Thread: New Project...

I love your work and this thread it has been giving me thoughts for a while about my s1 or s2a, I think i will lead towards the 2a

It's funny reading this because I've been cleaning/replacing bits of my 2a's engine as well - bell housing, sump, mounts, and all associated nuts, bolts and washers I couldn't believe how much sludge was in the bottom of the sump though ... it's been a while since it's been off, certainly what was left of the gasket suggested that

Keep the posts coming, it's making quite an interesting read

G'day Mr Ghost,

I have just read through all 143 posts on this fantastic thread and taken copious notes! Congratulations on your superb work, particularly your commitment to keeping things original where possible, and many thanks for the inspiration.

I'm just thinking about an upcoming project and wondering about paintwork. Now that you've come this far, are you happy with the results of doing the paint work yourself; especially with the Deep Brunswick Green colour? Does Roger look as good 'in the flesh' as in your great pics? And do you have any experience with how the paint will weather and wear over time?

cheers and thanks again!

Garry

Hi Garry,

Thanks for the kind words! I will be the first to admit that the cleaning/sanding/painting does get tiresome at times... But it will be worth it in the end!

You do ask a very good question. Am I happy with the results? Yes I am very happy. "Bacicat" popped in for a visit recently and had a look at the painted panels and he seemed reasonably impressed.

I am only a beginner and certainly not an expert. I have learnt quite a bit along the way though!

This may sound obvious, but it really depends on what you want the end result to be and what you want to use the car for. This project is going to be a weekend car, road car, some 4wding - and is not meant to be concourse!

I get enjoyment out of restoring a car that looks good, goes well and can be used. I do not intend on thrashing it through the bush - I am not interesting in fitting bigger wheels, tyres, lift kits, etc.

I fully understand why people do concourse cars, and why they modify them. It's all a matter of personal choice. To each his own I say!

The dilemma for me was -

If I spend hours and hours, and lot's of $ I could end up with a concourse car. Better than factory. But then I wouldn't want to use it for fear of damaging it. Which defeats (for me) the entire purpose of restoring it - so that I can use it!

I also wanted to keep things reasonably original - which means keeping the panels that came with the car, minor dents and all.

If I wanted a concourse car, I would have spent more time on panel beating out the dents, filling them with body filler, sanding it all back to be baby smooth, a good coat of primer, multiple top coats (I always do 2), and a few coats of clear (I haven't done this).

When it comes to paint I have learnt that all of the hard work is in the preparation. 80% prep work, and 20% painting! The more your prepare the better out it will come.

I also specifically went for a paint that is readily available. When painting my other project (the grey ghost), I got 80% through it and the paint colour that I had been using was discontinued...
I had the paint "matched" and 2 different places, and the match was far from perfect - it was miles off.

It is sometimes tempting to quickly sand a panel, and then get the paint on quickly because that is the fun part. But you won't get a mirror finish by taking any short cuts.

I am happy with what I have done - it will get a good looking car, not perfect, but a lot better then when I bought it!

I can't speak for weathering of the paint - as all of the panels are being stored indoors at the moment, because the car is still in bits! The other project (the grey ghost) lives outdoors and the paint has held up quite well over the last 1.5 years - but it's only been 1.5 years..

It's really up to you - being a combination of how much time, effort and money do you want to spend? And what do you want to use the car for?

Originally Posted by garrywlh

I'm just thinking about an upcoming project and wondering about paintwork. Now that you've come this far, are you happy with the results of doing the paint work yourself; especially with the Deep Brunswick Green colour? Does Roger look as good 'in the flesh' as in your great pics?

As mentioned by 'Mr Ghost', I have seen Roger in the flesh - both before the resto started, and more recently with some of the painting complete. I can say that it does look as good, if not better than the camera can make out. As mentioned, it is faithful to the style of restoration, and there has been a LOT of prep work. While not a concourse finish, it will certainly turn heads when back on the road.

Originally Posted by grey_ghost

You do ask a very good question. Am I happy with the results? Yes I am very happy. "Bacicat" popped in for a visit recently and had a look at the painted panels and he seemed reasonably impressed.

You make me sound like a paint critic.... Yes, I was 'reasonably' impressed - actually, I was very impressed, the paint colour and finish really suit the vehicle, and it is a credit to the time you have taken prepping everything.

Hi bacicat,

I didn't mean to make you sound like a paint critic - I just didn't want to talk myself up! I didn't want to sound like an expert, because I am certainly not!

I do have a lot of enthusiasm though - which hopefully counts for something!

The help of people like you (and other advice on this forum) has been a massive help to me. I've not done this sort of thing before, and it really helps when people like yourself give up your spare time to help!

"Roger" still has a way to go - but I'm still quite excited about working on him!

Yeah, that all makes good sense. Thanks.

I too want a 2a that has been lovingly given a new lease on life, respected for what it has been (history is so important when it can be known isn't it?) and actually used and enjoyed. I admire vehicles that are on show, but I want to be able to putter around our property, take a trailer load of rubbish to the tip and drive to the village to do the shopping. None of that would be fun if I was worrying about the possibility of a scratch.

And for me, one of the best things about your approach is that touch-up jobs can be done readily by the bloke who actually put the paint on in the first place.

I guess, as a novice, my question is about whether I want and can afford a genuine paint code colour applied by a professional, or whether using something else, very close to original would be satisfying, especially if I discover I can actually do it myself. Something I am yet to put to the test!

Love this forum. Thanks again and looking forward to your next post.

cheers

Hi All,

I managed some more work on the car last week -

Firstly I removed the dip-stick tube:


Cleaned and painted it:



Painted the breather pipe and cap:




The biggest job was making a stand for the tub. The tub had been sitting on 2 x saw horses, but I was going to put the roof back on the tub and paint it. This would make the roof too high up to reach - so a mate and I spent a few hours building this -


Then I put the roof back on the tub -


The plan for the next few weeks is - sand, clean, prepare and paint the roof. And continue on the engine - once I get the thermostat housing off..