project 1980 Austin Princess

[vulgalour]

Box of new paint arrived today and I was feeling considerably better than I have the past couple of days.  Unit is empty for the first time in a while too, so everything was lining up particularly well, especially since the weather hasn't been conducive to outdoor work.  To kick things off, I did the small amount of trim hole type welding on the front wing, there was considerably less of this to do than I'd expected.  Then, once that was cooled off and flatted back, it was filler time, including the most visible and annoying of the dents on the boot lid.

20180425-01 by Angyl Roper, on Flickr

 

20180425-02 by Angyl Roper, on Flickr

 

The front wing has had a lot of work over the years, so it's a bit wobbly in places.  I've done my best with it, but I still need to go back and do more filler work on the sections that curve under the car, sections you only really see when you're actually under the car, so they don't matter for now.  When I'd got to the point that things were tidied up and ready for masking off, I had a little moment of inspiration with some slightly domed brown paper.  In person, if you shape it into a crude sort of bubble skirt, it lends the car a slightly Citroen/concept feel.  Consideration for another day that, I haven't the skills to be making surface-mount blind fixing compound curve lightweight spats that subtly blend from the arch flare.  Doesn't look anywhere near as right in photographs, strangely.

20180425-03 by Angyl Roper, on Flickr

 

On with the masking then.  Bit of a luxury getting to work indoors and use proper paper for this.  Unfortunately the boot badges are fixed on rather too well with the trim clips we used so I couldn't get them off, instead masking around them.  Not the ideal solution, but I'd rather that than damage the very soft metal badges.

20180425-04 by Angyl Roper, on Flickr

 

A few hours later, and some quite unpleasant hand sanding on the lower reaches of the front wing, and it's looking somewhat finished on this side now.

20180425-05 by Angyl Roper, on Flickr

 

20180425-06 by Angyl Roper, on Flickr

 

Pretty chuffed with that.  I'll either paint the rear wing on the other side and the face of the car next or crack on with doing the welding repairs on the front wing and doors before doing any more painting at all.  Rear panel will get painted once I get the new lights installed, there's no point putting fresh paint on that until I've done the welding in of the new inner buckets.

 

[dozeydustman]

Princess is looking good, Vulg. 

[Pillock]

Looks really good that!

[Felly Magic]

Top work there. Suits it

[PhilA]

Bon.

[MarvinsMom]

hmm, pretty car.....your car? pretty car....

 

its gotta whole rasperry ripple vibe going on which is nice.

 

i like it.

[Shep Shepherd]

The colour combination looks delicious! 

[danthecapriman]

Lookin’ great!

[captain_70s]

Looks great, nicely done!

[vulgalour]

I feel like Oprah.  And YOU get a like and YOU get a like and YOU get a like...

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Looks smart, that. Reckon the panel below the front winkers would look good in black...

[Ghosty]

That's just ace, it really ties the whole thing together.

[vulgalour]

I've toyed with that idea (the black chin) in the past and it looks wrong.  It needs an extra bit of styling of some sort on the side of the wings to make it look like an added scoop if it's going to be black.  Just painting the upper face of it looks... well... cheap?  Not right anyway.  To other consideration is doing it red but leaving the grille surround beige so it blends in with the two-tone.  It would remove some of the stuck-out-lip look the beige gives it but I have a feeling it'll also make the lights look too small and high.

[chodweaver]

From that pic, I am getting what you're driving at with the spats for the rear arches.

Loving the look atm though

[Squire_Dawson]

Wow, what a bobby dazzler. We have watched it rise like a phoenix from the ashes.

[greengartside]

Looks chuffing marvellous, does that.

 

 

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[PhilA]

 

Very popular too as dessert. This reminded me of your car.

 

Tasted very good.

 

 

Phil

[MikeKnight]

 

 

 

[oldcars]

Looks really good.

[dean36014]

I have to say that looks absolutely cock on. Lovely retro feel to it.

[Felly Magic]

What about a black coachline between the burgundy & beige? You are doing this car proud. 

[purplebargeken]

Finally taking shape. Looks ace.

[vulgalour]

Coachline is going to be copper metallic, painted on.  I've done this before and found the end result far nicer than the vinyl equivalent, less hassle, and much cheaper.

[fordperv]

That colour is delicious, it looks so much better than the purple and I love purple

[mat_the_cat]

/\ Likewise. I thought the purple looked good but really liking the red!

[SiC]

I didn't like the purple. I do like the red and creme though.

[SiC]

I'll just repost and leave this here. I guess you probably know about this one through the princess community?

 

 

 

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F332633092446

[vulgalour]

I know about that one, yes, one of the best examples out there, I'm told.  Too expensive for me, and too nice!  Seems to have changed hands fairly regularly over the last few years for no obvious reason, some really nice classics are like that though.  I do wonder if owning a really nice car just gets boring.

[vulgalour]

In fact, I see your super nice black one and raise you this super rare metallic blue one.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AUSTIN-PRINCESS-only-12k-from-new/163017446344

 

[SiC]

I much prefer the round lights. Plus I like it more in black. That black one does look ready to jump in drive. As you said, it would possibly quite boring if you want to play with hammers and spanners. However I think anyone reading this thread would be a bit more hesitant in getting a princess mind. Gives the impression that they can be a bit of a Diva/Princess.

 

For me, it'd have to be the 2.2 6-pot.