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Post by soldonkits on Mar 23, 2023 11:38:33 GMT
OK everyone knows I like a bit of a moan but this subject has me close to ordering a large skip and forgetting the whole restoration idea.
Since the car became a rolling project and ready for 'prep and paint', I have been looking for someone to do the job. The search started 4 1/2 years ago! Yep, 4 1/2 years of searching. I have gone through all the sprayers and restorers in my area using google, and even on rare occasions 'word of mouth'. I have gone through all the same services in adjoining areas and despite recieveing a few qutoes following sending numerous photos and in some cases receiving a visit to inspect the car, no one has aggreed to take the job on. I have had quotes for the respray from 2.5k up to 30+k and none of these guys... even the 30k one, would ultimately do the job.
How the hell does anyone get their car sprayed?
I have little space, no equipment and no experience spraying the new epoxy 2 pack paints but if I don't tackle the job, and probably stuff the final finish myself, there appears to be no one within 150 miles willing to take it on.
I have struggled through wiring, because the advice to 'seek a qualified auto electrician' turned up no one willing to visit and wire the car, I've done the mechanics and assembled the body and chassis without a working SS build manual, I hapily repaired the original crash and vandal damage to the shell but being unable to find a paint sprayer may just be the straw that breaks this camel's back.
It's no exageration to say... I've had enough! I wasn't expecting this to be a quick build or an easy one but the inability to get the car sprayed has me floored. Businesses have too much work and so can pick and choose what they do. Kit cars are seen by many of them as the lowest form of automotive life and not worth their time and effort.
Meanwhile I have a car that is a spray and mot away from being roadworthy but a skip or add on ebay as 'an unfinished project' seem unavoidable. So close but no cigar!
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bigc
Just getting started
Hi ,I'm a newbie here, how do I get my RV on the register, and how do I post photos?
Posts: 5
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Post by bigc on Mar 23, 2023 14:54:19 GMT
Hi Soldonkits, I can't help as I live in NI. Have you considered a wrap? I have also seen resprays done with rattle cans that look quite decent, it depends on colour and finish.
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Post by chrisbailey on Mar 23, 2023 15:06:20 GMT
I think most body shops in the UK just want to take on easy jobs from dealers that pay well. Spraying a fibregass car like the SS will be a challenge for anybody. The hours in it to get it to a new car finish must be huge. The potential of it going wrong must also be huge.
I can imagine it being so hard to find somebody who both can and is willing to take such a job on. Those who can do it have a reputation to look after and really wont want to give you a poor job. Those wo are willing to take it on probly have no reputation,or atleast a good one.
My advice would be to have a chat with some of the guys on the euro nova forum. A few of them have built cars to show quality and might point you to paint shop.
My brother had a bump in his 4 series bmw. Just a few scratches and a dent. Body shop which was selected by the insurance quoted 7k so the car got wrote off. He baught it back for 2k and spent £750 for a mobile painter to fix it. That might tell you something about automotive body repair at the moment.
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Post by soldonkits on Mar 23, 2023 15:20:12 GMT
The words 'rip-off' keep coming to mind. Also, I get the feeling that even when they quote rediculously high estimates, they are just trying to send you somewhere else. Home spray or ditch while I have a little sanity left, thast's the question. If anyone would like further detail of the car, I'll hapily send them to a private email, that way I could include photos. If I don't make some progress soon, watch ebay for updates... I've just priced a skip larg enough to fit the car and they're too much money!?
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Post by Charlie Francis on Mar 23, 2023 15:55:02 GMT
Hi, I have a Polaris slingshot (you'll need to google it) it has been resprayed by a local body repair shop to a high standard, granted it was a perfectly good body to start off with no cracks in the original GEL coat etc. But they were more than happy to take it on, if your interested and have some pics you can send me I'll see if they will give you a quote, they can come and look at mine which is still in the early stages of restoration, to give them an idea of what they would be letting themselves in for. When its ready I'm hoping they will be re spraying mine as well.
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Post by soldonkits on Mar 23, 2023 16:22:20 GMT
Hi Charlie, The sprayers you talked of, are they in the Grantham area? Any name you are free to pass on? Grantham is about 140 miles from where I am, not insurmountable but Ive just paid £150 'there and back' to a local restorer, who in the end, turned the work down. They were only 24 miles away. My email is listed for direct contact.
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Post by Charlie Francis on Mar 23, 2023 16:30:32 GMT
ok, I'm going to send you an e-mail
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Post by soldonkits on Jul 19, 2023 13:29:29 GMT
OK.... This is probably not something that's going tohelp anyone directly, it's just something that has to be recorded for posterity and as a possible warning to others.
I haven't posted anything for ages and with good reason or 'poor excuses' as my old teachers would call them.
I have been searching for someone to paint my Eagle SS since the day I acquired it, now some 6 years ago. (so much for the quick build) I have emailed and phoned over a hundred restorers, paint shops and scratch and dent fixers with just three taking the bait. None of the others could be bothered or were so put off by fibreglass they wouldn't even quote.
OK, to the three that did. The first was clearly not interested and quoted mid 20k's. The second quoted the same and were eager to start but the third quoted quite a chunk less and had a proven track record with classics both steel and fibreglass. All ridiculously expensive most people would agree but there's more.
The first pulled out the day he was due to collect, simply saying he didn't want the work after all. The second held firm on the mid 20k quote, the third, got the job.
Anyone who knows the Eagle bodywork will probably already know the build quality is crap. The shell, bonnet, doors and deck lids have more bubbles in the gelcoat than an Aero chocolate bar. The blisters that hadn't already blown out, blew the paint off as it dried. As a result, most of the new paint had to come off to have the previously hidden blisters ground out and filled. I even stepped in myself to re-glassed most of the bonnet to help with the process.
The spraying is still not complete after 2 months of work and the estimate has doubled with all he unforeseen extra hours needed. So will it be worth it in the end? Only time will tell. Will it represent good value by the end... only if I can achieve the highest price paid for an Eagle SS... EVER!
Why am I bothering? I'm too far down the rabbit hole both financially and emotionally to back out now and too determined to see a VW Eagle SS on the bloody road!
OK, a small crumb of good news. The car has finally been successfully registered with DVLA as a 'VW Eagle SS', listed on the original '77 plated not 'Q', tax coded as 'Historic' so free Tax and no MOT needed. It is also insured and ready to go... if only it was in one piece and fully painted. DVLA are slow and meticulous and the process took ages. It's no surprise that many Eagles and incorrectly registered with most still having the v5 for the donor vehicle. Trust me, with the new recognition software cameras the police have, these cars will not run uninterrupted on the road. The boys in blue love to stop unusual cars and any with miss-matching details, doubly so.
More to follow, hopefully in less than another 6 years.
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Post by terryrob on Jul 20, 2023 21:21:46 GMT
Stick in there pal, I admire your patience and drive. It looks like you will get there fairly soon. Also it is better to be driving on the road with a home done paint job than stuck in a garage. Thats what I did with my rv,,,,,,,, rattle can mat black lol.
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Post by Peter on Jul 23, 2023 12:24:38 GMT
I bit the bullet with my BMW E30, it got written off by the insurance for a headlight and wing, insurance company paid out 600€ on a 6,000€ car, basically lowest buying in price against above average selling price.
I repaired it all myself and resprayed both front wings and the bonnet in Alpine white 2K, no clear coat on that year.
Turned out to be an easy job and finish was good, sold the car couple of months later for 5,077€ with all transfer fees etc paid.
It is not difficult, what is difficult is the prep' and on a kit-car's fiber glass it is a long and tedious job with cracks filled and bubbles dug out etc, then a good etching primer, under coat and top coat, (clear is an option). It cost me 25€ for a spray gun from Lidl and 30€ for a 0.5L kit of 2K from 'paint your car'.
Bit late now for you but I am sure there are loads of owners in the same boat who haven't realized what the trouble and cost of those final jobs cost, and there ya go, another unfinished project on eBay.
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Post by austin20 on Aug 10, 2023 21:18:58 GMT
I'm looking forward to seeing some images of your painted car on here. Thinking about it you must be looking forward to seeing images of your painted car too. I've got my own money pit to throw money into so I can sympathise with any owner who can't spray. Maybe anyone else in the same position should try,"Night school," for car refinishing and learn painting so they can do their own paintwork. In the time it took soldonkits to find a painter prepared to take on his car some students could hold a doctorate in paint systems.(slight exageration).
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Post by Peter on Aug 13, 2023 13:28:52 GMT
My one and only, so far, attempt at 2k spraying. Nothing fancy, just a cheap spray gun from Lidle and a 50L compressor. 120€ the lot. Paint from "Paint your car" was less than 30€ for a 250ml pack included filter, measuring jug and stick and instructions but setting the pressure and nozzle was a little time consuming but once done it was easy. Pop into your local DIY and buy half a dozen thin plastic painters dust sheets, over-spray is a bitch. I would say buying all the gear and 2L of 2K, masking tape, one could respray a Nova for under 250 quid. Prep is the main thing and a good etching undercoat is a must after all the filing and rubbing down, and rubbing and rubbing down. This is my BMW E30 wing after two coats of 2K. not too shabby for first try.
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Post by chrisbailey on Aug 13, 2023 19:27:05 GMT
I'm pretty sure you need an air fed breathing mask when spraying 2k.It contains cyanides and is extremely dangerous to health. Just check with the paint supplier what safety equipment you need before you go at it.
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Post by Peter on Aug 15, 2023 11:55:14 GMT
I'm pretty sure you need an air fed breathing mask when spraying 2k.It contains cyanides and is extremely dangerous to health. Just check with the paint supplier what safety equipment you need before you go at it. I know but with a decent mask and short periods you can do without a breather mask. Water based paints are better anyway and what modern manufactures use
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Post by soldonkits on Dec 28, 2023 11:28:02 GMT
Update in brief. The car, 'Humpty', is still at the re-sprayers, and likely to be there until new year. The duration of this re-spray so far... 10 months! So much of the car has required stripping back to bare GRP to remove the gelcoat bubbles. Unfortunately, not always before it was painted. The result, as far as it has got, looks good but the bill would wipe the satisfied smile of anyone's face.
Photos to follow.
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Post by soldonkits on Jan 3, 2024 14:33:07 GMT
OK, Photo here ... hopefully if the transfer works.
Large photos!... working on making new ones smaller.
Not sure about the colour now!?
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Graham Wood
E.O.C. Chairman
Webmaster
User name = RAM
Posts: 533
Location, Town please: Southport, U.K.
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Post by Graham Wood on Jan 3, 2024 15:34:44 GMT
OK, Photo here ... hopefully if the transfer works. Nice colour, and body mods.
Don't reduce photo's as they are FINE on a real computer, ( I don't use TINY mobile phones to see pictures, what's the point ? ) and can be enlarged to original size on new page. see two below. -- second photo enhanced
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Post by chrisbailey on Jan 3, 2024 19:08:32 GMT
Looks awesome
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Post by Charlie Francis on Jan 4, 2024 9:18:46 GMT
wow looks stunning
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Post by soldonkits on Jan 4, 2024 15:56:15 GMT
Thanks guys, it's been a long haul with not many marbles left by the end. The effort to get it painted nearly drove me mad and ditched the project. Just some work to do on the inside and I can see if it was worth it. I need to upload a photo of the rear. It was completely rebuilt as the original had been cut off.
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Post by Charlie Francis on Jan 4, 2024 17:18:45 GMT
it would be great to see what you have done with the inside once you get to that point
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Post by soldonkits on Jan 4, 2024 20:19:51 GMT
No photos of the inside yet but here I am keeping it retro-ish. The dash has white faced VDO's gauges set into an original Eagle dash that's a combo of a Mk1 and A mk3 (I think) to give a Countach come Lotus Esprit look of the period. It's carbon fibre faced and all the dials are analogue. I've come up with a new arangement for the door rams that shoud keep the open doors from sagging at the front edge, and keep them sqyare, the rams just need adjusting to the extra weight. Happy to answer any questions on the build. After a 6 year project in near isolation, it's good to share, especially if any of the ideas I've tried help others.
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Post by nickyjuk on Jan 4, 2024 21:19:08 GMT
Wow, I love the colour! That's really does look jaw droppingly good! I can only imagine the amount of work that has gone into making it.
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Post by Charlie Francis on Jan 5, 2024 11:22:13 GMT
The door ram location and design would be much appreciated, i want to fit linear actuators on mine, so i can open them with a key for remotely, so am interested in anything that will help balance the door.
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Post by Peter on Jan 5, 2024 15:26:05 GMT
The door ram location and design would be much appreciated, i want to fit linear actuators on mine, so i can open them with a key for remotely, so am interested in anything that will help balance the door. The problem with the original door struts is they push the bottom of the doors out when closed but all the weight is forward so in theory the rams should be at the front of the doors roof but 'in ya face' so needs to be small diameter and tucked right up when closed, very difficult. The door are about 50 kilos at the mounting point. I checked mine with a broom handle between door and scales on the floor. eaglecarclub.proboards.com/thread/1039/bit-more?page=6There is a YouTube of mine working, noisy and slow. (8seconds) and they twist the door as all the weight is forward. You need really expensive ones with 8" travel using the original mounting points I found I needed a LOT of power and very slow, moving the door forward helped and the bottom was a case of where I could fit it when closed. Best way would be a pair of cylinder rams front and rear of t he roof section but that would require a lot of work. I did design a system that had triangular mounts in the roof that came down to give better leverage to the rams fitted IN the roof of the doors. should work but again a lot of work. All depends on how much you want to do and costs. Look at Delorean and Mercedes and of course the latest Tesla. All door roof mounted front and rear but quite different approaches.
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Post by Charlie Francis on Jan 5, 2024 15:40:13 GMT
Peter hi
Thanks for your response, I have looked at the youtube of yours and they look pretty impressive, but as you say they tend to twist the door. I'll take a look at the cars you mention and see if i can pick up any pointers
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Post by soldonkits on Jan 6, 2024 8:55:20 GMT
Hi Charlie, my door ram set-up is very different to the original Eagle. I have two smaller rams in the roof of each door that are linked to a frame bolted to the underside of the roof using the hinge bolts. The DeLorean, from memory, uses a similar set-up but one of the rams is replaced with a torsion bar. The problem with this is cost, the unique nature of DeLorean parts and lack of headroom for the system. The dual ram idea appears to support the front of each door better and doesn't push the bottom of the door out. I'll post some photos of it when I can take some. This said, I don't think there would be room to replace these rams with actuators due to lack of space. A compromise might be to use the dual rams to take most of the door weight while a smaller, less powerful actuator does the opening.
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Post by chrisbailey on Jan 6, 2024 18:31:22 GMT
I'd love to see how you have the door rams setup. I'm at the stage of getting my doors sorted with catches and locks and I'd love to get a better ram configuration to what was there originally. Your car looks awesome.
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Graham Wood
E.O.C. Chairman
Webmaster
User name = RAM
Posts: 533
Location, Town please: Southport, U.K.
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Post by Graham Wood on Jan 7, 2024 2:46:54 GMT
I'd love to see how you have the door rams setup. You all know I am not diplomatic --- Therefore ....
Do you all want to spend a LOT of time and MONEY to have slow opening and closing doors, and noisy doors ? Mine ( normal gas rams ) open in 2.5 seconds and close in 3 to 4 seconds .. Yes - I know you want the Wow factor, but I'll be driving off before you even get in.
Add that time and money on your engine --
Regards: Grumpy old man.
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Post by Charlie Francis on Jan 7, 2024 9:39:19 GMT
Hi Charlie, my door ram set-up is very different to the original Eagle. I have two smaller rams in the roof of each door that are linked to a frame bolted to the underside of the roof using the hinge bolts. The DeLorean, from memory, uses a similar set-up but one of the rams is replaced with a torsion bar. The problem with this is cost, the unique nature of DeLorean parts and lack of headroom for the system. The dual ram idea appears to support the front of each door better and doesn't push the bottom of the door out. I'll post some photos of it when I can take some. This said, I don't think there would be room to replace these rams with actuators due to lack of space. A compromise might be to use the dual rams to take most of the door weight while a smaller, less powerful actuator does the opening. yes please it would be great to see any pics you have of the setup
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