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Polar White and Rust - a restoration epic, can it even be done?


IanMc
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35 minutes ago, Paul Barrett said:

not sure if I missed it but, why are you not flatting a nd sloshing before your build up, making life very hard for yourself there as the paint job doesn't look too bad and with a decent flatting and mopping a really good standard could be achieved if the paint is thick enough but having all the trim and stuff in the way will hamper it greatly

Hi Paul,

I hope that you are keeping well?

You didn't miss anything matey, it was a conscious decision to proceed with the build up.

(After luckily covering up that hideous run on the door with the side trim strip), I really only have three bad bits to sand back/down:

1) A run on the boot lip edge, just under the lock hole.

2) One on the NSF wing

3) One at the center of the very bottom of the rear panel.

My thinking was that no trim will hamper me with any of those, so I just ploughed on.

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3 hours ago, Paul Barrett said:

 a decent flatting and mopping a really good standard could be achieved

Ahhhh, so thats why paint shops charge over the top!! Ha,ha :ph34r:

Only ever seen one job where being straight out of the gun, was nearly! Perfect. And you cant please everyone. 

Last year i looked around a car that was winning contours handsdown, not a manta! Won about 40 awards, a trailer queen! Counted about 40 imperfections!, did you ever look a new bmw orange peel paintwork? 

Anyway,  looks very good, well done on your efforts. I would always prefare someone trying and suceeding, rather than writing a cheque. 

I know its all old hat and past, but could you post how you mixed, what ratio and equipment you used. Photos would be grand,  

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21 minutes ago, ®evo03 said:

 

I know its all old hat and past, but could you post how you mixed, what ratio and equipment you used. Photos would be grand,  

No problem evo, I will sort that out for you with pleasure - but it will probably be tomorrow now.

 

Tonight  edged a bit further forward.

First a small thing I know, but I finally got round to cutting down a bit of air cooled Beetle air trunking for the cold air feed to the carb:

 

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Then I refitted the front spoiler after giving it its third coat of paint before I went to work this morning - don't ask  :lol::thumbup

 

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And finally a general shot of how the front looks now, just needs the number plate bracket and the plate itself of course. At this point I am torn between getting a new pressed Aluminium plate ordered or trying to straighten out the one that came with the car. I'll give that some more thought over the next 24 hours.

 

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Have a nice evening everyone.

 

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1 hour ago, ®evo03 said:

 

I know its all old hat and past, but could you post how you mixed, what ratio and equipment you used. Photos would be grand,  

Here you go my friend, just for you, and anyone else daft stupid enough to try do it my way  :rolleyes:

 

Here is the paint and thinners I used - the paint was thinned 10%

 

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Naturally I also needed various bits and pieces i.e. paint mixing cups, stirrers, filters etc:

 

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I used my old gravity fed spray gun (with a 1.5 mm dia. nozzle), I have had for a few years - that was only about a tenner on Ebay at the time.

Note the expensive gun stand - that is an old fire extinguisher wall bracket - I knew it would come in handy one day  :lol:

 

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And my positively medieval compressor (set at 50 psi for the second and third coats). No idea what this is, apart from probably not suitable for a respray...   :lol:  However, I used it and just took a minute or so break between each panel to allow it to replenish the air tank and built the pressure up a bit again.

 

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I hope that helps somebody, but I doubt it lol

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50 minutes ago, Mike. said:

What a difference brightwork, badges and trim makes, certainly turning back the years on your cavalier coupe.

Thanks very much Mike, it’s slowly coming around isn’t it?

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Re..the number plates.

its a matter of your personal taste but if your plates have the 57mm wide letters and you prefer them to the 2001 onwards 50mm type you would be best trying to save them because no one will now make the 57mm type anymore in either the rounded or squared off digits.

the 57mm type are still legal as you are pre 2001 and the newer type just look wrong to me on our cars .im pretty sure even the classic plate makers who do the riveted plastic letters only can now sell 50mm but I could be wrong.i certainly had a lot of trouble finding some many many years ago.

 

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What the hell happened to the forum earlier? - I seemed to be totally locked out and couldn't post anything, anywhere!

Anyway, it seems as though it is all fixed now.

 

Mainly cleaning this evening (big yawn!)

All of the wheel arch trim pieces, including the spare I have, plus the rear quarter window 'ledge' pieces.

 

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There is one or two dodgy bits, but I think that they should look OK once fitted.

Tomorrow its the turn of these bad boys - the sill trim strips. Not sure how I am going to get these in the kitchen sink though - perhaps they could join me in the shower?!   :lol:   :D

 

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As you can see, there are a few little dinks and dents to try to knock out of these as well

 

23 hours ago, cam.in.head said:

Re..the number plates.

its a matter of your personal taste but if your plates have the 57mm wide letters and you prefer them to the 2001 onwards 50mm type you would be best trying to save them because no one will now make the 57mm type anymore in either the rounded or squared off digits.

the 57mm type are still legal as you are pre 2001 and the newer type just look wrong to me on our cars .im pretty sure even the classic plate makers who do the riveted plastic letters only can now sell 50mm but I could be wrong.i certainly had a lot of trouble finding some many many years ago.

 

 

Hi Chris, excellent info as always. I am going to look at the front plate more closely tomorrow then decide what to do. I am definitely keeping the rear plate though as it looks like the original! 

The front one is a pressed Aluminium item, still pretty old I think, but certainly not the original.

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13 hours ago, IanMc said:

What the hell happened to the forum earlier? - I seemed to be totally locked out and couldn't post anything, anywhere!

Anyway, it seems as though it is all fixed now.

 

Security update was done and it messed up some Javascript, but as you say all sorted now.

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Got a bit more bling fitted tonight - the rear quarter window 'ledge' bright mouldings, followed by the Black louvres (on both sides of the car).

 

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Unfortunately my Black paint hasn't arrived yet, so the little triangles in the corner will have to wait a little longer. Oh well...

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Inevitably when you take things apart, some or all of the plastic fasteners either get lost or damaged. So in preparation for this time in the project I bought a random bag of plastic fasteners from a Seller in China on Ebay - not bad for £4.50 delivered - there is plenty in there I will be using!

 

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It's all the chrome trim on the Cavs & earlier Bs that make them different & to my taste better looking than the later trend for block colours & no trim.

Good job you're doing, just so glad I bought new trim before it disappeared.

 

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19 minutes ago, ®evo03 said:

:D, will try a mate later in the week for red seat material

Ooh, are you teasing me now evo? Lol

4 minutes ago, plumster said:

It's all the chrome trim on the Cavs & earlier Bs that make them different & to my taste better looking than the later trend for block colours & no trim.

 

 

I completely agree. I’m trying to do it justice - fingers crossed I can pull it off.

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On 04/03/2019 at 19:40, IanMc said:

No problem evo, I will sort that out for you with pleasure - but it will probably be tomorrow now.

 

Tonight  edged a bit further forward.

First a small thing I know, but I finally got round to cutting down a bit of air cooled Beetle air trunking for the cold air feed to the carb:

 

Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member.

 

Then I refitted the front spoiler after giving it its third coat of paint before I went to work this morning - don't ask  :lol::thumbup

 

Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member.

 

And finally a general shot of how the front looks now, just needs the number plate bracket and the plate itself of course. At this point I am torn between getting a new pressed Aluminium plate ordered or trying to straighten out the one that came with the car. I'll give that some more thought over the next 24 hours.

 

Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member.

 

Have a nice evening everyone.

 

Hello Ian.  I was informed somewhere back on this forum, that that air induction pipe you have fitted was not fitted to my car, which is the same model that you have, so I'm wondering now was it  or wasn't it!!!! 

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I would imagine back in the day when a carb froze, cold temps motorway speed, it was wipped off and chucked over the nearest hedge! 

Its a cool air summer thing, been experimenting with redtops and cold air feeds with some good results.

As for the red material, waiting on a reply, just can you say which part you need, back rest or base of seat? , which seat? Or will just get some in good condition, and maybe reupholster it

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8 hours ago, Julian said:

Hello Ian.  I was informed somewhere back on this forum, that that air induction pipe you have fitted was not fitted to my car, which is the same model that you have, so I'm wondering now was it  or wasn't it!!!! 

From P reg to T reg the airfilter didn't have the pipe fitted. V reg onwards it was fitted.

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1 hour ago, ®evo03 said:

 

As for the red material, waiting on a reply, just can you say which part you need, back rest or base of seat? , which seat? Or will just get some in good condition, and maybe reupholster it

Hi mate,

My problem is the seat base of the drivers seat. Everything else is 'passable'.

Fingers crossed.

35 minutes ago, Rapierdave said:

From P reg to T reg the airfilter didn't have the pipe fitted. V reg onwards it was fitted.

That's interesting Dave as my car has an 'insert stub' which is screwed into the back of the nose cone. My car is a T plate.

However it also has the temperature sensing diaphragm thing to switch between cold running (external air) and hot running (drawing the air up from the tin work on the exhaust manifold.

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A little bit more progress this evening.

I have managed to get the NS sill chrome trim refitted. It turn out to be a bit of a faff as I had to drill some fresh hole in front of the rear wheel to take the top clips and some on the flat base of the sill itself (where I had replaced the rot with fresh metal. Anyway all done now.

 

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I had then planned to refit the NSF wheel arch trim, but I don't have any suitable rivets or screws for this job, Hopefully I can get some of these tomorrow, so I can crack on with getting all four wheel arch trims fitted at the weekend.

My preference is to not use rivets as it makes future removal and/or adjustment more of a job, I will try to get some M4 pan or button heads from our local fixings guy in the morning. Then on the back I will use washers and nyloc nuts. That will make fitting secure and neat and tidy - I think...

To finish off I screwed the bracket that holds the front number plate on, then of course the plate itself. I'm still in two minds about replacing that, its a bit of a mess as you can see. Mind you so is the rest of the car!  :lol:

 

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2 hours ago, IanMc said:

That's interesting Dave as my car has an 'insert stub' which is screwed into the back of the nose cone. My car is a T plate.

However it also has the temperature sensing diaphragm thing to switch between cold running (external air) and hot running (drawing the air up from the tin work on the exhaust manifold.

Ah now i can see that your car is a 1979 model so it has the later air filter, where as mine & Julian's are 1978 models with the earlier air filter.

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19 minutes ago, Rapierdave said:

Ah now i can see that your car is a 1979 model so it has the later air filter, where as mine & Julian's are 1978 models with the earlier air filter.

Gotcha, thanks Dave.

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21 hours ago, Julian said:

just needs the number plate bracket and the plate itself of course. At this point I am torn between getting a new pressed Aluminium plate ordered or trying to straighten out the one that came with the car. I'll give that some more thought over the next 24 hours.

 

 

On 04/03/2019 at 23:20, cam.in.head said:

Re..the number plates.

its a matter of your personal taste but if your plates have the 57mm wide letters and you prefer them to the 2001 onwards 50mm type you would be best trying to save them because no one will now make the 57mm type anymore in either the rounded or squared off digits.

the 57mm type are still legal as you are pre 2001 and the newer type just look wrong to me on our cars .im pretty sure even the classic plate makers who do the riveted plastic letters only can now sell 50mm but I could be wrong.i certainly had a lot of trouble finding some many many years ago.

 

Someone (James Osborne) over on the Facebook group has had new plates made up for his 4-door Cavalier.

 

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