The (one and only) '0846' Debate Thread

Mechanicals are all done so once car is painted it should go together by this summer. I'll display, demo/race it, and drive it on the street on Sundays...

 

While I realize it's not being done outdoors, how does doing the paint during cold, high humidity conditions alter this stage of the project?

 

Booth is climate controled.

 

Cool...!

 

Yes I thought that Jim would have got his hands dirty a few times. Sounds like a hands on enthusiast to me

Looking good Jim. I am torn between wanting you to hurry up and finish her ... and then suffering the boredom down stream after she is completed!

Painting is such a labour intensive process, I dread going through this process with my GTV even though once it is done a HUGE part of my restoration is then completed. It really is true that painting is all about preparation.

Maybe your team would like a quaint little holiday in Sydney next year ... just make sure they bring their sanding gear ... I haven't got a climate controlled paint booth though

Pete

 

You really miss a lot if you don't get your hands dirty.

 

Tail and headlight cover molds.

 

.

 

..

 

She is coming right along there Mr G things are looking great
thanks again for the up date

 

Fantastic photos! Thanks for sharing.
Are you planning on bringing it to Monterey in August??

 

Yup.

 

We are going to start a new website called WhereintheworldisnapolisandtheP4.com or NapolisP4Tour04.com just so we know where Jim is going to be with the car

 

wow. progress looks great!

 

Ready for masking...

 

Front...

 

What is "masking"...?

 

Whoa!!!!.

Okay Carbon what is going on here?.
- How long have you been a car enthusiast?
- Have you ever worked on a car?.
- Obviously you have never painted a car(?).

I think as part of your new (?) enthusiasm to cars you should either:
a. start servicing your own car.
b. enroll in a night school course and learn the secrets of the automobile.

When anyone gains enthusiasm for a new thing, if they take it on as a full on hobby eventually they find they need to learn about all the little details and become an 'expert'. You are progressing very, very well on the Ferrari history and models, now you need to become (IMO) more knowledgable about what is under the skin of a car ... and it is interesting!

Up to you

Anyway masking is the process of 'masking' off areas that you do not want to paint before you start the spray painting. As Jim's car is made up of alloy sheet riveted to the space frame chassis and Jim wants to keep the chassis black and some parts of the alloy unpainted (I assume) then those areas will have to be masked.

This is usually done by using newspaper and 'masking' tape and is quite a tedious process, that if not done well can really ruin a paint job.

Even if you are painting a stripped shell (like my Alfa 1750 GTV) you usually have to mask off different areas as not all areas can be painted at the same time. Thus I will be painting the inside of the car one day and then when I paint the outside I will mask the openings to the inside so I do not get any overspray over the already painted inside.

Almost all the cars I bought in my first few years of driving have had to be painted ... and I service/maintain all my own cars, for many reasons but one of them is it is fun and interesting. It does not take long to learn how it all works

What I am trying to say, is get some hands on experience with the automobile ... and I am not talking about driving here, that is only part of the fun.

Pete

 

Pete
I could not have said it better. As you said the black and the alloy are done. Two things I reallly like. The elegance of the center structure and the two roof top exit vents that are unique to the P4. God is in the details.
Best
Jim

 

I can see even more in the detailing, the rivet holes were all painted before riveting together. I think this is done so if the rivet moves it doesn't go down to bare metal.

Thanks for sharing the pics.

 

What always amazes me is how simple a factory race car looks compared to a backyard special (with thousands of after thoughts tacked on). The same can be said for just about any well designed component, I guess.

Now your car is becoming extremely interesting and like you said many, many hours are going to be consumed on those little details.

My brother inlaw (the painting expert in the family) used to always say to me to get the edges (ie. door openings and around the doors or petrol flap, etc.) right and the rest doesn't matter as much. The point he was stating is that people do not usually stare at the middle of a door panel but look around the edges or at some interesting opening ...

Pete

 

Pete you are right, part of the joy of discovery that comes with working on cars with your own hands is either discovering that you can do what you usually pay others to do or that they are paid pretty good money because it is never as easy as it looks.

Having had a few cars that needed some "Embelishment" over the years I have become quite good at some of these things but Really REally look to improve my hands on skills every chance I get. Some of the people I interview are obvously MILES beyond where i can ever get with my own skills but knowing the process and some of the pitfalls come in handy when someone like Carrol Shellby tries to shine you on, He almost had me with one If I had not tried beating out a couple of fenders myself he would have had a great laugh at my expense but the fact that I caught his jab garnered a little respect from the guy and he allowed me to hang out a little longer.

Dirty fingernails and scars are a bage of Honor

Carbon go get DIRTY

 

James, funny thing for you.. Just had a meeting with a "Multi" F Car owner and sometime Lurker here at Fchat. He was saying that he has been watching your progress with the P4 and also said he ran into someone at a local show (Unique Performance / Carroll Shelby) who was admiring his F40. the guy said he was Restoring a P4.... Didn't think it was you but are their others? I know there are some disputes over the "Real" aspects of some cars out there but there can't be that many P cars around.

I have looked at a couple of research sites but thought you might have the answer...

 

Did he get a name? It may be someone who is working on my car. That said there is only one P3/4 (my car 0846) and three P4's. 0860 has already been restored. 0856 is very original. 0858 was converted into a 350 Can Am and remains original. There are no others. NONE.

 

Ready for Red...