Back in beige

[911hillclimber]

Brilliant!
Got to be comfortable when you do these things, and that is a result.
Re-do the deck and bumper and you are done.

Agree, photography IS difficult, but more for some than you and a few others...

[Bootsy]

Caramel! Nice...

Beige with a hint of orange - sweet

[jamie]

Caramel! Nice...

I shot this (as almost everything in this thread) on my phone. I think it's the effect of a crappy sensor.

One of the things that drives me a bit mental is hearing people say their car is an interesting colour because it looks different in different kinds of light. All colours look different in different kinds of light - that's how colour works!

In the case of this colour, it's just between yellow, orange and brown, so it's simply a bit tricky to discern. "It looks different in different kinds of light", or "it looks different because I shot it on a telephone"

It's somewhere between a shite colour choice or a shite match, but I gave up caring about that ages ago

[cubist]

Sorry, meant butterscotch! Looking sharp in any light I'd say...

[jamie]

Thanks

[jamie]

I picked up some posh Wevo bits from my friend Hayden:





The big circular thing is a stronger replacement side plate for my 901 gearbox. It replaces the factory sideplate, which is the weakest point in the 901 and can fracture with use. I didn't expect this would be an issue with the 912 motor, but Mike Bainbridge (who is currently rebuilding the box) said it would be a good idea since my engine should be quite torquey.

The black things are interior door handles. They're just too nice not to have.

[jury]

You have me convinced.....big circular thing looks the business

[neilbardsley]

Quite torquey!

[sladey]

I picked up some posh Wevo bits from my friend Hayden:

The black things are interior door handles. They're just too nice not to have.

Ha! Great minds think alike. Mine arrived on Wednesday via twinspark racing

[jamie]

This weekend I decided to attempt to colour-sand the car again.

My second attempt at painting the car had left me with a much better finish than the first, but there were still some runs and some orange peel, especially on the bonnet and front wings. There are a couple of little pinholes here and there, but I can love with those. Here's one on the top of the wing, after I had sanded and polished the scuttle:



I sanded the bonnet and the runs. The runs left a halo mark like the first attempt. Nothing I can do about that - it's just something that seems to happen. Really annoying. So I have a halo on the flat bit at the front of the offside wing, like this:




...and also a big one on the side of the nearside one:



Furthermore, I burnt through the paint in a couple of places on the nearside wing.

I flatted the bonnet, but there was still fairly large scratches in the paint. So I sanded it some more - 1000 grit, then 1500 grit, then Upol 333 compound, then Upol 334 compound. It looked pretty good:



However, there's also a very slight mottled effect to the paint - probably where I had sanded through one layer onto the next. It looks like a map - a map of failure.

I was feeling pretty miffed with the whole thing by now. It's an emotion I've come to subconsciously associate with the smell of paint in the past few months.

I decided to press on, and started sanding the roof. That went OK. Then a guy who was walking his dog stopped by. He lives down the road and has a 914 and a 928. He was very complimentary about the car, and I figured that the blemishes here and there didn't really matter anymore - the car was, overall, pretty presentable.

Feeling a bit more upbeat, I fitted the doors. I'm well-practised in this now, so it didn't take long. The shut-lines are lovely and the reflection runs from panel to panel without skipping or distorting - evidence of months and months of prep work. I took some more pictures...

[jamie]

... about an hour later, my girlfriend came home. She took one look at the bonnet and said it looked terrible. She was, of course, totally right. It looks shite.

I can live with the halos on the wings, the burn-through on the arches, and the general shittiness of the job as a whole, but I can't deal with a front hood that looks like a glassy topographical depiction of Indochina.

And so, once again, I don't really know what to do. I've got a lot of paint on the car now, and I don't really want to put any more on there. I also don't want to paint again - I think it's getting to me - last time I did it, I spend the next two days feeling really depressed. Not sure if it's the chemicals in the paint, or the physical and mental exertion of the job itself, but it was definitely there. Bad vibes, and fingerprints worn smooth from all the sanding.

When I started this project, I can clearly remember telling Barry that I wanted a solid shell, a reliable engine, and the rest doesn't matter - paint it with a rattle-can or whatever. The issue is, the stakes have been raised considerably from my initial vision - as well as Barry doing a beautiful job on the shell, The Dude has done a beautiful job on the engine. I can't wrap The Dude's hard work in a crappy-looking shell, but it appears that's what has happened.

I really, really wanted to pull this off and come parading through this thread in a shower of masking tape with dust-cloth cape and a hat made from a measuring pot. Instead, all I seem to have done is waste a lot of time in conclusively proving that it's simply beyond my ability.

[Gary71]

Evening/Morning, Not sure of my time zone!

I admire the perseverance but just take it somewhere for a final top coat. It will be worth it in the end

[sladey]

Evening/Morning, Not sure of my time zone!

I admire the perseverance but just take it somewhere for a final top coat. It will be worth it in the end

Either wot he said or in view of

I can live with the halos on the wings, the burn-through on the arches, and the general shittiness of the job as a whole, but I can't deal with a front hood that looks like a glassy topographical depiction of Indochina.

Just do the bonnet again?

[jamie]

Hello chaps. Apologies for the above - was just having a late-night moan up. It was kind of you to read it.

I'm struggling with the idea of handing it over to someone else to paint. After eight months of work, I want to be able to say I painted it, not 'I did eight months of prep then handed it over to someone bloke to do the last bit'. I've already had a very kind offer by another DDKer - to have him do the job in a proper booth - which, given the quality of his work, I was insane to turn down.

I realise that in painting it at home, in a garage, I have to accept a compromise in quality, but I feel so bloody close to getting it right (or rather, getting it acceptable). It's just frustrating putting days and days of work in to see it come out bad. Again and again.

I think Mark has it - I'll re-paint the bonnet and see how I feel. If it looks shite, I'll get the epoxy matte out and rad rod the fecker.

[911hillclimber]

Been there but a long time ago.
The bonnet is so hard to do.
I did mine vertically in the end, 3 attempts.

The blemishes are nothing, try to ignore them, do the bonnet all again, just one panel to do and you are home.

Being able to say YOU painted it is very satisfying indeed.

Just look at the flatness of the fits!

So good, so hard to go so right.

If it is any help I'm in the same phase myself DIY painting but in cellulose last/this week.

You are not alone, writing cheques is 'easy', DIY is the opposite, but so commendable IMHO