minute round trip to pickup the kids at 3:30pm in the afternoon means I'm getting bugger all done. Because if your not ready to paint by 2:00pm ... Your not painting until the following day (by the time you get back .... way to cold).

To think we do this stuff for fun http://www.aussiefrogs.com/forum/smilies/crazy.gif http://www.aussiefrogs.com/forum/smilies/crazy.gif



seeya,
Shane L.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DoubleChevron

Now here is something interesting. These damn rear steps ... with there pre-rusted, alloy cover plates you can't remove the bolts from ( grrrrr ). I have had 3 Range Rovers with this same rear step..... that needs the hugely dropped tongue to be of any use. And they have all looked bent. The gap between them and the rear tailgate has been greater towards the drivers side on all 3 cars i've had (I've noticed this is cars for sale with the same rear step too..... It looks like the things been clobbered and is twisted ).

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachmen...t-p1190673.jpg

if you put the step on the floor and run a tape measure over it, it doesn't seem to be out of shape.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachmen...t-p1190669.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachmen...t-p1190670.jpg

The chassis is 10mm different if you measure from a level floor. So the bumper needed to be built with one mount slightly offset (I bet they built the later steps to match the chassis).

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachmen...t-p1190672.jpg

I just sat the square on the ground like this to measure.

So that is why they all look at of square. The chassis on this car doesn't appear to be damaged at all either. Well I guess it's possible all three rangies I've had with the step have rear rails that are bent ... but I can't see it!

seeya,
Shane L.

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I have a rear step bar that has been used on 2 classics. The bar always looks bent and I tried to pack one side, the rhs to make it look level. Maybe all RRC have out of level chassis???

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bikeman

I have a rear step bar that has been used on 2 classics. The bar always looks bent and I tried to pack one side, the rhs to make it look level. Maybe all RRC have out of level chassis???

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I may try packing it. I do use this thing to tow a lot, so unless the packing shims are perfect..... I may fatique and break something eventually. The packers would need to graduate upto 10mm as they cross the rear crossmember to keep it safe as a towbar (as a bumper, it wouldn't matter at all :) ).

seeya,
Shane L.

Wow this is frustrating ... I only have a few days off .... I just couldn't get the paint on yesterday (as I'd have only got half way through it before the school run). Ready to go today ..... outside temperature. 5.9degrees.... "feels like" -0.1 .... It would be 6degrees tops in the shed. Looks like I have a day to setup a clean area to paint it ... I have a small jetfire, but it won't heat an open 12 x 7.5meter shed when its < 6degrees .... I'll need to get the lined area fixed up today. That way I can "try" to heat it for paint tomorrow (here's me thinking I'd have the whole car primed and blocked ready for top coat on friday .......................... I haven't even done the door openings let alone put the primer surfacer on the entire body yet).

damn, yesterday was perfect for painting ... still (no wind).. about 14degrees and warm in the shed as the sun was on it.

seeya
Shane L.

You'll be waiting a while now I think unfortunately. Our little hint of Spring is gone and it's not likely to be warm again until about this time next week by the looks of it - and maybe until around December in Ballarat...[biggrin]

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Homestar

You'll be waiting a while now I think unfortunately. Our little hint of Spring is gone and it's not likely to be warm again until about this time next week by the looks of it - and maybe until around December in Ballarat...[biggrin]

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Yep, that is what I'm working on. Man I suck at typing with one hand :(

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachmen...t-p1190694.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachmen...t-p1190691.jpg

I was trying to think of a way of covering the opening .... possibbly hanging the builders plastic like a curtain .... (but how do I get it air titght then). Then I spotted the ****ty treated pine I bought as edging for the pavers................... so now that is a bunch of useless short bits of timber cut down and covered in plastic. I have fixed the dooor with the fan blower (and will also have the jetfire in it). The other is hinged.

I then spent bloody ages trying to tape the plastic on ..... balls of bloody tape and plastic everywhere and one very frustrated DoubleChevron.... about then I remembered i purchased a air staple gun to make caravaninterior doors with early last year.......... Bloody amazing.... that sucker is worth its weight in gold!


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachmen...t-p1190693.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachmen...t-p1190692.jpg

All the plastic is stappled on .... I just need to run some tape around it to make it airtight after training last night and I'm all done.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachmen...t-p1190689.jpg

I'm hoping this will work... The blower fan and jetfire are mounted up high.... and the exhaust is at ground level... The idea is the area should be slightly pressurised and the dust and overspray will be pulled to the floor where the exhaust is .... well its worth a try either way.

The biggest issue now is,,,,,,, for the first time in the 12years I've been doing it, I fell awkwardly last night at training ,,,,, landing heavily on my arm/wrist..... I actually felt and heard my wrist "pop". I pretty sure the only thing that has saved the wrist from shaattering is the tens of thousands of pushups I've done on my knuckles over the last 12years....

So now I sit here typing one handed... I can't peel the tape from a masking roll,,,, can't hold a spray gun..... on the bright side, my wrist can support the weight of my hand today.... and i can move all of my fingers again ..... I must have popped the wrist out of joint, then it went straight back in............ so nothing broken. hopefully I can hold a spray gun (and open a paint tin [bighmmm] ) in a day or so... failing that I'll have to go get some xrays done

That lined area in the shed is all heavily insulated, so I should be able to heat and paint even if the weather stays awful like it has been.

seeya
Shane L.
PS: All of my cars are manual, doing the school run is fun [tonguewink]