Paint Prep - News!

Sometimes we have lofty ambitions which cannot be realised. Back in April last year I said that I would paint the TR7 myself, having done all of the hard work but been quoted £7k by a professional body shop to do the job. I had ambitions of building a spray booth in my garage, buying a new compressor and having hours of fun making everything BL Flamenco red.

Sometimes we have to admit defeat and have another plan. The truth was that after years of messing around with the car in primer, I just couldn't keep up with the damp in my garage. As soon as I painted it in primer over the warmer months, winter would appear and cause all sorts of mayhem. Any bare metal would oxidise and little pin pricks of corrosion started to push up through the primer. This was hopeless.

So, realising that at this rate the car would never be finished, I did an about-turn and agreed to have the work done by a professional and say "sod it" to the cost. I need the car to turn that corner, so I can get over the hump of being stuck in this never ending circle.

And so it was that last week Bessy was wheeled out of the garage and loaded on a trailer, to be bare-metaled, re-filled, filler-primed and top-coated. I have to say that I had a lump in my throat as the old girl was taken away in the rain, but hopefully when she comes back I will be bowled over.

Watch this space!

Sunroof part 2

How come time goes by so quickly? The TR7 has never been out of my thoughts (or garage) since my last post, but that was in May 2017. How is that possible?

So, onto the sunroof. Last time I wrote about it, I had stripped the thing down and sent the top cover off to be used as a template for a new one. That duly returned and I have spent the last months wrestling to get it to fit. It is one of those jobs where you need six arms and fifteen hands.

The problem is that there are multiple datum points, and conflicting priorities. It has to be glued down "here" and then glued down "there", but you can't do one before doing the other. Then you dive in and go for it, and it comes out all crinkly. It is a nightmare.

Essentially the job involves stretching the roof (both parts, top and bottom covers) and riveting the webbing in place. The top cover then has to be glued with industrial strength impact adhesive to the two metal bars front and rear. Sounds easy? Well, it is if you don't mind the finished job looking terrible.

This roof and all of the required tools (clamps, bits of wood, drills, brushes, screwdrivers, anti-depressants) has been on my dining room table for the best part of a year and it is still not done.

For those contemplating doing this job, you WILL need at least two friends to assist with all the tugging, stretching and gluing and swearing. Mine isn't done yet, probably because I can't get find two friends to appear on the same day. I'll keep you posted.