19 Years of Tin Snail - Back to normality

[Noel Tidybeard]

i dont think i mentioned that i think blue would look good......

[dollywobbler]

Crikey. Progress! A front wing in primer. I haven't got a clue what I'm doing, and seem to have used up two cans of primer on this wing. Which is all I had. Got a flappy disc that I used to take it back to bare metal where there was surface rust, then sanded all over, then a couple of coats of primer.

 

 

I have some Plasti-kote satin red paint to go on top (it was cheap, shush). Not confident of a top quality finish, but the art plan is still lingering. I just need some paint on the wing to stop it rotting away in the interim. I'm trying to set expectation. Too many people seem to be assuming that I'm going for OEM, perfect finish. No. Do not want!

[richardmorris]

I like seeing hand painted individual cars at the French meetings, it's partly what I go to see. At the salbris world meeting there were 7000 odd 2cvs and no two were identical.

[lexi]

 Just paint it with what you got or can get. It will progress down the line with other paint stuff. Protection and some layers of paint for the moment.

  Maybe a big can of your colour, mixed at paint suppliers, if you have no compressor.  Are there no Shiters nearby for a blow of their gun?

[dollywobbler]

I do have friends I could have borrowed a gun from, but I've got the tins now. In fact, I got more today, and can confirm that Plasti-kote's zinc rich primer is at least eleventy twelve times better than the Halfords rubbish, and cheaper. Leagues ahead in terms of coverage, and sprays really nicely too.

 

Hoping to get the top coat on this afternoon.

[dollywobbler]

Today, I have been spray painting the driveway. 

 

This is my second spare headlamp bar. The first one wasn't as good as I'd hoped. It's only had a primer coat, because I forgot to buy any sodding top coat. Hopefully I can swap that for the car of non-zinc primer I inexplicably bought this morning. Shops confuse me.

 

Was hoping to get some top coat on the wing, but the primer reacted in a couple of spots, requiring me to sand back to metal and have another go in those spots. Maybe tomorrow, the paint will settle down. Until tomorrow, I'll prep the other one.

 

So I did.

 

I fear I may have now over purchased paint. Having seen how little coverage I got from the Halfords primer, I've stocked up on two tins per wing. However, that coat of zinc primer is only about half a tin! Oh well. Still the rear wings to sort out.

[lexi]

Primer is best left overnight. The wings could have some foreign spots of oil with being stored. Panel wipe or 2k thinner on the bare metal or rubbed down paint.  It is expensive, the cans of aerosol.........I am too miserable to buy that!  The beauty of having 500ml or litre tins, is that you can mix colours or roller and brush small bits that you can get away with. It also goes for miles with a small drop in a gun and you can get more layers and build up.

   Wish I had a 2cv.  Wish I could get in a 2cv      I met a chap in Glasgow here last year who is long standing on the Scottish 2cv scene. Lovely chap, Joe Cent was his name. Red and white 2CV was minted.

[dollywobbler]

Yeah, the most annoying thing about painting is the waiting. Or possibly the prep. Or maybe the fact that both are real time thieves. Or the fact it's probably going to be sub-zero tonight...

 

I am at least keeping the tins in the house until I'm about to use them. I would rattle them in the house, but Mrs DW is full of cold and I'm not sure she's up for a symphony of rattle cans. At least she can't really smell the fumes...

[lexi]

Temps are always a killer. I find in these temps that if you are carefull, and keep a distance, you can flash dry some of the bits with a heat gun. It helps it on it's way, provided there is no dust to kick up. I have done this today with varnish on the gunnels of a boat outside, under carport. Weather has been not bad up here. I mean, it will soon be a no no with cold and biting winds I suppose.

    Ah well!  Winter projects..........they get you through the bleedin' winter I suppose. Never hear people saying they are going to have a "summer project"?

   Too busy lying about or cutting grass

[Timewaster]

  On 16/12/2016 at 16:57, dollywobbler said:

Too many people seem to be assuming that I'm going for OEM, perfect finish. No. Do not want!

OEM finish on a 2cv was never anything like perfect.

 

[Bfg]

Too late for you now but I'd have recommended you to hand paint in two-pack. Modern hard wearing paints combined with the techniques they used to coach paint trucks up well into the post-war era.  See some of them and their finish is superb, not least because they had a good thickness of paint to hand flat and polish.  

 

I painted the coachroof of my boat like this and it worked very well  and is tough enough to take the knocks and constant salty abrasion of deck life.   I hand painted into the corners, and then used a roller for the flatter areas - immediately followed up with a tipping (foam) brush to loose the orange peel.  Layers can be built up without rubbing down inbetween if done within 24 hours of each other (in normal temps).  I then left it another 24 hours (in summer temps) and hand flattened it back to 90% of any brush mark grooves.  I then left it again for another week to harden before polishing compounds on a power mop.  There's a huge surface area on a the coachroof and the edge of the side deck of my 30ft catamaran but it was all done within six weeks (I worked alone).

 

I used to use aerosol spray paints but that was when cellulose was readily available in almost any colour.  As long as it didn't react with layers beneath - cellulose cans would spray well and dry within minutes.. I still tend to think of enamel paints as being OK for radiators in the house.  

 

I did try to paint a motorcycle frame with enamel aerosols when I was running Sunbeam RandR.  Spent an age hand flatting and getting the primer coats spot on.  Applied the black gloss top coats and all looked really good. There was no flatting needed but I wanted to lessen the plastic-like sheen, so used polishing compound (by hand) to take it down to what looked right for a 1950's motorcycle.  It looked great but I'll never use the firk'n stuff again, because even after a good length of time to dry - the paint was so easily scratched and chipped.  No surface strength at all.  I'd done that frame to help out a paying customer who couldn't afford a professional paint job.  In the end it took me two weeks and I was so unhappy with the durability of the paint finish that I never charged him for the work.!  I had tried to help out but wasn't prepared to put my name to a job that looked very pretty but was just shit quality.  The cost saved in materials was a false economy. 

 

My recommendation to you is not to apply even the colour base coats until the primer is really hard. You can hand 'cut the surface' to allow it to dry out sooner, but even then you'll need to hand flat with 600 just before spraying the colour.  The reason I say this is because the primer needs to dry out and shrink., before the colour coat seals it from the air. Otherwise you may well find that the the colour coat dries and duly shrinks, causing the still-soft primer to wrinkle, perhaps days later.   

 

Evaporation is needed to dry the primer. A boiler room is good. Or for small items like the headlamp bar and headlamp shells an airing cupboard will work Ok.  If either of these cannot be done then make a plastic 'tent' in the back corner of your garage and put a fan heater on it's lowest setting inside it.  Don't use paraffin as this contaminates the air - which settles into the surface and causes the next layer of paint to react.  Nor even a propane heaters - as burning this liquid fuel results in lots of moisture.  No the heat needs to be dry and clean.  I've often made tents to cure fibreglass during the winter months.  Last winter I was using epoxies to strengthen the boat's new rudder blades.  The 'tent' was under the work bench with a small night storage heater in there. Plastic sheet closed the space off nicely and the bits were safely out of the way as I got on with (trimmed and made dust) the next part.

 

Hope something in the above helps.

Best regards, Pete

 

 

[dollywobbler]

That's all very useful info, but alas, the paint is on. To be fair, this is the wing I (mostly) primered on Friday. 

 

The only drying option I have is a hairdryer, held at a safe distance, to try and warm the panel slightly. Its six degrees outside today. The cans, which have been in the house all night, are working well to be fair. Not entirely sure about the colour mind you. Seems a bit pink...

[noseypoke]

Seems with PLASTIKOTE you get the same colour as the lid,more can be said for other brands

you'll keep your Mrs happy (if she's into pink)  

[dollywobbler]

  On 18/12/2016 at 11:37, noseypoke said:

Seems with PLASTIKOTE you get the same colour as the lid,more can be said for other brands

you'll keep your Mrs happy (if she's into pink)  

 

Nah. She's not your typical girly girl...

[dollywobbler]

Both wings now in paint. Went into town for supplies and completely forgot that I need white paint for the headlamp bar (having only bought primer previously). 

 

Rear fog light is loosely fitted, and I've already managed to put a small crack in the lens. YAY! I need the fog light fitted (and a few other things) before I can return to the nightmare of wiring. I've also trial-fitted one of the rear wings. Trial fitted, because I needed to drill holes for the leading edge bolts. Not fun.

 

Holes now soaked in Vactan. I'll grease up the bolts plenty as well, in the hope that I haven't just created a new rot spot...

[dollywobbler]

I've cheered myself up by fitting the new number plate. Looks fantastic!

 

For the OCD fans, yes, the raised section for the number plate is out of alignment with the rear lights. 

[dollywobbler]

BAM! More progress. Crappy old rear wing refitted, and the rear adventure bar. I was going to fit a steel pair, but I think the old, glassfibre wings are probably best to use, even if they are a bit shabby. They may well also get painted at some point, but rather less urgently, seeing as they're not going to rot.

 

Actual work to do tomorrow, but I also hope for more tinkering time. I'd like to try and bed the electrics in before the engine gets here, so it's just fit, plumb and hopefully have my first drive. S'pose I'd better think about fitting some seats too...

[chaseracer]

^ Nice timestamp, Ian 

[lexi]

Excellent, little bits at a time DW...........it all counts.

[dollywobbler]

I've got a bit of a dilemma here. The underside of the car is coated in U-Pol Raptor. I'd like to test that to see how well it does protect the underside. Which now makes me wonder about coating every surface in wax. I'll definitely still do all box sections and areas where the Raptor has not been applied, but if I want to test whether the Raptor is doing its thing, I can't help thinking I actually need to leave it bare.

 

Or do I just say 'sod it' and wax everything? Anyway. Wings are now fully painted, though I'm going to apply a 'sealer' layer on top. Off to get more paint today, and hopefully I'll have time to get the electrics working ahead of the engine's return later this week.

[oldcars]

I would wax the underside if it was me. For the cost and peace of mind it would offer.

[andy18s]

[dollywobbler]

Wow! I've got a bomb-proof 2CV! (I may not test that aspect...)

[Bfg]

Damn., some people have so great jobs !

 

..looks like the Bedliner will be there long after the metal has rotted away again from the inside

 

  On 19/12/2016 at 10:37, dollywobbler said:

I've got a bit of a dilemma here. The underside of the car is coated in U-Pol Raptor. I'd like to test that to see how well it does protect the underside. Which now makes me wonder about coating every surface in wax. I'll definitely still do all box sections and areas where the Raptor has not been applied, but if I want to test whether the Raptor is doing its thing, I can't help thinking I actually need to leave it bare.

 

Or do I just say 'sod it' and wax everything? Anyway. Wings are now fully painted, though I'm going to apply a 'sealer' layer on top. Off to get more paint today, and hopefully I'll have time to get the electrics working ahead of the engine's return later this week.

 

my penneth worth : I'd suggest you revert to experience of how long the panels lasted before, and leave the Raptor alone to do it's job.  In a year or two you can always use a probe to see what's happening, but in the meantime don't deliberately induce rot !

[forddeliveryboy]

It's most likely the existing original steel which needs an eye on it the most, but all the same I'd still be tempted to be belt and braces on the new bits.

 

What have you/the restorer used to coat the insides of the floor box sections, inside the sills and other box sections? That's where the rot starts.

[dollywobbler]

Other than the fact they're formed in zintec steel, there's no protection on box sections and inside the sills. That's why I said I'd still be cavity waxing those regardless of what I do with the bedlinered bits. As for original metal - there's very little left!

[Angrydicky]

Some great progress going on here!

[forddeliveryboy]

Remember there'll be no zintec inside any sections where they've been welded, bare steel trusts quickly in our damp winter air...

[lexi]

This is good for exposed stuff underneath.  http://www.rust.co.uk/dinitrol-4941-under-body-wax-black-all-sizes-from/p405024

 

There is a clear cavity wax to go with it and both are much better that waxoyl. I have used them both and with compressor and guns they are easy. An hour or two of suffering the mess and same again cleaning up. 2 cans of each is plenty.

[dollywobbler]

Thanks for the tip, but I've already got Bilt Hamber's waxy gunk.

 

More electrics today. She's alive!

 

Sadly, there's a glitch somewhere. Stuff that should only work with the ignition on works without, while stuff that should work without ignition won't unless the ignition is turned on. It's a pretty simple loom, but I can't quite suss it out. I think I shall have dinner and reflect (ie seek help on Facebook). I need to sort that out, and I've just remembered I need to run a new wire from one of the headlamp relays to my main beam light. Oh, and I need a new headlamp relay. There are two, and I've just remembered that I pinched one for the XM. Doh! Knew I'd forget.