Station's foolish random car repair thread

[Station]

I can be called a 'jack of all trades' in that I am terrible at everything, but give everything a go, under the assumption that paying a garage to do a job properly is not as good as me spending five years putting a job right every summer. I have been spraying odds and sods of car bits for nearly 10 years, however not gaining any real progression of any skill in the field. I'm having the same problems now that I did when I started, ie paint running due to too much paint, paint cracking due to contaminants, paint bubbling and pitting due to moisture; basically, paint ruined because I have no patience to prepare the surface properly. If you want evidence of my truly awful work, witness my Astra's wing mirror, which looks as though it has freshly risen from the grave after a couple centuries rest. It has every quality listed above on a surface only a couple of inches space. It reminds me of leprosy.

 

It pains me to look at my poor Astra sat on my parent's driveway, kind've half loved and half neglected, with a tyre sat in the back seat, belonging to a car I sold many years ago. I think if I logged up all the phrases my dad has uttered in his entire life, 'When are you getting rid of that car?' would be at the top - mine also might be 'I'm selling it next week'.

I reversed out of the same driveway three years gone and scraped the entire side of the car down the concrete post. Having only had it sprayed a couple of days before, I lost complete faith in the car, and by the time I was offered a cheap MR2, I lost complete interest and let it sit through two winters.

 

I decided to sort something out (getting what is a very well maintained and reliable car on the road) and spent the weekend actually doing a proper job of it - and to my surprise I didn't make an arse out of it by being too impatience (thanks in part to beng dumped recently, and not having to stress about shooting off back home)

 

Cracked, crazed, scraped, faded, I flatted the whole thing, and used some shite white primer, which was cheap and horrible to use. It took four hours to dry! I was hoping this would fill in a few holes and sanding marks, but it only made new pits and holes.

 

 

I think the correct word to use of my method of paint the arch is 'lobbed'. I haven't done this for ages, and I had paint running. I used hardener, which meant it was dry to the touch within a minute, even after putting loads on.

 

 

That was easy enough and very fast, so I did the bumper:

 

 

I actually spent two hours getting this side flat with various grades of sandpaper, before polishing with G3:

 

 

I think I did quite well!

 

 

 

The other side is worse. I welded a new arch in 2005, I actually rivetted the metal onto the body and then welded it, to keep it in place. The rivets were kind've 'proud' of the body, and always were slightly higher when I sanded it level. I could see these rivets like eyes under the paint everytime I got in the car.

 

 

I attacked them with the angle grinder, and got the whole thing properly level!

 

 

That's all I did so far, apart fill in with a bit of Isopon.

[Rusty Pelican]

Looking good so far , I like the welding bit but hate filling / sanding / refilling for the 20th time , love the half assed attempt at masking the wheel

[ashmicro]

Nice work bro!! looking forward to this one. What are the plans? Lowr....Just kidding, that's a good piece of work so far.

[FredTransit]

Well I think that looks pretty good! Just so long as you don't go hitting it with any stick, obviously......

[HillmanImp]

Looking good so far , I like the welding bit but hate filling / sanding / refilling for the 20th timel

This is why i have hit a massive wall on my Imp. Hate the sanding. Its welded solid, all the difficult work is done. Can you advertise online on some shitty forum for some gimps to whip into sanding your cars down for you?

[Station]

It manages to hurt every muscle in your body. It's actually the polishing with G3 afterwards I hate, sanding is quite therapeutic, getting all the lumps and bumps out.

[Parky]

Thats looking good Station! A nice job from where I'm sitting.

[Guest Tony Hayers]

Nice one and lol @ the paper - I aint no fool !

[Danblez]

That looks bobby dazzling, well done!I feel your pain, I spent all day saturday welding a new bracket on a bumper, wanted it finished by end of play and chucked some paint on. I always start off with lots of patience, wanting everything right and then fuck it up at the last minute.

[Minimad5]

Great work station After sanding the Rebel all down (By hand) i now know how boring it can be I think you should come over and help me spray - Keep up the good work -

[VWPowered]

awesome dude keep up the good work

[Station]

Thanks ALL! Just shows what hours of preparation results in (I never did this in the past).

I think you should come over and help me spray

I'll help if you want, or you can borrow my compressor.

[Minimad5]

Thanks Dave i shall call upon your skills most certainly !!(If it is okay , PM me your phone number and i will "bop" you a txt when i am stuck )

[dieselnutjob]

I am thinking of buying some equipment to do my own spraying this summer.

Would this compressor be a good buy?

 

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/produ ... irmaster-2

 

It appears to have enough flow to even do HVLP spraying.

 

Can anyone recommend a good spraygun for doing on bits and pieces (lets say no more than one panel at a time)? Main criteria would be easiest to use for a beginner.

 

All of my cars are metallic which doesn't help.

[Station]

That looks like mine but rebranded (I've got a Machine Mart 'Clarke'). It's got an air regulator which is necessary, 50psi is maximum, otherwise it starts blowing the paint everywhere! Get an airgun with the canister in the top, that way the paint is always there coming out (and not being sucked up a pipe). Metallic paint is a bit of a bugger, as the 'glitter' can 'bunch up' if you change direction too sharply or pile it on too much - but it doesn't fade like red or flat colours can (no colour matching).

 

As much advice you can get, nothing beats practicing, even if you mess it up, like I always do. Best advice is don't buy the compressor until you've finished preparation, as you'll remove temptation!

[dieselnutjob]

like this?

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/produ ... -spray-gun

I've got an old wing in the back garden and the wife's MPV to practice on

[Station]

Yes, that's the one! Keep it under 50 psi. You get terrible paint/air randomness on non-gravity ones. You'll get less running (if any) on gravity fed ones as it's consistant and won't blob on!

 

Today I did the OTHER side and half of the bumper, and I am frigging KNACKERED. Not as good as the other side as I needed to use heavy grade sand paper to remove the heinous amount of paint dribbles. There's scratches everywhere, and I've also gone right through to the primer on some parts. I don't care about it being perfect, as long as it's red. I'll blob some of that stone chip paint on for authentic shite look.

 

This was definitely, the 'difficult second album' though.

 

Incidentally, I forgot to put my mask on during a short session spraying and felt rubbish the next day. Oops.

 

 

 

Also bought new sump gaskets to sort the leak out. Did it? Did it flip. The crank seal on the gearbox side is leaking as well. Gearbox/clutch/flywheel out job.

 

[Minimad5]

I forgot to put my mask on during a short session spraying and felt rubbish the next day

Now if you remember at Capesthorne, we were talking about this

It takes 2 months to propperly "set in" i recall someone saying ... so you will be fine (untill then)

 

Good work yet again

 

Hope to see you tomorrow

[Station]

It's dodgy stuff, was inhaling thinners in the air and allsorts through the day, no wonder I felt like shite.

OK, I'll just lift it up on my own with my right arm after all the rubbing down I've been doing today.

[Minimad5]

Bleeding hell Dave , be careful man !!

 

And we all know why you have a huge right arm ...

[AXrescuer]

That's a pretty fine job and even more heart-warming for me as you're doing it to an Astra! Don't worry about the finish too much though, it looks way better than the dreaded Vauxhall pink that most of their red cars end up sporting!

 

Actually, I have some work to do on my own Astra before it makes an appearance at PVS next week.

[Station]

PVS is this weekend isn't it? I just don't fancy the amount of shit that's going to be there. I've never been to a Vauxhall show.

 

I can't remember deciding to spray the front today, but found myself sanding everything down at 10am this morning. Must be the paint thinners.

 

 

 

Now I have to unravel the mystery behind the knackered wiring - not brake lights, indicators, heater, etc.

[ashmicro]

Looking good there Station. re the electrical gremlins - knackered earth somewhere maybe?

[Station]

Yes, that's likely. I've had constant electrical problems with it since I got it.

[Guest]

Nice nosecone painting, reminds me of a very rare special edition which had a similar snout.

 

[Minimad5]

Tell ya what Dave , at this rate you could start a new career !

[Pillock]

That's ruddy good from a driveway job! I've seen worse paint on a new Vauxhall.... my gran's old Corsa was really badly orangepeeled from the factory.

[Station]

Yeah, think that's it for the painting for the time being.

 

Yesterday I think I lost the plot and had the grand idea of sorting out the intermittent electrical problem by replacing the entire flipping wiring loom. I raced down to Oswestry at 10pm last night and picked up a loom someone had been holding onto for a couple of years until my mental condition deteriorated enough to allow me to do this horrid job!

My wiring had a nasty tendency to turn the heater, electric mirrors, sunroof, clocks, brake lights, indicators, headlights and windscreen wipers off - this was remedied with a reach around behind the dashboard, and a few sharp tugs on the wiring loom. Everytime resulting in a pop and a flash, and me shouting 'FUCK', veering wildly across the motorway as sparks dance gaily on my legs. It had to be changed, I'd lost everything at this point for the past three or so months, no nothing, only recovering when I pulled the dash out, getting the shower of sparks, and then everything going in motion. Too late you dickhead!

 

Like an evil, dead jellyfish, it sits mocking me from my driveway:

 

 

At this point I realise I should be inside doing work:

 

 

The loom has to be pulled through a 2 inch hole in the bulkhead.

 

 

Get aht:

 

 

 

Put it all back in - NOTHING works! ARSE.

[Rusty Pelican]

Arse indeed , i made an entire wiring loom from scratch for my commer , took over a week with it scattered all over the bedroom floor whilst i loom taped it up , You need to be methodical and check each wire , what it does , wether its live and when its live using the diagram from a Haynes or whatever , By some miracle mine all worked first time and still does 15 years later

Im sure you will sort it though

[HillmanImp]

You are a very brave man taking on the loom. I would not have the patience for it. However i am sure if you persivere you will sort it.

 

Very good job you are doing. I am sure once its in and sorted it will be worth it.

 

If you are ever passing Leeds, feel free to pop in and sort out one of my cars. I will help by bringing out beer when the adverts are on.