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Re: Phunkie Project Portafold

Posted: Sun, 27 Nov 2011, 4:31 pm
by phunkie hiboy
Sorry, forgot to put in a couple of pictures, then it wouldn't let me. Anyway here they are, after sanding the seal guides ready for primer.
1.jpg
And a picture of how the unfinished "U" section mouldings are supplied.
2.jpg
Thank you.

Re: Phunkie Project Portafold

Posted: Thu, 01 Dec 2011, 11:54 am
by Reggie
Simply stunning work you are doing .

Re: Phunkie Project Portafold

Posted: Thu, 01 Dec 2011, 7:00 pm
by Ambubird
Fantastic work, I only hope mine is half as good. Keep the pictures coming & the good work up. I'm very jealous! :thumbup:

Re: Phunkie Project Portafold

Posted: Thu, 01 Dec 2011, 7:23 pm
by phunkie hiboy
Thank you for the kind words, guys. It's not that difficult to do this stuff, you've just got to keep focused. A deadline also certainly adds to the pressure!! :thumbup:

Re: Phunkie Project Portafold

Posted: Sun, 05 Feb 2012, 7:36 pm
by phunkie hiboy
Well, we are still here and moving forward with this rebuild. Managed to get some more done before Christmas and after, although during the Christmas/new year recess I was working on another restoration project, on this little baby ..........

PICTURE OF OTHER PROJECT

Anyway onwards and upwards.
So, we’ve replaced our cardboard battery with a state of the art carbon fibre 100amp leisure battery. A securing needed to be fabricated for it, together with a mount for the 240volt breaker and the solid state charger connected into the hook up circuit and the stand alone 12v circuit.
Firstly the battery and breaker.
picture 325_(640_x_480).jpg
Then the charger.
picture 326_(640_x_480).jpg
And finally all in position.
picture 328_(640_x_480).jpg
Just got to hook up all the wiring now!!
Managed to get a final coat of boat varnish on the table frame edges, just need to get the glass cut and tempered now.
picture 329_(640_x_480).jpg
I think that the quote “no wood to rot and no metal to rust” describing the construction of these ‘vans is a little bit of an under statement. Our ‘van suffers from both, rot in the wood and rust in the metal strengthening plates.
Starting with the rear wall, the plates to strengthen the hinge mounts were rusted and had split the fibreglass laminates.
picture 246_(640_x_480).jpg
This lead to a large distortion of the fibreglass along those lower edges. Another connected reason for the distortion could also be the seized hinges.
The laminates were clamped together using “G” clamps and a long straight piece of wood running under both sides of the hinge mounting panels.
picture 247_(640_x_480).jpg
picture 245_(640_x_480).jpg
I’ll explain the drill holes later. A piece of plywood was cut to match the profile of the mount.
picture 254_(640_x_480).jpg
After a layer of resin and cut strand mat was added.
picture 248_(640_x_480).jpg
The ply was added and laminated in.
picture 255_(640_x_480).jpg
picture 261_(640_x_480).jpg
These parts were then sanded and filled and resanded.
picture 319_(640_x_480).jpg
Now the reason for the holes, we need to put in a lighting system. This will be 12volts and we need to get those 12volts from the main body (where they end now) to the walls (where the wires will terminate in some 12volt halogen 2” house lights).
The easiest way to do this, without having loose wires with plug in connectors draped all over, is to use some of these little devices.
picture 206_(640_x_480).jpg
These particular ones can be found on the tailgates of Fait Chinquichento’s, other makes are available.
They are spring loaded contacts and this will give you some idea of how they work.
picture 207_(640_x_480).jpg
The brass plate side will be fixed to the main body, whilst the spring loaded pins will be fixed to the end bases. When the ends are raised into position, the contacts will make the circuit to the lights.
Holes were made, to take the plates, in three places, two at the rear and one at the front.
picture 208_(640_x_480).jpg
And the plates inserted into them.
picture 209_(640_x_480).jpg
The holes for the spring loaded portion are cut into the added ply strengthening in the ends.
picture 384_(640_x_480).jpg
It was decided to just glass in the wires up the end pieces, so they were masking taped to the inner wall.
picture 321_(640_x_480).jpg
And then glassed in.
picture 323_(640_x_480).jpg
At this point we needed to get rid of the flaking inner surface. We did this using rotary wire brushes on a cordless drill.
23.jpg
Then finally to coat the inside with some “Topcoat” fibreglass resin, this time in white.
picture 324_(640_x_480).jpg
So next time we’ll be starting on the front wall …………………………. :wave:

Re: Phunkie Project Portafold

Posted: Mon, 27 Feb 2012, 9:48 pm
by phunkie hiboy
OK, now to deal with the front wall.
picture 223_(640_x_480).jpg
Remove the window and inner covering (pretty bad condition and has been painted over, and not very well)
picture 226_(640_x_480).jpg
Remove sealing foam and fittings.
picture 225_(640_x_480).jpg
picture 331_(640_x_480).jpg
Check to see what holes require filling.

Sand off all the glue from the inner covering and the badly crazed over painting on the lower section. A rotary wire brush on a drill seems to do the job pretty well.
picture 231_(640_x_480).jpg
The fibreglass around the window area is so thin that over the years it has distorted quite a lot. This could result in water ingress even when the window is closed and locked.
picture 333_(640_x_480).jpg
This remedied by cutting, from a piece of thick wood (read old acoustic parcel shelf), a shape to fit exactly where the window mounts and fix it to the frame.
picture 334_(640_x_480).jpg
picture 335_(640_x_480).jpg
Fibreglass laminate is then laid around the sides, up to about 2.5 inches round the “frame”. this will make it stronger in that area and straight.
picture 336_(640_x_480).jpg
The same treatment carried out on the rear wall on the bottom rail/hinge mounting area has also been applied here, including adding mount for the contact set for lighting.
picture 337_(640_x_480).jpg
The lighting cables have then been glassed in……..
picture 342_(640_x_480).jpg
……..before sanding and covering with a coat of bright white topcoat.
picture 346.jpg
picture 368_(640_x_480).jpg
That’s it, for the moment, on the front wall.
Now to start on the side walls, first the left side.
15.jpg
First, as with the front wall, remove trim and window.
16.jpg
picture 349_(640_x_480).jpg
Then remove all the trim glue, with a rotary wire brush and electric drill. This came off quite easily.
picture 354_(640_x_480).jpg
Then to look at the hinge panel at the bottom. Due to a couple of reasons the two skins of this assembly had parted company.
19.jpg
Also at the end lower corners the fibreglass was breaking up.
20.jpg
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The reasons for all this, a combination of partially seized hinges, not very good bonding along the edge and laminate being laid on gel coat finish with out keying first.
The end parts were cut away to uncover good fibreglass.
picture 358_(640_x_480).jpg
picture 359_(640_x_480).jpg
The top and bottom skins of the lower assembly were held apart and a generous amount of Sikaflex was injected in between, then the two skins taped together to “go off”.
24.jpg
After keying with a course sandpaper the end corners were laminated.
25.jpg
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Then trimmed and sanded ready for a coat of “top coat”. The tape was removed from the Sikaflexed joint and also sanded.
picture 372_(640_x_480).jpg
picture 373_(640_x_480).jpg
The window received the same treatment as the front window opening.
29.jpg
Things are moving ahead quite well now, so next time the right side ………………

Re: Phunkie Project Portafold

Posted: Tue, 28 Feb 2012, 7:05 pm
by Isaacsman
It's wonderful that you provide so much detail. It would be good to have the complete work published as a book!

Mike

Re: Phunkie Project Portafold

Posted: Thu, 01 Mar 2012, 5:50 pm
by vauxhallbitz
Fantastic restoration well done so far!!

Re: Phunkie Project Portafold

Posted: Sun, 04 Mar 2012, 7:58 pm
by phunkie hiboy
Isaacsman wrote:It's wonderful that you provide so much detail. It would be good to have the complete work published as a book!

Mike
Thanks for that, but I don't think there would be that bigger a market for a book. The reason for the detail, is to help anyone else that has the same repairs to do (can't imagine that ours is the only one in this condition)and can do them themselves with a bit of insight/guidance.
vauxhallbitz wrote:Fantastic restoration well done so far!!
Thanks, the more we move forward the easier it gets

Re: Phunkie Project Portafold

Posted: Mon, 19 Mar 2012, 8:57 pm
by phunkie hiboy
Following on, the window edge is laminated and trimmed. The same method is carried out on the other side. This side was in a less damaged condition, but the same areas required attention.
picture 388_(640_x_480).jpg
1.jpg
2.jpg
Now that both sides are repaired on the inside, it’s time to paint them over with topcoat.

Left side…………………….
4.jpg
Right side…………………….
picture 407_(640_x_480).jpg
I managed to get hold of some pre used battery terminals.
picture 404_(640_x_480).jpg
Which were cleaned up and soldered onto the necessary wires and finised off with shrink insulation.
picture 405_(640_x_480).jpg
Next piece to get attention has to be the roof. The coating on the inside was cracking and falling off.
8.jpg
So armed with a gasket scraper and rotary wire brush on a drill we turned this …………
picture 389_(640_x_480).jpg
Into this ………….
picture 400_(640_x_480).jpg
With the resulting roof interior looking like this …………
11.jpg
There are some repairs to be made ……….
picture 391_(640_x_480).jpg
picture 392_(640_x_480).jpg
The worst of which is a “sag” in the fibre glass on the right side at the rear. Not that obvious in this picture
picture 394_(640_x_480).jpg
But we need to sus out what will have to be done to make it stable before we go any further.
I’m off to work on a plan, so see you next time.