63Ragtop

thanks man, grinding crappy welds is something I know heaps about! I hope you realise this paint bollocks is all your fault azzurro, I remember briefly chatting to you at kumue a couple years back about paint. you were all "or just do it yourself, then you can say you did it all" those few words have been a blessing and a cruse at times, but I did it, it's alot of work but I did it!

Okay, so I got the paint on, tell me how I get some of it off in some place's,(wet/clour sanding?) without fucking the rest? it's ye olde enamel single stage no clean tractor paint.

the good.the bad.the gun spat here on the left rear fender.so I stuck heaps of paint over it so I can hopefully polish it out so it sagged here.and when painting inside the air vent I made this mess, looks like I'll be learning to wet sand paint now!All in all I'm pretty stoked and glad it's over, heaps of runs and spots of over spray and areas of orange peel etc..but not bad for a noob in shed in west auckland.looking forward to assembly.

Well Sunday was a big day! I was/am knackered! Spent at lease 3-4 hours spraying, came out looking like a pink Immortal Joe, Shiny and Red!!Witness Me Sweatheart!!!!! But first! a couple non cell potatos for the inner fenders and engine bay.inside of the doors painted and hung.and I don't have one of the trunk, but that one up there is pretty good so...The body was starting to take shape, I'd spent ages sanding and bogging and more sanding, but the bonnet, engine lid and rear fenders really only had one layer of primer/high fill on them.So I gave them a going over with the long board (2x4,2x4!) and pretty much started again.I think this was last weekend, I dunno, it's all just blurred into one big session in my sleep deprived head.Chair/panel stand.fronts needed another layer after fine filler.bonnet looking good.was pretty please with the light set up at the time, had 4 of these blazing half the night, gotta have good light for this work.better.details.details.details!getting close now.

Oh Bugger! damage don't look to bad kk, shame about the tyre. Don't let the bean counters fuck you over! insist it get put back same for same.

Exist? I hope so! Truth is(and don't tell the Mrs this!) this car will never really be finished, I'm aiming to get it on the road as fast as possible and will be daily driving it for work, but am really looking forward to tinkering/fine tuning/development- more power, disc brakes, lowerer, /\/\sound deadening, doofdoof sounds, bucket seats, really keen on getting it to handle as well as a 50 year old bug can, look awesome and be fun to drive. and attending every fucking event I can in it!

What I really need is a new ragtop cover, should be pretty simple for someone with your skills/tools? What part of the waikato is your new pad Greg, my folks live in Te Kowhai, keen to go for a burn in the rotabug!

looks tidy!

Cheers KK, looking forward to assembly and that first drive! The quietest bug I've ever been in was a friends original little old lady 65' so I know it's possible! My car was always deafening, having had all the factory deadening and headliner removed before I got it so yeah, keen as to dynamat the fuck outta it! Would do the inside cabin side, firewall, doors etc... not the engine bay or frunk mostly coz it looks shit, I had stuck some behind the rear seat and had two layers of carpet and a rear parcel tray, that made alot of difference. a headliner would be nice too, (got any tartan left over greg??) wonder if you can get Quickroof or something similar in NZ? looks exactly the same and those name brand auto insulation stuff. AE86NZ, will just be Rattle can HI temp Matt Black for the zorst, shits pretty old and pitted now, it's just a cheap Bugpack system, will need to replace the muffler at some point, that will help with the noise also, neighbour down the road use to know it was time to get up when I left for work, the thing was so fucking loud!

Spent last night masking up.used nearly two whole rolls of tape! Still need the final sanding down, a few small spots need fine filling but getting close!Looks like I messed up the over lap on the removable valance, I would like to have painted it in place as above, but I didn't lay enough red down when I painted the engine bay so I'll have to paint it off the car, and I still need to suss out a spot for the small bits to be painted. maybe once the shell is done.

one good thing about the new factory location is it's next door to the strippers.Paint and Metal Strippers, not the other kind!So I got my old header pipes out and they cleaned up very nicely.before.after.looks almost the same in the photos but all the old paint, carbon, sealant and flakey rust be gone!saved a load of time trying to sand a bunch of snakes. still sanding, hopefully for the last time!

sexy as seats bro, sexy.

Ngaruawahia?

Engine bayback of dash/trunkdoor jams and inside of doorsinner wheelwellsand back side of rear valance.Done.

and this it todays efforts.holy shit painting a car takes ages!!!this was about 5 hours work, sanding down all the insides of the bonnet, engine lid and all four fender.I was hoping the do the insides of the doors aswell but didn't have enough time.I don't think I used any filler inside these panels because why? except for the engine lid around the vents, so the finish isn't great and the bonnet had to lay on some cardboard on the floor. less than ideal but its all shiny and red and thats the main thing!

This!is my new best friend.Going back again.don't leave those chrome knuckle guard things on your car to long!thats a bunch of rust and a small hole in a stupid ass place.primer on small things. Last bit of the old red paint getting sanded down.going back looking at the old pic of the sides it looked okay, after I worked it over with the 2x4 it needed alot of work, I must have but a good 8 hours into each door and quater panel in this thing.getting closer and closer to top coat!finished up at about 6pm, temp was dropping, gun was blocking up and spraying like shit, hopefully it will be okay.last little bit under the tank/beam mounts.

okay so going back a wee bit, I had to find all the bits and bobs from their hiding places.made sure the new lights workedhad to make a few small repairsshut up! it might work!!! got the front seal holder on and bare metaled the whole thing, kinda had to as there was much missing.extreme close upgot some mud mudded on.started on the rearI hope I never have to do these again, very tricky, not 100% happy with the back one but, its done now.also repaired the very top points of the rear valance, when I removed it all those years ago, I'd had to drill out a spot weld right on the tip of both sides, so I had left it in the toohardbasket till now, welded it up and ground it down in a few minutes really, guess I have learned a few tricks on this project?

keen on a post apocalyptic kombi camper like this one.

still sanding....

epic build mate!

so cool, can you make me one??

Thats a shitload of work Man, well done!

nice work on that tunnel!

pointless photo.hung the front fenders, almost looks like a car!Started work on the front valance.