Saved from the "Scene" Mk1 MX5 rescue-ish
Discussion
That was irritating. The Lemon Peel car was collected and they got exactly forty six miles from my home before the dash loom decided to cook itself and fry the wires to the coil packs.
The volt meter wire was trapped in the door and shorted the main fuse box.
I'm only just home from trying to help get the car going. Sadly she's finishing her journey on the back of a recovery transporter. The new owner is still happy. By the time he's fitted a body kit, welded the diff' and other drifty stuff the loom will be sorted.
The volt meter wire was trapped in the door and shorted the main fuse box.
I'm only just home from trying to help get the car going. Sadly she's finishing her journey on the back of a recovery transporter. The new owner is still happy. By the time he's fitted a body kit, welded the diff' and other drifty stuff the loom will be sorted.
I've issued a refund for Lemon Peel.
Turns out the loom was as bodged as the rest of the car.
"A time bomb waiting to go off".
Every single thing added to it was done so via the main live to the ECU and the whole lot was wiped out by the short.
Progress on the drift MX5 has been thwarted by family commitments and other stuff.
I managed to get new tyres for the violet wheels, fit and photoshop...
...this was enough to convince the owner matte grey would look pants.
So I get to use proper paint.
Turns out the loom was as bodged as the rest of the car.
"A time bomb waiting to go off".
Every single thing added to it was done so via the main live to the ECU and the whole lot was wiped out by the short.
Progress on the drift MX5 has been thwarted by family commitments and other stuff.
I managed to get new tyres for the violet wheels, fit and photoshop...
...this was enough to convince the owner matte grey would look pants.
So I get to use proper paint.
Pulling dents...
...with a go-pro mount.
One thing I like about sanding. Well about the only thing is you get a glimpse into the cars past.
As you can see from the different colour dusts the bonnet wing and passenger door have been painted with a high gloss and the rear quarter original paint and lacquer. From the looks of it the car has had paint stripper or something thrown over it some time in it's life.
...with a go-pro mount.
One thing I like about sanding. Well about the only thing is you get a glimpse into the cars past.
As you can see from the different colour dusts the bonnet wing and passenger door have been painted with a high gloss and the rear quarter original paint and lacquer. From the looks of it the car has had paint stripper or something thrown over it some time in it's life.
I cheated a little. Did a high gloss pass and while it was still tacky did a couple of matte passes. In normal light it looks flat as my mate wanted but the metallic picks up surrounding colours and it pops in the Sun. Almost like a candy finish but the top is the same as the base. He gets his boring matte look and I know it isn't.
Wooooo-ha-ha-ha-haaaaaa!
Wooooo-ha-ha-ha-haaaaaa!
Details.
New-ish tyres on the other purple wheels fitted and balanced. Too wet to be faffing about with ramps, jack and stuff. Those can wait until the morning.
I'll look at where the exhaust is leaking from I think it's where the flexipipe has dragged on the floor (it's that low) and she's ready for an understanding MOT tester.
New-ish tyres on the other purple wheels fitted and balanced. Too wet to be faffing about with ramps, jack and stuff. Those can wait until the morning.
I'll look at where the exhaust is leaking from I think it's where the flexipipe has dragged on the floor (it's that low) and she's ready for an understanding MOT tester.
I have a bit of a side project going on.
At the last track day couple of MX5's were left unattended in the paddock with their roof and bonnets open. I picked one and a fellow nice person picked the other. I shut the roof and closed the bonnet as did he.
Turns out it was his car anyway so he wasn't acting out of kindness so much but that's not important.
The owner of the MX5 returned, thanked me and I told her...
Wrong.
Common sense is not very common these days and a few days later I got a call. Well, my phone rang for a split second and disconnected. I called back and once I was passed her phone voice and knew who it was I asked why she called.
"I don't know if I should be angry with you?"
"Why? What have I done now?"
"You know you shut my bonnet and roof for me?"
"Yeah".
"It flipped open on the way home".
I was devastated for her and immediately offered to help. She said it was okay I was trying to help and wanted to hear my reaction so she could gauge my voice. This annoyed me. The idea that she thought I could have done something like that on purpose had crossed her mind. Knowing how much her car means to her and how passionate I am about all things automotive quite frankly I was insulted. I was about to say...
"
YOU!"
...and hang up when she apologised and the conversation moved on. She mentioned she was hoping to upgrade to carbon fiber at some point and this was an excuse. I have a mate who ran a carbon composite company and he may have an old stock carbon bonnet available. Just like that she was all nice, sweet and almost trying to give me a hug down the phone.
I am a believer that there are three types of nice person in the world.
1/ People who are nice because they are nice.
2/ People who are nice because they are paying penance for their past.
3/ Those (I won't even describe them as people) who are only nice when they want something or think they are going to get something out of it.
She was definitely a number 3
Another frog princess who turn into cow and back.
So do I risk one of my longest friendships to get a bonnet for someone who failed to check her car before driving on the road, didn't have a secondary hook and was only nice to me when she thought she was going to get something out of it?
No.
Instead I picked up a red bonnet from eBay for £12 and hatched a plan.
Some masking tape, white paint and couple of stickers from a chap I know who is a bit of vinyl wizz.
Another mate said...
"Nah that's still too good".
...so I set about aging and making it look "different".
Finishing touches. The Imperial Japanese flag has sixteen spokes this bonnet only has fourteen so I don't upset any World War II veterans. I peeled the masking off the edges at a forty-five degree angle to pull the paint up. This gives the bonnet and 3D effect and instead of segments it looks a little like a flag in a light breeze. I also aged the surface by applying different types of lacquer. The picture is typical Manga late teen early twenties character and this girl is in late twenties so the aging process was to make the picture chronologically accurate,
Ta-daaa!
I hope she likes it but won't be too upset if she hates it.
At the last track day couple of MX5's were left unattended in the paddock with their roof and bonnets open. I picked one and a fellow nice person picked the other. I shut the roof and closed the bonnet as did he.
Turns out it was his car anyway so he wasn't acting out of kindness so much but that's not important.
The owner of the MX5 returned, thanked me and I told her...
I said:
I had shut the roof but only closed the bonnet.
...she was in a bit of a mood with me and was nonchalantly only half paying attention. I should have made it clearer; I could have told her to bloody well listen, but I had done my good deed for the day and she wasn't going to get a wet arse. Besides I had no idea why her bonnet was open so if I had shut it properly and the oil/radiator cap was lose it could have been catastrophic. Common sense and common courtesy in one hit right?Wrong.
Common sense is not very common these days and a few days later I got a call. Well, my phone rang for a split second and disconnected. I called back and once I was passed her phone voice and knew who it was I asked why she called.
"I don't know if I should be angry with you?"
"Why? What have I done now?"
"You know you shut my bonnet and roof for me?"
"Yeah".
"It flipped open on the way home".
I was devastated for her and immediately offered to help. She said it was okay I was trying to help and wanted to hear my reaction so she could gauge my voice. This annoyed me. The idea that she thought I could have done something like that on purpose had crossed her mind. Knowing how much her car means to her and how passionate I am about all things automotive quite frankly I was insulted. I was about to say...
"
YOU!" ...and hang up when she apologised and the conversation moved on. She mentioned she was hoping to upgrade to carbon fiber at some point and this was an excuse. I have a mate who ran a carbon composite company and he may have an old stock carbon bonnet available. Just like that she was all nice, sweet and almost trying to give me a hug down the phone.
I am a believer that there are three types of nice person in the world.
1/ People who are nice because they are nice.
2/ People who are nice because they are paying penance for their past.
3/ Those (I won't even describe them as people) who are only nice when they want something or think they are going to get something out of it.
She was definitely a number 3
Another frog princess who turn into cow and back.
So do I risk one of my longest friendships to get a bonnet for someone who failed to check her car before driving on the road, didn't have a secondary hook and was only nice to me when she thought she was going to get something out of it?
No.
Instead I picked up a red bonnet from eBay for £12 and hatched a plan.
Some masking tape, white paint and couple of stickers from a chap I know who is a bit of vinyl wizz.
Another mate said...
"Nah that's still too good".
...so I set about aging and making it look "different".
Finishing touches. The Imperial Japanese flag has sixteen spokes this bonnet only has fourteen so I don't upset any World War II veterans. I peeled the masking off the edges at a forty-five degree angle to pull the paint up. This gives the bonnet and 3D effect and instead of segments it looks a little like a flag in a light breeze. I also aged the surface by applying different types of lacquer. The picture is typical Manga late teen early twenties character and this girl is in late twenties so the aging process was to make the picture chronologically accurate,
Ta-daaa!
I hope she likes it but won't be too upset if she hates it.
Edited by Liquid Knight on Tuesday 3rd October 15:10
I left the primer seventy two hours before wet and drying back to a smooth finish and left it to dry for twenty four hours.
Paint today. Five hours baking (oil filled radiator) at 28'C and I'll leave it overnight to cure before applying the graphics.
No need for colour sanding as it's for a track day car.
Paint today. Five hours baking (oil filled radiator) at 28'C and I'll leave it overnight to cure before applying the graphics.
No need for colour sanding as it's for a track day car.
This was supposed to be a farewell photoshoot but the recovery guy isn't turning up until Monday now.
Thanks Shiply.
Back the bonnet in my shed.
Here's a top tip for painting aluminium this time of year.
HEAT
Warm the booth or in my case small shed up to the temperature required for the paint to set. In this case as it's coach paint 22-28'C.
Leave the bonnet or aluminium panel in place and make sure it is the same temperature before applying any paint.
Test patch on one wall to adjust the gun, every paint is different, weight, consistency, viscosity and amount of particles.
Use this patch to check tackiness of the first coat before applying the second.
Apply a more meaningful patch to the opposite wall and use that as a key for the baking process. So you don't get finger/hand prints on the panel you've just painted.
Once dry and set, cut the heat and leave it to cure overnight.
Thanks Shiply.
Back the bonnet in my shed.
Here's a top tip for painting aluminium this time of year.
HEAT
Warm the booth or in my case small shed up to the temperature required for the paint to set. In this case as it's coach paint 22-28'C.
Leave the bonnet or aluminium panel in place and make sure it is the same temperature before applying any paint.
Test patch on one wall to adjust the gun, every paint is different, weight, consistency, viscosity and amount of particles.
Use this patch to check tackiness of the first coat before applying the second.
Apply a more meaningful patch to the opposite wall and use that as a key for the baking process. So you don't get finger/hand prints on the panel you've just painted.
Once dry and set, cut the heat and leave it to cure overnight.
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