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First outing after rebuild

Posted: Fri, 17 Jul 2009, 9:01 pm
by vauxhallbitz
This is the first outing with my Portafold after a three year rebuild, unfortunately the Ford Thames does not belong to me but I am looking for one if anyone knows of one for sale.
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Chassis being prepared for painting.
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Chassis painted ready to reunited with body.
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Fitting the headlining.
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Headlining finished 1.
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Headlining finished 2.
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Interior painting finished 1.
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Interior painting finished 2.
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Portafold roof rubbed down ready for painting.
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Portafold roof painted with second coat.
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Second coat on body complete.
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Ford Thames and Portafold.

Regards to all, Fraser.

Rebuild

Posted: Sat, 18 Jul 2009, 5:16 pm
by txfsealord
Hi Fraser,

What a superb job you've made of it! I'm particularly impressed with your roof-lining on the mesh fillets over the fin-hollows.........how many fabric sections are there to the main area? What material & adhesive did you use? Also, are the walls painted or trimmed in material also?

The fibreglassing & trimming are the hardest jobs for me.

Steve

Posted: Sat, 18 Jul 2009, 5:25 pm
by bigbird
It's a wonderful job isn't it! Love the comma van (it is a comma isn't it??)

Posted: Sat, 18 Jul 2009, 10:40 pm
by vauxhallbitz
Hello Steve,

Thanks for your kind comments, it has been a long hard slog to finish but worth it I think.

There are two sections to the roof with a join in the middle which we hid with some binding tape. I can get the details of the company we got the material from if you wish, I think the total cost was around £70 including six cans of upholstery adhesive. Basically we stuck it down with that and it appears to have worked well, we have stayed in it for five nights and had no problems with condensation. It seemed easier to glass over the fins rather than try to fold the material into them, if you want more detailed pictures of the finished article just let me know.

The van towing the Portafold is a Ford Thames 400E Dormobile and I am now looking for one to buy so if anyone can help me locate one it would be most appreciated.

Regards, Fraser.

Roof lining

Posted: Sun, 19 Jul 2009, 7:15 am
by txfsealord
Hi Fraser,

You've done exceptionally well to get your roof so wrinkle-free with only 2 panels! Your material must be very pliable; when I attempted this on my Ansfold I either had severe wrinkling around the edges or, on the second side, the central area of the lining pulled away from the roof, due to too much stretch. Admitting defeat, I stripped & painted it instead.

I would be interested to know which adhesive you used & how you applied it. When this sort of thing is attempted in cars such as Jaguars (where the headlining-fabric is bonded to shaped hardboard-type panelling) it's difficult to get it to stay up, long-term.

Will you be at Beaulieu?

Steve

Posted: Sun, 19 Jul 2009, 8:01 pm
by vauxhallbitz
Hello Steve,

The adhesive we used was TRIM-FIX ADHESIVE designed for high temperature conditions. There is no manufacturer name on the can so I don't know who makes it, if you want I will try and remember the company we got the headlining from and they might be able to help.

I can honestly say that it was very easy to cover the roof and only took my wife and I about three hours to complete the job. When the adhesive goes on it looks like the silly string that children play with but it dries quickly and appears to have very good adhesion properties, I would recommend it to other owners who are experiencing condensation problems. It is also an easier job as you can turn the roof over and press down hard on it with a small roller to get rid of any creases. The headlining if I remember correctly is 4mm foam backed and comes in four colours.

Unfortunately I will not be at Beaulieu.

Hope this helps, Regards, Fraser.

Re: First outing after rebuild

Posted: Sun, 12 Sep 2010, 5:40 pm
by vauxhallbitz
Hello all,

Just back from a local show with the Portafold and new towing vehicle , next week we have our last show of the season so will be camplng hope the weather holds??
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Re: First outing after rebuild

Posted: Tue, 21 Sep 2010, 10:10 pm
by vauxhallbitz
Some pics of my van from show last weekend at Selkirk
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Re: First outing after rebuild

Posted: Mon, 21 Jul 2014, 9:23 pm
by vauxhallbitz
Now for sale on ebay.

Re: First outing after rebuild

Posted: Fri, 25 Jul 2014, 7:59 pm
by vauxhallbitz
Now sold, thanks to all who enquired about it, it eventually reached 91 watchers on Ebay!!!