I'm Back..and I see Red

I know it's been awhile, but the cold winter months kind of kill alot of cool car stuff in New England, and if I did any consistent blogging over these winter months it would just be me posting how cold & miserable it is. But I digress..

Like Britney Spears, I did it again. So another set of Rostyles landed in my lap after finishing the last set I did.

To recap, in Sept 2008 I restored a set of Rostyle wheels, in the Factory Silver/Black color scheme. It took a few weeks to do them properly but I got them done. Then on the last night of my Auto Body Class in 2009 I decided to throw a good clear coat on them using the spray booth at school. They came out great, super Glossy! I think I put about 4 coats of clear on them.

So with the season almost upon us I decided that I wanted to have a set in the Silver/Damask Red color to match our 74 MGB convertible. Now I ran into a few problems here and there. So here it goes:

1. I lost my garage space to work in. Since I live in an apartment, and have limited space I could really only work on them during School nights. BUT since the school's media blasting facilities are kind of non existent. I had to do them outside by my uncle's Shop, which was not fun in early January. I did get them done, applying the primer after sandblasting in the 4:30 twilight that happens in the winter months.

2. Since these were going on MY MGB. I took extra steps that I didn't on the last set. I really cleaned out the backsides of these wheels too, getting all the gunk, and rust off of them. Even though they won't be seen, I wanted this to be perfect. So I went over them with a Wire wheel, and got them cleaned out. I ran into problems in getting the Dupli color primer that I used last time, so I used some regular primer to finish them off. It seems to hold up, but I had some incidents while taping them up, that the razor cut through the color to the bare metal. That was kind of a bummer.

3. I think I laid down about 2 cans of silver on them. While painting them I noticed some "fur" that seemed to be paint dust that was kind of "floating" over the surface. So I ended up using a Scotchbrite pad to get them smooth between coats of silver. minor setbacks: one of the wheels falling over when I put it down to open the garage door for one of the guys in my class, and took off a chunk of paint "OH you poor bastard" he says. Great...although he helped me out in finding a place that could get me the color I wanted for my insets.

Sandblasted, primed, and silver coat:

All taped up:

4. Getting the color was kind of interesting. I went to Kwik Auto body supply in Medford, MA and asked them to mix me a Spray can of the PPG color. Just asking for PPG Damask Red isn't gonna do it. Get the Paint code. Thankfully with my handy dandy I phone, I was able to look the color up on the web. Unfortunately The kind of PPG paint I got wasn't that Thick (it was their lower priced "shop-line"), and 2/3 of the way of painting the wheels, I ran out of paint. BUMMER. So I asked the Paint/supply guy to get me some. The price was the same and he got a Dupont version that did the trick. It seemed like the Dupont went on thicker as well.

This is the label for the PPG product:

5. As usual, after doing the inset color, they needed to be re-taped, as they sometimes bleed through all those tight corners, and taping them on one night, painting the next night, kind of messes with the Tape actually sticking among the edges. So you end up having to tape up the red areas, and re-applying a silver coat AGAIN. It seems to be par for the course, if you wanna do them right. Not a real big surprise there, as the last set needed them done in the same fashion. I painted these ones the silver base coat FIRST this time, as opposed to doing them AFTER the colored insets. I can't say which way is better, as it seems like you end up making 2 passes each time.

Color is done:

6. I think I got the equivalent of 3 coats of clear on them. I was sharing the paint booth with one of the guys in class, as he was painting a valance for his 1970 Impala. by the time he was ready for clear, I had the "touch up" coat of silver done, and was in the booth. The clear doesn't seem as thick as the last one, but it seems to "pop" a bit more. I may have the same amount of clear on them, as last time, I don't particularly remember as it was the last class of the previous semester. The spray booth has only 1 working air line in the booth, so we had to share the air hose.

Applying clear coat:

Completed (I had to post this pic, as the Iphone doesn't have a flash)

Regardless they are done, and hopefully they'll be on the Red MGB within a few weeks!

AGAIN I still have a few more Rostyles to do, and with the better weather hopefully coming upon us I'll do these a little bit each week, this time they'll be the traditional Silver/Black color scheme. If anyone needs a set of refurbished Rostyles, drop me a line..

I promise to post some more stuff, as the driving season is coming up there will be some cool car stuff happening, such as shows, and other events!

It's Been Awhile..

So I know it's been awhile since I posted last, but I've been busy. Dad's GT is coming along, although we've hit a few snags.

1. Both front fenders need work. The driver side fender is kind of messed up in the front. Apparently some front end damage happened, and was repaired via bondo. The passenger side fender needs work on the top and the bottom. so now It's time for new fenders.

2. Rocker panels. I sanded about a 1/2" of bondo off of them, and discovered that they're all caved in, as well as welded to the fenders..

and the final issue is the driver side rear quarter. apparently this car was hit at some point on this side, I'm guessing. I chiseled about an inch of bondo off of it..great..Thankfully we have access to some quarter panels, but it was a bummer to see all this damage.

Here's a couple of pics:





My last Autobody class is tonight, and we're giving the GT a rest, I'll be applying a nice thick clear coat on those Rostyles that I did last year.

Oh yeah and I'll be signing up for this class again next semister..and so will my father.

I'd really like to get this car in proper order, It's a good runner, and while she looks kind of nasty these days. I know she'll look good when it's all done. It took 5 years to get the red one completed. So I shouldn't be surprized that this one is gonna take awhile..

anyway....Well that's about it at the moment. I promise to post more MG related stuff soon!

Latah
CD

Class

So I decided with 3 MGB's in the Devine stable, Taking an auto body class might be a good idea. The red convertible has alot of newish scars that I'd like to take care of, and Let's face it, Dad's GT is a bit in the "worse for wear" column, and the blue car isn't all so much blue, as a two tone rust/blue. So I signed up for auto body at the Wakefield Vocational High School. I've found out it's basically not a "class" per se. more like you pay for the opportunity to use their shop and tools, and get pointers when you need them. Not bad, not what I expected, but I'm sure between all the TV car shows and the plethora of books, and just being around cars, the actual theory on doing this is pretty readily available.

So The teacher said, bring in a project and we'll start working on it..Great. Well I didn't want to start on the Red car (she's still on the road) and the blue one is well, problem #1 is missing a set of keys. So I asked Dad, hey can I borrow the GT and I'll start sanding it down? So I brought the car in to class, and it gets a little attention. I spent most of the night sanding down the hood. I got about 95% of it done. I need to do the sides and some more of the front where there is some copious amounts of bondo. But not bad for a first effort which was basically 3 hours of work. If I can keep this up I could possibly have the entire car sanded down by the end of the course!

The other good thing is it shows you what tools you may actually need for this. I've found DA Orbital sanders from $30-$100 not too shabby! As well as some die grinders (both Pneumatic) for pretty cheap. It helps if you have access to a good compressor (as we do).

Here's the before and after pics: (click on them for the whole image)

The New "To Do" List

Well Summer's over, well we didn't really have one here in Boston this year-but I digress, and as I'm trying to cram in as much seat time in the MGB, more projects have reared their head, and hopefully I'll reporting on them in the weeks to come. Classic motorsports recently did a great article on Garages/workshops, and I'm hoping to get mine organized to tackle some of the projects I have lined up this winter!

On the Red MGB:

Brakes-We've had the car on the road since July of 2005 and they're just now kind of feeling spongy. I think we have 25k on them or so, I think New pads (at the least) are definitely in order.

Lights-the old wiring harness has gotten cracked and brittle, and you have to do some Jiggling to get them to work right (thankfully I'm not usually on the road after dark)

Rear springs-They're probably original, and very sagging. The nose of the car is starting to point skyward. Hitting some potholes and bumps has me nervous about tearing the muffler off! I've had a few close calls this year!

Steering-There's some bushing/mount that has seemingly decayed. I hate hitting potholes.

Wheels, the red rostyles need some work. I wasn't happy with the paint when they were finished, and 4 years on the road has them looking a little worn anyway.

Passenger side exterior door pull-I think it's broken-the button protrudes a bit.

Steering wheel-I like the one we have, but due to buying an inferior one from the now defunct "proper MG" company, it's well cracked and worn. Thankfully the place we keep our car in the wintertime, was a woodshop at one point. I may just replace it, and have the other one as a spare. The 77 MGB my cousin gave me, has a VERY nice Motolita wheel, that may end up in the red car.

Fan & lighting switch-both look pretty shabby. The trim on the old Engine warning light bezel is well worn too.

Interior, one of the interior panels, due to the moisture we got this past year, came loose. hopefully an easy fix.

Roll bar cover-Something to at least make it look more presentable, repeated raising of the Top has worn it out a bit.

Some Good floor mats.

A good waxing/polishing-I really only washed the car 2x this season (mother nature however did a pretty good job) and only 2 wax jobs. Before she goes away, I'm planning on giving her the once over.

Now I'm taking a class in Auto body this fall at the local vocational high school, and Hopefully it'll help with a few of the dings and scrapes we've earned over the years too. The rear valence needs some attention, as well as the driver side door (crack of doom) and the trunk lid has some new scratches (possibly from a critter that didn't realize that wax is tough to get traction on).

Dad's 1970 MGB GT

Well she needs a paint job. more on that later

Passenger side exterior door pull-I think it's broken-the button protrudes a bit.

Speedometer/Tachometer-I bet the cable snapped.

Doors need work, a bit creaky here and there.

Seats-She needs her seats rebuilt. I'm afraid after the seats are re done, Dad will be sitting a bit higher, and we'll have to change the steering wheel, due to the wheel hitting the driver's legs. We had this problem when we re did the red car's seats.

Seatbelts-I think a lap belt like we have in the Red car would be nice.

Interior-She needs some rugs and some floor mats.

Tires and Tubes-Although I'm trying to get my Dad to convert it to bolt on wheels. I'd love to be able to find a set of the earlier pressed wheels that he likes.

Now in the parts pile:

an entire front end- from an mgb GT, I'd like to clean it up, and use it for my 77 MGB possibly.

We have 2 engines, one complete, one is missing a head.

15 individual Rostyle wheels. I foresee a repeat of last year's project, only on a larger scale.

A few sets of SU carbs, I think I have 3 spare sets of SU HIF's

Oh yeah I have a 1977 MGB rubber bumper car too, and she needs an engine and some body work (and probably alot more when I really dig into it) But the red & Green cars have priority. Besides I'm still dreaming up Ideas for it. I'm thinking of keeping it blue, and possibly re doing the striping that adorns the lower section (without the MGB lettering, or possibly a variation on it.

I think I'll have enough to keep me busy this winter! I may have a few things for sale as the work progresses, so if anyone is interested in anything (or needs something) I may be able to help you!

Nothing technical, just interesting..

Just something I found using google image search:

Forget Atkins-Carbs are good, even SU's

A couple of weeks ago, Dad & I went to MacKay's to rebuild 2 sets of SU (HIF) carbs. My cousin gave me them, and I figured, It would be a good project to tackle. Our Red MGB needed new carbs at the end of last august, and we put off dealing with them until now. The plan was to rebuild these 2 sets, on the bench (so to speak) then replace the one's we're running on the convertible and GT, with these newly rebuilt carbs. THEN (are you still following me) rebuild the old sets and either keep them as spares, or sell them. The rebuild kits are about $100 for a pair of SU's, all new gaskets, jets, needles & butterflies. I figure rebuilding 4 sets would be about $400, and if we sell 2 sets of rebuilt ones for $200 a piece, we'll still be ahead of the game, breaking even cost wise, and now having 2 new sets of rebuilt carbs on our MG's.


Tearing them down wasn't that hard. There's not alot to them, but being gentle is always a good idea. Cleaning is the next priority. We used a wire wheel to clean up alot of the hard, caked on stuff, as well as alot of brake fluid cleaner. Rebuilding is pretty easy. The hardest problem was resetting the floats. The first set was pretty easy overall. The second set however, was more interesting. Opening up the bowls, the smell was horrible, it reminded me of an old wood shop, and the insides were caked with varnish, which was a bear to get off the surfaces. We finished 1 of the second set before Mackay closed his shop on Saturday afternoon. The second set wasn't as nice as the first set, but I think they'll do. A dremel with a wire wheel would have been nice to get into some of the more intricate areas of the casting.

A few days later we installed them on the red MGB. They went on easily. In prep for our Canada trip, we did some valve adjustments, and put a new rotor in (by advance distributors). The carbs set up nicely, and within a couple of minutes, the car was running real smooth. It's idling alot lower (around 900 rpm) and alot smoother. As I'm finding out it's never just changing or adjusting one component on these cars, it's always adjusting 3 or 4 of them that really makes the difference. The car ran really well to and from Canada. They run like junk while cold, but when they get up to operating temp, they smooth out.


The Carbs that came off of the Red car seem a bit better than the second set we rebuilt. I figure we'll rebuild them, and put those on Dad's GT. The "varnished" ones, when finally completed, will probably find a home on my Blue MGB at some point in the near future.

PEI, Car shows, and what have you..

Well here's the 2009 PEI trip report, and then some.
On Thursday morning I headed over to my Dad's around 9:00 or so. I had to stop off at the bank to withdraw some money, and After hitting some traffic on 128 (suprise) I hit more traffic when I decided that back roads would be better (great minds think alike).We packed up the car, checked everything out, and hit the road. Dad had to drop off his work truck for some repairs, and after that we were off.

Pit stop #1: Brits Bits in Rye, NH. always some cool eye candy up there. It looks like they've straightened up a bit in the back area, as things don't tend to seem as strewn about, as they have in past trips up there. The bad economy is hitting them hard too, lots of things marked down, and Sam said that they were really tight, offering 10 cents on the dollar on any used part. After picking up 2 oil filters for Dad's 1970 MGB GT, we were on the road again.

Pit stop #2: Freeport, Maine. We stopped off at the LL Bean store for some possible shopping, Alas they did not have the shirts Dad likes,they're more of a Fall Item. after a quick bite, we were back on the highway. The sun came out after Freeport and we made our way up the ever exciting (sense the sarcasm?) Maine Turnpike. We really pushed it, gas wise, getting off at rt 6 to refill, when we had 280 miles on the trip odometer. From there on it was RT6 to Vanceboro. The road to Vanceboro gets really crappy about 20 miles from the border, all patched in, and small hills. If it was paved, it might be fun, but the filled in Pot holes and the cracked pavement keep that from happening. We crossed the border, and passed through Mcadam, over to the town of Harvey, New Brunswick. We were staying at Dad's friend's Trailer up at Lake Oromocto. we headed into town to get some grub, the one place in town was closing (it was 8:00 after all!) so we went to the town pub for some chow. Dad's friend, Bob, gave a less than stellar report of the Pub's food, so we decided, that how can you screw up a burger and some fries? it wasn't bad, and fairly cheap. After we ate we headed back to the trailer. the sun was starting to set, and it was now 9:00. after not being able to figure out how to hook up the trailer's power, we gave up and settled into bed. The trailer was a bit musty, and some mosquitoes snuck in, most met their demise by my hand, one leaving a dime sized splotch of blood on my t shirt. The next day we got up, brushed our teeth with some water we had in our cooler, and grabbed some breakfast in town. These trips always remind me of how a big breakfast makes a big difference. Scrambled eggs, hash browns, toast, sausage, coffee and juice really fills you up. We hit the road and made a run for the Island. New Brunswick is kind of dull (no offense, I'm sure there's lots to do, it's just rt 2 and 15 of the trans canadian highway doesn't seem to run through any of the cool stuff that would be there, or it's just out of sight of the
highway).

We crossed the bridge, and headed to Charloettetown, checking into our hotel. The Econo lodge is pretty good place. Right outside the city, gas station/store across the street, Tim Hortons near by, and on a nice easy road that goes into town. After cleaning ourselves up a bit, We headed to check out the site of the car show, and it was pretty busy with people setting up the tent and a few other things. Carl Jay gave us a call and we met up with him and his wife. we headed out of town, dealing with the busy stop and go traffic of Charloettetown's Friday evening commute. This was my 4th trip to the island, and I remember most of the roads, from the route numbers, and land marks. (an intersection with a house that has a big stone at the end of the drive way, a house with a tractor wheel on the lawn with a flower bed, you get the idea) We made it to The Bentley's farm just on my memory. OK, I missed the driveway by 10 feet, heading to another house, but I've only been here 4 times, give me a break..

We were pretty early pulling in, Carl Got excited seeing all the cars pull in. they get more cars at the Friday night meet and greet, than we do at some car shows down here! The rain really picked up by now, and as I got out of the car I stated rather loudly: "I wanted a British car show, not British weather!"

The rain didn't Dampen (pun intended) our spirits, as we chatted with some old friends and some new ones. Around 8:00 we were soaked, and we headed back to the hotel. Even in the good weather, we usually depart the meet and greet around 8:30 or so.

It rained all night, and the next morning we awoke to drizzle. The contentintal breakfast at the hotel must have been for a small contitent, as it was pretty weak. We cleaned out the inside of the car, as the great almighty gave us plenty of water to wash the PEI mud off of our tires. after grabbing a cup of real coffee, at Tim Hortons (which I have to say is my fave cup of coffee), We pulled into the show field (which was getting muddy by now), and found a slot right next to Carl. It was wet, but the weather report stated that it was supposed to get better as the day went on. It did thankfully.

This year it was no longer "British car days across the bridge", it had now changed to the "PEI international motoring festival". It encouraged cars of all shapes, sizes and marques. i'd say that the British cars held onto 90% of the attendees, and most of the other 10% were interesting enough to keep the attention of the spectators. Porsche, some old Caddy's, and a couple of well done mustangs really got some attention. we chatted all day, making several rounds and again, catching up with old friends and making some new ones along the way. The Canadian Military had a couple of vehicles there, and everyone was really willing and interested in talking shop, from tanks and jeeps to planes, and all sorts of war stories. The rain stopped around 11:00, and everyone was out with chamois, and detailing spray, a few even dropped their tops. by 2:00 the sun was coming out, and it definetely brought up everyone's spirits. the rain and overcast-ness of the early morning brought alot of foot traffic down to the park, since it was certainly not a beach day. OverallI'd say the had over 200 cars there.

We stayed for the $30 steak dinner (good but not worth $30, in my opinion) and the Beatles tribute band "Abbey Road" (they had the sound, and the look of the beatles for the most part, even without some of the really authentic touches, such as Vox amps, and Rickenbacker and Gretsch guitars. the sun was still up at 8:00 (thanks to PEI's higher Latitude) and we decided to hit some of the roads for a ride. the rain really cooled things off, and with the sun setting, it got cold fast. so we headed back to the hotel. the next day it was bright and shiny, we went over to Sherwood to check out the diner that we went to last year, only to find that it was razed for a drug store and a Tim Hortons that was being built. (PEI really needs another Tim Hortons) we checked out of the hotel, as we didn't know if we were going to stay another night on the island, or just head home.we went back to the field, and reclaimed our old spot, right next to Carl. Some new cars showed up, a rat rod, and a Cobra Kit car, among others. they began an awards ceremony, which was kind of a mess, as they wanted the winners to drive their car up to the awards area.We left around 2:00 and went for a drive up the middle of the island, through Cymbria, Rustico, and Cavendish.After heading back to Charloettetown we grabbed some chow at Hunters ale house (I highly suggest their beerbattered fish and chips) and then headed to the bridge. we did some souvineur shopping, and then crossed the bridge around 4:00 or so. I took a wrong turn, and ended up heading straight through Moncton, but it seemed to only be a small detour.The ride back was fine until 7:00 when the rain started (Again) and we hit a mess of fog and rain just outside of St. John (I declined another night at the trailer) we crossed over the bridge at St Stevens and ended upat a motel that would have made Alfred Hitchock proud. we hit the bed, and slept like babies. the next AM we grabbed some chow at a road house on RT9. Around Bangor, the sun decided to come out, so we dropped the top, and sped home.we pulled into Woburn around 4:00, and after unpacking the car, I hopped in the Honda, and drove Dad over to pick up his work truck. I was home by 5:00, and was greeted at the Door by Kelly.

overall the trip was cool, I think the weather killed alot of the enthusiam for the whole weekend. The show has the potential to be a fun event, it just needs a little tweaking. I missed the Sunday afternoon ride and Lunch. Usually that was really fun driving all over the island, and with that missing, and the weather being 50% crappy, I felt we missed out on alot of the coolness of the trip, bombing around on those roads, through the farmland.

But all in all, a good trip. Heck a bad trip is better than a good day at work!

One plus side to the PEI car show tho. If you go to a British car show down around here (Boston area) the MGA guys sometimes look down on the MGB owners. The MG people don't talk to the Triumph people, The new cars get dissed, and the old ones get praised. It's all very clique-ey, and kind of "you're not in the cool club" type thing..it's even worse when you go to a Cruise night, and we're the only British car. The hot rodders, and rat rods say "what the hell you'd bring that thing here". Up in PEI, everyone's just happy to be there..We all use the same gas, we all love our cars, and we all hate rain and rust. There are exceptions to the rude owners too, one guy that had a 46 ford, gave me a tip on how to free up a seized engine: pour brake fluid into the spark plug holes for a week or so, then drain it all out, refill it with oil, and put a bit of mystery oil into each cylinder. replace the plugs, and crank the engine over my hand, it should free up any stuck cylinders..the old hot rodders know every trick in the book.

This Sunday, Kelly & I went to The Italian Car day at Larz Anderson park. When we were first dating, we really didn't have alot of money to spare, and I suggested, hey lets go down to the car show, it'll be cheap entertainment for a lil bit, and it's a fun ride down there. We took our empty bottles and cans, cashed them in, grabbed a quick lunch at the Border cafe, and then headed to the show. We had about $5 a piece on us. I forgot that they raised the prices to $10 a piece. The guy actually let us in for the kid's price-$5 a piece. It was a fun day to just walk around in the summer weather.

we've went back this year, and it was just as fun, and kind of interesting to see some cars that you don't see every day, but seeing 20 Ferrari's lined up kind of desentised me. but the 250 Lusso was really nice..

all in all, I always have a good time at a car show, regardless of the cars. I always see something new, and it makes me think, wow how cool would it be to have one of those..