Post by grumpynorthener on Jun 24, 2022 9:17:46 GMT
A minor diversion / excursion to the Kent countryside yesterday evening was taken to appraise this 1952 Jowett Jupiter on behalf of a club member whom is considering adding it to his stable - looks like the deal is done
Post by grumpynorthener on Jul 14, 2022 8:36:22 GMT
This Scimitar GTC has been in the workshop for a few days - I repaired & painted the bonnet on it as a separate panel earlier in the year - at the time I worked from a paint name & code - unfortunately a lot of the mixing formulas are unavailable for older colours especially in the case of cars that have been repainted quite possibly in a non factory colour / nearest match etc - The colour shading between what is on the rest of the car and the bonnet is pretty significant and I agreed from the outset that we would try a different paint supplier in order to gain a better matching
Once prepped it was ready for the paint
Its a better match but not perfect - I'll need to check once I put the car out into daylight - the only way to really resolve issues like this is blend the colour but that involves repainting at least the complete front of the car
Derek asked if I could tidy the rear panel up whilst the car was with me
It looks like the paint in this area has been applied with a knife & fork
I prepared the the repair areas but the underlying paint is reacting to the initial primers
I then used a different polyester primer
Which still reacted with the underlying paint - Unsure of what the car has been previously painted with but its highly reactive / volatile
I cured the polyester and applied a guide coat prior to blocking it back
Then applied a isolating sealer primer over it
Flatted back once cured
Paint applied
And its still reacting through the isolator
Paint cured and the areas of reaction prepped & isolator reapplied
Paint reapplied
Its still making minor attempts to break / react - I'll see what it cleans up like once flatted - the only way I could now prevent this is through some pretty major works of stripping the panel down to the gel coat but would then end up chasing the same problems that I have already encountered all the way down the long rear wings to the door apertures
During the curing times on the rear panel - I've flatted & first stage polished the bonnet
Post by grumpynorthener on Jul 15, 2022 8:02:50 GMT
Very annoying and something that is impossible to predict when you start work on something like this
With every trick in the book utilised I thought that I would give it a final attempt - I prepped the the rear panel again and applied the isolator over the problem area but this time I added a retarder to slow the drying process and then cured the isolator over a much longer period
Then repainted the panel again but did the reverse with the paint to what I did with the isolator - this time I added an accelerator to cure the paint very quickly and it appears that this might just have worked
The bonnet has now been second stage polished - so just a nib & polish on the rear panel and a little fitting up and it can be collected
Colour match is a tricky one but sometimes you have to stop somewhere before a tidy up escalates to a full repaint. I know sometimes there ends up being little difference in the end though. We had two replacement wings on the front on swmbos A4 Cab a couple of years ago and some remedials around the rear arches. On cost grounds and given the other panels were tidy enough , we stuck with just both flanks being done and blended out across the bumper corners. Looks bob on colour wise 95% of the time , its just an occasional different light or viewing angle that throws the slight miss-match up but we were aware of that chance at the time. Given they had hit pretty much bottom market value at that point , cost was a major factor and to be honest the job only became viable at all when the stars aligned and i picked up a pair of genuine s/h wings for £5 each , otherwise it would probably have been left to pickle away in the corrosive cornish air.
Sometimes you are lucky. During the resto of my Giulia Super the right side front door was damaged after the whole car was painted (not a nice day) and needed a repaint. The verde Pino (Pine green) was near but not perfect. After 3 months it was inpossible to see the difference.. Thom
Post by grumpynorthener on Aug 9, 2022 21:03:20 GMT
Currently overseeing a project on the village hall
This is to undertake roofline repairs to the halls - replacing the tile trays & underfelt to the lower edges of the roof - Ridges & hips are also being reset where required
New facia / soffits & gutters are also being undertaken
This is only part of the works
2 new soakaways are required - the existing ones are blocked - excavation work for these will commence over the next few weeks - This is all part of a programme to complete external works to the halls before the end of the year - The target being to not only catch up on issues that have become detrimental to the property but to also largely reduce the maintenance burden / issues hence the soffit / facia & gutters have all been replaced in plastic rather than timber & steel
Post by grumpynorthener on Aug 28, 2022 11:49:12 GMT
The workshop went mobile yesterday to Hereford
To take a look at this 1926 Jowett Long 4 Tourer - its a recent purchase by a client
Currently a non runner - so lets see if we can get some life out of it
A simple compression test with the spark plugs removed and turning it over on the starting handle confirmed that the engine internals were fine, new suppression leads made up along with clean up of the points & distributor cap - a little rewiring to the coil gained us a spark at the plugs
Fuel supply was the real issue - the tank is sited under the front bulkhead / behind the dashboard - the tap at the base of the tank is goosed - I attempted a temporary repair with the seals but it still leaks badly and requires replacement - To prove the engine I filled the float chamber - Despite a new battery (this is only a 6 volt car) the engine wouldn't turn over quick enough to start it - So I tried it with starting handle and it burst into life - sounded pretty sweet too - But I need some parts and more time on the car - I need to investigate the starter / starter button & the battery leads - sort the fuel tap along with needle valve on the carb and give the car a good service / shakedown
The car has had a life but its pretty sound
It came with a fair lump of history too - So the car is on its way via trailer to the workshop at the end of this coming week - Meanwhile I have a few parts on order - No pressure now but the car is required for family wedding in mid September
In the same barn / workshop is this unique British Salmson woody estate - A brave restoration is just getting underway on this
Still on with woody estates is this very rare Morris Isis estate in has purchased condition
Mid 30's Wolseley Sports Special
Along with a 1932 Wolseley Tourer - Complete & infinitely restorable
Outside was a 52 Javelin Deluxe (needs the engine sorting)
And these are just the projects - the restored on the road cars are stored elsewhere which I didn't get time to see but include a early Tickford Series Land Rover along with a Bristol 403 & Bristol 407