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 RLR534L - 95V4 Gentle Resto
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Doive
V4 Fan

United Kingdom
160 Posts

Posted - 26 Aug 2015 :  23:26:43 Show Profile Reply with Quote
Came home last Thursday night, and had a niggly feeling to check the 95's MoT expiry date - 1st August. Oooops. Quick check online showed our preferred MoT place had slots free on Friday afternoon, so booked it in. We haven't really done anything to the car since we bought it back in January other than running repairs, so I was expecting a fail in some shape or form. Gave it a once over for all the usual suspects, lights etc, and noticed some creeping rust in the offside rear quarter panel seam to the box section and sill - hmmm.

Took the car down, runs great when it's hot and is a laugh to throw around. Alec, who looks after the reception in the garage and deals with all our cars had never seen the 95 before, and declared it 'scrap, not worth testing'. He doesn't like them since serving his time on them 30+ years ago! Oh well, thankfully him and the MoT tester have a combative relationship, so Alec's dislike of the car made the tester warm to it. Three attempts at starting and moving the car, then trying to find reverse made him give up and call me over for assistance, with the words 'You'd better stay for the test, ah huvnae a clue about these older cars!'



I wasn't expecting to be lifted up for the shake tests!




By the end of the test Stevie had really warmed to the 95's charms, loved the sound of the V4 engine, and declared it generally sound and in good shape for it's 42 years - but unfortunately the little spot of rust had turned into a proper hole. So the rust, a grazed brake flexi and a damaged tyre were the sum total of the fail points. I was happy with that list!





So straight home and up onto ramps, get the grinder out and see how bad it is. Knotted wheel always sorts the men from the boys.




No point messing around, time to slice the outer wing away for access.



Oh dear. Bottom of the B post isn't looking too happy.




Crikey. Inner sill is well holed - it's thick steel as well.



Starting the repairs with 2mm steel - decided to plate the bottom of the B pillar, as it's hidden and cutting out the original bit would be very tricky. My welding's a bit bubbly, but the gas bottle's getting low - that's my excuse! It's on a high setting to get the penetration required, and the welds were taking really nicely.



Patch made up to match the original spot weld locations.




And the tricky bit for me - making up a single piece for the outer panel. I'm not very good at metal forming, could do with Ian Law Snr down for an afternoon to teach me! Getting there, need to dress the underside with a dolly to smooth it out, I don't have a metal folding jig, so it's two lumps of wood in a vice...




And that's as far as I managed on Saturday before light stopped play. And rain. So a little sheet of tarpaulin to protect it.



1973 95 V4 - Toreador Red, Grey Primer and Red Oxide.

Peter96
V4 Fanatic

United Kingdom
289 Posts

Posted - 27 Aug 2015 :  13:55:38 Show Profile Reply with Quote
Well done Doive. Fancy a trip home to the old country to sort the welding on my inner arches before it goes for the MOT!
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Doive
V4 Fan

United Kingdom
160 Posts

Posted - 27 Aug 2015 :  18:11:39 Show Profile Reply with Quote
Only if you want it done badly! My welding's plenty strong, but it ain't pretty...

1973 95 V4 - Toreador Red, Grey Primer and Red Oxide.
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Doive
V4 Fan

United Kingdom
160 Posts

Posted - 30 Aug 2015 :  03:53:43 Show Profile Reply with Quote
A little more progress this weekend... panels now welded in, painted & brake flexi hose replaced. What a barrel of laughs that was. Headed down my local paint supplier with the paint code for Toreador Red R2B - now we knew that RLR isn't wearing her original colour, someone in the past has sprayed the car an interesting plum colour, but it was interesting to see just how different from the 'proper' colour it is.



First job was to dress & spray up the inner sill panel - still a few grinder holes there to weld up from behind.



Then to spray up the repair panel on the inside, prior to welding.



Once dried, it was offered up for welding - lots of dressing & grinding to make it fit reasonably well, as I've said before I'm no panel beater!



Welded in - I've used the stitching technique to prevent heat distortion, unfortunately it leaves lots of little pinholes. Wind was also blowing my shielding gas away! It doesn't look great, but it's solid.




Taking off the rubbing strip revealed more of the original colour - whoever did the spray job must have spent hours masking all this up, as opposed to removing it. I'd love to know why!


A couple of coats high build primer. Unfortunately the little pinholes show right through the primer, so I bought some filler and gave it a little coat of that. Also, the repair panel is straight, while the body has a subtle curve on it - so it doesn't really look right...!



Top coated it this evening as I was leaving, so no photos of that.


1973 95 V4 - Toreador Red, Grey Primer and Red Oxide.
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Derek
V4 Guru

United Kingdom
2187 Posts

Posted - 30 Aug 2015 :  12:05:17 Show Profile Reply with Quote
Lots of good work there. Your "interesting plum colour" might just be oxidised R2B and your new paint might also be a fraction out. Oxidisation with red is very unpredictable. Buffing across that exposed strip might show there's not much difference.
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tommygoldy
V4 Fan

146 Posts

Posted - 05 Sep 2015 :  23:33:28 Show Profile Reply with Quote
Well done. Re the colour:

http://www.uksaabs.co.uk/UKS/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=49188
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James Ranaldi
V4 Guru

United Kingdom
1475 Posts

Posted - 20 Sep 2015 :  18:54:45 Show Profile Reply with Quote
I drove this little beauty yesterday. Great fun

1968 V4, LHD
1984 99 GL
1992 900i Convertible
2001 BMW E46 320 Ci
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