The romance of sandpaper and filler is over

How long did it last you ask. Well not very long. A few years ago when I started I managed to fill and sand the odd "ding" around the car. This was very satisfying and I was in love instantly. A few deft and lingering strokes from the plastic spatula, some gentle stroking of the lovely curves with 80 grit and a gentle caress of 120 grit  left my heart and spirits leaping with joy. How wonderful the world is.

Next up was the welding of new lower sections to the front wings. It needed a lot of filler and even more sanding. It needed several " attempts" to get a smooth curve. I got a little tired and it was beginning to be hard work, if not difficult. To keep things moving I looked elsewhere ( engine bay) and I began to feel a little guilty leaving the filler and sandpaper forlorn in the boot space. At least they were with all their other friends like " Red Lead", "Stopper Filler" and "Cork sanding Block". After what seemed ages I was ready to renew the romance. But alas filler had become cold and hard with time and 80 grit was torn, wrinkly and in shreds. I was skint and unable to frequent the haunts of similar acquaintances for a long time ( Halfords).

It was mid summer some years later when a breeze of opportunity ( some spare shifts in pub) came along  we had the opportunity to become very familiar again. But  where could we be together, alone and doing what were were made for. The Front Lower Valance of course. This was an Item long forgotten and abandoned in the depths of the shed, ignored and replaced in my dreams, head and heart by a ST spoiler.
How fortunate fate can be. Just when I was at my lowest ebb and resigned to re-using as many original as possible parts ( due to being unemployed ) we became entwined once more.

After several coatings of filler in strategic areas and sanding with 80 grit I again became a little weary of the elbow and wrist  work required to be well satisfied. I again looked elsewhere. The RH door skin was the obvious choice. Coated in a heavy layer of "Red lead" with a dusting of primer, it had been in my vision every time I lifted the car cover. I always thought it would be a big ask to get it something like ready for final paint prep but the challenge was there let alone serious temptation !  what else can a man do  ? So I did .

Here it is just after starting

A close up will show that the red lead looks like it had been applied with a very stiff bristle brush. This outlandish sight ( done by me years ago in the first flush of Restoration youth) is what had been teasing me for years almost saying " come on and tackle me if yer dare, I'm deep and streaky and cover a huge curved area". The grey primer acting as a guide coat, it took ages and ages. Almost 2 hours in fact and my shoulder was aching, fingers were sore and hands stiff.
Look done ! I was well spent though and I'm sure I heard the door ask me what I was thinking !

Just about 90% of the red lead had to be removed. What was I thinking all those years ago. Still it had been protected from the ravages of the dreaded tin worm and needed very little filler. The romance was already fading for the filler at least and the sandpaper and I needed a break too !.

We (The front Valance and I ) were all re-united through a rather unwelcome but now oft frequent bout of skintness and restlessness.The door had to be left abused and part naked due to the fact I had only a little grey primer (and no money to buy more) the hammerite KuRust was almost all gone but lasted to serve one more time.

The Valance, originally abandoned due to many small but heavy impacts low down and lots of rust patches deeply ingrained. Fortunately I did give it a coating of heavy grey primer all those years ago, but oh the filling and sanding. I so far have had about 5 attempts of filling and sanding and its still not perfect. I don't want perfection I just want it all to end because I'm thoroughly fed up with it all. And the romance is dead in its tracks..........for now at least.

I could not even be bothered to take a photo. Maybe I will next time..if I can afford some primer.



Taps, dies and poverty

Well. we'll start with the poverty bit first.
Since I've qualified as a Radiographer, guess what ?  there's bugger all jobs about. So the household is really living on reduced means, Heinz beans, shouts and screams and shattered dreams. So the MG fund is at minus lots and lots. The front suspension is assembled and waiting for cash to buy split pins ( of the correct size MGOC !!!)  Two new pistons for the brake calipers, seal kit for both calipers, pads, pins and brake disc+ bolts/nuts, inner bearing seals, shim kit and brake/clutch fluid.
The fund is so low that I'm going to have to re-use the rear brake shoes I removed years ago ( still plenty of material on them though) and not replace the rear brake adjuster/cylinder, just clean up and re-fit. That should see the car back on four wheels and mobile-ish !

See the suspension looking new and wanton for discs and wheels.

Taps and dies bit I referred to relates to the front wings where they attach to the bonnet gutter, front valance and inner footwell mountings. The front valance mounting points on both wings is a mish mash of removed bolts ( leaving perfect but rusty 1/4" UNF tapped holes)  large 3/8" hole where captive nuts have been ground away ( done years ago in deep mid-winter ) and broken 1/4" UNF bolt stuck in-situ ( I must have given up or got too cold and frustrated). Either way ,not having any cash and plenty of time I decided to tackle the RH wing first as its not attached properly ( One bonnet gutter bolt and a mole grip on the front sill). A wander into town on market day, Thursday, saw me trawling the flea market for the tools stalls. Normally they sell all manner of cheap imported crap tools, however I use them lots and know where to go to get the oft used/broke last time type of things like 1/8" dia drills ( 5 for a £1) flappy grinding wheels (£1.50) and 5 sizes of boxed mm drills ( also £1). They had taps and dies too... all new and metric and expensive for me.
I knew that there are other stalls offering used engineering tools like micrometers, wood turning chisels (lots) vices, planes, end mills and other stuff generally that belonged to some long dead proud engineer. Trouble is its all usually rusty, very rusty.  But I knew there would be taps and dies on at least two stalls somewhere. I just had to root around amongst the masses of other "stuff ". "Stuff" being what I don't want. Myriads of 1/4" BSW taps and dies. Same for 3/8" BSW and UNC for that matter. I must have spent a whole hour rooting in rusty boxes and trying to read long since stamped ID markers or "etched" markers ( even harder).
Persistence paid off and I think I got the only 1/4" and 5/16" UNF taps in the entire country. I also got the dies too !  for a grand total of £ 4 ( from two different stalls though ). A good day was had as I usually spent a full ten minutes with wifey looking round the market Thursdays.
These purchases allowed me to open up the RH bonnet gutter threads ( 5/16" UNF ) and with some really expert drilling remove the three broken 1/4" UNF bolts at the lower valence. I also did the four inner footwell mounting holes and the two wing top/scuttle threads.

Before I forget, above is a photo of the front slam panel with both in primer, promised from last entry.

Below is a close up of the slight "oversight" I had with the oil cooler pipe meeting and getting intimate with the alternator fan,

When I get fed up with bodywork I'll re-fit the old hose which was in fairly good nick as it came attached to the oil coller which I bought on E-bay three years ago. I'm gald I saved it now.

Since I'd got the wing at least ready to be fitted I had to dug out the wing attaching bolts from the shed. I was going to buy a new set like I did for the LH side from the MGOC, but I remember the lower sill bolts not being long enough, or at least a struggle to get the nut and washer on the back so I only fitted two.
Strangely enough I found the wing bolts first time and bagged up and labelled ( for both sides).
So 3 hours later I'd ran the die down the gutter bolts, cleaned up the washers and split washers and was ready to do a test fit.

One major issue was that of the RH door, or where the door and wing rear edge meet. Every time I opened the door it caught on the wing roughly in the middle of the edge. It had done it since I re-skinned the door ( another purchase from E-bay) and bearing in mind I'd also welded a repair panel to the base of the wing I expected major alignment issues. I still have alignment issues. The base of the door is outwards a little particularly towards its rear lower edge.
But what i did do was fit the fiddly under scuttle bolt to wing to get an idea of how much to trim the wing rear edge.

See. I'm dead chuffed with it. The gap is nice and even. Still need filler on the mid wing section where the weld is though. But not bad for a beginner and it cost next to nothing to do, only time and a little frustration. I have to do the LH wing too but thats a longer job as all the (new) bolts are in and have been sice I fitted it a few years ago.

I also fettled the top scuttle a little. This must be the 7th attempt at filling, sanding and primer done long long ago. If left long enough you can attack it with new vim and vigour. Its just what i did.
Must go now as Sunday tea is almost ready and a wine bottle is calling.