FINNIE

Up And Reporting in 2013!

2013-08-21T21:12:00.000+08:00

It has been eight long months since the last update. Ten, since the last report regarding the paint job.

A couple of friends and I made our way down to Tim's workshop in Spearwood to finally check out the progress made, as well as discuss any ideas for the project.

FINNIE is still in the same state as what it was ten months ago, in its fresh coat of white paint. Interior still looks as scruffy as ever and the mechanics & electrics have not been touched.

The steering wheel has been restored in the wrong colour (pearl, instead of ivory). Tim will have to send it back to have it re done.

Some of the ideas we've discussed:

- Door cards & seats in red leather

- Carpet in matching red

- Headliner reupholstered in same polka dot fabric

- Dashboard re-wrapped in black vinyl

- Chrome trimmings & pieces will be re-chromed

- Hubcaps painted in centre with matching exterior paint

- Faulty wiring will be rewired

- Air conditioning will possibly be retrofitted in the rear (as it was when we purchased FINNIE)

Update

2012-12-28T13:05:00.001+08:00

Sorry for the lack of updates.

FINNIE is currently in John's paint workshop and has been stored until further notice from Tim.

It has been over a year since the panel beating was completed. Up till now, little progress has been made - only the painting is completed.

According to Tim, his workshop is stored to its brim and is unable to start new jobs. We'll have to wait until post new year. How disappointing.

Please stay tuned for more updates.

Anton

Painted!!!

2012-10-10T21:00:00.002+08:00

AUD 12,000.00 for this paint job!

My Dad is fuming!!!

Doors, bonnet & boot have yet to be bolted on. Hubcaps have not been painted.

More photos to come...

A Little Progress

2012-07-27T14:50:00.003+08:00

It's been almost 2 months since the last update. Here goes...

FINNIE is still in the paint shop awaiting her new coat of paint.

John of Turcon's Panel & Paint avoids painting under 16ºC because the paint will be soft and will not harden up and so he will have to wait for the weather to warm up until he starts painting, unless he feels like heating up the paint booth to let the car warm up before paint.

At this stage, John has sprayed the primer filler (?) for filling in any dents or scratches in the body and panels. He is currently blocking (sanding) this layer down, ready for paint.

Openings masked out.

Different layers of the bonnet being blocked.

So, do you see the difference of colour on the car?

Finally! Almost, There.

2012-05-25T14:07:00.002+08:00

Finally! Today I had the chance of going down to John's paint shop (Turcons Panel Beating & Spray Painting) in Spearwood.

Tim & John (Right).

FINNIE has just been sprayed on with DP40 2K (2 Pack) Primer (Grey). There are three main steps to perform the paint job on FINNIE. Primer, base coat and clear coat. The number of coats or the amount of paint used depends on how thick or thin a single coat is. The thicker, the lesser amount of coats or layers and the thinner, the more coats have to be sprayed on.

DP40 2K Primer

DP40 D834 Chromate-Free 2K Epoxy Surfacer has been sprayed onto the bare metal (over the black etch primer).

Description of DP40 2K Primer from the PPG website. http://ahassoun.com/ppg.html:

" PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
DP40 is a versatile 2K Epoxy Surfacer. It is light grey in colour, chromate-free and has good corrosion resistance over bare metal.
DP40 has good adhesion to a wide variety of suitably prepared substrates. These include bare and galvanised steel, aluminium, GRP and fibreglass, painted surfaces and fillers, and a wide range of plastic substrates.
DP40 is ideally used as a wet-on-wet or non-sand surfacer, but may be stoved or air-dried if required. It may also be used as a one-coat sealer over sanded 2K primers and surfacers, when it fills sanding marks and promotes optimum gloss holdout in the topcoat.
DP40 is also an excellent sealer for use over TPA finishes. "

The four doors, bonnet and hood will be bolted on to the framework and any panels will be straightened if needed.

All four doors individually primed and ready to be bolted on!

Polar Weiss 9149

olar Weiss (Polar White) is the name for the white paint that will be sprayed on top of this primer coat. The paint code for Polar Weiss is MER. 149 9149. This particular paint has been available since 1993.

Approximately three to four coats of Polar Weiss paint will be sprayed onto FINNIE!

Tinters are used to make the white paint.

Tinters (Most amount first):

Base Coat White

Trace Yellow

Trace Yellow Oxide

Trace Black

Database of paints!

Tinters used to make endless paint options.

Deltron DG (Direct Gloss) 2K Acrylic Colour (of the same colour) will be sprayed onto the hubcaps, if Tim is unable to source for new/used ones.

The engine bay will be stripped down later on. John will have some remaining mix of Polar Weiss paint for Tim to spray the surrounding surfaces in the engine bay.

Clear Coat

The clear coat will be sprayed over the Polar Weiss paint after in bakes in the booth. Approximately three to four coats of clear coat will be sprayed on to FINNIE. At this stage, I am unsure of the exact name of the paint.

Other portions of the car.

Bye! See you soon!

******Stay subscribed, bookmarked or followed to see the next update, when I visit John again!******

Paint Update

2012-05-02T02:01:00.001+08:00

This is my first ever entry from my iPhone.

Spoke to John from Turcons Paint (Formerly John's Paint) today and he told me about the progress in detail.

FINNIE is about to have its first coat of primer. Everything has been blocked and sanded down. The delay in not priming it is due to the high humidity levels in Perth during the next few days. John prefers to have a controlled environment inside and outside of the paint booth, so as to not make any mistakes with the application of the 2-Pack later on.

The initial coat of black etch primer (By Peter) has been sanded down so that John can find any imperfections so that they can be repaired on the spot. Imperfections will always show through over the layers of paint.

The priming of FINNIE will commence next week when it stops raining.

In The Paint Shop

2012-04-13T20:14:00.001+08:00

FInally, we have some photos from the paint shop.

The painting of FINNIE is progressing gradually.

The slowest part of the process is when all removable panels are taken off and rubbed down prior to the application of the etch primer coat. The panels then have to be sanded down to remove any imperfections and irregularities. An undercoat will then be applied.

The panels will then be fitted for a final inspection of the finish and alignment. They will then be removed again to apply the final colour to the inside surfaces. After that, they will be fitted back for the car to be painted in the finish colour.

The finish colour will be white, as it has been for the while. Two Pack (Twin-Pack or 2K) paint will be used as it gives a much deeper look and finish, lasts longer and more hard wearing than acrylic paint. It is a very expensive process as toxic fumes and chemicals are given off and it takes hours to dry under heat in a tightly sealed off paint booth. A highly experienced professional has to perform the task properly or else paint will start peeling in no time and the car will start rusting in various places.

Let's hope it turns out right.

Here are some photos of the car just before application of the etch primer coat.

Rear passenger side door.

Front passenger side door.

Hood panel.

Bonnet panel.

More photos will be uploaded as soon as I visit the paint shop again.

The paint shop is:

Turcons Panel Beating & Spray Painting

223B Barrington Street, Bibra Lake

Western Australia 6163

Tel: 9434 2727

I think the paint shop was originally called John's Paint.

It's Almost Painted!

2012-03-16T12:01:00.000+08:00

Looks like FINNIE is going to get a new coat of paint soon! It's about time!

I will get photos of it as soon as it is done and out of the oven. We are still keeping it white and I believe the colour is called Classic White and it will be painted both inside and out to keep it rust free.

This blog will be updated soon.

It's Finally Ready For Paint!

2012-01-20T20:44:00.000+08:00

Finally got the time to visit FINNIE at Peter's makeshift workshop this afternoon.

Trunk full of junk. The rusted fuel tank can be seen under the box. All the rusted door skins and body panels are to the right of the photo.

All primed & ready for paint.

Floor will be stripped before being painted.

All dings and dents fixed, primed and ready for paint.

FINNIE is looking forward to getting painted!

Stay subscribed for the paint update next, hopefully!

Rear Door Skins Done

2012-01-05T12:31:00.000+08:00

Lower section of the front door skins have been replaced.

Some grind marks can be seen below this layer of primer. The grind marks will be smoothed out before being painted.

The exhaust pipe has been shortened. Clearance for the bumper has been considered.

Almost Ready For Paint!

2011-12-29T15:22:00.001+08:00

FINNIE, Peter & I.

Door skins have been stripped and work has begun on it as documented below.

Most of the panels have been taken off and framework has been stripped and then primed.

Dad's friend, Peter (not auto rehab's Peter) inspecting the hood and the engine.

Peter will only be repairing the body and frame. Tim England will be researching, sourcing and replacing any missing or damaged parts for the interior, exterior and mechanical aspects of FINNIE.

Peter showing us the stainless steel replacement part for the bottom of the doors. This is the strip of metal that holds and clamps the door skins to the door frame. Shown as well is the rusted part taken off the car.

Mum inspecting and talking to Peter about the work he has done so far.

Roof has been stripped to bare metal and then primed, section by section to avoid contamination, as seen in the last picture in the previous post.

Rusted sections have been fabricated and fitted. This particular section, the boot hinge was rusted through.

A jig that Peter has created to help keep the structure and the shape of the door skins. He has cut, replaced and welded some sections of the skin as shown below.

The perfect weld. Only two or three in Perth that are able to do so? These are the door skins that were taken off the door frames so that the rusted parts can be cut out, replaced and welded. The skins are welded and cooled section by section so that the metal does not warp during welding.

Dodgy jobs can be performed by overlapping pieces of metal and then welded. Water and moisture will still be able to seep into the framework and then rust through.

Section behind the chrome bumper has yet to be fixed.

All the rusted junk in the trunk.

Happy New Year to all the readers of FINNIE!

More Black Etch Primer

2011-12-05T23:30:00.001+08:00

All the doors have been repaired, reconstructed and primed.

Roof has just been primed.

Black Primer

2011-12-02T13:55:00.001+08:00

Visited Peter this afternoon.

He has repaired the door frames, reconstructed some of the metal pieces and has primed them, ready for the undercoat. The whole bonnet has been repaired, shaped and primed.

Peter has re-fabricated these metal channels which the windows slide up and down on. These two are the old and rusted ones.

Peter has created a jig for repairing the door skins. The bottom section of the door has been replaced once before, although the welding was not done properly.

Rust on door skins.

Rear panel has been primed. Four dents in the rear panel are going to be repaired soon.

Boot floor pan (rusted sections) have been taken out and been replaced

Things to do!

Interesting.

Rust Inspection :(

2011-11-16T15:19:00.001+08:00

(Left to right: Tim, Dad & Peter)

Today, we went to visit Peter's metal/bodywork fabrication workshop in the afternoon. FINNIE was up on the lift, most of its body panels have been taken off. All four doors have been sent for sandblasting and should be returning very soon. Work has begun on stripping all the paint on the panels. More rust has been pointed out to us and work has been explained to us in detail.

Door sills have rusted through. Peter will be re fabricating these from scratch, possibly with stainless steel.

FINNIE has been repainted twice! The original colour appears to be dark blue as seen on the A-pillar. We have decided to keep FINNIE classic white (unsure of the proper paint name/code).

Mechanical stuff. Springs, dampers, shocks, exhaust, joints, bearings, etc. will be replaced. All will be brand new, hopefully!

Roof needs to be stripped to bare metal and work has to be done before repainting. The latest repaint job hasn't been done up to standard and thus the paint can be easily scratched off! The headliner is rotting from the rust and will eventually need replacement.

Underside of the boot where water has been sitting. Peter will be cutting out panels and then fabricating new pieces and panels for replacement.

Lower section of the boot lid skin has already been replaced and welded. Filler, from a previous job has been scraped away. The black frame holds the shape of the skin and fits under it so it can be mounted on the hinges when done.

Peter has marked out the spots which need repair and prefabrication of panels. The rear quarter panels are in dire need of new panels. Rust is all through the steel panels. The front bumper has been bent on the driver's side (Possibly been hit) and Tim mentioned that the wheel guard was bulging out all the time. The floorpan in the boot seems to be in the best condition.

Bushings and bearings are worn to their barest of barest. They will all be replaced, all arms and suspension components and ultimately, all mechanical parts will be overhauled.

This panel beating/re-frabrication of new panels seem to be very interesting.

Rust Update!

2011-11-15T17:01:00.001+08:00

Tim called this afternoon.

Bad news! He seems to have found more rust around the wheel arches. Previous work has been done on the surrounding area, but has been badly done with bog/filler. Besides that, he has also taken off the front and rear windscreens.

Looks like more money to spend!

Photos will be up, hopefully when I inspect the car late this week.

Please click here to contact me and find out what equipment I use.

Visit To Tim's

2011-11-09T16:17:00.000+08:00

Today, we drove down to Tim's workshop to have a look at the progress of FINNIE's restoration.

All four doors, boot lid and driver's side wheel guard/fender has been removed and sent for rust repairs to Peter. More rust spots have been identified, especially around door, boot lid and bonnet hinges. FINNIE has been resprayed once, but not a full respray. Original white paint can be seen behind the rear chrome bumper and around the rear light clusters. Car VIN says "62", the code for the vehicle being manufactured in South Africa.

Seats have been removed. Most trimmings have been removed as well and sent for re-chroming and re-polishing. Decided to have the whole car carpeted and seats upholstered in red genuine leather.

Rust in boot floor pan in rusting very badly. Tim tells us that the chassis section under the rear driver's side is literally non existent. The section is almost gone and the remaining parts of it have just been held on with blobs of Blu-Tack. Tim thinks Denso refrigeration system is stock. Unsure at the moment. Air compressor is American, not German as expected. Shock absorbers have been changed before and need to be replaced once again. The original rubber coated wires are fraying and need replacement. Firewall insulation has been painted before and needs replacement. Talked about sound insulation for the bonnet. Radiator has been replaced before.

Tim researched and came to know about from a friend, a parts maker in Dusseldorf, Germany that makes licensed and genuine Mercedes parts for 220SE cars, although he is unsure of the name of the company.

It's really heartbreaking to see that rust has almost engulfed the whole car. I have seen worse on other cars, but once it belongs to you, you have a connection with it and it breaks your heart even more, and probably burn a bigger hole in your pocket.

Please click here to contact me and find out what equipment I use.

Transmission Rod Broke!

2011-11-09T15:18:00.000+08:00

We returned from a drive and was parking FINNIE back in the garage when the column gearshift went loose. We soon realised that the linkage rods to the automatic transmission had snapped and the plastic pin had come off.

Called Tim to fix the problem temporarily.

Up on stands. - @antontwang on Instagram.

Tim fixing the gear linkage rods.

Having fun!

Please click here to contact me and find out what equipment I use.

Taking A Ride.

2011-11-09T15:10:00.000+08:00

We took FINNIE for weekend drives along The Esplande, Mount Pleasant, along Canning River, just before sending it in for restoration.

Mechanical:

The 2195cc Bosch Mechanical Fuel Injected Inline six is running on five cylinders and needs a complete overhaul. It seems as if it's a 1.8L underpowered engine pushing a 2 tonne load. Suspension is soft and seems to have a comfortable ride, although when there is a heavy load in the rear, the wheels seem to cut into the fenders when turning. Steering is a challenge since there is no power steering. Steering wheel lock works with ignition. Indicator stalk is working. Brake and acceleration pedals are working fine. Automatic transmission column gear shifter is very stiff and needs care to move it. The transmission indicator reads "P R 0 4 3 2". 0 is neutral. Handbrake is working well. Windshield wipers are 2 speed. They work fairly well, but are stiff. The ivory coloured plastics are cracking. The horn still sounds 1962.

Interior:

Seats are upholstered in red vinyl (MB-Tex vinyl I believe) and are quite comfortable. Some of the seats may have lost its structural support and need to be reupholstered. Front seats are reclinable with forward/backward adjustment. Seatbelts for the driver and the front passenger have been retrofitted by the previous owner and we plan to have them removed. Floorpan has been carpeted, but not in good condition. Padded dashboard is sagging in some areas and has a crack around the central loudspeaker grille. Sunshades are losing their shape and the mirror on the passenger side is cloudy and rusting. All windows wind up and down properly, only until recently the driver's side rear passenger window got jammed. Door handles (round) are working with all locks. Centrally mounted mirror has day/night switch, works properly. Ashtrays are all intact, but they all need cleaning out! All chrome needs re-chroming and reconditioning.

Electrics:

Radio/Cassette player is not stock, but works properly. Two speakers fitted works with the radio. Centrally mounted loudspeaker does not work. The electric clock does not work. Instrument cluster lights are dim, even with adjustment of the control knob. Light switch works perfectly. All lights except reverse lights are working as normal. The reverse lights seem to only work when the gearshift is in the right position. Heating & ventilation system is working, although is a little bit noisy during operation. There is a rear Denso refrigeration system (I believe it has been retrofitted) with four ugly plastic vents that stick out in the parcel shelf and the refrigeration unit in the boot takes up space.

Beautiful day for a weekend drive. Not too hot, not too cold. Most of all, it wasn't raining a single bit.

Please click here to contact me and find out what equipment I use.

Emblems

2011-11-09T13:33:00.000+08:00

These are three of the emblems that came with FINNIE. They were originally attached to the grille upfront, then removed before being sent in for restoration.

Please click here to contact me and find out what equipment I use.

Inspection

2011-11-09T13:17:00.000+08:00

Since acquiring FINNIE, I inspected it for any bodywork/paintwork damage (e.g. rust, bubbling, etc.), modifications, working/non-working electrics, mechanical problems and any interior and upholstery faults.

Surface rust on the driver's side door.

Electric clock not working. Glovebox door misaligned.

Rear side view.

Engine bay. 2.2 Litres Bosch Fuel Injected Inline 6.

Instrument cluster lighted up. 120 MPH top speed. Odometer is not working.

Fitted with Denso refrigeration system.

Rust in boot hinges.

Rust in bumper and chrome.

Boot lid is bent and misaligned.

Chrome on hubcaps tarnishing and rusting.

Underbody rust.

Underbody rust and suspension mount.

Interior headliner. Sunshades losing its shape.

Switches and knobs working correctly. Windshield washer pump not working.

Heating & ventilation working, but stiff levers. Radio not stock.

Unsure what the red indicator light (right) is for.

Wood trimming needs re-polishing.

Rear passenger side marque missing from mudflap.

Windshield washer reservoir leaking. New battery.

Wiring is fraying. Windshield wipers working but stiff.

Windshield washer nozzle not working.

Column gearshift (Auto) is stiff. Ivory coloured levers and steering wheel cracking. Dash cracked and sagging in some spots.

Spare tyre and jack in place.

Paintwork bubbling on boot lid.

Scratches on chrome trimming.

Please click here to contact me and find out what equipment I use.

ABOUT ME... Welcome to FINNIE!

2011-11-09T12:10:00.000+08:00

FINNIE is a 1962 Mecerdes Benz Type W111 220SEb "Heckflosse" which means "Fintail".

Acquired by the Ong family in September 2011 and is currently under restoration by Tim England of Classic & Vintage Cars and Peter Hainsworth of Auto Rehab Metal Bodywork Restoration.

This blog is to document the transformation and restoration of FINNIE.

- Anton

You may follow me on:
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You may contact me through:
- The above sites
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Camera/Editing Equipment:
- Leica D-Lux 4
- Various Film Cameras (Scanned Photos)
- Apple iPhone 3GS/Apple iPhone 4S (Instagram Filters)
- Apple MacBook Pro

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Me & Daddy