Mk 1 Project Zippy. Looking Like a Car.

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Re: Mk 1 Project Zippy. Looking Like a Car.

Postby MrBounce » Sun Jul 19, 2020 4:25 pm

Today there's been a little more paint, mainly on the plinths and mirrors. The front bumper has been painted (again), and I will make a point of attaching both bumpers to the car properly so they don't get knocked off again. If I have to do any more bleeping sanding on them...

But enough about bumpers - lets talk plinths. When I bought Zippy, he only had one mirror - the driver's side. The Midas plinth was there, but it was blank with no mirror. I then had the delight of sourcing a passenger side mirror. For a Renault 14, some 30+ years after they ceased production. Amazingly I managed to get a LHD driver's side mirror and plinth from French eBay with no trouble.

Once I had sanded everything, I primed and painted it all, then once done, I did a test fit of everything to make sure it all fitted together properly. Driver's side? No problem. Passenger side? Nope. Not at all. Nuts. Rather than smash it with one of my 17 hammers (my anger management is getting better), I took a look at them side by side. To the untrained eye, they looked the same. But I am a Midas owner, and I am used to righting wrongs and making bodges less bodgey. When first built, the factory (or first owner - I don't know which) had trimmed a small but significant amount from the Renault plinth to fit the Midas. This of course had not been done on mine. So it was time for my best friend for Midas rebuilds, the Dremel. I marked out with masking tape where to cut and used a cutting disc on it, finishing it off with a sanding wheel. A bit of wet and dry later, it was hung up for yet more paint.

Finally, I used a great tip picked up on another forum for sorting all sorts of issues - when I unmasked the mirrors, I saw that the masking had lifted slightly at some stage, leaving a small amount of overspray on the mirror. Normally I would have contributed massively to the swear box and reached for the hammers, but I instead used an excellent (and cheap) solution. A razor blade. All is better chez Bounce. Cheers!

Mirrors and plinths primed...

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...and given a coat of satin black.

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Renault mounts too...

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... which of course weren't the same.

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Now modified after some Dremel-ing.

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And the tiny bit of overspray on the mirrors sorted courtesy of one of these!

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Re: Mk 1 Project Zippy. Looking Like a Car.

Postby MrBounce » Fri Jul 31, 2020 4:33 pm

Well I've had a few days away from the garage and a few days off. It was my intention to do at least 3 days' worth of work on the Midas, but instead life got in the way and I ended up with just this afternoon.

When I came up with the idea of how to mount the bumpers I did it all the wrong way round. When I took the car apart, the bumpers were attached with what looked like wood screws. I really didn't like this, and figured bolting them in from the engine bay was stealthier and stronger. So I made some strips of metal with welded captive nuts and fibreglassed them into the bumpers. Which is all well and good, but it would have been much, much easier if I'd drilled the holes in the bodywork first, then lined up where the brackets should go on the bumpers. Instead, I did the silly thing and fibreglassed them into the bumpers without checking where the holes should be.

I needed to find a way of sorting it, so I consulted my mate Tink and he came up with a great idea: First thing was to make a cardboard template of each of the captive nut plates, complete with hole. Then use masking tape to mark exactly where the plates are on the bumpers, then further masking tape on the body which correspond to the correct point and angle on the bumper. Finally, transfer the cardboard templates to the body (making sure they're the correct way round) and carefully drill some holes.

So after, some time masking and templating, I was ready to go. I have drilled the pilot holes for each of the bolt holes. Then the drill packed up. So I came inside out of the 31 degree heat for a cold one. Nuts.

Card templates made up.

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Bumper taped up.

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Offered up to the car and corresponding tape added to the body.

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Templates added to car.

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And pilot holes drilled.

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Re: Mk 1 Project Zippy. Looking Like a Car.

Postby MrBounce » Sat Aug 15, 2020 4:46 pm

Well it's time for a very quick update, even though it's taken me all afternoon to do one small thing. When I look back on this whole Midas thing, the bumpers would be done pretty early on in the build. There's a reason for this: space. At the front of the engine bay there is a fairly decent amount of room. Unfortunately, I have filled it with useful things that help a car run, such as engine and radiator. Add in a few things such as the coil, hoses and the horns and it all gets a bit crowded. My plan is to never have to take these bumpers off again, so in theory, lining up the 4 bolts should be child's play.

Nope. Bolt no.3 (roughly opposite where the oil pressure relief valve sits) was inaccessible. Why? Because if I went in one way, the coil was in the way. The other way? Top hose. Bolt no.4 (Driver's side front corner) was also difficult to reach due to the horns. Nos 1 and 2 were an absolute breeze by comparison. So off came the top hose, the coil and the horns. It was still a pain, but everything lined up well. Except no.4. Somehow I had managed to get the bolt hole a tiny bit out. I elongated the hole by about 3mm (sounds like nothing but it was HUGE), and FINALLY was able to get all 4 bolts it their respective captive nuts on the bumper. I then tightened everything progressively working clockwise and that bumper will not move now. Hopefully it's on there for good. I certainly don't intend on removing it for any reason, and because I had changed the way the radiator top mounts are done there's no need for it to come off either (the brackets were bolted through the bodywork BEHIND the bumpers, so if you wanted the rad out, you had to remove the bumper. Stupid idea!!) :lol:

It looks a bit nicer now

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Re: Mk 1 Project Zippy. Looking Like a Car.

Postby Geoff Butcher » Tue Aug 25, 2020 8:36 pm

Dave, how did you get the two halves of the mirrors apart? I looked at that big spring and couldn't figure out how to release it, and then get it back together... 8-)
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Re: Mk 1 Project Zippy. Looking Like a Car.

Postby MrBounce » Fri Sep 04, 2020 4:26 pm

Geoff Butcher wrote:Dave, how did you get the two halves of the mirrors apart? I looked at that big spring and couldn't figure out how to release it, and then get it back together... 8-)


Geoff I genuinely can't remember - it's years since I did it and of the almost 1400 photos I have taken of this stripdown and rebuild, there's nothing with the mirrors in. From what I recall, I had to remove a pin in the small "arm" of the mirror (the bit where there's a hole in it, but that's the only thing I remember. I will have to have a look at the bits to try to remember how to put it back together...

Back bumper is on. It was much easier than the front, but it was not without its problems. Everything lined up nicely apart from the central right hand side one, which somehow was over 1/4" out. I adjusted this by elongating the hole sideways and now it fits beautifully. However when fully tightening everything up for the final test fit I heard a "crack". My rubbish welding (which I did many years ago) on one of the captive nuts had broken - rubbish penetration. Now I have the delights of figuring out if I can actually get in there to weld it, given the bracket's fibreglassed in place and my welder isn't playing ball at the moment. Plus there's the added bit of fun of trying not to set anything on fire. I am off work next week so I *might* be able to sort something. We shall see. I also have to figure out sorting the foglight.

Bolted neatly through the bodywork - fits nicely.

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On the car. Looks rather nice.

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Then this happened. Balls.

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Re: Mk 1 Project Zippy. Looking Like a Car.

Postby MrBounce » Fri Sep 11, 2020 4:54 pm

I took the rear bumper off again as I wanted to sort a) that poxy nut and b) the fixing for the foglight. So off came the bumper. I initially looked at welding a nut back on but this was tricky and the welder had played up last time I used it. So I spent a few minutes removing the remains of the weld with the Dremel before unearthing the Nut Riveter and in went the largest rivnut I had. I know it means that the bolts will now be different sizes (the others are imperial UNF), but for the amount of time that the bumpers are likely to be coming off it doesn't really matter. It'll play with my OCD until it's covered up... :lol:

Next up was fitting the foglight. The light itself is slightly "stepped" so I needed to grind a little away on the inside of the bumper so it would sit a little more flush. So I created a vast amount of dust with the Dremel to sort this. I also needed to sort how to mount it. The light itself has a stud on the back, so decided to add a stud to the bumper and make a stepped bracket to go over both. I drilled a recess in the back of the bumper and then ground down the head of a bolt to fit. I then filled the hole with resin and glued the bolt in place. I did a test fit with everything and goes together nicely. I then gave the bumper a further coat of paint (I had to do some minor sanding on the front) and also the bracket.

Finally there's something I have been meaning to sort pretty much since I got the car - a drain pipe for the rear hatch area. There wasn't one when I got the car, and when I first viewed it, water collected in the well. So out came the new Makita drill I'd treated myself to, and I drilled an 8mm hole. I ran a piece of washer hose to drain out behind the number plate, and used some epoxy to keep it in place. I still have to clip it to the inner bodywork but that can wait until the glue's dry.

Rivnut in place of rubbish welding. It doesn't match but it's saved me a shedload of time.

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Stud in place for the stepped bracket.

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Bracket test fit went well - now removed and painted.

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Drain pipe in place on hatch lock area.

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Still needs clipping to the inner bodywork but epoxy needs to dry first.

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And it comes out behind where the number plate will sit. Needs a tiny bit of paint, but that will follow.

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Re: Mk 1 Project Zippy. Looking Like a Car.

Postby MrBounce » Sun Sep 13, 2020 3:30 pm

Let's get one thing straight: I do not enjoy gardening of any sort. To me a flower is something pretty that someone else identifies. Don't get me wrong - I like to sit in the garden and look at pretty things on occasion but to actually do the work leaves me totally cold. One of my jobs I am asked to do by the lovely Mrs Bounce is to mow the lawn every couple of weeks. It's not a difficult job, and it only takes me 20 minutes. Unfortunately, as we do not have a shed or similar storage in the garden area the lawnmower and garden tools live in the garage. It was time to mow the lawn yesterday and I went through the usual process of getting the mower from the back of the garage, did the lawn and went to put it back. It was at this point that I obviously thought it would be an excellent idea to clip the edge of the rear bumper on the bench and send it crashing to the ridged concrete floor. I made one or two loud sweary noises, so much so that Mrs B came in to see what the noise was all about. There is now a garden storage unit due for delivery next week...

There was, of course, damage to said bumper. Nothing a bit of wet and dry and fresh paint wouldn't cure, but it was still an absolute pain in the flange to have to do (again).

Whilst the paint was drying I used a P clip to attach the drain tube to the bodywork inside the car, and tidied up the garage a bit more. Once dry, I had a further look at the bumper and did a test fit of the foglight. It needed a little fettling with the Dremel again, as well as adding an extra washer to the bolt - this was because the bracket when tightened was pulling the light to one side. Once sorted with a little bit of additional epoxy, I am pretty certain it's not going anywhere. I chucked a grommet in the hole for the wiring and fed it through before finally refitting the bumper. What should have been a relatively straightforward job has fought me hard for a long time. So once done, I stuck 2 fingers up at it and went to The Cherry Tree with Mrs Bounce for a Sunday Roast. Lovely.

Test fit of foglight. (I know it's not the right way up, but it was a test fit and it's round - it's the right way up now!)

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Grommet in place (excuse the paint runs - it's under the bumper so I don't care!), before...

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... the bumper is finally fitted. I am NOT taking the bleeping thing off!!!

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Re: Mk 1 Project Zippy. Looking Like a Car.

Postby dusz » Sun Sep 13, 2020 9:39 pm

You could always take the rear bumper off again and fit a rear fog light to the nearside in order to make the car look symmetrical. Now that you have done one side the other should be much easier. :) :) :)
Seriously, it is coming on gradually.
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Re: Mk 1 Project Zippy. Looking Like a Car.

Postby MrBounce » Tue Sep 15, 2020 11:05 pm

dusz wrote:You could always take the rear bumper off again and fit a rear fog light to the nearside in order to make the car look symmetrical. Now that you have done one side the other should be much easier. :) :) :)
Seriously, it is coming on gradually.


Actually I did have 2 lights and did consider it until I accidentally spilt resin on one of them... :lol:
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Re: Mk 1 Project Zippy. Looking Like a Car.

Postby MrBounce » Sun Sep 20, 2020 4:38 pm

For the first time in what seems like months, I don't have to mess around with bumpers. I also don't have to fall over lawnmowers or take evasive action when I have brushed against a shovel or a rake which then wanted to fall on me as we now have garden storage and the Manroom is my own once more!

Of course there are several other things that need doing on this car, and I've decided that the next things will be doors. The door frames are awkward shaped and difficult to store, so since I originally painted them and put them to one side, they have been moved, scraped, kicked, etc etc. Amazingly, one of them was simply in primer, with only a couple of minor nicks, but the other had various issues such as scrapes and overspray from when I originally painted the shell (yes it's been that long...). So both of them were attended to, then hung up and given a new shot of satin black. The sheet metal panels which attach to the door and house the opening mechanism and window winders were also given a shot of black.

I then turned my attention to the door pockets. These were two different versions of the same story. One was barely marked at all, whereas the other was knackered to such an extent that there were chunks missing. They were also covered in spiders' webs, brick dust and other assorted dust, dirt and general mank. I prised off the chrome trims, brought them inside and gave them both a good wash in the sink with some car shampoo. They came up nicely, but certainly showed me the damage on one. I am guessing that this was the driver's side and had been kicked on numerous occasions.

I have filled the damaged and sanded it down. I now need to have a think about what sort of textured paint to use.

Door frames: one (this one) was in pretty good order.

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The other one, not so much...

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Door pockets were great and awful. This one's the dodgy one with all sorts of damage.

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Both were given a decent wash

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...before filler was added

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and then sanded down.

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