Got a new project, pictorial

[craigb]

someone may well want to kill me for not mentioning this earlier, but last week I heard there was a complete 5 spd gearbox, flywheel clutch etc for a M116 W108. Starting point was $1000 and the same person told me there were no bids, but seems pretty cheap to me. I believe a conversion kit for "Supra is available for M116, but would cost you more than that.

[oscar]

Holy crap, it sold for $2,275.  I forgot about it.  I had it in my "watched items" but too much on and not enough $ at the moment.  

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=280251709295&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=018

[craigb]

Thanks Oscar, that makes me feel a bit better. At $1k it was a cheap manual box, but at $2+k, I don't believe they were the best to use 'box and the 5th gear is of no use on the track I would think. I recall a guy on Ozbenz with a W113 with datacard to say it left the factory with a 5 spd. I think this was a different 'box, but if it was right, you can imagine it would be worth paying that to get the right one.

[SELfor50]

This box was too much at 1k!!  I was looking at buying this box about 6 months ago.. according to the seller it was sticking in gears.

He sold me extractors that wouldnt' fit my engine bay.. .got half the cash back but still wasted bout $400 on them..

Good luck to whoever spent that much on that box!


You're right too craig, if it was the right box.. would definitely be worth the $$$... especially to put in a 116.

Cam.

[oscar]

Didn't get too much done this weekend on account of the 350 taking way too long to get the tappets adjusted unsuccessfully again, but I digress. 

After the outing down the street last time I decided to get into the body work to get it over and done with.  Povo is being stripped and sanded for a once over with an undercoat then the enamel white.  A bit of filling here and there but nothing over the top. I've removed the tow bar as well, mud guards and started in and under the dash to take out the a/c hoses and of course started her up for another big rev. 

Love the exhaust sound but there was a rattle which begged further investigation.  All three exhaust brackets under the car need attention.  The first one just needs tightening plus new donuts, the second one is missing with a rubber band in its place and the third one is held on by plastic ties.

I've noticed the steering has some freeplay but on closer inspection, the box is leaking and is covered with oil.  This was cleaned and dry when I did the high pressure cleaning of the engine bay.  I've got a spare or two and wasn't keen on replacing it but will have to.

I'm really not sure whether to put bumpers back on.  I probably will, I just wish they were lighter.

[kolin]

oscar,
man i take my hat off to you.
now my BIG question is this.
how do you adjust the steering box.i have the 350 and there is b*gga all room to adjust let alone take a photo.
i had way too much freeplay , so i took it to some guy who was recomennded to me, turns out he is a real *****rs*h*l* and tightened the box up too much,now i dont have any freeplay and when you relaese the wheel when turning, it doesnt want to turn back to home.
thats one of the reasons i havent driven the car much since then, i dont want to damage things more.

[craigb]

That's a bugger about the steering box, and scrutineers like to see nice clean engine bays. If you have spare boxes, I would just suggest to think about when they were last used, and obviously that they were not leaking - just saying you don't want to go to that trouble and have it leak again from dried up seals etc. I noticed seal kits are pretty cheap, but don't know how hard to fit. Also obviously no point in putting seals that has wear in a bearing.

With the bumpers, if it is the same as here, it can effect what class you are in, but if you are like me, you aren't going for outright class victory, just racing your own times and those in your 'group'.

I noticed the rust on the A pillar, I found it on mine when I recently had the windscreen replaced (but luckily just on the pillar and not windscreen opening). Bit of a silly water trap really. My fix was a scrape, then I bought a great tool from supercheap which is a little air operated die grinder thing, but even a normal die grinder is cheap and easy (just a bit heavier). Then with a little grinder come engraving type bit in the end, it only took minutes to grind out the surface rust, also leaving a good 'key' for the POR15 to stick. Then being covered up, I didn't worry about top coat and I just put a healthy coat of mastic onthe back of the dried rubber seal on the trim. When screwed up tight, with a thin tip on the mastic I squeezed a bit extra to fill up the gaps (smoothed off with a srewdriver and once dry a bit, wipe over with a turps rag to smooth) and make sure water from the roof gutter goes out the very front and down and no moisture has a chance to stay up against the metal..... does that make sense? There would be other ways to do it, new seal etc, but thought I would just share how I worked out to do it cheaply, effectively and not visible.

Another tip that might help with 'scuffing it up for a quick repaint', but did you know you can get different grades of commercial 'scotchbrite' in big sheets and in rolls? Obviously for a concourse job you want to wet rub with a sanding block, but lots of water and the right scourer, particularly in tricky places (inside door jambs - behind bumpers etc) nothing is quicker. Even if you are not overly fussed with the finish, the last thing you want it to do is to have it flake off because it hasn't had the right key to bite into. I haven't worked out exactly where you live, but if you don't have a crash supplies place local, there must be a crash place and they will have it or can source it for you.

And on paint, I think we have had this conversation before and I think you have it all worked out, but I don't know much about enamel (having only used acrylic myself) but I was instantly worried about compatibility, need for isolaters etc. But I am too tired and lazy to go back and check out what was said and I just have this feeling that you have got that sorted.

And I love the exhaust too, but what I love best is redlining it through the gears and Mallala!! I am too tired now to rave on about what a great time I had on Sunday but I am very, very impressed with the car!! I don't know how many times I got asked "so what have you done to it?" - answer - nothing, that what a cheap, slightly worn, stock standard, base model W116 handles like straight 'out of the box'! (and just to rub it in that little bit more...on 6yo rubber free of a wreck I had.. and on gas and cost less than $20 for the whole day in fuel driving out there and all!!) Nothing like a well engineered car!

I had sick kids and bugger all sleep on the weekend, so didn't get organised with any in car camera but others got trackside footage which will appear once I get it. More later, but just to say  (as a bit of motivation for your work Oscar), your gonna have a heap of fun! More later in another post, together on my analysis for improvements, probs etc. and what I worked out in the day about getting it around Mallala quickly.

[oscar]

I've been eagerly waiting to see how your first outing went, I'll just have to wait another day or so

Firstly, regarding the steering box kolin, I've never ventured past the steering coupling on the shaft unfortunately.   But for adjustment, there was mention of it not long ago.  I can't remember who now but I'm sure I read that you need an allen key to turn an adjusting screw.  Sounds too easy.  If it wasn't sclass that mentioned how to do it I'm sure he would know.  He's done a fair bit of work with steering boxes. 

My poor red 280S which was a stunner is supplying fairly new looking parts and it's steering box will be the next item to be donated.  It has no play in it and doesn't leak.  I think the last time its engine breathed was in Jan or Feb earlier this year.

Now about that bodywork, I'm too impatient not to use power tools.    And the finish will show . I wont be too upset if I have the same problems as I did last time I painted, but fingers crossed it turns out drying to a brilliant sheen without being spoilt by illiterate insects that can't read "wet paint" signs. 

I've got one of those scotchbrite pads that will strip away that rust, it attaches to a powerdrill, and I'm doing something similar to what you've done.  I've got a tube of black stuff that I can't remember what it's name is now but basically I'll strip, fill with body filler if needed, prime, paint, then the mastik like stuff under the rubber gaskets where needed.  Because I don't know what type of paint is on the rest of the car, (it's been repainted at least once), the primer surfacer I'm using is supposed to act as an isolator or so I was told.  Will soon find out but I do wish I went acrylic.  Dries quicker and easier to use.  It's been way too humid and cold to paint lately.   By this weekend that high pressure cell over South Aus should have blown over finally and some warmer weather will come my way eventually and this painting will be done.  It'll be rough but it will be evenly rough .

Looking forward to hearing more about Mallala.  You said you were on free tyres??  Damn, I was hoping for some feedback on Yokohama C-Drives.

[SELfor50]

Lookin' great oscar!!  Funny bout the exhaust... Don't know if I told you, but when driving to melbs that night (or albury coincidentally) when i'd give her a boot, when backing off it was dumping red sparks out the back... my guess was just carbon deposits that had built up from the previous owner driving it to sedately..

Are you gonna paint her just white all over, then maybe some decals?  Or you gonna add some black GT stripes in for good measure??


I'm also looking forward to seeing / reading how you went on Sunday Craigb!!  Can't wait for the footage..

Cam.

[oscar]

Yeah, I remember you saying about the sparks. The good thing is that it definitely wasn't caused by something dragging on the road.   I reckon carbon deposits too.

Will go all white first with decals.  Once I've got a few runs under my belt and any mechanical probs sorted, then I'll be getting more creative hopefully.

[oscar]

This is turning to be more of a how not to paint a car tutorial rather than a race car build up.  For the past couple of weeks I've been struggling
to get a decent finish on the car.  The biggest advancement today was the purchase of a new quality gun.   I bought a Star gravity feed gun, cost was
about $160AU.  I wanted to get a HLVP (high volume low pressure) but the shop I go to starting price was $279AU.  Too much for me.  They only sell
quality gear and I didn't want to risk a cheaper ebay purchase.  Plus they're expertise and advice is worth the visit.

The difference between the new gun and the suction gun is chalk and cheese.  All guns pretty much looked the same to me and a couple of years ago
when I bought the cheap suction gun from a SuperCheap Auto shop for about $40AU with accesories (tyre gauge etc) I thought I could get away
with it.  Not so.  
The gravity feed has an air flow control valve which I'm sure some suction ones have too, but that along with the better adjustments and a clean uniform spray
pattern gave me more control over what I was doing plus way less overspray.  I can no longer blame the tools.  Any imperfections are my doing
from here on in.


Anyone contemplating a DIY respray, buy a quality gun.  $160AU for the Star one is on the cheaper side but definitely suits my needs. 
The nozzle is 2.0mm in case anyone was wondering.

New and Old
[/URL]


Before I got the new gun, this is where I was at -

All masked up




Primer/surfacer with a lot of banding using the old gun.  Unkown to me at the time, it was caused by a bit of gunk altering the flow of paint past the edge of the nozzle. 
Even when clean the flow from the nozzle wasn't perfect, unlike the the new gun whose flow around the needle before atomizing looks completely uniform.





For some reason I did a great job on the spoiler using the old gun.  It worked really well, nearly perfect.




Shame about the rest though.  I have no idea what contaminated the surface.  After sanding the primer, I washed with new sponges and carwash,
then once thouroughly dry I used a new static broom to act as a tack cloth. 




To make things worse, I discovered way too late the need to strain the paint prior to adding it to the pot.  The enamel formed a skin which kept blocking
the gun and throwing out blobs.  This was after the "measles" reaction I got above.




So after that, I did put another coat on using the old gun after giving it a thorough clean and straining the paint.   I had no blockages anymore but I couldn't
get a uniform spary pattern and the overspray was was hopeless.  I've tried all sorts of combinations of thinner paint, less pressure at the regulator,
adjusting the the flow rates etc and couldn't get it right.  To me the old gun is a typical example of you get what you pay for.  So the second top coat
went on then sanded.




Enter the new gun
I should've really sanded that last coat right off then primed again because the result of the new gun is amazing.  The imperfections now are definitely
caused by the uneven surface underneath plus the odd rough spot showing through and dust of the older masks.  I shall lightly sand this one more time,
replace the masks then give a final coat.  After that, hopefully we'll be discussing mechanical issues and the next few steps needed to get Povo racing.

[TJ 450]

Oscar, that's a huge improvement. Yes, that is a good example of "you get what you pay for".

[kolin]

oscar, re the pics where you got blobs of missing paint and you strained the paint and still could not come right, i had a bit of that problem and i put it down to not having shaken the paint properly, what i should have done is gone to the shop and had them put it one the shaking machine to mix the colour and oils together.
i may be wrong and maybe someone else can enlighten us.

[craigb]

Thanks for the report Oscar and I had wondered about the gravity feed guns. My suction gun is a Star, which I bought from a crash supplies place who said it was a good quality copy of an Iwata gun. He had an Iwata there and you could see how identical they were but the Iwata much more expensive.

That real sort of fish eye effect on the boot looks like what I had with water or oil getting in the line from the compressor, but you have a trap on the outlet now don't you. Anyway, point is that you are onto it now and if the new gun works who cares!

Thanks for sharing your experience.

[oscar]

TJ, after braking a few cheap spanners I decided some time ago only to buy good quality tools.  Not top of the range but stuff like Kincrome for example.  The old gun was a remnant from the bad days but if I bought better quality from the start I think in the long run I would've saved money.

kolin, I like your thinking. I can't explain it any other way particularly as I put two coats of primer on the whole thing first and didn't had a similar problem with the undercoat.  When I picked up this colour paint tin, which was sitting dormant for about 2-3 weeks, it was about half to three quarters full and I shook it by hand back and forth and upside down without opening the lid.  The guy at the engineereing shop said a skin would've formed and most likely from me pouring left overs containing thinners back into the tin.  I honestly can't remember if I did or didn't all those weeks ago when I was just doing the bonnet and quarter panel.

Second time round though I used a drill (bosch of course ) and a drill mounted paint mixer and gave it a good long twirl in both directions, then used a kitchen mesh strainer and to top it off, the gravity feed gun also has a fine screen filter in the pot.  The result is I didn't have a relapse of measles.

Craig, the water trap/regulator I have is on the compressor before a 10metre line.  I'm not completely ruling out moisture though.  I went to the same engineering shop to find an inline filter that connects to the gun.  They didn't have one to show me but could order one, the cost was $220AU    So before I used the new gun I put the hose out in the sun and let the line blow out completely.  Whether that or reduced air consumption of the gravity feed or both, there was no repeat.  Fingers crossed for tomorrow.

Paint mixer


Oh, and another thing I learnt or should have by now - I hand wet sanded the primer coat.  Fantastic result.  But after the disappointing colour coats I used a random orbital sander on all the flatter parts using a 180 grit i think.  It felt smooth but the colour coat doesn't fill fine scratches.  See the result below between a spot with swirl sand marks and a spot that was hand sanded.  But once this is dry I'll hand wet sand again with but smoething like a 300+ grit.

Random orbital prior to top coat.


Hand wet sanded prior to top coat,  now to make the rest of the car look like that.