Finally.....after about a 15 day delay, the fintail returns ( under its own power!) for completion of paintwork.
trust me the Bosch electric fans are in a league of their own, If you stand near a newer MB and the driver has called for full ice cool mode inside and the outside temp is about 40C - the car will sound like a GE air thruster starting up - they also have cleverly incorporated air dams behind the engine to channel the hot air under the car and over the exhaust pipes.
Even the old Bosch cooling fans on the 123, 116, 126 etc etc are insanely powerful and extremely long life - Denso made nothing that matches. - And to get some respectable cooldown you need to cool that condenser.
i don't doubt that for a minute! Personally I woud have preferred a twin fan arrangement like the AEG one on an R129 I have which DOES have ice cold cooling even at 45 deg, but the old fintail dznt have enough space in its mouth for one! I imagine the large single fan used in the W126 is an option. What do you think?
yes - the old big fan of the W126/early W124 is very good. You can also choose an italian Spal branded fan if you are having trouble placing the fan as the spal ones have a universal fit, while the MB one is made for MB.
Ok, will see how it shapes up. Thnx!
The paint process restarted today. The body is being checked for any dings during the time the engine/ gear was being installed and related mechanical work carried out. Part of the right front door and front wing got damaged along with the odd small dent or flaw elsewhere which was expected and is being rectified now. Am hoping final coats will be applied by June 1 or so. Fingers crossed!
The bonnet being rubbed with "wet n dry" for readying the surface for final paint. At the time application, both the bonnet and the bootlid will be fitted after the paint as been applied. For several reasons, using a paint booth is not an option. To minimize dust particles or insects getting trapped in the paint, the final application will be done around 5am on a Sunday morning after sprinkling water around the car. I accept that this is a very amateurish way of going about it, but curiously it works. Any apparent shortcomings are more than offset by the cost benefit analysis of doing this any other way! What matters more in the final analysis is the effort put in and the MATERIALS used.
try and ask the painter to spray the paint thick, and then sand it (jaali katna in desi words) and compound in the end
Here the wiring done upto the headlights is visible. It will now be completed after painting. Again sorry about the pics coming out sideways. They come out ok wen I put up the same on the blog! So annoying !!
yes, I always get that done with every respray even tho u end up using more material. Not an issue as this is not being done with any return in mind.....except the desire for a great paint finish ! Thankyou for your interest
sanding will ensure that the paint looks flat like a mirror, the reflections will be crisp and sharp
After going thru all this graft I certainly hope so
And so the work on paint continues. This is, hopefully, the second last base coat.
Well....the old girl is finally ready for her new suit! As the pictures show, it's all masked up, has been rubbed down, all the base coats applied. The final coats will be applied starting at 5am tmrw morning (Sunday may 26th). The bonnet and bootlid will be painted alongside the main vehicle, the idea being to minimize dust particles and bugs on these. Experience has shown that this procedure gives better results than any of the locally available paint booths. Paint shops that actually have the real thing don't like being asked for use of their facility or ask a price that is just too much. The paint will not be cut for atleast 20 days during which time will be concentrating on buffing, polishing and fitting all the brightwork, lights, interior etc....the idea being to let the paint "bake" and the paint , hardener etc to set "properly" before compound, polish etc. Lets see how it goes.
The Fintail got painted this morning. In the close up picture the "jaalee" effect can be seen. A total of 6 coats were applied but with the proportion of thinner slightly increased, followed by 4 coverings of hardener. Will leave it for about 20 days to set and harden.
Some more pics from this morning. The last one is of the "finished" article !
I dont like paint finish, not shiny enough.....
Am sorry it's not to your liking. Unfortunately when it comes to choice of colour, it would be impossible to please everyone.....except ofcourse my own self! And I did.....But thankyou for your interest.
no its not the color, its only shininess, there should be more shininess. Or maybe you haven't yet applied the top shiny coat?
Mashallah looking good..:)..it will look great after the Compound polish..
