Back of the garage

Panky

Panky

admin 2.0
Staff member
I've been inspired. I looked out this morning, the sun was shining, the sky was blue and the birds were singing. It's time to come out of hibernation. The garage doors creaked open on their rusty hinges and through the gloom I could see my Mini half buried under junk but almost ready for its new coat of paint. I had been toying with the idea of changing the original colour scheme of flame red with white roof to that all time classic tartan red with a black roof and decided there and then to do something about it, so I made a cup of tea. Soon after, on my Way to International Autopaints, my mind was made up, tartan red it is - but then I pulled up outside the shop and there gleaming in the sunshine was the most perfect little flame red and old English white Mini you have ever seen. I met the owner inside who had apparently carried out a full nut and bolt resto and resprayed it himself. Ten minutes later I left the shop with two litres of flame red and a gallon of thinners. By the end of the day I had cleared enough room around the Min to tidy things up a bit and mask off the whole car and yes the respray has begun, the boot hinges have had their first coat of primer.
You may be wondering what on earth is he rambling on about a flippin' Mini for in a Commer forum, well, at the back of the garage is a door and through that door is a secret room containing Harvey the RV and once the forlorn Mini has had its new coat of paint and it's 'special' engine built and fitted then it's COMMER TIME. At the current rate of progress we are probable looking at the turn of the century when my ancestors will probably have it running on solar power, but stranger things have happened and maybe if the days stay sunny and this forum stays as entertaining who knows maybe a year :D:D
 
Know the feeling. Poor old detector van is languising away in the workshop waiting for woolfy to bring me the floorpans[:(!]
I had a similar feeling this morning and decided it was about time I sorted out all my commer bits. They were all over the place after moving house last year, but finally they are all re-united in the new garage, along with the pickup and PO van.
I still need to sort out what I have got, but I have managed to fill over 100sq ft of new shelving.[:0]
 
Good grief, my cache of spares includes 1 rather rusty leaf spring and a biscuit tin of stuff I bought at an auto jumble years ago for £10. Mind you the tin has got some useful stuff in it, track rod ends and suspension bushes and a few seals. No thermostat housing though :)
 
I too spent much of yesterday back in the barn having a sort out and tidy up.

Hopefully someone (MARTIN!?!) will be able to help me with the following; I appear to have misplaced most of the bolts that unite the engine with the gearbox :eek: yes hindsight is a great thing and if I were to do it all again I would box and number everything in the correct order so I'm left scratching my head with the potential of having to try every bolt I have (in a biscuit tin of course) until I find the ones that fit; unless anyone knows the size, length and number required and if they have some for sale!!!
 
Visited never-land at-the-back-of-the-garage again today and had a good poke around underneath Harvey (ooh er missus)and was pleasantly surprised with what I found. All the chassis sections are solid and the repairs I did ages ago around the rear corners are lasting well. All the lower panels have only minor scabs with the exception of the front valance which needs work to both ends, I have to admit I did bodge the valance to 'tidy things up' but these things tend to come back and haunt you. The most serious bit of work to do underneath is the front off side jacking point looks OK at first glance but poke your finger in between the tube and box section reveals a lack of box section but plenty of rust. So once I've sorted that out there's only the peak and guttering to do then total respray, strip the interior and re-varnish free off the brakes, investigate overheating, get new exhaust.......... As you may realise I haven't looked underneath for quite some time, I thought spiders died off in the winter [:0][:0]
 
I've used most of the flame red paint I got a couple of weeks ago :)
Thought you might like to see a few before and after pics.

MyPictures0010-1.jpg


As you can see space is a bit tight.

MyPictures0009.jpg



MyPictures0008.jpg



MyPictures0007.jpg



MyPictures0005.jpg


No it's not blood, the spray gun decided to explode, well almost [V]


MyPictures0004.jpg


Nice butt [}:)]
I like a nice tidy work place ;)

MyPictures0002.jpg


The wife is actually getting used to the new red Mini sized feature dripped all over the drive :I

Some of the paint looks like it has been put on with a textured roller but it will rub down (I hope) and at least it's all the same colour. Why do greenfly always appear when you least expect them [:(!]
I can tell your impressed with the ultra professional spraying gear [^] QVC Pick of The Day :D

Who knows once the Mini's done I may be posting progress on the Camper[:0]
 
Looks well panky!!...nice colour as well!...and its nice to know im not the only person making a mess of the drive and pathways..[}:)]

Any more pics?..
 
Ah but I developed driveway mucking up into an art form, I managed to shift the majority of the over-spray and drips with a combination of thinners fairy liquid and the garden hose, I now have a nice pink stripe down the rest of the drive beyond the gates to the front of the house :I Sorry no more pics, more to come as progress happens.
 
Yes, the wife is still haunted by the apparition in front of the house [:0]
 
Spent another few hour on the Mini on Sunday, must have used a dozen sheets of 800 wet and dry rubbing the lumps off the top of the 'respray', the garage floor looks like an abattoirs with pools of red water pretending to be blood (the wife has just gone on a long holiday officer, please don't look in the freezer). I mentioned somewhere else that the boot lid is looking splendid but as of yet the rest of the bodywork is still mat red, the buffer and T cut will be out soon [}:)][}:)], more pics then [8D]
 
Finishing paint isnt so nice really is it, i resprayed a VW polo last week, putting the paint on is the easy bit isnt it,wet flatting and buffing is such a bloody chore though![V]
Nice to know the Mini's coming along nicely!:D
 
This is only my second proper attempt at a full respray the first was a quick blow over of my first van, damn site harder than I expected with all the finishing but I'm sure it will be worth it [8D]
 
Whoa, what a difference a bottle of Tcut aand a few hours of vigorous buffing makes, its shiny as a shiny thing in a shiny competition. The only panel I didn't spray was the bonnet so I gave it a good seeing to as well and offered it up to the rest of the car. Oh bugger it's a slightly different shade, looks like have to get a couple of aerosols filled at Auto Paint [V]
 
Just so Chris can't accuse me of hi-jacking another topic ;) I thought I'd better revive this one. Haven't done much for a while what with holidays and Gatherings to attend and stuff but now starting to put the bits and pieces back on the car, all the door furniture is on and the door cards given the treatment with 'Panky's Amerzin' Vikleen' [8D]. Went to put the petrol tank back in today but found the filler neck had rotted through [V], there is a sponge rubber seal around the filler neck that sits inside the car and soaks up water a treat [xx(] no wonder it rusted. For now I treated the rot with a rust stabiliser and as the weren't to many holes I filled them in with steelstick and will fit the tank tomorrow. The boot lid went on after another good T-cutting and looks pretty good [8D]. Will try and get some more pics if the rain holds off and if I can drag the rapier engine out of the way :D:D.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top