Patina Loco - lowlight facelift a'go go :)

Discussion in 'Restorations' started by Luis Navarro, Jun 10, 2015.

?

which window for the win?

Poll closed Jun 20, 2015.
  1. Glass panel all the way....Jalousie's are for pansies!

    3 vote(s)
    23.1%
  2. Westie obviously!....scene tax adds horsepower and sex appeal!

    10 vote(s)
    76.9%
  1. No problem. It's just sitting taking up room in the garage. I'm in Dorset. You ever down this way?
     
  2. frequently....my nana lives in Bournemouth so I'm down there about once a month :) whereabouts are you?
     
  3. Milton Abbas - not far from Blandford. I work in Wimborne.
     
  4. I pass you if I go to Bournemouth via Poole.....i'll give you a shout next time I go see my nana :)
     
    The Drama Man likes this.
  5. met up with my cabinet making guy today.....had a lengthy five hour chat and batted some ideas I have for interiors around and he's basically going to teach me carpentry and joinery enough to make a few prototypes with a view to a saleable end product :) also, got a website design underway for when i finish up my bus and start looking for work :)
     
    Wonty likes this.
  6. also, started looking at making the early bumper fit.. Centre section is a straight bolt on........the steps on the other hand are gonna take some work, either need slimming down to clear the door bottoms, or the def panel needs dropping about three inches to allow for it.....either way it'll be fiddly lol. One of the steps is pretty crispy as well so more welding to do there to let some steel into it since filler and glass isn't an option.. I really make life hard for myself lol
     
  7. Made a start on the front bumper this afternoon.....not as bad as expected but still gonna be a fair bit of work to get it sitting right. I've reduced the depth of the def panel by about 2 inches so the bumper hugs the front panel more, and I need to drop the profile of the top by about 8mm for the steps to clear the doors but it'll mean no cutting of the bumper and most of the work being hidden behind it once its mounted up so it'll look pretty convincing at a glance to all but the trained eye :) hoping to have it good to go by the end of the weekend.

    rear bumper is rusting up nicely too :)
     
  8. This pic is on the calender bit dark to see how it's been done, but might help a bit.

    20151008_202056.jpg

    20151008_202011.jpg
     
  9. looks like the def panel has been dropped slightly on the valance....pretty much how I'm going about it so I'm obvs on the right track :)
    also looks like the steps have been skimmed down.....trying to avoid that as it doesn't look right and mine are gonna be bare metal so the less welding the better lol
     
  10. [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    slim fast version lol

    [​IMG]

    done :)
     
    Last edited: Oct 10, 2015
    Wonty, Zebedee, rob.e and 1 other person like this.
  11. MorkC68

    MorkC68 Administrator

    I like your front badge, different :thumbsup:
     
  12. thanks :) its the original KDF logo. I had it custom done :)
     
    MorkC68 likes this.
  13. Zed

    Zed Gradually getting grumpier

    I like the deformation panel, it's almost a shame to cover it with a bumper.
     
  14. An excellent read - thanks for posting. Did you find the night school welding course useful or would you have learnt as much practicing by yourself? Either way, you seem to have got a pretty dab hand at it.
     
  15. more so if you'd seen the process and how much work was involved lol I had to change my plan halfway through as the original idea wasn't going to do it and consequently I had to reduce it a lot more than I intended originally. Pleased with how it looks though....quick skim of filler over the welds and it'll look pretty factory i think, and the bumper fits it perfectly :D
     
  16. to be honest, yes.....and no lol it was deffo worth doing to get an idea of how to set up a mig welder, different types of joins etc, but doing it on a bench in a health and safety bay with perfect steel and an industrial quality machine doesn't really prepare you for lying under a bus with the floorpan an inch from your face while trying to weld through rust and underseal with a hobbyist welder because the grinder won't get to the bit you need to do lol I've found real world practice is the only way to get proficient, but the course gave me the confidence to have a go :)
     
    Last edited: Oct 10, 2015
    Coco, Ca700290, Aang and 1 other person like this.
  17. I have a retired mechanic neighbor who did a bit of welding on another neighbor's focus's sill. I might try and talk him into giving me a crash course - then crack on myself.
     
  18. Zed

    Zed Gradually getting grumpier

    If you are starting blind, getting the welder set is the thing as you won't know whether it's wrong or you're just crap at welding. :)
     
    Aang and Luis Navarro like this.
  19. definitely this ^^^^

    I was welding with the wire feed set too low to start with and wondering why my welds looked shocking. Whacked it up quite a bit and the difference was huge! Better penetration and the weld pool formed quicker meaning I could go a bit faster with the torch with less blow through.
    3 months later and I know exactly what setting to use for different stuff, my welds are looking miles better, and I can weld through paint and allsorts and still get it looking tidy.....practice is everything!
     
    Aang likes this.

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