What did you do in the garage yesterday?

[motul1974]

.....make sure the steel gets etched primed before the gluing. That's seemingly where tvr went wrong with the vaneering!

[QBee]

Point noted Motul.

This is the look I am after, though my gramophone is black, not silver. My car is these interior colours.

[phazed]

Looks good. That is the same gramophone as I have fitted in my car.

[QBee]

Do my eyes deceive me, or is that carbon fibre navy blue, not black?

I would go to Specsavers, but my Border Collie doesn’t need a trim, and I am booked in at the small family firm opticians in a fortnight......fell out with Specsavers when I was about 5 minutes late for an eye test last month, due to roadworks (all the Victorian sewers are being replaced in Newark at one go) and the receptionist spoke to me as if I was 8 years old and she had just scraped me off her shoe. bks to that.

[TR4man]

QBee said:

Point noted Motul.

This is the look I am after, though my gramophone is black, not silver. My car is these interior colours.

That does look really nice.

[QBee]

TR4man said:

That does look really nice.

Rather what I thought, so I have even ordered a sheet of navy blue CF as well as the black I ordered originally.
I will see which I prefer actually in the car, and check out the quality (it's from Vinyl Warehouse, who are in Hampshire and were recommended on either here of Faceache, cannot remember which), and probably make the one I don't use available to those who need some.
A 1 metre by 0.5 metre piece, rolled and delivered in a cardboard tube, is just under £12, so better to waste another £12 than regret it for evermore.

[Classic Chim]

If it looks like the picture above it will look really good

[angus337]

Moved some new shinny bits down to the garage for fitting at the weekend.

[Belle427]

QBee said:

No, because I had never heard of it. Any recommendations where to take it?

I have one near me but you really need to pop in to one to see the finishes available.
There are plenty of them around though.

https://www.aquagraphix.co.uk/

[Belle427]

QBee said:

No, because I had never heard of it. Any recommendations where to take it?

I have one near me but you really need to pop in to one to see the finishes available.
There are plenty of them around though.

https://www.aquagraphix.co.uk/

[bobfather]

Just a hint of gold



I decided this may look better than the aluminium thermal jackets once the stst exhaust pipes get a nice deep heat tint

[angus337]

Made a start on the suspension and brake upgrade and a much needed clean-up in the wheel arches.



Looked pretty bad initially, but appears to be in pretty good nick below the old wax oil, just a couple of areas where the paint has flaked and black powered coat is showing through. Test fitted the brakes and suspension, but still have a bit more crud to clean off.



Still need to do the back of course

[Steve_D]

Modifying the loom where it runs across the front of the engine. One screened cable goes between the dizzy and the coil amplifier. Being generous it only needs to be 300mm long but there is a whole meter of it stuffed in the loom. Other wires are the same so it should slim down nicely once I've cut it all out.

Steve

[angus337]

Long day yesterday cleaning all the grime from the rear wishbones, removing old shocks and calipers. Decided that removing all the wax oil is just too big a job and looking at the condition underneath it has certainly done its job, despite its dirt attracting properties.

Seem to be having an issue fitting the rear shocks as the width the of the bushes seems to be Marginally wider than the mounting points, also struggling to get one of the long top wishbone bolts back in after accidentally knocking it all the way out. Had to give up in the end as my back gave up, but sure I’ll manage to sort it tomorrow.

Tonight I’ve been fighting a loosing battle with the diff fill plug. But at least I’ve found it. Thought the plug was missing initially, after wrongly assuming the fill point was on the top here

Edited by angus337 on Tuesday 1st May 00:06

[QBee]

Belle427 said:

QBee said:

No, because I had never heard of it. Any recommendations where to take it?

I have one near me but you really need to pop in to one to see the finishes available.
There are plenty of them around though.

https://www.aquagraphix.co.uk/

Had a discussion with them, very helpful, lots of interesting colour choices.
They want around £150-160 to do the whole job, plus then there's postage both ways.

I suppose its not so much the money, because I am quite prepared to pay an expert to apply the CF vinyl I have bought and cut the holes for me, but the risk that I might damage the new dipped finish during the lengthy assembly process.
At least with the CF vinyl it's only £12, plus a lot of hassle, to replace anything I damage.
Sorry to be a pessimist......but I know myself and any surface that is at all delicate.

After having my new Steve Edwards hardtop sprayed with Fulldip last year, I managed to mark that in several places in a matter of days, and in a variety of ways. Thumbnails while putting the roof on, catching it while putting it in the boot when tired, etc etc. That stuff is really pretty tough....so long as you leave it several weeks to harden properly. Found that out the hard way.
Properly hardened after a roof respray this Spring, it survived Snetterton on Thursday.

By which I mean it survived the targa panel being sucked off the car by the airstream at 110-115 mph on my last run of the track day (no, I have no idea why it stayed on all day, 100 miles at speeds of up to 135mph before coming off), flying about 30 feet up into the air, and coming down to land...on the grass, fortunately, at the side of the track. Not a mark on it. Knock me down with a penguin's plumage.

[phazed]

angus337 said:

Long day yesterday

Loads of pain!

Edited by angus337 on Tuesday 1st May 00:06

Useful tip. Use an old wishbone pivot bolt. Grind the end to a 45degree point.
Tap it in to line up bushes and wishbone, remove with pry bar and then tap in the proper bolt.

As for mounting the dampers. Sometimes the lugs on the chassis are not exactly square. You can use a large adjustable spanner closed right down and gently bend them straight or a few degrees wider to assist in fitting the damper head.

HTH

[angus337]

Thanks for tip Peter, will get back to it tonight.

With regards to the shocks, do you nornmally grease the bushes on the shocks (Gaz Monos) when installing.

[phazed]

I usually use a little copperslup or a little good grease on the bolt.

[Brithunter]

Finally decided to sort out the twisted driver seat belt in the Chimaera 430. the entailed removing the main belt mounting wiht spool from the rear lower bulkhead. Found the bolt was a little rusty, why oh why did he not fit new bolts?????, as was the plted mounting plate of the belt so cleaned up the plate with a wire brush and after cutting some card to mask off everything else gave the mounting plate a coat of black paint to protect it. Soaked the bolt in thin oil and once paint had dried refitted with belt now untwisted and copper slip on bolt.

Swapped the drivers side head light bulb for the Osram Night Breaker that was purchased fr the motor factors in Gorna. Had to jack her up slightly to get better access to the hatch that Heath fitted inside the front wing. Was going to swap side lights for LED's but of course do not have the correct fitment and Tuesday May 1st was Labour day so motor factors were closed. Don't why I was surprised to see the old bayonet fitting side lamp bulb but was expecting the 501 type so had bought a new pair of those for her. No loss really as have put those into the MGF.

So this morning is back into town to see if they have any LED bayonet fitting lamps but feel that it is going to be unlikely then it will trying to figure out why passenger window has decided to not work.

[Chim500Will]

2days ago...but...