Manky's Pop.

[hunter]

Did you try Frost.
http://www.frost.co.uk/por15-chassis-coat-black-paint.html

[phunkie hiboy]

Spent an hour or so trying all the paint & car shops in a 10 mile radius for some decent heavy duty black chassis paint to do the rear axle in. I could buy a gallon of it for 40 quid, but not a sensible sized tin. Ebay later then.
Meanwhile, Mr Newbie continued his electrickery. 

Try A.P.S., I've bought a single litre before. There's a branch in Newbury. Oh, and if they ask you what it's for tell them it's for a tractor, seriously!

http://www.automotivepaintsupplies.co.uk/

[Manky Monkey]

It was APS in Newbury who only had it in 5 litre, (1 gallon ish), tins for 40 quid Chris.  I usually end up going to Frost online for that kind of thing, but need to paint it in the next couple of days, so was trying locally. Hammerite's rubbish these days & is oil based. Loon will eventually spray the axle in 2 pack, but that reacts with Hammerite. I can buy small tins of engine enamel -is that oil based?

My day off today. I had a message for Mr Kapri last night to say the replacement for the leaky Reliant reserve tank was ready. So I drove down to his place in Waterlooville, Hampshire this morning to collect it. Kev had taken the old tank to a local guy who'd copied it in 1 1/2 mm mild steel. For 70 quid he's done a crackin' job.

[Manky Monkey]

I gave him the cradle it sits in, so he could make sure it fitted that. Spot on. The biggest worry was the raised filler neck, which comes up through a hole in the pick-up bed, so had to be in the right position & the right height. He made a jig to replicate the original fitting postion & when I tried it in place on the truck, it was perfect.
The back of the truck's piled up with parts waiting to be refitted at the moment!

[Manky Monkey]

The cradle had been a bugger to get out because I'd fitted it before we welded the bed floor in place. Possible, but fiddly. In the end Mr Newbie managed to free it. So, back to Loon's workshop, I trial fitted it, then welded captive nuts to the cradle for easier refitting. Then I just had time to nip over to the powder coaters before they shut & drop the new tank & cradle in for coating, (the cradle's bright red with rust here, but will be shot blasted back to bare metal before it's coated gloss black).

[Manky Monkey]

While I was at Kev's place this morning, I got a call from my brother, Mr Brock. Could I collect some parts from Andy Robinson Race Cars, between Basingstoke & Reading for him. No problem. So today I've driven from Basingstoke to Waterlooville, then from there to Reading, then back to Basingstoke, then over to Newbury & finally to Steve's workshop in Wiltshire before returning home to Basingstoke.
Steve's rushing to finish his new drag car cos he's due to test it at Santa Pod in 2 days time! It looks fabulous & he's promised to start a thread on the build soon.

No Loon at the workshop today by the way -he was filling the diesel tank for the workshop heater this morning & it fell on his head! So he wisely decided to go home. Hope you're feeling better mate.

[Clive]

Drove down to see you all down there this afternoon............... And no-one was there!!!

[Olds]

Hope Lunatic is OK. A hard blow to the old cranium, is never a good thing.

[Manky Monkey]

Sorry we missed you Clive -always pays to give Loon a call beforehand if you can. I was there between 3.30 & 4pm with Mr Loon.
He said he was shaking by the time he got home Dave, more in shock from the completely unexpected blow than anything else. To add insult, literally to injury, the diesel tank emptied itself over him so everything he was wearing reeks of fuel now.
Didn't finish work till 5 this evening so no workshopping for me, but I dropped in at the workshop in my Post Office van to check on him. He's fine.
When I dropped the tank in for powder-coating yesterday, I picked up the previous batch -the axle locating rods, battery box & shock absorber springs. One more pile of bits to go now.
Bought a tin of non descript chassis paint from Ebay last night. Hopefully by the weekend I can get the underside of the truck wire brushed & painted in Kurust, then I can paint the axle when the paint arrives & bolt everything back together.
That'll leave me a week to turn it around, remove the front axle locating rods & wheels for coating & bolt all the prettied up bits back on, as well as fitting the dashboard & the rest of the interior.
The following week it has to pass an MOT, so I can tax it. A couple of days for general driving about & road testing, then we're off to Belgium.
No pressure then.

[merv]

you can do it

[Manky Monkey]

Finally started bolting bits back on today.
I've KuRusted as much of the chassis as I can reach with a paintbrush -it's not pretty under there, but at least it's partly protected against the dreaded oxidisation. Next time it comes off the road will be for a full strip down next Winter, when the chassis will be blasted & powder coated gloss black.
Slapped a couple of heavy coats of chassis black on the rear axle too. Again, not perfect, but it'll do until Loon sprays it in 2 pack gloss black next time around.
Battery box back in, as well as the 4 axle locating bars, all powder coated gloss black.
I also put the coated springs back on the rear shocks & fitted those, before bolting on the coated rear wheels.
With it finally rolling again, we pushed it out into the yard & turned it around, so I can strip the front wheels, axle locating rods & mudguards off & get them to the coaters as soon as possible.   

[Manky Monkey]

So very much to do & so little time to do it in!

[Manky Monkey]

Tony, ("Cunning Plan"), posted this pic on FaceBook today.
My big brother, ("Brock"), with his good lady Lesley, ("Black Pig") driving, when they borrowed the Pop to use as a tow car at the HotRod Drags, Shakespeare County Raceway, back in September.

[kapri]

So very much to do & so little time to do it in!

You appear to be missing the extra pick up bodywork as well on this side?

[Manky Monkey]

It's among the pile of parts in the pick-up bed, waiting to go on Kev.