Healey BN1 plans for the next stage of the rebuild

So now I'm on holiday for 4 weeks and unable to do anything on the car; essentially this is great research time.  My plan is to fit the mechanicals, get it running then refit the outer bodywork and paint.  This is the state of the nation in a list:

Axel - ready to instal
Engine - rebuilt by previous own, needs painting
Gearbox - unknown although a visual inspection through the side case looked ok
Overdrive - unknown
Front suspension - needs work, have new king pins and some brake parts but not all
Gauges - ok - petrol has been restored, need a new capillary tube for the temp/pressure gauge.
Wiring - need new loom, have some ancillaries but not sure what
Seats - incomplete and needing work
Steering - complete but needing work
Engine ancillaries - dynamo, starter, oil pump etc. all need work
Petrol tank - needs tlc

That lot will take some time for sure.  Feels quite exciting though.  I am going to start by watching as many youtube videos on Healey restorations as I can find, should be a good summer.

When I packed the garage up before coming on holiday I pushed the mig welder in and wondered when I would next use it, after all these years it has found rest, the car is blue.

BN1 in Healey Blue

The thing is blue, thank goodness for that.

I managed to persuade a friend of my wife's to help me get the car back onto the trolley early on Sunday morning which was a relief.  The day started at about 6 with the old masking tape coming off, new tape applied and a wash with panel wipe.  I also covered the trolley with a new layer of plastic sheeting to reduce dust in the paintwork and cleaned the garage out.  Derek arrived before 9 and we got the car on the trolley before a quick sausage sandwich for breakfast.

Fuelled and ready to go I started with the base coat.  It went well, just the one run on the first coat, but a big one at that!  I used a lot of paint though so I thinned down the next batch to make it cover the car better.  Apart from the area between the front wheel arch and the chassis leg that comes down from the bulkhead I got a good layer on the whole car.  The second coat also went well so I returned the unused paint to the tin, cleaned the gun and mixed some lacquer up.  At this stage I noticed the time and it was not good.

My wife and I are lucky enough to get the summer off, comes with the territory of being teachers, so we generally swap our homes with somebody from a far flung place.  This year our swapping partners were flying in from Thailand and landing at 12:30 in Gatwick.  It was 12:00 and I hadn't even started mixing the paint let alone pack, damn.

I started rushing a little from here on in which with the benefit of hindsight was a shame.  I like the saying 'less haste, more speed' and I started to make some silly errors.  I threw the paint into the gun pot with such vigour that I spilt it. When I cleaned the gun I changed some of the settings without realising so I found the painting harder work, until I realised, I kept pulling the air hose across the bodywork and so on.  I also got a few more runs than I should have.

When I finished I washed myself down in thinners and then jumped in the shower.  Clean, I packed for the holiday and then took a look at the car.  I am very happy to have it in blue and despite the challenges of painting to a time frame I think it looks good, very good in fact.  It has been 25+ years since I sprayed a car and it doesn't look bad.  Mind you I have made my mind up to get the outer bodywork done professionally, what I've done today will be covered by carpet or grease in no time at all so it isn't quite as crucial.

I'm still a little perplexed by the colour.  The pictures below look like it is a completely different shade of blue to the pictures above.  I am a fan of the colour but somewhat surprised how dark it is compared to my memory of Healey Ice Blue Metallic.

Underside done

Well I painted the underside of the car today and it feels good.  I used a smaller spray gun that was better quality and it showed.

All in all it went quite well.  The colour looks darker that I remember the blue being but until I get it in the daylight I won't know.  I like the colour though.

My next challenge is to find somebody who can help me get the car onto the trolley early tomorrow so that I can paint the top of the inner body work.  I am leaving for Thailand in the afternoon so I need to get that resolved urgently.

Last minute Billy

It is the end of school for the year on Friday and I can't wait.  I have left the car painting until the last possible minute.  On Sunday my wife and I are swapping our house with a couple from Thailand and will fly from Heathrow for a summer of rest and relaxation.  I have promised myself that I will have the inner in blue by then.  Now, Wednesday morning it is in primer with all the joints sealed and completely rubbed down ready, and waiting for some colour.  I am out tonight and Friday night with work which leaves Thursday evening and Saturday to get it done.  I haven't collected the paint yet either.  There is much to go wrong and lots to ponder.

On a brighter note I did see a set of 15" 48 spoke wheels on eBay.  The chap had owned them for 30 years and decided he needed the garage space.  They were off a TR2 but after some digging I established that the TR, MGA and 100 cars all shared the same components so I asked my lovely wife if they could be a birthday present.  The owner kindly brought them into his work which was conveniently located in central London and I collected them last night.  A blast and a stove enamel will leave them looking top notch for a hell of  a lot less than a new set.  Very happy.

Well I was in the garage at just after 6 and it hurt.  JP came round at about 9:30 by which time I had just about finished the sealing on the upper side of the inner bodywork.  I then started to rub down the underside having go it successfully off the trolley.  I hardly stopped and when I left the garage at 5 I still have a lot of sealing to do and this I will have to do in the week otherwise I'll no get it painted at the weekend.  I'm tired now but conscious that'll be lovely to have it painted before the summer.

Without surprise I didn't get the top of the car rubbed down and sealed during the week.  Didn't even finish it today, Saturday.  But I did manage to get JP to agree to pop round tomorrow at 9 to turn the car with me so I guess I have an early start,.....

I've been toying with the options ahead of me pre and post summer holidays which are rapidly approaching.  I had this weekend and two more before we head off on our annual house swap (teacher = time rich / cash poor hence swapping one's house for the summer).  I could have gone to Brooklands on the Thruxton for the annual motorbike show but had our mobile mechanic round to service the tt and replace its cam belt.  This meant that I really had to get on with rubbing down the 100 and therefore paint it before the summer.  So I spent the day rubbing, rubbing and rubbing some more.  My fingers are down to the knuckles.  I have nearly finished the top of the car so I will do that this week and seal the joints.  Then next weekend I'll rub down the underside and then stone chip it.  That leaves me with one day to paint the top and the bottom, urmmm, doesn't add up.  Oh well.