back on the road ..........fingers crossed

[DavidLaver]

Must say its scrubbed up nice...

As for my wheels these photos painting them are Feb 08.  Not the best job in the world, but will do until the wheels become the part that is letting the car down.   Just looked at the pic of your wheels all done, other than a bit of tyre black what's in it

David

[DavidLaver]

Round here "two pack" is when I tip the dregs of one tin into another.  As for Wurth stone chip, I don't think it really is Wurth the time and trouble pebble dashing it just yet...

David

[chugga boom]

my my david, bit of a dark horse , working on it and no updates on your topic, bit sneaky  , good to see progress on it , anything else to report?? anymore desisions on body style yet?? think you should build a pickup so we could have our own comercial section at the AGM

[DavidLaver]

The wheels were done before the tyres, the tyres went on before it came out of its lockup, and if you look closely (and know what to look for) can make them out on this thread.

http://www.lancia.myzen.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1033.15

The wheel painting pics were before the Aprilia engine strip thread - and then the Augusta Special thread started a while after that.   The wheel painting was a bit of history that never made it to the forum...

Progress of late is shifting the set of Riley wings on ebay.  They were stored on the chassis rather than in the loft (with the Augusta wing you're after) so having got them out the way I've been able to have a couple of sneaky five min sessions wire brushing.   They could have been made to fit, but very distinctly "Riley" to look at and suit 19in wheels.   Getting the fronts to fit would have been a lot of fiddle and seemed wrong to split such a good set.  The rears were a pretty shape for all I don't like the slab sided nature of them.  Anyway - gone now...   Can't keep all the options open forever or nothing actually gets done.

So there's been 2x5mins wire brushing.  I remembered how the bristles turn up in the oddest of places, forgotton how quickly a brush wears down, but delighted that a lot of progress can be made in ten minutes.   While getting it sand or soda blasted is the conventional way to go not having access to a trailer and not being able to open the cheque book a couple of sessions with the wire brush is what it will be.  I've got various rust killers and zinc primers in hand.  A tin here and there in with the "domestic" paint purchases to get it under the radar

No progress on the engine - other than keeping that bench reserved for only that engine, keeping access to walk up to it, and unearthing the ultrasonic cleaning bath in the loft the other day and getting it down to the garage ready to start cleaning the little bits and bobs.

Was looking at Mr Cundy's DTI with envy - but sometimes its probably better just not to know how sh*gged the engine is before putting it back togeather.  I'll give the bearings a chance, they're intact, hone the bores, and call it "race tollerances".  Aprilia engines have the reputation of refusing to die - I had an Alfasud with zero oil pressure and a death rattle on cornering (G-force drained the top end of oil) that just got quicker and quicker with every mile...   As with the hand painted wheels, when oil consumption becomes the biggest problem with the car it can come apart again.  The engine will be given a chance to run "as is".

As for a pickup body - why not eh?   This chassis is going to have a wardrobe - and the way its going maybe even a choice of early and late front ends. 

Another bit of "will do to be getting on with" progress is a seat set, believed to be from an A40.   The price was right - free - and the fronts look the part balanced on the chassis - and the rears can come apart to be narrowed - and easy enough to recolour.   In time be nice to restore the original seats, but they're as big a project of themselves as knocking up a basic body or getting the engine back togeather.

David

[chugga boom]

with regards to blasting etc, yes it is the best way but as you say costly, my fathers car wasn't blasted nor his astura, the best way we have found to treat it is grind /sand off 1st then believe it or not dulux bare metal prima, then their undercoat then top coat, lasts for years, can be brushed or sprayed, i'm dubious about rust cure products, we painted my dads augusta axles and belna axles at the same time many years ago, using the above treatment however the belna axles were done with a rust cure product also, the belna axles microblistered within a yr or 2 where as my dads are still perfect sum 10+yrs on, try it though its good stuff, some people laugh but good old oil based paint never really dries hard like 2k paint so is therfore more flexable and less prone to stonechips , ideal for underneath chassis etc

[DavidLaver]

Dulux is always the temptation...   The second hand machinery dealer locally strips then brush glosses with no primer and it lasts a decade indoors and comes up like a filled and sprayed factory job.  What's great about Dulux - and other "consumer" products - is that they put so much time into making it idiot proof.   As I've found to my distress with child safe and water based paints if the moon is at the wrong phase it goes wrong on the last coat, takes a month to cure, then has to be sanded off again.

The wheels got Jennolite "double act" because I had a load on the shelf and then smoothrite which is not what it used to be.  I can remember of old you must never recoat after an hour unless you wait a full month - the new formulation is a much more conventional "two thin coats" with a drying time between.   Being paint-paranoid I read the lable every time as I know they change stuff on you and phoned the help line and its to do with VOC regs.

I've also got stock of Bilt Hamber Electrox primer, Deox, and Hydrate which always seem to ace the Practical Classics tests.  Have also got something called Fertan which I've yet to try.

http://www.bilthamber.com/hydrate80.html
http://www.fertan.co.uk/

To go with the random orbit and belt sanders and the various wire brushes this gizmo does what it says on the tin.  Works a treat on stuff like a pitted propshaft where you don't want to grind half the thickness off.

http://www.paint-stripper.co.uk/perago.htm

I came across the company looking for an aluminum safe paint stripper for items I'm not wanting to clean up mechanically.

http://www.paint-stripper.co.uk/removall_paint_stripper_aviation.htm

The plan became (as always subject to change day to day) was to use all of the above paints on OTHER cars, and to stick to this range below on the Augusta.

http://www.craftmasterpaints.co.uk/

They couldn't be more helpful on the phone and you can just tell that they've been there, done that etc etc.  For all its a canal boat painting company he's got at least one Lancia and several Alfas and has supplied "big names" in car restoration as well as us "blokes in sheds".   Somewhat reluctantly he'd even find me a brushing etch primer for aluminum that's been tested within his "system" of paints if I really wouldn't put up with a spray can.  I really do HATE spraying indoors and half the year its too damp to spray outside...

It was a happy day I first made contact with them - and I like his "long lasting red" as not all the pigmants behave over time but the one that does is a lovely shade that nothing on the web site does justice to.  They also supply the masking tapes, brushes, and abrasives they've graduated towards in their own work.

http://www.craftmasterpaints.co.uk/aboutus.htm

If I've learned one thing with paints its to stick to "a system".  If its going to be Dulux, its the full set of Dulux products.

On the subject of paint here's a fun link - a high quality finish using a roller "the fifty dollar repaint".

http://www.rickwrench.com/index79master.htm?http://www.rickwrench.com/50dollarpaint.html

David

[DavidLaver]

Words of wisdom from that link on the fifty dollar repaint:

"I've come to the conclusion there is no middle ground with auto painting. Either go as cheap as possible, accepting the limitations and flaws and enjoying the feeling of doing it for nearly nothing, or, go all out. Anything in between is going to be a disappointment, no matter what. There is no such thing as a satisfactory "mid-level" paintjob. "

David

[chugga boom]

well the main secret to good paint jobs is the preparation, painting itself is easy its just about being concistant with coverage and getting enough paint on, if you flat hell out of it after then polish hell out of it after that then you have a good result, even oven paint jobs get muck in the paint and has to be flatted after, the main expence with a profesional paint job is the prep, people dont realise how much work goes into prepping a car for paint especially something thats battered!!, i once painted an escort van (in my youth) with black dulux and a roller, alot of orange peel but acceptable, and far better than brushing it, long story it was a shed that i was running for 2 months while fettling my rs turbo (yes another escort i hear you cry  young and foolish enough said!!) must say thogh i was impressed with the 50 dollar paint job though

[chugga boom]

car is coming along nicely, too well......... so in my wisdom i had a bright idea

[chugga boom]

bit more......

[chugga boom]

basically the moulding and roof panel was tatty, i thought simple refelt and new vinyl new moulding and result make the car a bit more tidy, anyway after stripping off the old roof there aint much left underneath to hold the vinyl down!!!, got my work cut ou this weekend, removed the headlining too as it wasnt fitted very well, plenty to do now, door panels  have been removed to go to coachtrimmers just hope all this is finished by the end of the month for tatton park........fingers crossed

[DavidLaver]

....or drive round Tatton Park with the boy-friday standing on the rear seat taking the salute...

...or a sheet of perspex...

What I find reassuring, having a platform chassis, is that the roof can't be adding a great deal to the torsional rigidity, and with it being pillarless as well.   Do the top corners of the screen ever crack on these?  Am thinking of the front twisting one way, the back the other, and what that would do to the shape of the roof frame.  Do the doors ever fret at each other on a poor surface?

David

[Running Board]

I don't understand what all the fuss is about regarding renewing Augusta/Belna roof fabric.  In France for example, the Belgians can be seen replacing theirs while they stop for fuel!

[Sliding Pillar]

............and later...........having to do it again back at the hotel !!!!!!!!!!!

[chugga boom]

you may think its been along time and why no updates , well thats because we had a disaster with the roof!!, when we actually came to fitting the mesh it was too weak and flimsy so that kinda buggered up our plans to get the roof finished last sunday, anyway getting back to the plot monday morning came and my dad went on the hunt for stronger mesh, eventually finding some in our local builders merchant, he then continued working on the roof in his own time at his house (we moved the car sunday my god it was drafty!!)
the pictures below show clearly what he has done and in all fairness it looks fantastic, i'm hoping to get some paint on the repaired area's and moulding tomorrow fingers crossed......