Project Dollywobbler's Foxy little number

[brownnova]

Awesome progress! Great to see Foxxaaaane getting ever nearer to completion!

[dollywobbler]

I've been suffering with severe motivational issues as I get into the jobs I'm struggling to sort out myself. So I removed the windscreen.

 

The screen surround is a right mess in paint terms, so I now have a bit of a dilemma. This was meant to be my standard rushed build to just get her back on the road, but paintwork is badly needed. I still have bodywork repairs to do as well (of which I have no experience) and quite a lengthy list of stuff that needs to be fixed before MOT - all little things, but surprisingly annoying little things. Fitting a new choke cable has turned into something of a farce as I have the wrong cable and none of the original Reliant fixings. BODGE.

 

Ah well. I'm on the road for a week from Monday, so a genuine break from it where I can avoid feeling guilty for not moving on with it. Only issue is that Bromley Pageant was meant to be its debut, and that's rapidly approaching...

[plasticvandan]

a Robin cable will fit,just might need shortening,they come with all the fittings.Personally i wouldnt worry about paint,its not going to rust..

[dozeydustman]

Like for progress. Unlike for making you feel down.

[dollywobbler]

18 minutes ago, plasticvandan said:

a Robin cable will fit,just might need shortening,they come with all the fittings.Personally i wouldnt worry about paint,its not going to rust..

Thanks. I really want to paint it, as the green is just hideous. But, it makes sense to paint it before fitting the windscreen really.

[catsinthewelder]

Have you got a new screen for it yet?  I spotted a 127 Fiorino in a hedge nearby and wondered if it could be a donor.  Its at a farm on an iffy bend of a fast road so I'm not stopping to take a picture.

[mrdelmonti]

1 hour ago, dollywobbler said:

Thanks. I really want to paint it, as the green is just hideous. But, it makes sense to paint it before fitting the windscreen really.

Work out the colour you're after, spray the surround before putting the screen in and then get the rest sprayed at a later date and blend it in.

[smellypoo]

1 hour ago, dollywobbler said:

Thanks. I really want to paint it, as the green is just hideous. But, it makes sense to paint it before fitting the windscreen really.

What colour(s) are you thinking?

If originality is your thing, is the blue on the front panel really the original colour? Would you want to keep it original or do you have something in mind?

That blue on the front panel had me thinking about Ford Rimini Blue (I commented about that particular shade on Egg's Mondeo Mk1 thread) - it seems like it'd really suit it... Or even something completely different like BMW Henna Red...?

[montytom]

Love this. When I was doing my class 1 hgv training in sutton in ashfield there was a beige one looked like a camper. Id love a quirky vehicle. envious

[plasticvandan]

From what I can see its original colour will have been the same as this one I had:

 

 

[dollywobbler]

I think it's a brighter blue than that, as per some promo shots I've seen.

I'd certainly prefer blue to sludge green.

Cats - I do have a screen thanks. Vin might be interested in the Fiorino though.

[stuboy]

just found this ...dunno if u read before ..

 

https://truck-uk.smugmug.com/BRITISHCLASSICCARS/RELIANT/i-HxSx9zB

[stuboy]

2 tone it....

[plasticvandan]

Pretty sure I can see that blue under the bright blue on the grill and engine bay.

[dollywobbler]

Today, I thought I'd better do something with the Fox. So I took its top off.

Naturally, it then started raining. 

The roof came off because I had made a key decision - sort out the paint! The buzzy sandy thing got a good workout.

Tomorrow, I hope to set about fixing the one or two fibreglass issues it has, before chucking on some paint. I was going to do the fibreglass stuff this evening, but somehow managed to slice my index finger open on something, which is making doing anything at all an absolute pain in the arse. I have absolutely no idea how I did it, just suddenly noticed that everything I touched seemed to turn red. UGH.

[LightBulbFun]

on the fibre glassing repairs im half expecting you to make a stig/stigs cousin type joke/gag, where you then unpack Zel from a box or something and employ him to do the fibre glass or something

(or is that just me and my autoshite withdrawal symptoms talking? )

I look forward to seeing how the painting goes, i cant say car painting is something Iv looked into with great detail before so it will quite interesting for me at least 

[Jerzy Woking]

The Suzuki they hand painted on Flipping Bangers seemed to be a good finish (if no TV shennanigans were involved). Not sure if it would remain on fibre glass though.

[Ben_O]

What's the plan then? Brush, Roller or spray?

[dozeydustman]

1 hour ago, Ben_O said:

What's the plan then? Brush, Roller or spray?

Potato prints?

[Timewaster]

https://images.app.goo.gl/XEK2RnSUjQn1oV6q6

[brownnova]

That kind of painting where you get small children to put their feet and hands in paint and put them all over pieces of paper... 

 

Or are you going to revive the spirit of your old Dyane and go full camouflage? 

[dollywobbler]

Before paint, there is fibreglass. What a sodding nightmare. I rate my chances of successfully repairing the bonnet hinge at about 10%. Not helped that access to the underside is horrific (though the headlamp hole, then somewhere you can't see).

[dollywobbler]

Well that could have turned out worse...

 

It isn't' completely smooth, but it does appear to be solid.

[LightBulbFun]

8 minutes ago, dollywobbler said:

Well that could have turned out worse...

 

It isn't' completely smooth, but it does appear to be solid.

looks far better then anything I could pull off probably!

a bit of filler and sanding and it should be good right?

[mrdelmonti]

Solid is the most important thing, you should be able to dress it up a bit

[dollywobbler]

Yes, the art of an invisible repair is careful preparation and SOD IT JUST PAINT THE THING WITH A ROLLER.

 

Bringing artex back into fashion...

[Broadsword]

On that show Flipping Bangers recently they had a Suzuki SJ. They bought some specialist paint that you genuinely could just throw on with a roller and by the has dried it settles and looks quite ok.

[captain_70s]

Did you ask DodgyFOADknight for tips?

[catsinthewelder]

Is that shade Invacar blue?

 

You could make a DHSS service van ?

[dollywobbler]

It's a little darker - not as dark as I was aiming for!