Councours bare metal respray advice?

M

Mr.Concours

New member
I am in the process of buying a early (59 model) Mini for the basis of a show car,I will get a specialist who has sprayed previous show winning Minis/Coopers to do the bodywork but wondered what things I could do to 'future proof' the car? I was thinking if it might be worth my while in no particular order-



1,Having the the engine bay and underbody/wheel wells sprayed with clear coat to give it shine and protect it,like a metallic.



2,Coating the seams with sealant (brush on)



3,lacquering some of the polished engine components to protect them



4.Rustproof the car in the most unobtrusive way possible,so it doesn't show.



ANY thoughts even if its just thoretical ideas would be most appreciated.ANY aspect of resoring a car to show standard not just the bodywork.



Cheers. :idea
 
Having restored many early British cars, I can tell you that working from the inside out is important. Use a non-hardening rust proofing (spray-in) in all interior panels (doors, rockers, inner fenders, headlight pods, etc) and under surfaces. All the suggestions you made are good ones.
 
Anyone any ideas what I should paint behind the bumpers?They are really rare now for the early mini (5 hole) I have painted the rear of the bumper with silver (smooth) hammerite before on other minis but its far from ideal.
 
Mr.Concours said:
1,Having the the engine bay and underbody/wheel wells sprayed with clear coat to give it shine and protect it,like a metallic.



3,lacquering some of the polished engine components to protect them
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Would these not be frowned up on for being un origional?
 
Richt said:
Would these not be frowned up on for being un origional?
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Yes in a way, but I dont think they would really be noticeable,I am really looking at the longevity of the car.It didn't come with any kind of stonechip protection from the factory so I can't really put that under the wheel arches/underbody (unless smoeone knows of a smooth stonechip that doesn't show ) I want to drive the car its a bit catch 22.So will be rustproofing it which won't be original as such,on the whole I will be striving for a factory look as much as possible even going so far as to have 'orange peel' paint rather than 'perfect'paint.
 
Mr.Concours said:
Yes in a way, but I dont think they would really be noticeable.. I want to drive the car its a bit catch 22.So will be rustproofing it which won't be original as such,on the whole I will be striving for a factory look as much as possible even going so far as to have 'orange peel' paint rather than 'perfect'paint.
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I'd try to find less obvious ways of protecting it. Adding clearcoat would, IMO really stick out (I bet I'd spot it right away if I were judging) and since clear is just unpigmented paint, I don't think it'd really offer any extra protection anyhow.



There are flattening agents you can use with the clear on engine components.



Undercoating can be sprayed into unseen places, which are where rust usually starts anyhow. You can use something removable in vulnerable areas that show if you're gonna drive it in unseasonable weather. This might be an idea for the vulnerable areas in the wheelarches too. It'd be protected when you're driving it, but you could clean it off for the important shows.



Guess it's a matter of personal preference, but I avoid the "over-restored" approach.



The flat silver paint idea for the back of the bumpers will be hard to beat, unless you want to use some kind of rustproofing. But IMO that'd be much more likely to show.



Cool project, BTW. Nice to hear that you're doing it right.
 
I presume there is at least one owners club, they might be able to shed some light on know weaknesses such as rusting sills etc
 
LouisanaJeeper said:
POR 15 where you want to undercoat



it will look like regular black paint, but is more chip and rust resistant
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Having used POR 15 numerous times (cars, around the house, you name it), and yeah, it's OK, but I'd check out the competing product from Eastwood. From what I hear it's a lot less finicky with regard to application. When POR 15 works (i.e., sticks to the surface) it works well, but I know of at least two cases where it came off despite proper prep. And it tends to fade pretty badly when exposed to sunlight. Always worked OK for me (except for the fading), but I'd rather recommend the Eastwood stuff.
 
for rust prevention in the cavitys etc...try some of the dinitrol range from frost, its better than waxoil



laquer is only clear paint...i cant see it protecting your under arch areas at all, ive been painting cars for 16 yrs..what i would suggest is that the painter adds a "flex" additive to the paint for any areas prone to chips...like the arches,sills,bonnet edge etc.. thats asuming your having modern 2 pack paint and not celleluse...your painter will find flex additive listed for use on flexable spoilers and should use it in the same way. the finish will look the same and you treat it the same, it just doesnt get quite as brittle as regular paint
 
wow your putting OP onto your car on purpose, thats crazy.



I think if you repaint it, the judges will know so I would go for a good job instead of adding "character," I don't think it will look good with OP to be honest.
 
For a concours car it is all about origionality.



If your doing it just for yourself then it doesnt matter, but any one striving to restore a car to as factory will have to play these crazy games!
 
Something to consider about the OP/originality- yeah, "too smooth" paint can cost you. And some of us (myself included) find "too perfect, modern looking paint" to be out of place on certain cars. I've read auction descriptions where the car's paint was described as "repainted, too shiny" and "prepaint is too smooth". It matters to some people.



BTW, if you're having it done in b/c paint some of us would spot that and say "that oughta be single stage" ;) And it could be the same with OP.
 
I am going to ask for a slight 'orange peel' finish to the car not a 'show car' finish, but I guess eventually I will remove the orange peel with all the polishing over the years!
 
Mr Concours, where do you propose to show your car, I find it very difficult to find a concours show in the U.K. that is by the book as mostly the cars that win are modified and don't have a great finish.
 
I plan to show the car at the UK Mini shows as there seems to be one on just about every weekend during the summer,still trying to source parts, so if anyone knows where I can get any early(59) Mini parts,I may even be intrested in a whole car if its early enough.



The shows are marque specific so the judges really know what to look for,which is good.
 
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