H-400 Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 Hi Ian, as you all know I own an original Manta-400. The car is something special, I pamper it. Give it the best oil an owner can. Do the maintenance on it, as only one can do. But that car is not perfect. The oil seal behind the rear of the engine needs repair,noticed those rubber things at the end of your steering arms need replacement. Gonna do it, but I also drive with that car to Switserland, Germany, Holland, Denmark, and so on. Some say I am nuts, such a car but I enjoy it. I drive it. This is what a car is made to do. So if you find those minor points of imperfection repair it when you have time, but don't forget to drive that car. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanMc Posted April 14, 2019 Author Share Posted April 14, 2019 Wise words, thanks Herman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanMc Posted April 15, 2019 Author Share Posted April 15, 2019 A small update tonight, but it is one that has given me back my positive attitude again. The OSR quarter behind the wheel was 'lumpy' and after taking a closer look I think that the metal might have distorted during the weld repairs in that area. Yesterday I knocked down the humps with a panel beating hammer and put a skim of filler over the now slightly indented metal. Some sanding in that area tonight has left me feel much happier with the whole area. This is it after the sanding and the application of some stopper filler in a few areas: Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Then I moved around the corner to sand back the filler that I had applied to that side of the lower rear panel in an attempt to tidy up some imperfections. Again some small amounts of stopper have been applied here and left to dry. This area is also looking much tidier already: Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Have a nice evening everyone. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanMc Posted April 16, 2019 Author Share Posted April 16, 2019 Some more bodywork remedial work tonight. I decided to make a start on the lower part of the NSR quarter, behind the door. Already the lines are better and I have only just dumped some filler on there after using my template to indicate where the lowest sections were: Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoobby Posted April 17, 2019 Share Posted April 17, 2019 hi Ian have to agree with Herman don't try to be a perfectionist I know this all too well myself.to me from what you started with to what you have now looks stunning. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-400 Posted April 17, 2019 Share Posted April 17, 2019 (edited) Hello Ian, nice to seen you are busy again. Had also a bummer monday. Went back to the body-shop and nothing happened with the car. Told the boss of the workshop if he had a some time left he could work on the GSI cause I'm more busy with mecanical problems. So I am sanding and keep on sanding... Hope they paint it soon, so the rebuils at my place can begin. Edited April 17, 2019 by H-400 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanMc Posted April 17, 2019 Author Share Posted April 17, 2019 A bit more progress this evening. More work reshaping the NSR quarter panel. First I roughly sanded the filler I had slapped on last night, then went over it with my shape template, then a second coat was applied to the areas that were still too low. So this is how it sits this evening: Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. As I had a little bit of filler left over, I decided to make a start in bringing down the NS rear panel in an attempt to level it up better with the other side: Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. We have a nice long weekend coming up, so hopefully I can make some serious progress. 14 hours ago, hoobby said: hi Ian have to agree with Herman don't try to be a perfectionist I know this all too well myself.to me from what you started with to what you have now looks stunning. Thank you Graeme, much appreciated. 8 hours ago, H-400 said: Hello Ian, nice to seen you are busy again. Had also a bummer monday. Went back to the body-shop and nothing happened with the car. Tolled the boss of the workshop if he had a some time left he could work on the GSI cause I'm more busy with mecanical problems. So I am sanding and keep on sanding... Hope they paint it soon, so the rebuils at my place can begin. I am sure it will be worth all the hard work and the wait Herman, you can is really beautiful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanMc Posted April 18, 2019 Author Share Posted April 18, 2019 Added some more filler this evening to the bottom of the NSR valance. It looks a real mess from behind (as you can see ) at the moment, but I have really been concentrating on getting some support behind the curtain I am trying to bring down. By taking that behind onto the boot floor/spare wheel well it will be strong and support the front and give the whole area a much better look - at least thats what I'm hoping... Then just when I felt that I was getting somewhere I ran out of mixed filler. Oh well I will wait for that to go off, then add some more in the morning. I can then have a measure up again, draw and line and start to sand/shape things again. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanMc Posted April 19, 2019 Author Share Posted April 19, 2019 After a morning grafting in the back garden, it was finally time for the Cavalier to have some love I have started to reshape the NS rear valance - hopefully you will agree when I say it looks much more in balance now with the other side? Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. A with just a little more filler added to help blend in some of the low spots and also to take it back to the floor etc Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. There is actually only a tiny difference between the two images from the rear, as most of the filler went under the lip to blend it into the floor better. In fact it would not surprise me if I even had them the wrong way round above Cheers all - enjoy the Sun!!!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-400 Posted April 19, 2019 Share Posted April 19, 2019 Hey Ian, got to respect your patience. Sanding is not my thing. The sun: I'm enjoying it with a beer in the garden on my terracce. That same sun says the top pic is later than the bottom one.😁 Enjoy the weekend! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanMc Posted April 19, 2019 Author Share Posted April 19, 2019 After a little stroll into town with my Wife, I returned to do a little more sanding, then apply some stopper filler. I'm feeling pretty pleased with this area now. Another quick sand and we can move on again. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Have a nice evening everyone. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanMc Posted April 20, 2019 Author Share Posted April 20, 2019 A couple of hours messing around this afternoon on the NSR quarter and some other areas. The quarter panel itself is coming along quite well, but will need a ton more work before I will be truly happy with it. Why I ever decided this was OK to paint I do not know... Anyway: Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. After that I put some filler on the dent in the roof I had missed, then some on the low spot at the top of the scuttle panel. As usual I have put ten times more on than I probably need and also made a mess of actually putting it on Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Lets all keep our fingers crossed that the Easter Bunny does the business tomorrow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamie077366 Posted April 21, 2019 Share Posted April 21, 2019 Keep going Ian! After doing my back arches I couldn’t bare to see another pot of filler! I think it can be soul destroying as you think you’ve done a good job, put some primer on and.....agh... still not right! 3 hours later and you’re little further on. Iv left mine and been doing other stuff but I know they’re still waiting... keep going, it’s you that’s got to happy with the job 👍 looks great btw! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanMc Posted April 21, 2019 Author Share Posted April 21, 2019 This morning I have been a fairly busy bee, fueled by a popular malted breakfast cereal knitted by Nana's, coffee and a whole Easter egg shell and its entire contents! Firstly, I sanded back the filler added to the small dent on the roof: Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Then the low spot on the front scuttle - this is the rough filler: Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Then with the stopper filler added. Once this has fully dried a light sanding will see that defect fixed: Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Then back to the NSR quarter. Further investigation and templates etc, revealed more errors than I had realised previously. Oh well, I'm an idiot and now I'm learning the hard way - there really is no short cuts to this work Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. At least I am keeping the local sellers of body filler and wet and dry in business Happy Easter everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanMc Posted April 21, 2019 Author Share Posted April 21, 2019 After cleaning the BBQ down before the relatives arrive, I managed to sneak in another 45 minutes on the Cav - its amazing how quickly you can revive a BBQ thats been under cover for over 6 months when you try - and its all in a good cause of course. I'm feeling more positive about this panel now. Here it is after a lot of sanding then then application of a little skim of filler in the low areas: Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Enjoy your afternoon everyone - I'm now looking forward to an afternoon lounging in the garden with a fruit cider or two to keep me company. As you can determine, I'm not much of a drinker, but I know what I like, and thats really all that counts. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanMc Posted April 22, 2019 Author Share Posted April 22, 2019 Some more sanding done this morning. God knows it is boring, but I just keep remembering how disappointed I felt looking back at the photos while I was away and that seems to spur me on again for a few more minutes So after some more sanding another few strategically placed smears of filler, we are slowly edging forward on this panel: Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Enjoy your day guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanMc Posted April 22, 2019 Author Share Posted April 22, 2019 Looking at the second of the two photos above, I suspected another low spot that I hadn't noticed by eye or running my hand across it. I wasn't quite sure if it was just the light or a reflection, so popped out to the garage to get a better look and shone a bright light down it. Sure enough it was, so out with the filler again... Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. It soon became apparent I should had chosen a much wider spreader for this job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanMc Posted April 22, 2019 Author Share Posted April 22, 2019 After some more relatives popped in this afternoon, I managed to sneak in another crafty hour on the Cav before the BBQ came out again. Some more sanding and stopper filler later and we have this now: Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Some more sanding tomorrow evening should see this panel just about done I think. Shame I didn't pay this much attention to detail the first time round... Anyway, all in all a good long weekends work I think. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nivlek2525 Posted April 22, 2019 Share Posted April 22, 2019 33 minutes ago, IanMc said: After some more relatives popped in this afternoon, I managed to sneak in another crafty hour on the Cav before the BBQ came out again. Some more sanding and stopper filler later and we have this now: Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Some more sanding tomorrow evening should see this panel just about done I think. Shame I didn't pay this much attention to detail the first time round... Anyway, all in all a good long weekends work I think. Ian Excellent effort as always. I hope you don't mind me offering a bit of advice which you probably know anyway. I found that a long flexible straight edge real helps when trying to flat out large panels. I use a piece of hardwood ripped at about 1mm. Put lots of filler on and then bend the hardwood to the curve of the panel and pull it across. It takes of the high spots and shows the low spots. I struggled for days on my last project on a badly creased front wing but found an advert on YouTube for a 'blade'. I just made my own as described. Also, I found a dusting of black spray as a guide coats helps find the high and low spots. Anyway, you're doing great and I can't wait to see it finished. Skip forward to 8 mins and it shows a nice demo. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanMc Posted April 22, 2019 Author Share Posted April 22, 2019 Nice one, really appreciate your input - that’s a great idea! I will have a root around in the rafters of the garage tomorrow and see if I have anything suitable to make one of those! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maseflight Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 Ian you're way ahead of me on my Cavvy. Really interesting to see what you've done. I have the same problem you had with bumper strips. Did you find any one who has replacements as mine both have splits and dodgy repairs (bolts and self tappers through the strip) Cheers Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanMc Posted April 23, 2019 Author Share Posted April 23, 2019 5 hours ago, Maseflight said: Ian you're way ahead of me on my Cavvy. Really interesting to see what you've done. I have the same problem you had with bumper strips. Did you find any one who has replacements as mine both have splits and dodgy repairs (bolts and self tappers through the strip) Cheers Andy Hi Andy, My strips were largely OK, just that the captive 'bolts' that hold them to the main chrome bumper unit had rusted away. A extremely kind member of here (he knows who he is!), sent me some replacements, meaning I could refit them. If all else failed, I would have been able to make some new ones from some studding and some plate Steel, by I just got lucky... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanMc Posted April 23, 2019 Author Share Posted April 23, 2019 Good progress this evening. The final shaping is done and some minor imperfections were filled with stopper. I then finished off fore the evening by putting some primer over the top of the bare metal. I also trial fitted the sill full length chrome strip (that looked so bad before) and the waist trim strips that sit either side of the arch - all good now! All I need to do tomorrow is to lightly sand the stopper and then (once the rest of the car is ready) wet sand over the lot with 400, then 600 grit. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maseflight Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 Ian thanks for the reply on the bumper strips. Might be able to salvage some of the clips and the strip Good work on the quarter panel. Looking at doing the wheel arches with replacement panel on mine. At the moment only brave enough to do planning with tea in hand. Resorted to sorting out rear end Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanMc Posted April 23, 2019 Author Share Posted April 23, 2019 Nice one Maseflight, my last Cav Coupe was the same colour as yours - I still regret selling that car. Good luck with the bumper rubber strips and the rest of the project - is there much more to do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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