I suppose its only fair I share my 16v GTE part restoration with you all

[The Griffin]

Re: I suppose its only fair I share my 16v GTE part restoration with you all

Looks very nice, who did you use for the paint? I'm looking for someone who can do a good job and respects an older car, I used to use someone at Darsham in suffolk. Have fun with the reassembly!

[Davey J]

Re: I suppose its only fair I share my 16v GTE part restoration with you all

Sparkling. Lovely job. Mine had a bit of distortion in the panels that needed flatting out. Well worth the effort though.

[easytrans]

Re: I suppose its only fair I share my 16v GTE part restoration with you all

Looks very nice, who did you use for the paint? I'm looking for someone who can do a good job and respects an older car, I used to use someone at Darsham in suffolk. Have fun with the reassembly!

Had a local guy (from Stonham Aspal Suffolk on recommendation from my MOT garage/friend) do the paint. he has moved out of the paint business now really but has the use of painting booths/ovens at his old workplace.

Laurie.

[easytrans]

Re: I suppose its only fair I share my 16v GTE part restoration with you all

Sparkling. Lovely job. Mine had a bit of distortion in the panels that needed flatting out. Well worth the effort though.

Thanks Davey,
It looks better by the day but talking to him Sunday he suggests I run it back in about 4 weeks so he can address any issues I have

[BenH]

Re: I suppose its only fair I share my 16v GTE part restoration with you all

Looking really good

[easytrans]

Re: I suppose its only fair I share my 16v GTE part restoration with you all

Quick update from Sundays work where a picture tells a thousand words .....

Re-fitted the removed N/S quarter ....
Door/window rubbers cleaned and refitted ....
handles, locks and mirrors refitted ....
fresh door seals (from Richie00Boy at Billing {thanks} fitted ...
Hatch and screen seals refitted .....
Hatch draw wires used to pull through washer pipe and another wire {for the life of me I can't remember what / where that wire goes yet ????} ....
Removed and refitted wings with seam sealer in seam ....
Re-fitted bonnet vents ....
Re-set Bonnet alignment ...
Fitted new headlight location plastic clips and then the new headlamps ...
Fitted the indicators but think they looks so tired I will think about new ones if they don't clean up too good .....
popped the grill mesh back in but need to get glue gun on the location points to retain it ...... {amazing how camera shows the outline of badge but not that visible by eye .....

Where next I wonder ??? {you see I have avoided the stickers so far .... need a really motivating day for tackling that ......



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gte_Headlights.JPG

gte_OS_mounted wing.JPG

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Got a visit from Blockhead tonight wit a couple of plastic parts ... {Thanks Tom and nice to meet you}

Laurie.

[DarrenH]

Re: I suppose its only fair I share my 16v GTE part restoration with you all

can really see the paint now in the shadows

p.s, 4 poster you lucky bgger !!!!

[1800turbogte]

Re: I suppose its only fair I share my 16v GTE part restoration with you all

Looking good Laurie, I love freshly painted cars. Top work well done

[easytrans]

Re: I suppose its only fair I share my 16v GTE part restoration with you all

p.s, 4 poster you lucky bgger !!!!

Yes .. without it and my poor old (abused back) I'd never be able to do this sort of resto .. The ramp is the one that we had in dads garage business (probably new just before he bought the Garage business in 1968), when I took over the business in the early 80's we added another wheel free and a new MOT bay, but this hoist was one we used hell of a lot (I managed to drop 2 cars and a LWB transit off it over time as it had a quirk "until we added a small modification") when we sold off the business in the 90's it remained in use until Soames Coaches bought the site for coach parking, driver car park and storage in the workshop. I spoke to Mr Soames and said "want that hoist out of the way to make you more room?" Yes please he said so I did just that ... it sat about in a pile till about 2000 then I managed to squeeze it into the barn workshop but with just enough room to lift to full (walk-under) height with something like an astra size car.

Not bad for a free-bee, even is it is 40+ years old ....

I'd love to offer anyone that needed it some quality time on it (for those hard to reach jobs) but with all the "Health and Safety" issues around doing so, its probably not a good idea (or I'll have to hand out disclaimer forms !!! :confusion.

For reference I also have a motorbike hoist ... couldn't live without it ......

Anyway that aside I was hoping that you were going to tell me where that damn wire that I threaded back into the hatch goes Darren? Its probably central locking but with a clear mind I'll have another look later in the week and see why it's not an obvious plug to socket fit ....

Laurie.

[Davey J]

Re: I suppose its only fair I share my 16v GTE part restoration with you all

Your bonnet wants a fiddle. Not in a rude way. Well, maybe it does. I don't speak bonnet though so I am guessing.

[DarrenH]

Re: I suppose its only fair I share my 16v GTE part restoration with you all

yeah must be central locking. all the other utilites run off thoe brass pins on the slam panel

[easytrans]

Re: I suppose its only fair I share my 16v GTE part restoration with you all

Well it's Wednesday evening and I was desperate to get some progress on the vinyl stickers and having little luck with the pillars yesterday I though in for a "penny in for a pound" (or maybe a little more than a pound if it goes really bad) so I attempted the big hatch sticker.

I now know how "not" to fit one of these but despite thinking part way through "what the hell am I doing trying to attempt this myself" I kept at it and got to a point that {once I get the scalpel out and trim} I think is going to be acceptable.

Another time (and with hindsight) I'd either do it very differently or take it to a vinyl sign fitter and let them do it. .... or maybe not as I like a challenge


So anyway it took a few head scratching moments to work out where the top of the sticker is supposed to go but once I realised it sits in the grove just flush to the inner top of the grove placing the sticker was easy with a masking tape line to act as a guide ...

gte_DSCN1134.JPG

The vinyl is very forgiving and needs to be the times its was on and off ....

But this where I started going wrong, stretching the number plate area in, and bedding it down!

What I should have done was seat the lower edge in the same way as the top edge and then work back inwards towards the middle ... Anyway I was way too far to into it by the time I realised so little chance of going back ....

gte_DSCN1135.JPG

Here you can see the problem, bedding in the centre shrinks the bottom up and then there is little chance of keeping a straight edge on the bottom ....

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Well past the point of no return so my next move (but not under floodlight which is how I was working by this time) is to get the 1 mtr steel rule out and find a scalpel from her-in-doors craft kit and see if I can trim back "with great care" to get myself back to a straight bottom line.

gte_DSCN1137.JPG

A few blemishes where I rubbed my fingers raw that will clean up and a few air bubbles that needed a prick with a sharp pin to bleed off the air and in general its okay ... no way perfect but better than if I'd have left the old vinyl on and had it masked up when painted, which would have been the other option at the beginning.

Also ordered my 5 tyres today for fitting on Friday morning Ouch!

I was after Dunlop SP01's as they performed well on the MK4 but having ordered them on-line I got a call to say they were on back order and there was no date available so they offered me a set of Goodyear Duragrip's in place which is what we are running now on the Mk4 and they seem to work fine.

[BenH]

Re: I suppose its only fair I share my 16v GTE part restoration with you all

Erm I thought the black strip started just below the grove by a couple of mm, sort of inline with the lights?

[Pablo Escablanche]

Re: I suppose its only fair I share my 16v GTE part restoration with you all

Nice progress but am sure the sticker goes under the grove

[Pablo Escablanche]

Re: I suppose its only fair I share my 16v GTE part restoration with you all

Just checked a quick pic and the sticker goes below the grove