Bodywork

AlanBartlett · Post by **AlanBartlett** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 10:29 pm

I'm now finally happy with my engine and thats running nicely, I now have an even beat on both cylinders which I didnt have before when I did the plug test.

Now I went to a local auto mechanic who does painting also, and he quoted me 2000 for complete bodywork and respray. Or 300 for a respray and I do the body work.

Now my question is where do I start, Ive still got to filler the rest of the wings but Id like to know where to start on body work, I must say all the doors and hinges dont really line up and looks like its been assembled drunk. Also the doors bow outwards too, and the running board has sunk from the line of the bonnet and under the doors, just wondering where I would start this next job.

Tony Fearn · Post by **Tony Fearn** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 11:49 pm

Alan,

If she's now running sweetly and she stops as she should, then I'd just use the car for the summer, as she is, and get a bit of enjoyment out of her.

You've been fettling for such a long time. Have a rest.

If the chrome needs doing, and that's another costly thing, then it's no use painting the body as the overall effect won't be what you want.

Tony.

george garside · Post by **george garside** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 10:53 am

Allen

I agree with what Tony - but more so! I think amongst a world of often 'over restored' cars it is important to retain the patina of age, concentrating on conservation rather than renewal where possible.eg perhaps aiming to have it like it was when it was perhaps 15 or 20 years old. This is probably particularly appropriate in a car that has been in one family for a long time. It also means that you can enjoy using it & carry out annual improvements as & when time and money allow.

george

AlanBartlett · Post by **AlanBartlett** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 11:22 am

This is the thing, I'm not to sure how far to go or when to stop, the orginal plan was to get it back on the road and in working order in his memory and get it painted eventually, but how far does one go, do i go for the used conditon, the car has been used all its life both as a rally show can and a family work horse, do I get it back to that appearance or do i go the whole hog and be looking for perfection of how it rolled out the factory back in 1934. As Ian Howell puts it "The devil is in the detail" which detail do I go for?

george garside · Post by **george garside** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 1:28 pm

my vote would go to gently bringing it back to 'family workhorse' condition as far as possible with discreat attention to such things as ill fitting doors, running boards etc etc. BUt many may disagree!
george

Alastair Gregg · Post by **Alastair Gregg** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 5:37 pm

I come from a similar position as George. The show car that never gets used or taken out in the rain is not what I have a Jowett for. My idea of fun is to drive it, and I still can't stop smiling every time I take HKY out. I'm sure the neighbours think they have a madman in their midst

Well they might have!

Get it roadworthy reliable and get some miles on it. (I know its not short of a few) but your Dad and his Dad would be really pleased to see Son/Grandson enjoying what they had toiled to get maintain and restore. Its a fun car use it learn from it and do it up as you are using it.

Keith Andrews · Post by **Keith Andrews** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 10:15 pm

This is the thing, I'm not to sure how far to go or when to stop,

Reconising That is your 1st big step
Story time.
Back in 84 I decided to do the Camaro, engine /everything
I wanted to use it almost daily but wanted to clean u and present nice at a show 'n shine not win prizes at a car show.
So I dismantled , chassis out...factory chassis welds where good but rough, I even got to the stage od picking up the mig with the intention of welding, filling welds so noting would show...perfect smooth...
Here I stopped , took stock...what the hell was I doing?! this is to be a tidy driver, like when it came out of the factory.

Decide how good your skills are and what/ how far do you want to go..
The best in GB or tidy factory...AND KEEP to it.

Next is u now have it running well...do what the guys say above, enjoy the bloody thing whizing around the local towns, showing it off...
Hey its not perfect, nore is my Braddy, but geeze the braddy pulls more of a crowd than the Camaro...and put in persective...Braddy is worth about $3000 the Camaro $65,000.

Now How to....
When building bodies, general rule of thumb, get doors, trunk, hood right, then match the body to them...sounds the wrong way round, but thats how its done in most rebuilds

Get all panels fitting, sand/blast off all old paint then start to high build, block out and paint.

Choose what sort of paint system u want...
Based on cost , work, resources, skills and faclities.

2 pot

requires a booth and special breatning equipment, skill with a gun, less work, long lasting and paint expensive
Old style enamel, requires clean garage, good gun skills, cheap, doesnt last as long (7 to 15 yrs) ...leave undercoats 1 or more weeks before blocking final undercoat and final paint
Laqueur/clear over top.. Cheap, extra work wet sanding to fine gloss when finished, very forgiving gun skills, paint in a clean garage. leave undercoats 1 or more weeks before blocking final undercoat and final paint

In the mean time use the bloody car, potter around , bit at a time gettingf things to fit right, but dont do anything that takes the car off the road for more than a week....even if it takes 2 yrs...use it, enjoy it.

TedAllen · Post by **TedAllen** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 11:10 pm

Alan,
Keith, as usual, is spot on about using the car.
I took my car off the road to do the bodywork and various other jobs. As I was working with cars everyday I had no enthusiasm to do so in the evening. I suppose if you are decorator you dont want to paper your own lounge in the evening ! She was in the workshop for 11 years although she had been sprayed in this time.
I thought, this is getting me nowhere and I did a survey of what was needed to get through the test. I made a list of jobs and really, some of them were so small that they took minutes to do. I crossed out all non-urgent work and she was back on the road in a couple of weeks.
No headlining, some other trim not fitted, original tatty carpets, spare wheel in boot etc, etc. She's still like that 10 years or so on but she looks good to anyone not in the car and as Keith says, she grabs all the attention when parked next to more exotic stuff.....and I've had 10 years of fun with her.
So use her for the summer and do some gradual 'fettlement' when the weather is not so good
Ted

Speed kills...run a Jowett twin and live forever !

Keith Andrews · Post by **Keith Andrews** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 5:13 am

Speed kills...run a Jowett twin and live forever !

Where do I get that bumper sticker!!!
For our 13 sec 1/4 mile, 150mph+ 69 camaro.

AlanBartlett · Post by **AlanBartlett** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 4:20 pm

Right then, line up line up, Id like to start on getting the doors to line up properly but ive noticed where the screws go in for the hinge they have started to pull out, does anyone know how I would cure this or would I have to replace the whole post?

Keith Andrews · Post by **Keith Andrews** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 9:47 pm

My experiance is more with steel ...
So this is only a suggestion, for comments from those more experianced on wooden frames.
If the frame is basically solid...
Score some dowelling slightly larger than the holes
drill out the old holes, for a tight fit.
Smear epoxt glue in the hole and into the dowel then tap into the hole.
Let cure for 24 hrs, then redrill the holes.

I used similar method when painting redoing that the wooded framed windows around the house about 15 yrs ago, except taped/packed tooth picks into the holes with glue.

Tony Fearn · Post by **Tony Fearn** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 11:22 pm

Hello Alan.

Perhaps you might like to consider the possibility of drilling completely through the hinge post, countersinking the inside of it and using some sort of bolt and nut arrangement.

Bolts are available with wood screw type heads, so if you use that sort of bolt, it will be just the same as a screw, but you'll be able to bolt the hinge onto the post instead of just using wood screws.

If you countersink the inside then you'll be able to cover up the nut end with the trim piece and no-one will be any the wiser.

Tony.

george garside · Post by **george garside** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 12:39 pm

Tony's idea is well worth considering, particularly if the wood is a bit 'iffy' but not bad enough to need immediate replacement. If a bit of extra reinforcement is needed to spsread the load you can instead of just countersinking on the inside of the pillar for the nut chisel out a groove to take a metal strip plus the depth of the nut which would take the weight of the hinge away from the area of the original screwhole which may well be a weak point. The main point about through bolting is that you are putting the wood under compression and can therefore tighten the bolt a lot rather than trying to secure s screw to an aalready weakened area which an prevent you from tightening it enough.

george

Keith Andrews · Post by **Keith Andrews** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 10:44 pm

George /Tony I believe are right, a load spread plate on the back of the frame, holes patterned the same as the hinge will spread the load and prevent nuts pulling back thru....
And make sure the holes in the frame are tight on the bolt shafts, to remove any play.

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