1959 Peerless Restoration

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nigel c
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Re: 1959 Peerless Restoration

Post by nigel c »

yea I think image 2701 shows that the left hand point (at about 10 O clock0 seems to protrude to much?

I had ali tanks built too and set them in expanding foam WHEN I was happy they fitted/doors shut/sender units fitted/didn't leak/sender units didn't foul the doors/generally didn't leak/ allowed filler pipes to be attached in situ/didn't leak......

also....grandmother/egg/suck. I fitted one tank with an outlet at the front and one with the outlet at the back. These tanks are soooo long that if you sit on a gradient for a minuet or two on half full you can run out of fuel and switchin tanks (if they are set up the same) gets you know where....literally

also also, do you have a breather outlet fitted? really good idea as these can be a real Arse to fill !
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HealeyBN7
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Re: 1959 Peerless Restoration

Post by HealeyBN7 »

nigel c wrote:yea I think image 2701 shows that the left hand point (at about 10 O clock0 seems to protrude to much?
I thought that would be the case, but they clear the width-barely.

It was the bottom that was too flat to allow it is rest on the flat part of the inner sill.

Dean
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HealeyBN7
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Re: 1959 Peerless Restoration

Post by HealeyBN7 »

Picked the pair of tanks up yesterday. Nicely welded, beaded the fill pipe and they even fit.
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Martin Keller
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Re: 1959 Peerless Restoration

Post by Martin Keller »

Hi Dean,

Fuel tanks look good.
Are you going to paint the outside to help prevent corrosion.
I know they are inside of the door sills and the car when finished will most likely never see bad weather but aluminum dose oxidize and corrode.
We used a lot of CRC SP-400 Corrosion Prevention spray on the interior surfaces of aircraft fuselage skin and it worked very well in preventing the aluminum from corroding an oxidizing in places that where not painted.
It sprays on and forms a thin film that seals out moisture which is the main cause of corrosion.
Just a though.
:)

:drive
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Re: 1959 Peerless Restoration

Post by Larry Kluss »

Nice! Now they're 6 gallon tanks instead of 7. Saves weight. :)
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nigel c
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Re: 1959 Peerless Restoration

Post by nigel c »

that means Dean can have more Pies...................
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Re: 1959 Peerless Restoration

Post by tannyo »

Have you done any new work in the last 4 months?
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Re: 1959 Peerless Restoration

Post by HealeyBN7 »

Here are a few pictures to provide some evidence to Tanny that I am still chipping away at the endless body paint prep work...

The passenger fender wasn't as "round" as the driver's side so it was re-glassed. That work is still in process. The photos are from yesterday.

The little details that all you metal body car owner's take for granted around the door openings and window return needed to be fixed or created. I am getting closer.

Not shown in the photos is the 100 hours I have into the rear trunk/boot area. It is complex and almost ready for gel coat.

Speaking of gelcoat, I now have a paper cup gel coat spray gun, so once I get through the rough body work, it will get sprayed with a sealing coat of gel. That will be key for keeping any repairs from witnessing through the paint in a few years. A lesson learned from the Europa.

I anticipate big leaps of progress in 2017!

Dean
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nigel c
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Re: 1959 Peerless Restoration

Post by nigel c »

great work as per usual! Question: is the engine in or out?
Also, I mixed a plasticizer in with the resin/filler coats as I was told this would help with "movement" ...but that was 20 years + ago so I guess there's loads of better stuff out there??
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Re: 1959 Peerless Restoration

Post by VWNate1 »

Good job Dean ! .
-Nate
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Re: 1959 Peerless Restoration

Post by tannyo »

HealeyBN7 wrote:Here are a few pictures to provide some evidence to Tanny that I am still chipping away at the endless body paint prep work...

The passenger fender wasn't as "round" as the driver's side so it was re-glassed. That work is still in process. The photos are from yesterday.
...
Evidence accepted. As usual I'm amazed at the quality of your work. I'm living the dream vicariously through you. I believe the body is going to be far better than it was the day it left the factory. Good job.
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Re: 1959 Peerless Restoration

Post by HealeyBN7 »

tannyo wrote:
HealeyBN7 wrote:Here are a few pictures to provide some evidence to Tanny that I am still chipping away at the endless body paint prep work...

The passenger fender wasn't as "round" as the driver's side so it was re-glassed. That work is still in process. The photos are from yesterday.
...
Evidence accepted. As usual I'm amazed at the quality of your work. I'm living the dream vicariously through you. I believe the body is going to be far better than it was the day it left the factory. Good job.
Well, i don't know if it will be better. It will for sure have more labor hours poured into it. If Peerless spent this much time on the body work they would have gone out of business shortly after the first couple hundred were finished...oh they did.

Pretty soon I'll be faced with the issue of color. I am told that one should color the gel coat as closely as possible to the final color. Hmm
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nigel c
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Re: 1959 Peerless Restoration

Post by nigel c »

I recon on 2000 hours in the body of mine including finishing coat which I sprayed in 2 pack. I also used 2 pack primer which is great as you can spoon it on and its cured in half an hour and you can flat it down.

It was the First time I'd sprayed a complete car in 2 pack, it was bloody hard work and I wouldn't do it at home again but rent a proper spray shop.

Two independent guys within the trade advised this paint as best for GRP. I have to say its warn well and we are talking 20 years ago.... :P
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Re: 1959 Peerless Restoration

Post by HealeyBN7 »

Hey Nigel. I didn't answer your earlier question.

Yes, the engine is in the car. I was concerned that the frame would move around if I bonded the body to the chassis then installed the engine. I'll pull it once I am satisfied the door gaps are good and the rest of the inner fenders are secured.

So much to do...
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Re: 1959 Peerless Restoration

Post by nigel c »

mmmmm I asked as I thought it looked a little high on the wheel arch......but not a bad thing when you know these cars!
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Re: 1959 Peerless Restoration

Post by HealeyBN7 »

Started to make some progress on laying down a layer of gel coat over the repairs. This is a new process for me as I skipped this step on the Lotus and five years later I can see where some of the repairs have shown through. According to PPG and FibreGlast the problem lies with the lack of a full gel coat layer. Regardless of what kind of epoxy primer sealer you spray over raw fiberglass it won't hold back the solvents.

Base coat is FibreGlast 684 neutral gel coat. This does not have any wax or styrene to form an air seal for drying, so you spray a few coats of 684, then mix in Duratec clear high gloss additive. This is mixed 50/50 and provides a hard air tight seal to enable a full cure.

You have 12-15 minutes once the catalyst is mixed. A special cup gun is used for the spray as it allows you to use disposable paper cups and requires very little in the way of cleaning.

So far, it is a learning curve. Mistakes (orange peel) are easily sanded out. The mix and viscosity of very temperature sensitive.

Finished the hood and trunk in clear. Working on the roof and doors next. Once I consume the gallon of neutral 684, I plan to switch to a grey 684.

Dean
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Re: 1959 Peerless Restoration

Post by Steve Simmons »

I think they look neat just like that. Clear coat. :)
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nigel c
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Re: 1959 Peerless Restoration

Post by nigel c »

interesting stuff, I'll look into whether we can get that stuff over here and looking good. really make sure your work supports are sound.
Don't do what I did when spraying the final finishing coat on the boot lid and knock it off the stand and watch in horror as it does a double flip and lands (first) on its top edge
where it fractures and the ends up....butter side down :(
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Re: 1959 Peerless Restoration

Post by HealeyBN7 »

nigel c wrote:Don't do what I did when spraying the final finishing coat on the boot lid and knock it off the stand and watch in horror as it does a double flip and lands (first) on its top edge
where it fractures and the ends up....butter side down :(
Well, it happened as you were probably typing. I went to move the hood the other day so it could dry inside the barn it slipped off the skimpy wires and landed squarely on the corner. It is fixed now, but all the bad words escaped.
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Re: 1959 Peerless Restoration

Post by HealeyBN7 »

One of the jobs I had been dreading is correcting the shape of the fender as it passes behind the front passenger tire. Comparing side to side (I know you are not supposed to do that) the "lower fender skirt" on the passenger side stuck out too far. I placed that part in quotes as there really isn't a separate fender part, it is all just carved from one block of resin.
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This is a photo of the fender shirt after I removed about 3/4" off material.  It is still sprung "out".
This is a photo of the fender shirt after I removed about 3/4" off material. It is still sprung "out".
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Here you can see the material removed from the inside of the fender cavity.  Nothing goes in this space - except for possibly a new home for the battery
Here you can see the material removed from the inside of the fender cavity. Nothing goes in this space - except for possibly a new home for the battery
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Now here it is pulled back into place before final glass.
Now here it is pulled back into place before final glass.
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Last edited by HealeyBN7 on Thu Nov 24, 2016 8:21 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: 1959 Peerless Restoration

Post by HealeyBN7 »

Crappy body job #8622.5 has to do with the shape of the driver's lower sill. There was a pronounced horizontal curve below and center of the door that prevented the vertical shape of the door to flow evenly across the bottom edge to the sill area.

If you shouldn't bring a knife to a gun fight, never bring a straightedge to a Peerless. There will be carnage.
Here is the lower sill section after several horizontal relief cuts
Here is the lower sill section after several horizontal relief cuts
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Here you can see the ideal shape. The heavy aluminum tape it used to create the shape and then the relief sections are removed
Here you can see the ideal shape. The heavy aluminum tape it used to create the shape and then the relief sections are removed
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And this is where they go...
And this is where they go...
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After removing the tape, it starts to take shape
After removing the tape, it starts to take shape
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Looking from the inside of the sill out...   The difficult part is feathering all the edges of the repair.  Neither the inside or the outside of the transition areas can have any gaps or steps.   Cutting out the material makes a little dust, sanding and tapering the edges creates a dust storm
Looking from the inside of the sill out... The difficult part is feathering all the edges of the repair. Neither the inside or the outside of the transition areas can have any gaps or steps. Cutting out the material makes a little dust, sanding and tapering the edges creates a dust storm
IMG_3872.JPG (112.57 KiB) Viewed 30853 times
A little rough sanding before glassing from the outside...
A little rough sanding before glassing from the outside...
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nigel c
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Re: 1959 Peerless Restoration

Post by nigel c »

almost makes me want to get started on my next one..........mmmmmm.... no it doesn't!

good work and well done for tackling it head on...you just know if you didn't do these "little" mods it would piss you off every time you walked up to it.

I had the same issue with the crest along the top of the wings (think we talked about this in my workshop) I was rushing to get it to the TR Register International and was happily
lamping on coats of finishing primer when I noticed (whilst wet and glossy) the ridge along the top of the wing was crooked.

I though "aaar I'll get away with that" but in the end I couldn't leave the workshop that night without biting the bullet as I just knew every time I sat behind the wheel
I would be looking straight down it and boy would that get to me!
must have taken me another 3 days to get happy with it and so pleased I did.....but yours will still put mine to shame, you B*$**&d :bow:
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Re: 1959 Peerless Restoration

Post by VWNate1 »

Such careful Craftsman works ! :thumbs: .

I love seeing it :bow: .
-Nate
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Re: 1959 Peerless Restoration

Post by HealeyBN7 »

Ahh. The top wing. Haven't finished shaping the wings yet.

Larry and I were having just that discussion a couple nights ago. What is the right shape of the feature line? Does it head back from the light straight then gently curve to the A pillar or is the whole line gently curved. Pretty sure it can't be 100% straight.

Dean
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nigel c
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Re: 1959 Peerless Restoration

Post by nigel c »

nothing ever was!

There is a beginning and an end. as you say it has to start from the crest of the headlamp rim and there is a flat area where the wing (AAAAAAR Fender!) meets the A post.

I will try and get a pic of mine.....that said, it was only my interpretation.............
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