And a spot of neptune blue today! My first go at spraying top coat. Really pleased with the outcome and it’s given me some more confidence to paint the whole van.
There’s very few like her. Helped me prep the front panel today and get it into position. Just needs welding. Carvery treat too! The only bit I'm slightly concerned about is the fit of the top of the front panel along the inner windscreen panel. I took a look at @Diddymen 's resto and it looks like he had similar fun. I think I need to clamp it in the centre and work the corners further down and into place as currently the front panel sits proud of the inner towards the corners. On a similar note I fitted a new windscreen seal to the windscreen so we can trial fit that. Has the profile of the seal changed at all? I thought the outer bit of it filled the windscreen recess on the panel so the seal is flush with the panel, but it looks like it sits further into the recess. Does anyone have a close up of their windscreen seal fitted (its a C&C one). Any help much appreciated.
that's looking really good from memory lining up the front panel to the A posts and the top of the panel where the seal sits was the trickiest bit, just took a bit of patience and fettling. As long as it is lined up around the air box, the panel should be in the right place...seems so long ago now!! not sue on the front seal, the original on mine overlapped the bodywork quite a bit to make a nice seal, the new one I fitted wasn't as wide ....don't think newer ones are
Cheers mate. Sounds like the seal has changed a bit then. Just wanted to check I'd not done something stupid Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Not having much fun on the van tonight so would appreciate some guidance. I can't for the life of me work out why the corners of the front panel were it joins the inner windscreen don't meet properly. I measured the old inner panel before fitting the new some I'm pretty confident that it's in the right place (and even if I did get it out slightly I can't imagine getting it out by so much). The rest of the front lines up beautifully with the inner. Do I need to bend in the recess further to bring it down (I can't see how else I'd move its position). Any thoughts? @Diddymen, @davidoft, @brothernumberone. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I seem to remember mine not lining up in those areas without a bit of persuasion, and I think it never lined up 100% with a few mm of the outer sitting higher than the inner as the best I could get it I'd suggest getting a few tack welds in from the centre at the top so it doesn't move, then a few just before the area that doesn't line up on each side. I'm pretty sure it was then a case of 'massaging' the rest of it down .....with a hammer obviously trying not to distort or damage the outer bend. if you've not tacked or crimped the sides onto the A post, the 'massaging should push it away from the A post a little, and once the lip is all welded in place you should be able to work the sides back. I think I probably hammered the flat bit of the surround down so it dipped inwards a bit to get the lip down, it will probably form a dip where water can collect under the windscreen seal, but I've got loads of windscreen sealer in there to hopefully prevent it @davidoft is probably the best person to give advice as he helped out on mine
Thanks mate. Will give that a go. Just glad I'm not the only one who struggled to get this to fit properly. It's a bit frustrating as I'm on the home stretch of the front end now! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Cheers fella. Certainly feels like I'm getting somewhere now. Still a mammoth amount of welding left though after this. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
You won't get it 100% perfect, get a chisel and get it up against the flange with the holes punched in, basically hit it down until it's where you want it, you gotta be brutal, the fronts are always like that ^^
Cheers. I guess brute force sometimes wins! Got it fitting well around the a pillars and pretty much folded round now too. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Yep, they never line up properly. Very annoying. I normally hammer them down a bit and weld the top of the inner to the outer, then weld up the holes in the outer I always punch without remembering they won't line up
Yeap, managed to hammer the edges down a bit tonight so it lines up all the way along the bottom and then tapers a bit towards the a pillars. Much happier now. I've started welding it in now but it was getting late and I was tired.
It’s taken 2.5 months but it’s finally done! I finished up the front panel today, unfortunately I cracked the windscreen trial fitting it; but at least it fits ok! I got it lining up pretty well with the A pillars but it’ll need some filler to be perfect. It looks much better now, and I’m really happy with how it’s turned out.
