106 replies to this topic

[mini_toaster]

should i spray the car black what do people reckon??

Black would look good but I like the dark blue with white stripes myself

[THedooBZ]

just finished sprayin the bonnet gloss black,, decided i prefer the gloss to the satin,, did my boot the other day aswell. just need to cut and wax em both once the paints cured properly.
both have a real nice shine and reflection to them aswell which is nice as flatting and cutting should be easy!!!

Edited by THedooBZ, 14 October 2007 - 02:59 PM.

[minili]

Wow looking good! Sometimes I wish I had a less clean Mini so I could have the guts to experiment without being so scared of it looking a bit rough! Or a darker coloured Mini so I could do almost exactly this! Would look rubbish on mine

Well done on the (very quick) progress so far, look forward to reading more about the project

[THedooBZ]

update peeps,, havent really done alot to the mini for the last few months...

been working late and now its dark in the evenings its hard to get anything done.. on the plus side iv managed to get a garage a 2 min walk from my house, albeit a council owned one with no power but at least it out of the rain...

however i did replace the wiring with a proper wiring loom, BUT.. upon starting the car for the first time the wiring loom went up in smoke.. found out it was when i changed my exhaust i trapped the reverse light switch cable under the new exhaust pipe, thats now sorted out but i havent got round to connecting the loom back up.

biggest news is that the colour will be changing once the little bits of body work are finished as i now have a compressor and have been practicing with it, only the outside shell will be a new colour the interior will retain the original blue unless i think it looks daft upon completion. i have a free day tommorow so i will get pictures of the bits which need doing before paint.

a quick list then is;
finish replacing burnt cables and connect loom.
repair rusty areas with suitable method
flat paint or strip,, most likely flat
prime and paint

then who knows!!!!
i do have an idea of what colour it will be as shown in the photoshop, should be really cool all going well although the paint wont get done till easter when it starts to warm up a bit.

also does anyone know where i stand with pushing the car down the street to my house when its SORN or shall i just make a hasty dash for it,, like i say the garage is only a 2 min walk ( or 10min push i guess lol)

comments and suggestions appreciated as always..

[THedooBZ]

today i have completed the wiring modifications which had to be done due to the fire,, everything works ok now so i can finally drive it about abit until the mot runs out the end of next month.

had a few running issues, including the air filter glowing red momentarily,, turned out to be the dashpot oil being not existent after i swapped the needle is must have escaped and i never topped it up, also snipped the split part of a breather hose to the carb,, well i think that is what it is.

sprayed a patch on my door in the grey colour i will be using as the doors need reskinning anyway,, paints turned out real nice, 2 coats was all it took,, just need to have a play with some lacquer at some point before starting the whole body restoration.

just to add the compressor im using isnt a big air compressor but one of these...

http://www.argos.co....t strippers.htm


i bought it with the intention of spraying my mini just to see whether they are worth the money,, at less than £100 i was very sceptical to say the least, however early trials with the good are results in very good finishes. the gun is a bit rubbish due to it being plastic but it still works fine, just seems a bit toy-town that all, other than that i cannot fault it, the more expensive models have metal guns though, but u have to keep in mind the price, i think this will help a few people who are wanted to give these systems a go but are worried it will go terribly wrong, i will get a photo of the patch i have done and post it up tommorow i guess.

for now though im going for a drive this evening after not being able to for the last 2 months!!!!!

Edited by THedooBZ, 21 December 2007 - 05:25 PM.

[minili]

Great choice of colour, retro I love it

[THedooBZ]

Great choice of colour, retro cool.gif I love it

cheers, i just photoshopped my car and changed the colour to every colour imaginable (ish) and that shade of grey just happenned to be the favourite.. cant wait to paint it in a few months when it warms up!!! still the days can only get longer after today,, bein the shortest day of the year n'all.

[Bean]

oooh, i saw a van about that colour at stanford hall this year....


it looked yummy!

Great colour choice!


And... great project The boot and bonnet look great!!

[Retro_10s]

Aha! finally some one else who has used an earlex system.

I was beginning to think i'd made it all up in my head! Good luck with the spray mate. Will look ace

[THedooBZ]

Aha! finally some one else who has used an earlex system.

u had any experience with one before then retro??? i was inspired by yourself to try rollers,, did a wing and kinda gave up because of the time it takes, this earlex was the next best option i thought and im hoping to distroy the myth that they arent worth using..

[Retro_10s]

They definately ARE worth using, My mates dad was spraying his beaten up Series 2 landrover with one and let me do a panel,... I must say,.. Once you've got the right nozzle on etc It's quite a nice gun to use. But we sprayed with synthetic 1k paint,... what are you going to use... 2k?

You're right,... it does looka little toy town-ish but once you get past that it's fine,...

They're good,... and great results are achievable with some time and care. PICS PICS PICS!!!

[THedooBZ]

im using halfords custom mixed paint,, so cellulose paint it is,, dont worry i will get pictures up asap,, if i get down to the garage tommorrow i will take some photos of the trial paint i shot on the door today.
as for the nozzle i just played with the adjustment until i got a nice flow, i have marked with a paint marker on the adjustment knob where the settings for my celly is,, thats using a 50/50 ratio on thinners not that that matters but if it gets knocked i can get prety much right before hitting the bodywork. im not expert at painting but i must say i love how easy it manages to get the paint onto what youre painting and in a good finish aswell..

[wwinstanley]

Lookin good there mate, i reckon it would look awesome in black with pressed aluminium number plates.

[axmini]

he cant have pressed plates his car is to new

[wwinstanley]

i know that, you could get away with it though.