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TR2/3/3A Beginning the TR2 Bodywork

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Week 86

I know it's been quiet on the thread, but I finally reached a landmark event today. All of the body panels are finished...as in...DONE!! I even managed to get the paint to lay down on that cursed bonnet. So here is a quick run through:



First of all, I decided to bite the bullet and clear out the entire garage. All the cars, mowers, bikes, tools, blah, blah, blah got sent to the back yard under a tarp. I then blew out and hosed down the entire garage to make it into a make shift paint booth. I got plain tired of the bugs and cotton wood seeds ruining an otherwise perfect finish. In the end, it was worth the day's work to clear it out. I was only batting 400 with the outdoor spraying. The sealed garage raised my average to 900.

Oh, the pick above are the 2 front wings ready for spraying. The windows have screens, so they open to vent the garage nicely while I spray. The color coats flash in about 5 minutes, so dirt is not normally a problem with the color. The clear coats take almost an hour to lay down (three coats with about 20 minutes between sprays to allow the previous coat to flash), and then the clear is tacky for 70 minutes. The clear is where the dirt seems to be attracted like a magnet.



The sides of the car are very noticeable when you walk up to it. Light colors hide many slight waviness. Black is the absolute worst color for showing waves. If there is even a ripple on a black car, it stands out like a flashing light. I learned that choosing a deeply dark BRG color made it just like black. So...in this pic you can see I went heavy into the base to remove some of the waves. Since the sanding went into the base filler and hit some metal, it gets sealed with epoxy and re-sprayed with urethane primer. The wing on the right required 8 layers and 16 coats of primer before I was satisfied.

I know what you're thinking...with 16 coats, it oughta be like 1" thick!?! It would, except most of each layer...if not ALL of each layer gets sanded down to nothing. Only a few low areas may have the full 16 coats.



Here is the body going in the "booth". I decided to re-spray the door jams with the 2 part paint. The single stage is OK, but the urethane just makes a finish "pop"! Since you see the jams every time you open the door to sit or get out...I decided they needed the "deep" urethane look.





Notice the wing seals are left out. These were sprayed with the body at the Triumph factory...even the rubber. It hurt...but I sprayed, even the rubber!



And this is why everything HAD to come out! Once you start spraying, the garage looks like this for about 1-1/2 hours. I just HOPE a bug or 2 tried to get to my fresh paint...I owe those little suckers for ruining so many previous jobs!!



These are the bonnet and the right rear wing...both up for re-sprays. I didn't like the look of the wing (waves), and that blasted bonnet is cursed!! This was color spray number 4 for the bonnet. To recap: Rain, wrinkling, cottonwood, wrinkling. I originally thought it was my primer mix that started the wrinkling. I since have learned that urethane clear will do it too, if you sand the edges through and it's not fully cured. Fully cured is like a month.

You will notice the wet floor in the pic. The garage gets hosed back out before ever color spray. The floor is intentionally left wet. Then, any dirt or dust floating around will get trapped on the floor instead of your panel.







And...

...spray 4 went bust on the bonnet. Does that make you want to cry or what?!? You will notice that every time it wrinkles it covers more area. That is how I eventually realized it was not my primer mix. After several hours on google, I learned about the urethane issue. That explains it...but it still did not help, unless I chose to strip the entire bonnet or wait a month for it to fully cure.

I set the bonnet aside for a bit...AGAIN!



Here the doors are getting another primer respray...again for waves. Notice I spot sprayed the low areas first, let it flash, and then sprayed the entire doors. This allows the primer to build more in the low depressions where it is needed. In all, the doors got 2 coats epoxy, 6 coats urethane primer, 4 coats color, and 6 coats clear.

I can now say I am happy with the result.





I realized I needed some kind of holder so I could spray the doors, front and back, at the same time. For $5.50 in wood, I built these handy holders using staples and glue. I'll donate them to the Wife's Macaw when I'm done with them...she loves to destroy anything I build!?! (that's the macaw, not the wife!)
 


And, finally. Tah dah!! The 5th color spray was a charm!

I had to use the previous technique of laying the epoxy primer dry for 5 coats, then lay a wet coat. That reduced the wrinkling to 4 smaller areas. I then sanded the wrinkles that were left and used super glue to coat the remaining bad areas. Yep, you read that right. I finally had to use cyano acrylate to seal the problem areas. The super glue is impervious, and it dries to fast to affect the under layers. I finally remembered the technique from my childhood days as an aprentice.

The final tally is 10 coats epoxy primer, 12 coats urethane primer, 10 color coats, and 14 clear coats.

I am NOT proud of the above. I am used to applying paint coats until you are happy with the quality of the surface (no waves). This is the only panel I have ever painted that got like triple the amount of paint it should have gotten. Again, most of it is sanded off. I feel arthritis coming on!









And THAT is how a bonnet should look...although I am now a broken man for getting it there.



And here is one of the doors for comparison. The key to this mirror finish is to avoid getting the attitude of "that's close enough". If you have trouble telling if you need another layer of primer to work the waves out...then you do! To quote the old Comanche Chief on Josey Whales, "endeavor to persevere!" It hurts when you are going through the iterations of primer and sanding...but the finish will last decades. So, you will be looking at that last wave you decided was close enough...OR...you can see a mirror for decades.

It's worth taking the time now! In the final tally, I re-sprayed both doors and one wing after even the color coats...because they just didn't look straight enough. And the cursed bonnet got sprayed with color 5 times. I may need to go to counseling to get over that blasted bonnet!?!



This is how the work bench looks in "paint mode". You guys have seen it in metal mode, mechanical rebuild mode, cleaning mode, and now...it will get cleaned off for another project soon. NOT A TR2!!





Oh, you guys may find this interesting. The downside to painting the panels off the car is that the bolts do not get painted. For $3 towards a 2x8, I took about 30 minutes to cut this jig for all the odd parts. The strips are for the beading (the longest bead is 70 inches on the TR2. The holes are for the myriad bolts and washers. I will load the jig tomorrow and spray my last paint.

Hey Mr Skinner...I'm ready for my interior!
 
Oh, some data that will help others. I sprayed enough panels enough times to get pretty consistent with the amount of paint it takes for each panel. This will help you guys plan how much to mix. All amounts are READY TO SPRAY amounts. In other words, this is the amount you need after mixing hardener and reducers. This is also for a single WET coat. So, for example, I usually lay 2 wet coats of color, so you would need to double the amount shown below to spray both coats.

Bonnet: 4.5 oz per side
Wings: 3 oz per side
doors: 2 oz for outside only
3 oz for front and back
Boot lid: 3.5 oz per side
tire lid: 1.5 oz per side
Entire tub, inside and out, top and bottom: 3/8ths gallon
Tub, only the exterior panels (scuttles, rockers, quarter panels and rear valence): 12 oz

Hope this helps for planning. Remember...these amounts are what you will need in the cup, per coat. Also, at times you may want more build, like when you are spraying primer trying to work out some waviness in the panel. In that case you may intentionally want the wet coat to be a lot heavier than normal, and therefore will need a bit more than quoted.

Later!
 
John, So glad it turned out that good, perfect for all I can see. Putting it in the garage sure saved you.
Use lots of towels when you start putting it back together and let it cure for a couple of weeks.
Nice job on the nuts and bolts, better than my cardboard.

Wayne
 
It is going to be the nicest Tr2 I know of, glad you are out there in Texas so I never have to show up at a show and go Dang the Tr2 Is here! LOL I will be glad to get to the point where I have to worry about the paint, one day one day!

keep the threads alive I will need them.
 
Hello John

Set the bar out of reach on the paint job.
How long will you let it harden before reassembly? What breathing equipment did you need to spray in the paint fog? Like the door stands great idea.

The mix amounts will be a great help when I get to that stage.
 
John, as you know, that looks awesome. Your pictures are wonderful but that project is unbelievable for an expert with proper equipment, let alone in their home garage.

I think my home garage paint job came out great, but that's mostly because of all the time I spent color sanding the clear.

I had a spot a few inches around on the drivers front fender that wrinkled like your bonnet. Mine (I think) was because I tried another type of cleaner to wipe it down. After several failed attempts at color/clear where the spot kept getting bigger, I sanded the whole fender to primer and started over -with epoxy primer. I was unable to keep count of how many times I mixed paint. -Nice job with all the documentation.

Are you there yet?
 
Looks awesome! All your hard work has really paid off.

Cheers
Tush
 




Got the hardware painted last night. I guess, technically, that means my bodywork journey is done! I'll post a few more pics as the panels go back on, but that's just assembly work. Wow, what a long road. Never again will I low-ball a car unless I am willing to accept the consequences.

I would like to thank all of you guys on the Forum for the contributions you provided. I know that it looks like I just plowed forward on my own like gangbusters...but your inputs were very needed and invaluable as I came to choices along the way. So, MANY THANKS to all of you!!

Wayne, I hear ya' on the towels! One of the most heart breaking things is to have to respray a panel for an assembly scratch. I actually wanted to use a box like you did, but I didn't come across a large enough one in the last several weeks. I finally gave up and bought a board.

JP...now that your moving ahead you'll get there before you know it. With my project winding down, I look forward to living through yours, so keep it going!

David, I use those disposable 3M masks. They work great for the primer and base coats. The urethane clear kills them very fast. You are supposed to have a forced air system for the urethanes, but that is down a way on my tool "wish list". Until then, I reuse the 3M masks until I start to notice the paint smell coming through, and then I toss them. Waiting for assembly is always a question. I will wait at least 3 days, but preferably a week. After that there is less chance of the clear marring from handling.

Jerry, Tush...of all the guys in the forum, I feel like you 2 understand the most what it's like to take on a gargantuan job against hopeless odds...and actually pull it off! I appreciate the support along the way. Jerry, I admire your willingness to put your handiwork to the test and drive your Triumph anywhere, anytime! Tush, I have no idea how you are able to do these jobs back to back. I always need a year or two off before diving back in. I admire your love of the hobby enough to never tire!

Anyway, enough of that...let's all get back to work!
 
John,
The rowing season for spring is done so I may have more weekend time now. I plan on a paint party this weekend and to see what parts I may need to let go for now. I have also been trying to find 16 gauge metal for the frame repairs but I don't want to buy a 4 x 8 sheet. I also need to pick up a gas welding bottle.

I wanted to get more sandblasting done but the compressor at work kicked the belts off and now the search is on. Meanwhile the grass keeps growing! I did notice everyone jumping in on the new media that I put in the blast cabinet, out of my pocket, and then I saw one of the upper control arms I had left in the blaster sitting there. I am lucky it didn't get tossed out with the trash. Lesson learned is to write down what I am blasting to make sure I take it out when finished... a rolling inventory so to speak.


More to follow,
JP


Sorry I wasn't trying to High jack your post but I am anticipating your final assembly. You may have to turn into Tush and take a video at that point :cool-new:
CJD; said:
JP...now that your moving ahead you'll get there before you know it. With my project winding down, I look forward to living through yours, so keep it going!



Anyway, enough of that...let's all get back to work!
Click to expand...
 
My daughter is the rower! I have got on the ERG a few times but sad to say it is not my thing. The kid is real good and several colleges have spoken to her about wanting her to be part of their team. Fall should be interesting with college visits!

carpecursusII said:
JP, are you a rower?
Click to expand...
 
Week 87

Final assembly! Alleluia!

I diverged a bit this time, by installing the front apron first, and then the wings. I think I prefer this order better than the traditional way of doing the wings and then the apron. There is less chance of scratching when working from the middle outward.







I layed tape on the edges to protect the finish, just in case.





I installed all the bolts loosely, and then worked from the rear towards the front, leaving the door jam bolts loose. The doors must be held up to align the door jams to the front wing edge before tightening those bolts.



Likewise the left wing gets installed.







The doors have to go on last, as you cannot get to the wing jam bolts after the door is on. Here I am using little brass shims to angle the front hinge pin forward. At this point hammering and bending is not really a option. Angling the upper hinge forward rocks the rear of the door upward to align the lower door gap.







Hows that for a reflection carried through from the wing to the door? This is where all that work with the sanding and primer coats pays off.





And over to the right side door.

87 weeks. The body is done! To put that in perspective, the longest I have spent up until this car in a restoration was 72 weeks. This dude took 87 for just the body work. I learned a hard lesson. Never again will I low ball a project that is this bad off!

So that's it for this bodywork thread. The first time I roll the completed car back out of the garage I'll post some pics that show the entire car. But "thea, thea, thea, that's all...folks...So long, Aloha, El Fin, Chow!
 
Piece of Art!

Cheers
Tush
 
I spend so many hours on my projects and so many more reading about build projects on about every type of car, truck, motorcycle and this thread tops them all. In terms of attention to detail, knowledge about the factory assembly methods, how to make panels fit, rework on top of reworking, dedication to a true labor of love, extreme planning and all the crafts that have been displayed on saving a wayward old British Car. Hats off!!! Documenting this build is a whole other area that deserves our accolades. If I keep on going my wife will accuse me of a man crush. Thanks again, maybe one day this car might make it to the Virginia area, I would go out of my way to see the finished product.
 
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