The Dark Wob

A rare day yesterday where it wasn't throwing it down. So got sanding the filler and throwing some paint on the rear.



The side is getting there. Ran out of filler though. Pretty sure it's had a scrape along this panel in its long distant past. Its repair being a new section welded in, warped (gas welded?) and then plenty of filler.


Right now with the weather turning, my key aim is to get it the best as I can and lob paint on. It was already going below 10c last night and marginal for the paint. I've got another window to get this side done on Friday where it's sunny and warmer.

For now, I've duct tape the plastic sheet back on to keep the weather off the bare steel.


Then I need to get the brakes done sharp-ish and back on the road. It can then hide away undercover in storage until Spring next year.

I must full steam ahead on the Dolomite and just get that body done now. I've been pondering about getting a pro welder in and just finishing that side off. Then I can focus on the other side - hopefully with less work needed.

Arthur Foxhake wrote: ↑Mon Sep 27, 2021 6:53 pm Have you driven it yet?

It hasn't had rear wheels on it for what must be months!

Scruffy Bodger wrote: ↑Mon Sep 27, 2021 2:03 pm Your Mrs is definitely better than quite good, people would pay good money for some of those creations, impressive work!

She is excellent at it, very skilled and enjoys it. Not only that, the cakes themselves are even tastier. Her mum is a professional cook and so learnt her skills from her.

Currently she's doing her brothers wedding cake and usually does commissions for friends+family.
Everyone says she should do it professionally. However as I point out, that changes the dynamic of something you enjoy and you can loose that enjoyment. Especially as the market is quite saturated now.

These are the decorations she has just made for that cake. All made from sugar paste.

Mrs Rocker Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval on the cake decorations! She is also quite impressed with the Minor work - compared to my glacial progress on prepping and filling a small hole in the front wing which has dragged on most of this week - and that is without a job to get in the way and the car under a carport. Meh.

Anyway - on the cake thing, deffo keep it an enjoyable hobby. Mrs R. has done third party stuff in recent years but everybody wants the moon on a stick at Asda prices. Her real speciality is Royal icing - good old fashioned multi-storey wedding cake stuff but nobody wants that now. She still has all her tools from college (graduated in 1967) and some of her dad's too (he was an Army baker and confectioner). Both her and Dad found other work much more lucrative and gave up their profession but not the love of doing it.

My missus does some cracking cakes and other baking but only for local charity or sports club fundraising. She won't do commissions as it's a hobby and doesn't need the hassle.

Edit:

I forgot to mention that she made some incredible Thomas the Tank Engine diorama cakes when our eldest was a big fan. The main one I remember had Thomas, Annie & Clarabel, Henry and a couple of others I can't remember, all made of cake, with a track going around the circumference of a large cake and through a station. There's some photos of it somewhere with the other birthday party ones.

SiC wrote: ↑Thu Sep 30, 2021 12:50 pm

Scruffy Bodger wrote: ↑Mon Sep 27, 2021 2:03 pm Your Mrs is definitely better than quite good, people would pay good money for some of those creations, impressive work!

She is excellent at it, very skilled and enjoys it. Not only that, the cakes themselves are even tastier. Her mum is a professional cook and so learnt her skills from her.

Currently she's doing her brothers wedding cake and usually does commissions for friends+family.
Everyone says she should do it professionally. However as I point out, that changes the dynamic of something you enjoy and you can loose that enjoyment. Especially as the market is quite saturated now.

These are the decorations she has just made for that cake. All made from sugar paste.
IMG-20210929-WA0006.jpg

Hi if your bro in law wants a Bentley as a wedding car I don't mind lending mine out to people I know as long as they have insurance on it. 3rd party is ok but you bend it you fix it

panhard65 wrote: ↑Thu Sep 30, 2021 1:38 pm

SiC wrote: ↑Thu Sep 30, 2021 12:50 pm

Scruffy Bodger wrote: ↑Mon Sep 27, 2021 2:03 pm Your Mrs is definitely better than quite good, people would pay good money for some of those creations, impressive work!

She is excellent at it, very skilled and enjoys it. Not only that, the cakes themselves are even tastier. Her mum is a professional cook and so learnt her skills from her.

Currently she's doing her brothers wedding cake and usually does commissions for friends+family.
Everyone says she should do it professionally. However as I point out, that changes the dynamic of something you enjoy and you can loose that enjoyment. Especially as the market is quite saturated now.

These are the decorations she has just made for that cake. All made from sugar paste.
IMG-20210929-WA0006.jpg

Hi if your bro in law wants a Bentley as a wedding car I don't mind lending mine out to people I know as long as they have insurance on it. 3rd party is ok but you bend it you fix it

I'm the one who will be driving him up and I was intending to do it in the MGB (Boxster was backup but that's now duct taped up...) or my mum's Cayman. However a Bentley is much more appropriate and I might take you up on that offer! Could take the bridesmaids in it rather than the A4 too.

I'll check with Mrs SiC/BiL and see what they say. Insurance wise, I'd contact my current insurers, Hagerty or Admiral and get fully comp short term cover. Would never want to take a risk on any car worth pretty much anything with only TPFT drive other car cover.

Changed to a different filler this evening. Last time I used bigboy ultra fine and this time bigboy lightweight. Also got some P38 to try on the Dolomite.

The lightweight filler was a lot more runnier and I found easier to work with. Spread much smoother and easier to put less on.



I'd like to have a few more filler, sand cycles but I was fast running out of time. The next couple of days the weather is turning even wetter and colder. So I had to get paint on this evening no matter what.

So I threw on some paper and tape to roughly mask off the window. The seals are knackered on this car so I wasn't too bothered if there was some over spray on them. Next summer I will take the glass out and properly paint the car. Right now it's protecting the bare metal from the elements.


Sprayed a high build filler in the hope to hide some of the blemishes. I used Simonz brand spray paint and to be honest I don't get on with their nozzles. End up putting far too much on and causing run marks. I've had their zinc primer and red oxide primer - both same problems. Think might try finding another brand. Annoying as the paint itself is pretty decent and the cans aren't ridiculously priced.
I used some thick paper as a rough smoother to reduce them.



Then a quick coat of cellulose paint after leaving it a good half hour to dry. It's 10c out there and just about warm enough for it to dry properly.



The finishing of this side is certainly not my best work, but as ever my aim is always to leave it in a better state than it was previously.

Previously the filler work was pretty bad and chipping off anyway. Rough finish and chunks that had come off were rusted underneath.

Only picture I can find of before and pre-cleaned, but gives a good idea.

Good work on the Minor.

Have you seen Charles Ware has taken over a showroom in Bath? But it looks permanently closed.

AutoshiteBoy wrote: ↑Sat Oct 02, 2021 4:05 pm Good work on the Minor.

Have you seen Charles Ware has taken over a showroom in Bath? But it looks permanently closed.

Yeah saw that mentioned. Think it's basically overflow storage for their cars for sale. They also now own Simply Saab in Bristol (down the road from CW) and appear to be using the outside of that as a Moggie forecourt too.