:: Diary - January 2020 ::

:: Sunday, January 5, 2020 ::

Today is the first TVR Car Club day of 2020! This time it's Jim who isn't going, because he is apparently on holiday. Poor excuse...

So I meet up with Dave, who drives us both through. Again, it's a good meeting, with lots of the usual banter about toy cars, christmas celebrations, electric vehicles, congestion charging, chassis refurbs, moles, lights, and holidays.

I also report on TVR progress - the seat piping is almost finished - the colour was completed before christmas, and it's had several coats of sealer and satin finish, so the seats are now ready to be re-installed in the car, when I get time.


:: Monday,January 6, 2020 ::

Time to put the seats back in! First, I vacuum the carpets, and then lower the driver seat into the car, with thick washer spacers between the seat runner and the floor. I get the front bolts through first, and then loosely fit a washer and nut underneath. That holds it in place but leaves room to lift the rear of the runners, slide the washers into place and then fit a washer and nut underneath - then tighten all four bolts up.

The other side is the same, then I refit the headrests and we're sorted!

Lovely!


The rest of my time today is spent tidying up the garage, putting away tools and airbrushes etc, and cleaning up the work surfaces.

Next, we'll be on to washing and polishing the bodywork, but not today.


:: Friday,January 24, 2020 ::

It was dry yesterday, and not freezing cold, so I washed the car ready for polishing.

So today, I set about it with a two-stage process. First I use a paint cleaner and polish, and an orbital buffer that I've had for ages, and go over all the paintwork from end to end. Cleaner on with a foam pad, then polish it in with the buffing machine, before wiping it off with a microfibre. Even at this stage, it looks amazing!

I do notice a few wee scratches and marks, so I give them a little extra attention - it doesn't remove them, but it does reduce their appearance.

Then it's on to applying a wax polish by hand with a pad, and buffing that up with a different microfibre.

By the time I've spent a whole day doing this, my arms feel ready to drop off.


:: Friday,January 31, 2020 ::

During all that polishing last week, I noticed that the tape was starting to peel off the windscreen. The windscreens have a tendency to delaminate around the edges, so the black edges go all milky-looking. Changing the screen is a PITA (and expensive!), so a lot of the more impecunious owners (ahem!) put tape around the edges to improve the appearance. It doesn't last long - the wipers can catch it at the top, and it can lift around the outside edges at the sides, but I've had the car 17 years and I've only had to tape it twice so far.

I've bought some two-inch-wide shiny black parcel tape (because I can't find the roll O bought 5 years ago or so, although I came across it only a few weeks ago). I start by peeling off the old tape and cleaning the screen with white spirit.

Then I stretch the new tape on, heating it with a hairdryer to get it around some of the curves (although I have to "segment) the bottom corners of the screen).

Then I trim around the edges of the glass with a scalpel, and remove the excess.


It's not great, but it's better than the scabby mess underneath!



[last month] [home] [next month]