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[TrevS]

Sorry guys, not a lot has happened recently.

I've just finished touching up the panels I had back from the coaters and painting a couple of the edges that needed to be filed down to fit. The chassis has just been striped down again and is currently on it's roof.

The plan at the moment is for the chassis to go off to the coaters for a freshen up before finally all the panels are put on the car and I start work on the cooling system pipes etc.

Also while the car is upside down I am going to try and panel the area between the 2 seating floor panels. This will prevent and dirt and debris getting into the car once it's on the road.

Trev

 

[Brett James-McCall]

Trevor,
Just as a question. Since you are taking such care of your panels,I assume you have already run all the lines etc you need to so you don't have to cut into themany more?

Brett

 

[TrevS]

2 steps forward 3 steps back

Just when I thought I was getting towards the end of the paneling I noticed a little surface rust coming through on some areas of the chassis. Turns out its due to the coaters not using a strong enough charge and it's actually affecting a lot of the join areas on the chassis so they have offered to re-coat the chassis for me.

The downside is the floor is already on the car so I have to drill the rivets out and remove the sealant and floor panel. Not a great day

Trev

 

[Ian Anderson]

Can they not recoat the car plus the floor panels?

It seems a lot of extra work on your part for their mistake.

Ian

 

[Martin]

Trevor,
I've had a lot of down days during my build but it'll be worth it in the end. I've been following your progress with interest as I also went for the black panelled look and am keen to see how you finish your car off. I'm sure it will be outstanding. It maybe a pain, but It's just a small blip.

Martin

 

[TrevS]

Well I wouldn't mind the floor being coated in black at all, in fact it would look rather nice. However the coaters really advised getting the floor off to do the best job on the chassis. Because the floor has been sealed they think the sealant might melt when the car is baked and either cause a mess or leave no sealant around the flooring area.

I could run some sealant around the seem of the floor after but I don't know if this will be good enough to make it weather resistant?

I am also worried about getting the current floor off without damaging it as it will be difficult to make a new panel and locate all the drill holes.

Trev

 

[TrevS]

Trevor,
I've had a lot of down days during my build but it'll be worth it in the end. I've been following your progress with interest as I also went for the black panelled look and am keen to see how you finish your car off. I'm sure it will be outstanding. It maybe a pain, but It's just a small blip.

Martin

Thanks for the support Martin, I know it will be worth the pain to get the car finished but I hate having the car sat there and no progress and worse having to go backwards. I have to admit I've come very close to putting the project up for sale once or twice in the past few weeks and heading down to my local Aston Martin dealership.

Trev

 

[Jack]

Trev,

Do it! drill out the rivets in the floor and have it recoated properly. Seam sealer post recoating should be okay too. A setback like this should really reinforce the resolve to do it right! I've been following your build and the already outstanding work done.
Hang in there!

 

[Mick Ridley]

Hi Trevor,

when drilling rivets out, I have allways found it best to use a pilot hole first....use a drill much smaller than your rivet diameter...this will reduce the chance of making your hole oval...

If there is rust coming through, on the joints, make sure the powder coating company shot blast your chassis..

.If they had shotblasted it correctly in the first place , then there wouldnt have been any rust to come through

Yes I can see how frustrating it must be for you....you have done a fantastic job on your chassis . and you have been let down by someone else.......

I hope you get it sorted, and I wish you luck with the rest of your build

mick

 

[Dalton Veitch]

Trevor, stick with doing it thoroughly. Definitely pull the floor off, and get the chassis treated to your absolute satisfaction so it will last 50 years. Then reassemble. It is tempting to write a cheque for an Aston or something, hop straight in and enjoy, but don't you dare do that. Finish off that lovely 40 and you'll get ten times the satisfaction.

 

[Ian Bissett]

Trev,
Stick with it, my build has been ups and down as well. The downs piss you off big time, but when it does go right it more than makes up for it. I think every so often, I just have to walk away forget about it for a bit, and then come back toit once you're in the right frame.
I had a few bits of surface rust appearing around a couple of joints after it was powder coated, but I cleaned them up, used a rust treater and then painted over with a few coats of black hammerite. Not as good as taking it back to the metal granted, but it will do the job.
I did have to remove a panel that had been sealed and rivetted in, and basically you will have to destory the panel to remove it as the seal bond is so tight.
Your panelling is looking great so keep up the good work.
Ian

 

[TrevS]

One option the coaters gave me was to powder the chassis with the floor in situ so the floor would be coated too. They said they couldn't guarantee the sealant wouldn't ooze out when they bake it but they said they could try.

If I have to destroy the panel anyway is it worth letting the coaters have a go with the floor in. If it's a mess or not right then I could take the floor off?

What do you think?

Trev

 

[Bill Musarra]

Trevor,
Take it form one who has gone backwards a time or TWO during the build. It is worth it. If you give up on it, it will be like an argument with someone you love. Later on you will wonder why you let it get the best of you. This is a project you undertook because you wanted to experience it.
Well my friend this is part of the experience!!!! It takes a set back every now and then, to see where we are and where it is we want to be.
Someone once said to me about a life long decision I made that would take a long time to accomplish. He said, So its going to take you X number of years to get there? If you give up now because it takes so long to get there, what would you be doing at that age anyway??
If you love it, stick with it. A little hard work will make you appreciate it that much more.

Bill

 

[Tim Kay]

Trevor, get rid of it! Keep your sanity! Get that Aston Martin! For the love of god, please sell it! And btw, I’ll be glad to relieve you of your misery, I got cash for you.

(just my .02)

 

[Bill Cooke]

Trevor,
Touch up the panels and chassis and continue your build. What do you think it will look like in 1000 miles. Build it to drive not to look at. After 1 mile it's a used car. Just a thought, don't stop smiling.
Bill

 

[David Morton]

Smooth hammerite in a spray can format.You will never see where it was.

 

[SouthernGT40]

Strip it, get it blasted then zinc flame sprayed then coated. Job done and it won't rust.

 

[Mark]

Hi Trevor.

Just tried to PM you, but your inbox is full, so perhaps you'll forgive the thread drift if I post post here?

DO NOT GIVE UP!!!

I thought when I bought my P4, that I'd have her stripped, rebuilt and ready to race in a year. That was three years ago and I won't see her finished before quarter four this year either!

The process has followed many twists and turns along the way, but IMO, you can't measure the experience by counting the bits that had to be re-done or you'll go mad. You need to single-mindedly keep a picture of the end result firmly burned into your mind and focus on that alone. IT WILL BE WORTH THE PAIN.

Also, when I started this, I knew nothing other than how to change brake pads and oil. Now nothing phases me. If I can't do it myself, there is always someone, (usually through this site I might add) that steps up with an offer to help or a pointer in the right direction.

And by the way, did your workbench come from machine mart? Looks like one on their site. Can you recommend? Is it sturdy?

Best

Mark

 

[Mark]

And by the way, if you need a hand with it, feel free to give me a call, you're only down the road from me. PM me for my number.

 

[TrevS]

Hi Trevor.

Just tried to PM you, but your inbox is full, so perhaps you'll forgive the thread drift if I post post here?

DO NOT GIVE UP!!!

I thought when I bought my P4, that I'd have her stripped, rebuilt and ready to race in a year. That was three years ago and I won't see her finished before quarter four this year either!

The process has followed many twists and turns along the way, but IMO, you can't measure the experience by counting the bits that had to be re-done or you'll go mad. You need to single-mindedly keep a picture of the end result firmly burned into your mind and focus on that alone. IT WILL BE WORTH THE PAIN.

Also, when I started this, I knew nothing other than how to change brake pads and oil. Now nothing phases me. If I can't do it myself, there is always someone, (usually through this site I might add) that steps up with an offer to help or a pointer in the right direction.

And by the way, did your workbench come from machine mart? Looks like one on their site. Can you recommend? Is it sturdy?

Best

Mark

Thanks for encouragement Mark, I think things will be fine once the floor is sorted and things start moving forward. As for the work bench, yes it's machine mart. I would say don't bother with one though, the work top is good and sturdy but the draws are all but knackered already as the runners are not strong enough and just fell apart after a few months use. My advice would be to look on ebay for and old solid workbench from a factory clear out. You'll need a van to move one but saves on assembly and will be more sturdy than the cheap machine mart ones.

I am looking at Dura garages at the moment for when the car is done. Going to have the floor covered in porcelain tiles and maybe have a made to measure work bench.
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Trev