Going to start this thread for members to post up what they did each day to there zed. I will start with getting my MOT this morning. So what did you do today on your 300?:cool3:

Well, successfully dipped the timing covers today.

They came out exactly how I hoped they would..

Looking good, now need a few coats of lacquer to finish them off :thumbup:

Yup, they've had one coat, gotta go pick up a new can of lacquer tomorrow and build up those coats..

It should look sweet..

Got the fan shroud to do next.. Don't think I'll dip all of it as it's huge to fit in the tank.. Maybe do the top half that's visible..

Liking the Pun

Looking great Paul ?

Final lacquer coat now curing and I can honestly say.. Who needs to pay for hydro dippers?

Very happy with the final result!

Got to move on to the trickier bit now... The radiator fan shroud... I've decided to dip the plastic trims from the doorcards aswell. They're colour coded already so why not huh? Lol.. Wish me luck..

Your not finished Paul, you got to cut and polish to finish, you can just leave the lacquered finish as is, over time its likely to get grim ingress and also wet sanding with a fine grade, 1200-2000 then buff will make them shine like nothing and easier to clean over time:thumbup1:

You don't fancy changing your name to grim by any chance do you? Lol.. Have you seen the fine detailing on these covers? Don't know if I could get anything in between the bits and bobs sticking out of it!

I've got a dremel and some fine finishing paste so I'll give it a go.. Trust you to make me work harder! Lololol..

I must say though, they already very shiny.. :drool:

You don't fancy changing your name to grim by any chance do you? Lol.. Have you seen the fine detailing on these covers? Don't know if I could get anything in between the bits and bobs sticking out of it!

I've got a dremel and some fine finishing paste so I'll give it a go.. Trust you to make me work harder! Lololol..

I must say though, they already very shiny.. :drool:

I wouldn't trust a dremel buffer, everytime i've tried wetsanding and buffing i just muck up the whole thing and have the pain of doing it again. They look good in the pictures, just don't spoil them :D

Dremel buffer is too small and can create tram lines. You need to apply a fair amount of pressure when buffing, so i use a 3" wheel with a polishing mop and finishing paste on something small or delicate.

 

At the end of the day if you are happy with the result then dont risk having to do it again if you feel you dont need too :biggrin:

Had to take the Z to work today due to a suspected suspension issue on my Vectra. Must admit though, it was nice with the targas off after a hard day at work!

 

Also received this coaster today from Richy Speed.. Looks good!

 

Dremel buffer is too small and can create tram lines. You need to apply a fair amount of pressure when buffing, so i use a 3" wheel with a polishing mop and finishing paste on something small or delicate.

 

At the end of the day if you are happy with the result then dont risk having to do it again if you feel you dont need too :biggrin:

 

I know what you mean, the dremel needs a real precision hand to get things right. I'm quite good with it though as I used to make jewelery and carvings with it..

Not really sure what to do now.. As the finish on it is really shiny, it makes me feel like leaving as is, but the finish isn't perfectly flat I do have to say.

I'll ponder over it a while as it in no rush to fit them. They'll be being fitted when I have the rest of my engine work done along with the freshly painted fan shroud, fan, plenum, turbo hoses and rocker covers.

I am planning on dipping the rocker covers aswell but i have to get them back from the guy that's coating them first! Hopefully by Tuesday next week I've been told.

 

Coopd, Richies doing some great gear now.. I've got the full engine bay set off him in stainless which is being coated aswell.. I've got a little project lined up for those but wont say too much about that right now until I know my idea is possible..

Coopd, Richies doing some great gear now.. I've got the full engine bay set off him in stainless which is being coated aswell.. I've got a little project lined up for those but wont say too much about that right now until I know my idea is possible..

 

I got a stainless steel Fairlady Z emblem for below my radio.. I tinted it with perspex so its not in your face however it lights up in red with the side lights... Really like it :)

I am planning on dipping the rocker covers aswell but i have to get them back from the guy that's coating them first! Hopefully by Tuesday next week I've been told.

Could you put up a picture of the dipping setup please?

Picked up engine parts from Powdercoating. Shotblasted and done in Satin Black. Various parts - Headlights strips, camgear plates, balance bar, waterpipes, camcovers ..etc

 

A few pics of some of the parts :

 

 

Unfortuntly the 4 Cam covers showed quite a lot of pitting after shotblasing, so may have to source some replacements.

 

Also had the Plenum shotblasted only for now as not sure on the final finish and colour to proceed with yet

 

Edited May 13, 20169 yr by Yowser

I got a stainless steel Fairlady Z emblem for below my radio.. I tinted it with perspex so its not in your face however it lights up in red with the side lights... Really like it :)

 

I bought the whole engine bay kit off him and the whole lot has gone in to be coated in gold. my plan is to resin fill the cut out logos with red resin and then I am hoping to backlight the red... I've got to try and work out if the wiring is going to be viable as it could be complicated due to heat and cable routing etc, I don't want it to look untidy. It'd be a show piece only, so independent power supply to run it all.

Not sure if it'll work out, but if not, the resin fill will look nice anyway and keep things in theme.

Could you put up a picture of the dipping setup please?

 

 

To be honest Alic, there's not much to show you. It is literally just a plastic 90 litre square tub filled with water!

The film and a spray can of activator. That's it.. You don't need anything special, just a container to fill with water big enough to fit the film in to and deep enough to fully submerge the parts being dipped.

You can watch the whole process from start to finish by putting " home hydrographic dipping " in the search bar on YouTube. Everything you need to know is there mate.

To be honest Alic, there's not much to show you. It is literally just a plastic 90 litre square tub filled with water!

The film and a spray can of activator. That's it.. You don't need anything special, just a container to fill with water big enough to fit the film in to and deep enough to fully submerge the parts being dipped.

You can watch the whole process from start to finish by putting " home hydrographic dipping " in the search bar on YouTube. Everything you need to know is there mate.

Now thinking how I can highjack the kids paddling pool when they aren't looking lol

Now thinking how I can highjack the kids paddling pool when they aren't looking lol

 

Why? Are you thinking of giving your kids the carbon look? Lol..

Seriously, I bought a big square plastic tub on ebay for £25 and it's just big enough to dip my fan shroud in.

I was thinking of putting a fish tank filter in it and a drain tap to make cleaning and disposal of the water easier but haven't got round to that one yet.

If I decide to make it a little sideline for the future I'll spend a little more money on getting a decent tank put together, but for small personal needs, this is good enough.

 

Having the basic setup is one thing, but perfecting the process is another.. There is a knack to it, you can tell exactly when the film is perfect for dipping but it's such a tiny window that it's very easy to miss. I seem to be able to get it fairly close now but there were a few failures along the way!

If you're going to give it a go yourself, just be prepared to waste a little film before getting it right.

 

You're welcome to come over and see how it's done or even bring a couple of bits and have a go yourself on a weekend Alic. We don't exactly live far apart and I'm usually free most weekends.

I'm going to be dipping the plastics from the inside of the door cards this weekend and I'm still contemplating doing the scuttle panels, the thin trims that run over the car roof and also the perspex strip.

It's all swimming round in the brain at the moment until I decide..

Best thing is with dipping, you can dip something and see how it looks, if you like it, you clearcoat it. If you don't, you get the nail varnish remover and wipe it off!

What better way to come home for the weekend?

 

Why? Are you thinking of giving your kids the carbon look? Lol..

Seriously, I bought a big square plastic tub on ebay for £25 and it's just big enough to dip my fan shroud in.

I was thinking of putting a fish tank filter in it and a drain tap to make cleaning and disposal of the water easier but haven't got round to that one yet.

If I decide to make it a little sideline for the future I'll spend a little more money on getting a decent tank put together, but for small personal needs, this is good enough.

 

Having the basic setup is one thing, but perfecting the process is another.. There is a knack to it, you can tell exactly when the film is perfect for dipping but it's such a tiny window that it's very easy to miss. I seem to be able to get it fairly close now but there were a few failures along the way!

If you're going to give it a go yourself, just be prepared to waste a little film before getting it right.

 

You're welcome to come over and see how it's done or even bring a couple of bits and have a go yourself on a weekend Alic. We don't exactly live far apart and I'm usually free most weekends.

I'm going to be dipping the plastics from the inside of the door cards this weekend and I'm still contemplating doing the scuttle panels, the thin trims that run over the car roof and also the perspex strip.

It's all swimming round in the brain at the moment until I decide..

Best thing is with dipping, you can dip something and see how it looks, if you like it, you clearcoat it. If you don't, you get the nail varnish remover and wipe it off!

My plan I'm thinking of at the moment is to make one of those front bonnet cover pieces that go over the lock on the engine bay, and then over to the wings, and do it in a white carbon fibre, since having a big pool to dip it in. I might be a bit ambitious but I think it would look nice.

something like this i think

Edited May 13, 20169 yr by Alic

My plan I'm thinking of at the moment is to make one of those front bonnet cover pieces that go over the lock on the engine bay, and then over to the wings, and do it in a white carbon fibre, since having a big pool to dip it in. I might be a bit ambitious but I think it would look nice.

something like this i think

[ATTACH=CONFIG]97128[/ATTACH]

 

Yea, that's quite possible Alic, I'd recommend you really practice it and get the hang of it before you attempt a piece that size though.. You'll have to have a real steady hand to keep it straight and level as you dip, cos if the angle is wrong, the weave will distort..

As I said, if you have some time on a weekend, you're welcome to come and have a look at how it's done, and have a go if you like..

Yea, that's quite possible Alic, I'd recommend you really practice it and get the hang of it before you attempt a piece that size though.. You'll have to have a real steady hand to keep it straight and level as you dip, cos if the angle is wrong, the weave will distort..

As I said, if you have some time on a weekend, you're welcome to come and have a look at how it's done, and have a go if you like..

Cheers Paul, got a bit to do before the summer so cosmetic stuff such as that will have to wait, but nice to know.

Picked up engine parts from Powdercoating. Shotblasted and done in Satin Black. Various parts - Headlights strips, camgear plates, balance bar, waterpipes, camcovers ..etc

 

A few pics of some of the parts :

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]97120[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]97121[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]97123[/ATTACH]

 

Unfortuntly the 4 Cam covers showed quite a lot of pitting after shotblasing, so may have to source some replacements.

 

Also had the Plenum shotblasted only for now as not sure on the final finish and colour to proceed with yet

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]97124[/ATTACH]

 

Perks of the job eh! Looking today there Dave, I'd keep the plenum as it is matey, just clean it up again to bring out the silver but don't use any of that polish that goes black!

I'd keep the plenum as it is matey, just clean it up again to bring out the silver but don't use any of that polish that goes black!

 

I've used this product with success:

 

http://www.frost.co.uk/frost-ali-clean-alloy-aluminium-castings-cleaner.html

 

Plenum came up very clean and bright.