Project 1975 Ford Granada Coupe - Lots & lots of tinkering

[TripleRich]

More old paint removed today.  Very boring but the car is slowly turning black.

First I took all the old paint off the roof.  As said before I have to do this to expose all the tiny rust blisters lurking beneath the original paint.  It a horrible job and you get covered in red dust so its important to wear a mask.  I also put a big fan in the roof of the workshop earlier this year to help reduce the amount of sweeping up.  Surprising how much difference its made.

While doing this I found two very small holes in the rear window frame.  Only took about 10 mins to mig up as they were so small.

Moved the car back into storage and painted the roof making sure it was well prepared and thoroughly degreased before applying POR.

Parts I painted previously like the bulkhead are now looking very nice.

With the shell out of harm’s way I set to work on the bonnet.  This is a genuine panel but like many NOS bonnets the frame has de-bonded from the skin.  They are bonded with seam sealer in spots along the edges of the frame.  I dug out all the old hard sealer and replaced with fresh stuff.  Left the panel to dry leaning against a wall as leaving it upside down can glue the skin too tight to the frame causing all sorts of issues.

Then removed all the paint from the original boot lid.  Again I have to as its pitted in many places.  The POR should stop that in its tracks and allow me to paint over the top knowing no moisture can get back down there.

Again the metal was thoroughly keyed and degreased before painting.

The doors and bonnet need the same treatment so will do that next week.

Meanwhile during the week I'm still flat out on the P5 rebuild.  Have managed to complete most of the trim work.  Everything has been recovered, reupholstered or cleaned to within an inch of life so it's slow progress but very satisfying to do.  The screens were an absolute pain in the arse to get right (aftermarket seals).

[danthecapriman]

Great stuff again.

 

Must say, that P5 is stunning! A late coupe is high on my bucket list!

[TripleRich]

Its an interesting one to work on as its a 3 litre saloon.  I didn't realise just how many differences there are between the P5 saloon and the late P5B coupe.

I've paid a visit to a well know breaker of P5s a few times now in my hunt for bits and pieces.

[DeeJay]

Finally you can change your location 

 

"Painting the Granada".

[TripleRich]

I've now finished removing all the original paint from the outside of the car.  It’s very boring but I'm now in a position to start the actual paint prep.

 

Last panel left to do was the drivers door.  Although I've replaced the bottom of it the rest of the door still needs the old paint and filler removing.  I've pulled out as much of the damage as possible but some areas are best left alone.  As a result this door will have to have skim of filler in a number of places.

 

 

With it back to bare metal and the edge of the existing POR feathered with a sander I applied another coat to the rest of the door.

 

 

Back on the shell I've seam sealed the relevant areas inside the car.  I've used a scotch brite to replicate the original finish and blend the fresh sealer with any original stuff which is still present on the few bits of the car that were in good condition. 

 

 

I did manage to leave the workshop last weekend and head to the NEC.  Had some good chats with a number of people and saw some really nice cars.  I thought the standard this year was particularly good.

 

[fordmad80]

Excellent work as always Tripplerich. How is the Escort Mexico restoration going

 

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[Rocket88]

You've probably been asked this before..........what do you find is the best "dry" way to strip paint?

[TripleRich]

We use poly abrasive wheels.  They fit into an angle grinder and one will last long enough to strip a door skin.  Loads of people make them, we just use toolzone ones.

 

 

They make a load of mess so wear a mask and clothes you don't care about.  They remove paint, primer, sealer, surface rust and filler.  They don't harm the metal at all but on things like sealer and filler they don't last very long.

[Ben_O]

We use poly abrasive wheels.  They fit into an angle grinder and one will last long enough to strip a door skin.  Loads of people make them, we just use toolzone ones.

 

 

They make a load of mess so wear a mask and clothes you don't care about.  They remove paint, primer, sealer, surface rust and filler.  They don't harm the metal at all but on things like sealer and filler they don't last very long.

I use these a lot and have tried the toolzone ones before. i found they wear very quickly and bits of the disc fly off everywhere.

I now buy the Norton blaze ones (bright orange) and they last MUCH longer with less shedding.

they also do the small quick release Roloc type poly abrasive discs for the smart repair grinder which are also good.

[TripleRich]

The roloc ones are brilliant, I did most of the bulkhead with those.     

[Ben_O]

Have you tried the green bristle roloc wheels?

They are wonderful at getting in tight spaces but are about £50 a box! 

[anonymous user]

Just to confirm that this is still one of my favourite threads on here, I look forward to seeing it finished

[sierraman]

Those rust removal discs are good where you need the paint off but without much stock removal. Flap discs are ok but you usually end up marking the surface too much. Where you don’t need a brilliant surface though they are good.

[TripleRich]

Things have moved on quite a bit since the last update.  Happy the panels and shell were all fixed and with a coat of POR in various areas I started the process of getting ready for primer.

This involves rubbing everything down with 120 grit paper.  That’s inside, outside, engine bay and all the nasty little corners and hard to reach places.  It took ages but it’s vital for the primer to stick properly.  I paid particular attention to any areas still in original paint and made sure everywhere was well keyed ready for the primer.

Then the day finally came when I could push the car into the paint booth and get painting.  Again I'm very fortunate to have access to a booth with all the gear in it.  Myself and a colleague built the booth earlier this year.

I've never painted a car before but wanted to do it as its another stage of the restoration I can say I've done myself.  It also costs thousands to paint a car properly and I would struggle to afford that.  Took a day off work and the painters were kind enough to give me some tuition and let me loose on the car.

I spent hours degreasing and cleaning any dirt out of it and also did some more prep on areas that I felt needed it.  Mixed up the epoxy primer and started painting.  Started on the inside and worked out to the edges.  Then did the boot floor, engine bay and then moved on to the outside.

That took all day so I left the shell to bake and came in this morning to start on the panels.

Before painted everything was degreased and cleaned.  Bit of a squeeze but managed everything except the bonnet and small items such as hinges.

Now everything is in primer I can begin the process of filling and sanding.  As the car was such a multitude of colours it makes sense to prime first and fill second.  The primer makes even the smallest dent obvious and also provides a good base for filler and stopper.  Also means there’s no more bare metal with everything now under at least two thick coats of epoxy primer.

It been over two years to get this far and while it may not be red yet I'm just happy to have the car in one colour!

[danthecapriman]

Wow! Doesn’t that look superb all in one colour!

 

I remember seeing mine at the stage your at now and it gave me a huge boost to see it finally come together. It feels like the start of the end!

[Isaac Hunt]

Excellent work.

 

Well done for giving the painting a go. I taught myself to spray years ago and it is very satisfying.

[fordmad80]

All that hard work over the last 2 year's the car looks good now it's in one colour even though it's not red yet, you are closing in on the end now

 

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[TripleRich]

Thanks guys.  Might have all the paint done before Christmas if I have enough time.  After that I'm in my comfort zone and can relax a bit.  If all goes to plan I'll have it on the road next year.

[dollywobbler]

Blimey. The thought of seeing this on the road is a very exciting one indeed! Feels a lot closer now it's in primer, even though there's still much to do.

[busmansholiday]

You are a serious fucking genius, you really do deserve a medal for all the work you have done on this and the inspiration you have given us all with this project.

 

I hope when finishing it you put the very best alarm system possible on it to stop some utter toe rag knicking it and using it on an oval. It really does deserve to be pride of place at the NEC next year.

[TripleRich]

I will be taking the necessary security precautions when building the car as I do with the customer’s cars.  If some bastard does race it you'll know it's mine because it'll be the only one that still in one piece at the end!

[Scruffy Bodger]

Well done Rich that is looking great. This thread and your efforts are fantastic and I love the regular updates 

[DSdriver]

At last we can stop being reminded of Ian Dury and the Blockheads when visiting this thread

The thought of your car being on the road makes me nervous after all your work, I park my DS as far away from all other cars in any car park but whenever I return there is always some scruffheap parked next to it as though they are trying to obtain coolness by proximity.

[Lankytim]

This thread is so exciting!!!!!

[Tadhg Tiogar]

Wow! Doesn’t that look superb all in one colour!....

 

It almost looks like a giant 3D print!

[Spottedlaurel]

Excellent progress.

 

Your employers are very kind in letting you have space, facilities, equipment, access to the paint booth etc, but then it's in their interest too as you must be learning a lot from this project?

[danthecapriman]

Excellent progress.

 

Your employers are very kind in letting you have space, facilities, equipment, access to the paint booth etc, but then it's in their interest too as you must be learning a lot from this project?

It’s also a very good advert for them and their highly skilled staff.

[Parky]

You know what would be amazing - if Triplerich turned out to be a banger racer with good attention to detail.

 

Seriously though this must be the fourth or fifth time I have commented on the superb quality of this work. In fact, this is superb (again)

[TripleRich]

Thanks for all the feedback guys, I really appreciate it.  It'll be quite surreal when this thing moves under its own power for the first time.

I try not to concern myself too much with taking it out for a spin.  You can get very paranoid and wound up about what might happen to it and it sucks a lot of fun out of ownership.  At the end of the day if some plank does bump into it or I do something daft I'll just drag it back into the workshop and mend it.

As I said next year is the aim for finishing it, should be doable and with any luck I can enjoy some of the summer with it.

 

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Roman bronze!