Section : General

Rusting Bulk head 

Posted By : Barry Higgott, 23-May-2004, 02:48pm

• Rusting Bulk head 

  Posted By : Barry Higgott, 23-May-2004, 02:55pm

   

  
  
  Rusting Bulk head

   

  • Rusting Bulk head Part 2 

    Posted By : Barry Higgott, 01-Jun-2004, 09:18pm

    Hi,
    
    I have nearly finished and I am ready to buy the top coat.
    
    Can I use any hand paint for metals to give it a top coat? I have seen a very near match on a front door paint which was suitable for both wood and metal doors. Would this be okay?
    
    Thanks again everyone for the help!
    
    Regards
    
    Baz.
    

    • Rusting Bulk head Part 2 

      Posted By : Ewan Mains, 20-Jul-2004, 11:14am

      Hiya, just to let you know that if you want an exact colour match, then http://www.auto-paint.co.uk will mix you 500ml of synthetic brush top coat for about &163;10 incl post and packing.

• Rusting Bulk head 

  Posted By : Jonathan Pashley, 24-May-2004, 08:05am

  Barry
  I had the same problem with my Spit
  I scraped off as much loose rust as possible and then painted the bulkhead with Bilt and Hambers rust converter (always advertised in Practical Classics) Then I have hand painted it in original colour (magenta in my case)
  It caused a bit of a stir in my local Halfords who mixed up the correct colour for me (never heard of it pal oooo its purple!)
  
  If the bulkhead is too far gone Rimmers do a repair panel
  
  Hope this helps
  
  Jonathan Pashley
  74 Mk IV

• Rusting Bulk head 

  Posted By : William Davies, 24-May-2004, 09:43am

  Hi Barry,
  Hammerite really has far more negatives than positives. It's real downfall is it's claimed hardness, this easily translates to brittleness. The area around the pedal boxes and battery tray may not be as susceptible to stone chips as the chassis (which is the usual victim of Hammerite abuse), but I would go for something tough rather than hard. Household gloss paint is a surprisingly good budget topcoat option, providing good corrosion protection and having a tough, chip resistant surface.
  Hammerite's other failing is it's silicone content - this makes any future painting of surrounding areas incredibly difficult, contamination being very dificult to remove,
  Cheers,
  Bill.
  

  • Rusting Bulk head 

    Posted By : Barry Higgott, 24-May-2004, 09:55pm

    Hi,
    
    Thanks all for the advice. My first project on the car is going well.
    
    I have decided on using POR15 for the undercoat as it seems to be the best of the bunch. (www.por15.com). I am currently working my way along the drivers side removing bits and pieces and wire brushing underneath.
    
    So far my new rusty bolt removal tool from Sears in America, has loosened every rounded and rusty bolt...Its the best 50USD I have spend!
    
    When I come to painting I will need to remove the brake and clutch cylinders. Question is How easy is to to remove, refit and bleed these systems?
    
    Also how easy is it to remove the wiper motor from the cable?
    
    I promise to invest in a Haynes manual!
    
    Thanks in advance.
    
    Baz

    • Rusting Bulk head 

      Posted By : James Carruthers, 24-May-2004, 10:17pm

      Baz,
      
      
      
      You don't even need to disturb and then bleed the brake and clutch cylinders - just undo them from their mounts and move them away from where you are working... the copper pipe should bend easily enough.
      
      Though be careful of spilling the fluid.
      
      
      
      James
      

      • Rusting Bulk head 

        Posted By : William Davies, 24-May-2004, 11:03pm

        ....but be VERY careful when bending copper pipes, even more so if you have to disconnect them. Copper work hardens very quickly, brake pipes are no exception as they are susceptible to all the vibrations which pass through a working vehicle, even when well supported by clips. I have disconnected copper pipes no more than 3 years old only to have them break with the slightest force, very worrying considering these are considered to be an upgrade!
        Cunifer (or Kunifer) is a far better material for brake pipes being an alloy of Copper, Nickel and Iron (hence the name). It's not as soft as Copper, but still easily formed for our purposes, and it doesn't look so out of place as the bright orange (or green, depending on age!) copper pipes.
        Cheers,
        Bill.
        
        

        • Rusting Bulk head 

          Posted By : Barry Higgott, 25-May-2004, 08:20am

          Hi,
          
          The pipes have only been on the car since the 4th May, so should be okay.
          
          I may still yet remove the bits and pieces, as the POR 15 stuff is not ment to be nice stuff to apply and may be quicker to get a decent finish.
          
          As far as I can see to remove the brake cylinder, is the four boths. Brake pipes and the linkage. Is this correct? Are brakes easy to bleed on spitfires. Mine is the single brake system with servo.
          
          Regards
          
          Barry
          
          Baz

          • Rusting Bulk head 

            Posted By : Ian Knott, 25-May-2004, 09:24am

            Barry - yes, the brake cylinder comes off by just removing the linkage and the 4 bolts holding the mounting down. Definitely worth trying to leave the brake pipe on though to avoid having to bleed the brakes.
            
            Regards
            
            Ian

            • Rusting Bulk head 

              Posted By : Tarquin Adams, 25-May-2004, 07:25pm

              If the corrosion is a result of past spills of brake fluid you might have to do some pretty hefty grinding to make sure the metal is completely clear of brake fluid contamination. Just warning because you don't want corrosion coming back through the paint you've worked hard to apply.

          • Rusting Bulk head 

            Posted By : Raymond Johncock, 25-May-2004, 08:53pm

            Hi barry
            
            POR 15 rust prevention paint is easy to apply it lays on quite easy. I found by pouring into a small container and reseal lid use cling film to stop lid bonding to can . And run a bit of masking tape around lid to make it airtight
            
            
            CHEERS RAY J

• Rusting Bulk head 

  Posted By : Ian Knott, 24-May-2004, 01:32pm

  Barry
  
  I have just finished doing exactly the same job - I coated the area with Krust then used white Plasticote (not sure I have spelt that correctly!) as a base coat before spraying on a coloured topcoat. I used the Plasticote as Hammerite was the only alternative I could find at the time and I have been unimpressed with this in the past.
  
  Regards
  
  Ian