BXProject

[Vanny]

Well its probably a list of questions that have already been asked on here, but i can't find a definative! I guess a lot of these questions are aimed at Doc, but i'm damn sure the rest of you will have a good idea!

I want to pull the car apart, and put it back together a little better. From this i want to do the following,

1) Pull off all the removable body work that unbolts and put them back on straight. Im thinking wings and bumpers mostly.
2) Make hidden areas bomb proof. That is clean the metal work back where the paint is fucked, repaint it and make it impenetrable. This is to include the underside and sills.
3) Sort the door hinges, there not horrific at the front, but there getting a little worrying, i certainly have a 6mm hole above the drives hinge. I then want to align the fuckers so that they line up!
4) Replace/rebuild the entire wiring loom. I intend on keeping true to the original wiring, but with new modern wires with better insulation, not to mention less weight, reduced wiring issues and drain, no fucked up wiring as a result of dodgy alarms etc. This will be done in stages.
5) get the propper big alloys on, after replacing/fixing all the front suspension components as so many of them are fecked.
6) sort out the HVAC system, might need some help getting the fucker to work, but other than that i've got a long list of assistants!

well there are lots of other things, so i'm after any input into each section (i will add more). I'm especially interested in what chemicals and witches brews i should be using for the prep, coat and finish for the hidden areas?

[docchevron132]

hhmm, are we talking FULL ground up rebuild here, or just a mid life spruce up?
The cost difference is not that great, but the effort involved is a good sight more with the former!

As for paint and prep, depends really on whether you're treating rust, surface rust, taking it back to bare steel etc..

Personally, I'd strip the thing down to a bare shell, then do any work required underneath and work up, body work only.

Then I'd start at either the front or the back and overhaul the mechanical bits a unit at a time, engine / gearbox / front subframe / hydraulics / pipes / wiring / cooling / brakes etc.

Then last in would be the interior.

Making the panel gaps right all round is easy if you're starting from scratch, even I can get them pretyt good without actually trying too hard.

Once the bus is finished I will be totally restoring the TD, bare metal ground up rebuild, it deserves it.
So I might get you to make a shiny new loom for that aswell in return for some work on Jazz if you like?

[smiffy]

I'd love to do a full resto on the turbo, but where would I put all the bits?

[Philhod]

What Doc said really. There is an airbrush like thingy I've seen somewhere, that fires anything from ash to grit. You can then target problem areas, taking down to bare metal to see whether it will chemically mend or need welding.
New hinge pins should cure the prob. if the holes have got too big, I got some thick wall brass tube, with an internal the right size for the new pins, opened up the holes to take the tube.
Fractionally smaller actually, so I could fit pins to tube and drive in both together.
For light pitting I've used Kurust before a good etching / high build primer.

I don't know if Doc's found the same, but the hole above the hinge, on the A post, doesn't spread very far. I've just treated it and welded a patch.

I'm no Leckie but would one of these new looms, off say a Picasso that has multiplex, not be favorite to modify dunno??

[Vanny]

In reverse order, Multiples = bad. There are only two reasons for all the fancy pants bollocks on new cars, too many electronic gadgets and cost. I have considered making a full climate control unit for the BX with servos and an ecu.

Might well investigate the whole, i've been surprised at how well the hinges ont his car have held up.

I have replaced the pins at startford a few years ago. Dont think the holes where oval, but i do think the brakets on the car might be bent

This air brush sounds interesting, i bets it needs a compressor though.

Mid life spruce up Docco, its not in too bad condition. I would like to seam weld it though . . .

[Philhod]

Yes ...Airbrush = compressor. The airbrush painter comes with a small one in the kit, perhaps its the same. I remember where I saw it now, it was at the model makers exhibition at the NEC, about 2 years ago. Strange, but I aint seen one for sale anywhere, not even in the model mags.

I made a couple of special tools about 10 years ago. One was a chain drive attachment for your hand power drill, so you can get into small spaces that are usually inaccessible.

The other was a small compressor, made from an old 90cc 4 stroker and a 1/4 hp motor.
Made my own receiver from 6 mm plate with inserted ends from 10 mm (just to be on the safe side like). Unfortunately I lent these long term, about 7 yeas ago and the guy now swears he gave them back. Needless to say, he don't get anything else.

[docchevron132]

Screw you Directly do a cool little airbrush kit for not much money, it's fucking great for clearing off shit stuff and light rot.

Holes in the A pillar are best fixorised pretty early on, leave it for too long and it eats away at everything around it, and it's too flimsy there from new frankly.
Catch it early and it's a doddle though.
The door hinges can and do bend, they are on my TD, piece of piss to warm them a touch and tease them back into line though.

If you really want to seam weld it then you can fucking do it!
What an utter ballache that'll be.
I hate welding.

Ok, so midlife refit.
Well, thats easy really!
Get it in the air, bloody good wire brush underneath, treat any surface corrosion with Kurust (as POhil, I love that stuff, smells ace!), then I'd slap some Red Oxide Primer on top (cos I love that stuff too, but get the proper stuff not the shit most places sell, the best is Dulux believe it or not!) then for the underside I'd slap some Chassis black on top of that, followed by Waxoyl's underbody seal, as it stays flexible as opposed to some of the wank out there that goes rock hard, cracks then allows water in and keeps it there.
I would expect some welding to be required in front and rear arches, and maybe the ends of the sills, along with the front inner wings and the arse end of the boot floor / valance, IE where they all go.

Sort that ABS sensor out properly, replace any mechanical bits you come across as you go that need doing, and maybe replace all the front to rear pipes in Kunifer if you aint already.

[Philhod]

I'll go with all that Doc, but a word af warning about the Waxoyl u/body.
Yes it's made of the same excellent stuff, however, what the fuck did they add to make it black!!!???. It all washes off ok, you get rid of all the waxy stuff, but you have to wait for the black to fuckin wear off. Even my footscrubber secret weapon won't shift all of it

[Bx Bandit]

If you're stuck for rust removal in tight spaces then I've used a Dremmel to great effect. I got a cheap set of diamond tipped bits of flea-bay for about £4 and you can get virtually anywhere on a bx to shave away the rust.

Granville rust treatment I have used. I think it's the same as Kurust but don't get it off ebay. I did and the stuff I had was like milk, whereas the stuff my mate had was more like cream and much better - all be it more expensive. Granville is used by MOD.

As Doc says Red Oxide is good stuff. I've bought mine from B&Q but it's thinned with white spirit. Halfords do Red Oxide too but it's thinned with Celluslose thinners. As such, the Halfords stuff drys more quickly.........so much so you'll need to top up the thinners in the tin as you use it.

The only other bit to add is that whatever rust you expect to find, add more!!! There's always more!

[Philhod]

I've used Granville as well. It's chemically very similar ( again it's a bastard to get off yer mits)
The even older Red lead ( shock horror) was always thinned with cellulose. If you can get hold of any, the job will last longer than you!!.

If you use Kurust or the other Bandit, only take off the surface rust and let the "mixture" do the rest. If you take it down to bare metal there is not enuff rust left to "cure" and weakening the structure.

Why do you want to seam weld Vanny? Unless you are going racing and are combining it with a roll cage, I don't see the point. It will make your car more dangerous in lesser shunts as it will no longer collapse nicely, and not allow the kinetic energy to release.
Also the BX front is already built like a brick shithouse

[docchevron132]

a word af warning about the Waxoyl u/body.
Yes it's made of the same excellent stuff, however, what the fuck did they add to make it black!!!???.

Yeah, it's a bit vicious aint it!
They do clear waxoyl, but I dont find it takes very well.

[Vanny]

i was thinking seam weld, cage, blown arches, 17" rimms, 300mm breaks, another Mi in the boot, twin exhaust etc etc

[Bx Bandit]

/\ you lie!

[docchevron132]

He's fucking crazy.
Jesus Christ.

[Vanny]

In reality i just want an EVO 2 BX group B stylie, and if i had a real one i would drive it to work every day!

[Bx Bandit]

Apart from the windy wiper, front indicators and door mirrors (with the exception of paint of course...) is any part of that car in any way related to a BX?! Oh, also apart from the Chevrons like...

[Philhod]

I think your right Doc, whatever they added makes it black and also makes it stick too (to the car as well as your hands)

I've seen that car Bandit, it's ostensibly a two door, ( the backs are welded up) and if you think the front's odd you should see the back, it looks like a world war one triplane

It actually looks like it's been shortened but I didn't measure it.
They are all Cit parts. They were built for the late 80's group B race /rally.

The whole group was banned as being too mad / dangerous. the Metro 6R4 and the fraud B200 something were in the same group.

[Bx Bandit]

It looks like it'd understeer like a whore on roller skates! It also has maestro 'eyes'!

[Philhod]

Understeer??? It's 4x4

[docchevron132]

They were also rather slow really.
The front end is extended by some margin.

Save your pennies Vanny, and buy a real one, pointless trying to turn Jazz into that.