nice wellies
General The $120 (£47.24) Uno 45 - updated for Aug 08-Jan 09...!
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General The $120 (£47.24) Uno 45 - updated for Aug 08-Jan 09...!
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That's James - wearing gumboots. I suppose you call those 'wellies'!
Typical - over two hours for me posting all those updates and the only thing that gets noticed is someone else's gumboots
-Alex
Typical - over two hours for me posting all those updates and the only thing that gets noticed is someone else's gumboots
-Alex
That's James - wearing gumboots. I suppose you call those 'wellies'!
Typical - over two hours for me posting all those updates and the only thing that gets noticed is someone else's gumboots
-Alex
Yeah dont listen to him he always talks nonsence.
I have to commend you on your dedication i could never find the time to achieve so much so quickly.
Come on Alex wheres the updates? Getting lazy in your old age... LOL
Good work so far Keep it up!!!
EDIT : oh yeh why is there a picture of a lion there?? Bit random LOL
F R O $ T Y
Good work so far
Keep it up!!!EDIT : oh yeh why is there a picture of a lion there?? Bit random LOL
F R O $ T Y
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This monster compressor gets delivered tomorrow - they wouldn't let me put it in my car, on account of it being in pieces that weigh 76kg in total.
There's a Devilbiss GTI gravity-fed gun. That was $500 (£200) but just look at it. Candy-apple red, and incredibly smooth controls!
I'm sure you'll wish me luck with my new Devilbiss...
Reminds me of loading a compressor into the car with three blokes, got it back and me and the wife lifting it out the car, almost got dropped that weighed about 70kg, lifting that as a dead weight out the back of a car wasn't easy.
You've bought just about the best gun you can, hopefully the results will be impressive, do you filter the paint before pouring into the gun?
I've got some painting to do, bought some cheap synthetic filler primer and paint, beats the current metallic grey and black rattle can finish.
Cheers Trevor
how did i miss this thread? just keep tripping in and out lol, thats almost the same gun as me! not even had time to post the pics and say hi and thanks to louie for getting me on the fiat stand at tatton park classic car show,THANKS LOUIE!!!!! you had a practice with the gun yet? i can take you through a setup, usualy turn top screw out all the way and in half a turn, (fan) then second screw down, 6 turns out ish! and keep just under 2 bar, and you can play from there, every guns different, whats the fluid tip and nozzle number, get yourself a paint mixing stick and measuring cups, if you aint already, Ant!
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Thanks everyone
FRO$TY - the lion was for a bit of variety and to see whether anyone was actually looking at the photos It's in a park near Johannesburg.
thepottleflump - here are some comparison pics of my new and old compressors. The new one is about twice the size (height and length-wise) and has two cylinders side-by-side, with belt drive.
After a day or so, the regulator of the new compressor started to leak. I was a bit upset at the thought of taking it back to the shop - such an inconvenience - however this is New Zealand and at the National Agricultural Fieldays, I bumped into the guy that sold it to me! I asked him what to do (warranty etc.) He said take the regulator off, clean it out, and if there's still a problem, bring back just the regulator for a replacement Turned out that the top housing (under the red knob) had a burr on the plastic that wasn't sealing against a seal. I sanded it off, put it back together, and it's perfect
Meanwhile here's an update Lots of filling and sanding of the bonnet - the air-powered D/A sander is MAGIC - just so much faster and seems to give a good even finish, like using a block. The filler I use is a special smooth type ("glazing putty", with blue hardener) and I think I've been using it too thinly, as I'm onto about the fourth application now for some of the dents!
Front-right wing also proving slow due to quite large and shallow dents. I used a block of wood the other night to push some of them out, then put on several coats of primer, so hopefully a fairly fine grit (180) on the D/A sander will show me where I need more filler.
In other words, nothing very exciting to report
New spraygun is AWESOME and I suggest that anyone thinking of spraying more than once should invest in an expensive new spraygun rather than bother with the usual suction-cup cheapies that you get with 'air tool kits'. Apart from the convenience of gravity-feed, there's a huge difference in how it puts the paint on. I went to the trouble of pouring the same mix into my old spraygun and doing some comparisons. At the low pressure of 25psi, the new spraygun produced a fair-sized blast of nice wet paint, well-defined oval shape to the pattern, about 15cm long - and thanks for the advice Ants, I arrived at pretty much the settings you described
On the other hand, the old spraygun barely sprayed at all (4cm long) when given 25psi and took about five seconds merely to suck the paint up from the container. I cranked the pressure up to the more-usual 50psi and the spray pattern was comparable to the new gun (after all, it was a good gun in its day) - BUT there was so much more paint mist everywhere - drifting through the air, 'dry' overspray - the newer technology makes a huge difference, saving paint, improving the air quality, and reducing the masking that you have to do.
I made a couple of videos but they're too boring to upload on their own
By this time it was now dark, so I put some primer on the various repairs basically blind (just sprayed where I thought it should be) - the finish was surprisingly smooth and I can imagine, with a nice thin topcoat, it will be easy to get a glass-like finish.
As a side-project, I decided to re-cover the infamous Uno dash roll (from the NZ sun, always split apart with holes, except on the early Uno 70S with the grey interior that has better-quality vinyl!) It's simple to remove: four screws hold the black plastic former to the dash, but it's very difficult to reach the screws with the dashboard in the car. I think it's easier to remove the dashboard... which came out pretty easily once I used a screwdriver from underneath to push out the clips in the top corners - thanks Chas - and once I remembered the screw in the glovebox...
The material came from a general-junk shop named 'David's Emporium' - they have a large selection of surplus fabrics and vinyls. Discounting hot pink and lipstick red, and narrowing it down to brown, I had a choice between a bright reddish-brown, reddish-brown crocodile skin, metallic bronze (but without a texture), or matt, textured, light-brown/grey with holes. The last two were difficult to choose between, so I bought both (only a few dollars after all). In the end the light-brown-with-holes material seemed more tasteful.
The original roll doesn't use glue; the vinyl is fitted in a closed sleeve that includes the foam. Instead I glued closed-cell foam to the hard plastic former, up to the ridges, and then glued the fabric-backed vinyl to the foam just to be certain. I think it's important to get the right hardness of foam - needs to be pretty firm to retain its shape properly.
The foam shop had accidentally sold me the cleanup solvent rather than the glue itself, so another trip back was necessary. This sort of running around wastes time & petrol, and is a good example of why you should keep a stock of various glues and materials at all times, ready for impromptu projects
Next on the agenda is to finish repairing dents and priming all the panels. It's raining this week, and I have work to do, so there probably won't be much progress in the next few days! The right-rear quarter is nearly finished now. The bonnet still doesn't look good, but I think much of the patches will flat out within the primer.
-Alex
FRO$TY - the lion was for a bit of variety and to see whether anyone was actually looking at the photos
It's in a park near Johannesburg.thepottleflump - here are some comparison pics of my new and old compressors. The new one is about twice the size (height and length-wise) and has two cylinders side-by-side, with belt drive.
After a day or so, the regulator of the new compressor started to leak.
I was a bit upset at the thought of taking it back to the shop - such an inconvenience - however this is New Zealand and at the National Agricultural Fieldays, I bumped into the guy that sold it to me! I asked him what to do (warranty etc.) He said take the regulator off, clean it out, and if there's still a problem, bring back just the regulator for a replacement Turned out that the top housing (under the red knob) had a burr on the plastic that wasn't sealing against a seal. I sanded it off, put it back together, and it's perfect Meanwhile here's an update
Lots of filling and sanding of the bonnet - the air-powered D/A sander is MAGIC - just so much faster and seems to give a good even finish, like using a block. The filler I use is a special smooth type ("glazing putty", with blue hardener) and I think I've been using it too thinly, as I'm onto about the fourth application now for some of the dents! Front-right wing also proving slow due to quite large and shallow dents. I used a block of wood the other night to push some of them out, then put on several coats of primer, so hopefully a fairly fine grit (180) on the D/A sander will show me where I need more filler.
In other words, nothing very exciting to report
New spraygun is AWESOME and I suggest that anyone thinking of spraying more than once should invest in an expensive new spraygun rather than bother with the usual suction-cup cheapies that you get with 'air tool kits'. Apart from the convenience of gravity-feed, there's a huge difference in how it puts the paint on. I went to the trouble of pouring the same mix into my old spraygun and doing some comparisons. At the low pressure of 25psi, the new spraygun produced a fair-sized blast of nice wet paint, well-defined oval shape to the pattern, about 15cm long - and thanks for the advice Ants, I arrived at pretty much the settings you described
On the other hand, the old spraygun barely sprayed at all (4cm long) when given 25psi and took about five seconds merely to suck the paint up from the container. I cranked the pressure up to the more-usual 50psi and the spray pattern was comparable to the new gun (after all, it was a good gun in its day) - BUT there was so much more paint mist everywhere - drifting through the air, 'dry' overspray - the newer technology makes a huge difference, saving paint, improving the air quality, and reducing the masking that you have to do.
I made a couple of videos but they're too boring to upload on their own
By this time it was now dark, so I put some primer on the various repairs basically blind (just sprayed where I thought it should be) - the finish was surprisingly smooth and I can imagine, with a nice thin topcoat, it will be easy to get a glass-like finish.
As a side-project, I decided to re-cover the infamous Uno dash roll (from the NZ sun, always split apart with holes, except on the early Uno 70S with the grey interior that has better-quality vinyl!) It's simple to remove: four screws hold the black plastic former to the dash, but it's very difficult to reach the screws with the dashboard in the car. I think it's easier to remove the dashboard... which came out pretty easily once I used a screwdriver from underneath to push out the clips in the top corners - thanks Chas - and once I remembered the screw in the glovebox...
The material came from a general-junk shop named 'David's Emporium' - they have a large selection of surplus fabrics and vinyls. Discounting hot pink and lipstick red, and narrowing it down to brown, I had a choice between a bright reddish-brown, reddish-brown crocodile skin, metallic bronze (but without a texture), or matt, textured, light-brown/grey with holes. The last two were difficult to choose between, so I bought both (only a few dollars after all). In the end the light-brown-with-holes material seemed more tasteful.
The original roll doesn't use glue; the vinyl is fitted in a closed sleeve that includes the foam. Instead I glued closed-cell foam to the hard plastic former, up to the ridges, and then glued the fabric-backed vinyl to the foam just to be certain. I think it's important to get the right hardness of foam - needs to be pretty firm to retain its shape properly.
The foam shop had accidentally sold me the cleanup solvent rather than the glue itself, so another trip back was necessary. This sort of running around wastes time & petrol, and is a good example of why you should keep a stock of various glues and materials at all times, ready for impromptu projects
Next on the agenda is to finish repairing dents and priming all the panels. It's raining this week, and I have work to do, so there probably won't be much progress in the next few days! The right-rear quarter is nearly finished now. The bonnet still doesn't look good, but I think much of the patches will flat out within the primer.
-Alex
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You should start a new thread and show us your project
I'll be interested!When you say 'synthetic', do you mean 'enamel' or 'acrylic lacquer'?
-Alex
You should start a new thread and show us your project
When you say 'synthetic', do you mean 'enamel' or 'acrylic lacquer'?
-Alex
Yeah synthetic as in enamel, it'll probably be impossible to spray and come out with a terrible finish but thought I'd give it a go, got nothing to lose other than a few quid and a few hours. If that doesn't work I'll be brush painting the car with it
Alex, once again some legendary postings! I'm really enjoying seeing the work you are putting into this humble little Uno 45 that was within a whisker of being crushed. The poor little thing must be bewildered that so much love and affection has been poured on it after years of neglect! Sad I know, but I am enjoying this thread as much as Dunc's Uno Turbo Restoration thread simply because your car is such an underdog. Dunc's car is fantastic, but yours is just as good for you and James being brave enough to take on such a basic model that was in poor shape.
The progress so far is brilliant and I look forward to seeing more instalments. I can't wait to see how well it looks at the end of it all
As an aside, this is what I've been working on today:
It hasn't moved or started since approximately February 1998. Yes, that's over ten years ago! I feel old and embarrassed that it's been sitting there that long
Opening up the bonnet that was virtually seized through lack of use (thank god for WD40), this is the engine that hasn't turned in a decade. To give you a clue, this is NOT the original engine for the car, and the car was never meant to have one this size :devil:
After much fiddling around and cleaning of corroded connectors, freeing off belts and stuff (alternator and water pump seized) plus judicious use of 'Easi start' it coughed and spluttered a few times. I tried jumping it from the Uno's battery as well but still not much more than some promising kicks. Then after giving a few more goes it roared into life and settled to a deep rumbling tickover. The Kraken Wakes!!! To be honest I couldn't believe it. I thought the engine would've been siezed solid after sitting in a damp lock - up for over ten years but there it was rumbling away in front of me. Joy!
Problem now is that the brakes are absolutely siezed solid and I can't get the car to move. Even sticking it in drive (it's an auto) and giving it some stick wouldn't move any of the wheels, and we are talking around 140bhp here by the way.
So as long as the underside hasn't rotted away then I may have a non Uno shaped project on my hands. If it goes ahead then I'll make up a thread in the non - Fiat section of the forum, but until then I'll keep you Uno boys and girls guessing as to what it is.
Alex, sorry for hijacking your thread May normal Uno service resume
The progress so far is brilliant and I look forward to seeing more instalments. I can't wait to see how well it looks at the end of it all
As an aside, this is what I've been working on today:
It hasn't moved or started since approximately February 1998. Yes, that's over ten years ago! I feel old and embarrassed that it's been sitting there that long
Opening up the bonnet that was virtually seized through lack of use (thank god for WD40), this is the engine that hasn't turned in a decade. To give you a clue, this is NOT the original engine for the car, and the car was never meant to have one this size :devil:
After much fiddling around and cleaning of corroded connectors, freeing off belts and stuff (alternator and water pump seized) plus judicious use of 'Easi start' it coughed and spluttered a few times. I tried jumping it from the Uno's battery as well but still not much more than some promising kicks. Then after giving a few more goes it roared into life and settled to a deep rumbling tickover. The Kraken Wakes!!! To be honest I couldn't believe it. I thought the engine would've been siezed solid after sitting in a damp lock - up for over ten years but there it was rumbling away in front of me. Joy!
Problem now is that the brakes are absolutely siezed solid and I can't get the car to move. Even sticking it in drive (it's an auto) and giving it some stick wouldn't move any of the wheels, and we are talking around 140bhp here by the way.
So as long as the underside hasn't rotted away then I may have a non Uno shaped project on my hands. If it goes ahead then I'll make up a thread in the non - Fiat section of the forum, but until then I'll keep you Uno boys and girls guessing as to what it is.
Alex, sorry for hijacking your thread
May normal Uno service resume
Alex, I've also thanked each of your main posts in this thread as the amount of time and effort you've taken to write them deserves a thanks at the very least. I take my hat off to you :worship:
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Cheers Chas! But I've always wondered about that 'Thanks' system - though I've seen 'Thanks' given for less, I don't think this thread has been helpful to anyone
You have a MkII Cortina (or something)?! The one with four headlights and a Coke-bottle shape down the sides.
Has that been in that shed out the back all this time while your driveway was crammed with FIATs? Unbelievable! I visited twice and you never showed me inside that shed
So these pictures are like the unveiling of a tomb!I'm sure it won't take you long to rebuild the brakes, but the prospect of body repairs - that is a bit more daunting, though what's on top looks good enough to cruise the streets already. But I spot a power-steering reservior there, and you mentioned it's an auto - start saving for the petrol to fill the tank
It deserves its own thread (as you said) and I can't wait to see what you do with it, you ageing rocker, you...!
-Alex
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Cheers Chas! But I've always wondered about that 'Thanks' system - though I've seen 'Thanks' given for less, I don't think this thread has been helpful to anyone
You've supplied a lot of information and pictures that could help others, as well as making an interesting thread. Plus to read articles of a similar quality I'd have to go out and buy a magazine! Well worth a thanks
Close, but not a mk2. You had the same model available in NZ I believe, at least I know for sure it was available in Oz.
Early models had twin or quad round headlights (depending on spec), later models like mine originally had two square headlights. However, I retro fitted the quad lights because they look better
Has that been in that shed out the back all this time while your driveway was crammed with FIATs? Unbelievable! I visited twice and you never showed me inside that shed
You saw the inside of all my sheds! None are remotely big enough for a car
Nope, the car is stored in a council lock-up about 4 miles away. Bit of a pain as I have to drive to get to it and there's no power. But we have to make do and mend.Problem is, I can't get to the n/s of the car as it's parked right up against the wall. And you can be guaranteed that it will be that side which has the seized brakes :bang:
I shall be going back up there later this week with a trolley jack to make further assessments...
but the prospect of body repairs - that is a bit more daunting, though what's on top looks good enough to cruise the streets already. But I spot a power-steering reservior there, and you mentioned it's an auto - start saving for the petrol to fill the tank
The body was restored and re-painted back in 1990 - 91 and the car hasn't been on the road since. The underside of the car was also undersealed thoroughly. However, the lock - up leaks and gets damp and some rust has come back, though an initial prod around has shown the sills to be in fine fettle (they were replaced in 1991). As long as it is structurally sound then I will go ahead with getting it back on the road.
Yes, it has power steering though I'm not sure if it still works. It hasn't had fluid in it for 17 years so it could well be buggered. If it is, I will fit a manual rack instead. And yes, it is a 3 speed auto and the engine is a 2.8 litre V6 with a 2 barrel Solex carburetor. If I ever get it on the road it's going to be a sunday afternoon play thing with the cost of fuel as it is...
It will get one if I go ahead with it, but that will be decided when I can get it moving and can look it over thoroughly. The plan is to try and get it on the road this summer, drive around for a couple of months and then sell it. Reason being is that after this year I won't have much time off to work on cars and I won't be getting as long a summer break again as I am this year. I was looking at getting rid of it this summer anyway, then decided that if I could get it roadworthy I could at least drive it first. Plus it will be worth more running and with an MOT. Time will tell...
Anyway, enough about my car - what's the latest on the Uno? Got to get this thread back on track!
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Yes - and you're quite right, you did show me inside that shed - it's not car-sized is it? My memory was failing me.
Cheers - well, I'm working this week, so the hours go past very quickly (no work gets done), and no work on the Uno
I forgot to mention that last exciting spot of welding (is there any other kind...) Yes it really was - I have shielding gas now, so I've had to re-learn how to weld and now I reckon I can weld nearly as well as James can
I like to crank the power pretty high (to get a continuous arc rather than splat-splat-splat) and wire feed right up, which helps to fill holes and avoids the wire melting back up into the torch. Of course there isn't a dial for the power - there are just two switches: 1 and 2, and MIN and MAX, so I like 1 & MAX - it's an Italian welder, can you tell...
Then I make a big blob that penetrates into the surrounding metal. You can see in the pics below that this worked pretty well at the right end, and somewhat less well where it blew through elsewhere and had to be blobbed-over. But that's a strong repair, even after grinding. I welded to the edge of the existing lip that the rubber seal presses over. The welding to the edge isn't continuous (the edge kept melting away) but it's more frequent than the original spot-welds.
Note that I decided to put the patch behind the hole. James put the smaller patch on top (left of the tapped hole). On top is probably neater but behind is probably stronger and can always be covered up with filler without interfering with the fit of the bumper. As a matter of policy, I always etch-prime before I apply filler. I have never had a problem with filler coming off, but I have seen many other jobs where steel rusts under filler.
-Alex
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This is the last bit of welding I did 2 or 3 weeks ago in the same place as you. Your welding looks reasonable on the bottom but a bit blobby on the top bit. Welding thin bodywork isn't that easy, bit like foil, and I found the best technique to do short "pulses" of welding. Anyone can do a nice bit of welding on clean bit of 3mm sheet metal on a bench, it's welding thin panels lying upside down on the drive that's bloody difficult as you obviously know
That piece in my picture is butt welded, just a thin skim of filler to try and hide. I always primer before applying filler like you. Not very good with filler, tend to loose patience trying to get it perfect.What sort of gas have you been using? I had a load of Co2 which I was getting on quite well with but recently swtich to a light Argon/Co2 mix and now need to readjusted my technique accordingly. Sounds funny but found you need to use your ears as much as anything to get that nice sizzle. Spitting or popping is normally dirty metal, wire speed too high and the wire burning back, maybe not enough power? My welder has 6 settings, 130Amp, for bodywork I never go above 3. Also I'm using 0.6mm wire which I find better for the thin stuff. I tend to set the power and then twiddle the wire speed knob to get the right sound.
I was quite pleased with this welding. Repairing the rear offside arch which was mostly missing. Anyone need any welding done?
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Hi thepottleflump,
That's very nice welding - and you're right, much neater than mine - however I think you have welded from above, under a side window, which is possibly easier than the rear tailgate lip I find the moment I have to weld upwards (the top edge), that's when it goes wrong.
The gas mix I have is CO2/Argon/Oxygen, it seems odd to have oxygen in there! But it definitely works better than when there was no gas at all.
I shall try adjusting the wire feed more precisely next time - good idea.
-Alex
That's very nice welding - and you're right, much neater than mine - however I think you have welded from above, under a side window, which is possibly easier than the rear tailgate lip
I find the moment I have to weld upwards (the top edge), that's when it goes wrong.The gas mix I have is CO2/Argon/Oxygen, it seems odd to have oxygen in there! But it definitely works better than when there was no gas at all.
I shall try adjusting the wire feed more precisely next time - good idea.
-Alex
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Hi thepottleflump,
That's very nice welding - and you're right, much neater than mine - however I think you have welded from above, under a side window, which is possibly easier than the rear tailgate lip
The gas mix I have is CO2/Argon/Oxygen, it seems odd to have oxygen in there! But it definitely works better than when there was no gas at all.
I shall try adjusting the wire feed more precisely next time - good idea.
-Alex
Welding upwards you tend to need a little more power, knock it up a notch. Yes welding from above is so easy with MIG, welding half blind lying on the floor is much harder.
The big bottle I just bought also has a very small amount of Oxygen in it, so I'm guessing that's normal. Can't remember the exact mix but it's mostly Co2, a bit of Argon, and a tiny bit oxygen. I only ever did a tiny bit of gasless but yeah for bodywork it should be significantly better.
I'm clammin' on some update pictures! lol
