Insanity-74

There was a test change something like six years ago and rules on a cat test are simple, if your car came from the factory fitted with a cat, guess what! No matter how much you argue that its an import or not etc etc, its going to have to have a cat test. Unless you can find an mot tester willing to put another car through or run a non cat test (after all who has ever had there mot certificate checked out?) But i will have a cat fitted to my project build as without wishing to sound like a tree hugging hippy (which i am not) I care about the health of my daughter and the world i will leave behind, i dont want to add to an already poluted world for her and her generation to clean up......and there isnt that much of a difference, after removing the cat for the same reason as everyone else come mot time i put it back on, couldnt really tell the difference and ran the car for six+ years without having to worry about the mot, or putting the cat back on etc etc.

Started cleaning mine with auto glym engine cleaner, then a bit of hot water, fairy liquid and some rice, give it a good shake, came up like new

The Deox C, it disolves the rust away leaving just fresh steel.

During the course of my project build i have done a bit of research into rust removal and the options out there if you dont own a welder/sand blaster or grinder. I am a big fan of Bilt Hamber products, if there is something that you can remove from your car then their Deox C powder os brilliant, you make up a solution by mixing it in water and submerse the part in it. This is a rear diff i did a year or so ago. Before After all i did was give it a light scrubbing with a wire brush, i just left it in the solution for about two weeks. The gell they have is almost as good, but you can paint it onto parts that you cant submerse in the solution, i did my rusty boot lid this week and its come out looking great, no rust at all. (and no Coke, vinegar etc wont do the same job....i tried it) After that i have tried a couple of paints,at first i went with a highly recommended product called POR15 rust preventing paint, which i am not a great fan of to be honest, it has a great finish, very smooth and glossy, even when applied with a brush, it just dosnt stick to rust free metal very well, its good if you want to paint over rust, but thats not really the right way to do it. After that i tried Epoxy Mastix 121 & Epoxy Mastic 421, both very good, the 121 is for the underside and chassis, the 421 is for body panels, both spray on with a gun, and both give a great finish on which to apply the next coat. expensive, but i highly recommend them both. (dont hand paint them with a brush as the finish is rubbish if you do) Not really rust killing paints, but they will help prevent it from coming back. on top of that you can ut your desired stone guard, there are lots out there and a couple of very good ones, 3M & Soudal spring to mind, i have tried both and prefer the Soudal but they are both pretty much of a muchness. You can paint over the Soudal to match the colour of your car. The next step of rust defence (which is the last thing you should do) is using a cavity wax. Now i know that loads of people recommend Waxol, but to be honest i hate the stuff, there is much better out there. i tried the winner of the car restorers magazine long term test Noxudol 700, it comes is a can and a canister to attach to a compressor, its quite thin so it leaches into the gaps between metal panels, after about 4 days it waxes up and remains in place. unlike waxol it dosnt harden up and crack.

I bought my current faff as a more or less bare shell....saved it from the scrap yard.I have been restoring it for around 4 years so i have never driven it, not even a single yard.

Owned mine for four years, and never driven it.....is that a record?

Bilt Hamber do a great rust convertor. For paint either epoxy mastic 121 pr POR15 products.

My project build i am not putting any silicone hoses on it at all if i can help it. OEM rubber or stainless braided hoses. I have never known a silicone water hose fail, but they discolour pretty quickly. Also silicone vacuum hose is best avoided. They are okayish, but rips really easily if knicked by something sharp or if its slightly too small internal size. Definately form over function.

A friend of mine had his car fully set up by a similar company, corner weighing etc, cost nearly £300 in total but the difference was outstanding. The Car was a Toyota MR2 with a v6 or v8 conversion (I cant remember which?), it went from a twitchy, nervous & unpredictable driving car to something that felt well planted and a pleasure to drive, the difference was like night and day. Its definately on my list of things to do when my project build is complete, in fact after getting it mapped it will be the very next thing I do. Also Andy (Redbeast From The GT4OC) had the same thing done to his RS200 Kit car, funilly enough also a Toyota MRS with a v6 conversion with the same results, I think it cost him slightly less, about £250 if i recall. But he had tried all sorts of things to improve its drivability, tyres, tyre pressures, tracking, different suspension, coilovers, non coilovers, the list goes on.The full set up completely changed his car.

It keeps saying "please sign in to view video"????

Can you fit the wheel and take the video again? If it's something that goes when brake pressure is applied I would say it's caliper related, not disc related, although my second guess would be a handbrake problem but unlikely.

Typical though on the TV coverage, just as the ST205 lines up on the rally stage they cut to the super cars going up the hill. Enjoyable watch though, keep meaning to go.....oh well maybe next year.

Must be my work laptop, will have a gander when i get home....unless you took a photo of a small red X

pictures arnt working???

I would start with 400/600ish wet n dry and use it dry, then go over it with scuff pads then a tack cloth! i used a rough grade scuff pads, it helps clean out all the dust etc, also you can try a platic prep spray, its like a clear watery spray that helps prepare plastic surfaces for spraying, a bonding agent. but thats for clean plastic not already painted plastic!. Once its primered you can use 'maybe' 800 grit but i wouldnt go smoother until the lacquer, and only then if you need to if you are getting scratch marks from the wet n dry coming through. Its all a bit trial and error, it needs to be rough enogh to leave a good surface to key to, but not so rough as it leaves marks through the freshly sprayed paint. IMO You dont need to go super smooth until you are ready to polish the lacquer. Also after the primer I would leave it for a week somewhere warm to dry out and fully cure, give it chance to settle before adding the colour coat. I prepped my bumper this weekend with 400 grit and used it throughout until ready for colour, i will then move to 600 which i will continue to use until its lacquered

Dont wet n dry between coast with anything too smooth or the paint will have nothing to key to.

I went 200 - 400 - 800 - Paint - 800 - Paint - 800 - Paint - 800 - lacquer - lacquer - 1200 - 2000 - 3M fast cut - scratch x - pure polish - carnauba wax - done

Domyoumhave a photo of how they look.

As mentioned previously etch primer is a waste of time on plastic. One thing to consider is that when painting over filler, it has a different surface to the surrounding plastic so despite still being able to see the GT4 words in the raiser block it could just be where the paint changes colour? Body filler has a nasty habit so shrinking anyway, you should use a putty glaze over the filler to help remove minor imperfections and hide any shrinkage, let it dry for a good few hours before doing any further prep, leaving it overnight helps. Once the filler is dry I try to leave it for at least a week before I start sanding it down, the it's just a case of high build primer, leave it to dry, rub it down, more high build primer........it took me about ten coats of high build primer to get things looking right on the front bumper. Try to avoid anything marked as easy sand. Also again as mentioned, use a sanding block, I use a thing from B&Q made for sanding ceilings, it's basically a long sanding block with a clamp at each end to hold the sand paper down. I find that electrical sanding devices can be a bit harsh for thins like this and it's too easy to go too far with them, just a it bucket of water and a lot of wet n dry. Although maybe use an orbital sander on the first couple of coats to make life easier and quicker...then go onto doing it by hand. You can try heating it in the oven between coats, on a very low heat for a few mins can help, just don't melt the blocks As for the cracked spats, get yourself to Maplins, find the glue section and purchase some plastic weld, I think bondloc do it? You could also use it to fill the GT4 letters on the raiser blocks, drill a series of holes each side of the crack, small ones only a couple of mm, then get some alloy wire mesh, halfords sell it for about three quid in a4 sized pieces. Use that on the back of the crack, then using small zip ties to nit the two halves of the crack together along with the plastic weld glue making sure the glue finds it's way into the drilled holes, behind the zip ties and into the mesh, let it dry overnight.....for two days is best, then use more of the plastic weld to fill the front of the crack, again leave it overnight, it should be more than strong enough, sand off the front of the zip ties leaving the backs in place......make sure the connection of the zip tie is on the front so when you sant it away the back is as smooth and flat as possible....look on my project thread for pictures on how I did it. Then sand it down and use filler as normal. If you are more patient, go on amazon, look for this stuff http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B009EU5ZMK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1#productDetails It is excellent, very strong, dries rock hard so it can be sanded.

Not very exciting, four wheel bearings, two front brake backing plates and a rear diff mount......fast way to say goodbye to nearly £500. Man this is getting expensive.

New dash cam

You can pick up walnut she'll pretty cheaply, or aluminium oxide. I would invest in a small blast cabinet too, saves on dust and helps to recover most of the medium for reuse.

No worries mate.