Stock 1947 Ford Prefect
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in China until 19th visiting daughter, son in law and grandson, then sorting my home garage to get the car back from my work garage and have it nearby where there is power. Major job sorting the garage though. Have to have targets to work towards or it won't happen.
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Absolutely - time management principles apply here - daily lists with updates and a brought forward system. Daily and weekly targets are good coupled to a month or 2-month strategic plan. Focus meetings with the rest of the team and management office, must not leave the wife (or partner) out of the loop. Plenty blue sky thinking is a must - day dreaming while gazing through the window I think that means. And I'm not 100% joking here except its good to have a day off occasionally - shopping, gardening, DIY; I allocate about 2 days per year.
Good to see you have your priorities right. What I mean is I set a time to work my way through the garage mess, ruthlessly getting rid of stuff that's been cluttering up the space for many years and making room for the car, then I have a chance of working on the car. If I set targets for things to be done in a set time I can still drive the car, otherwise it gets used to store more crap and will never move again. I was talking to the Kent secretary of the fsoc and he said many members won't bring their cars to meetings until they are finished, he liked my plan to keep driving it even unfinished. When I do the welding I will use frosts galvanizing coating to protect from rust and then paint later if I want to use the car.
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Totally agree - my 1500 Prefect still has the 'exposed beams' inside while I get on and use it as I will make 2 lots of headlining at one sitting. Drive on................. having said that I do like to get the paint on before its seen on the road. Everyone to their own plan as said, just as long as you have one.
i bought mine needing some rust sorted and although it looks clean in the photos some of the black paint is peeling and the blue is showing, obviously not prepared well before painting before. I intend to drive it around locally just for fun and work on it in between. Looks like I will have to rub down the black at least enough to get a key and may now consider a different colour, not keen on the original blue and black, although kind of period I'm not sure about.
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The electrics are progressing more slowly than I had hoped as a lot of thinking time included. I tested the indicator circuitry with a small clip-on test light and it was magic when the relays and electronic flasher sprang into life first time. Some components such as lamps cannot be installed yet due to the unfinished paint works so I have left long tails to be finished later or where practicable, bullet connectors. Using the original Lucas 1947 semaphores may have been a wrong decision as the first one fitted is slugglish more than usual. I will fit the drivers side one to see how that performs before deciding whether to fit the later Tex ones I got from Scotrod. At least the little bulbs flash as intended. The reversible heater blower operates fine using a double pole double throw switch from Maplins (DPDT - F £3.79). The pump and heater blower relays both operate with a signal from the switch side of the coil. Luckily the original interior lamp came with the car and is in excellent condition considering it is 70 years old plastic. Out with the brown boot polish again.
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Those old lamps had a touch of art deco and so much more interesting than the flush mount modern versions. This one doesn't have an integral switch so, as mentioned before, it has a little Bakelite switch on the drivers side A post that is fitted in the earth circuit. The switch isn't the original type and if I work out how to do it will post a picture of the original type here in case one of you has one in the shed.
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Done it.
Almost ready to start stitching up the headlinings for both this car and the 1500 as I have a month or more before paint spraying starts again. Another lucky break was finding the original cords for the rear window blind on the back shelf when I first got the car. The system can be seen in the archive picture above. My friend John who has just finished his Prefect had a spare roller and some of the eyes for the cord system so we should eventually have a fully functioning anti-dazzle system in place.
Of course before I can fit the headlining I need to make some new stainless steel hoops to hang it on. I have a set of originals in rusty mild steel. I hope to get a smooth curve on the larger ones by using my little sheet metal rolls that have grooves for wiring. The originals had eyes formed one end but the stainless is too tough for me to do this with primitive resources. Intention is to get washers welded on one end and with this in mind I have made up a little jig to keep it all lined up. The other end has a removable eye, I assume to make it easier to thread the hoop through the hollow seam in the headlining.
This is one of the short rods, 8 per car, with welded washer.
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And this is Henry's version. Still too cold IMHO to start painting.
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And these are the rods screws in place ready to receive the cloth.
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This view shows the short rods, 4 each side.
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In the end I bent the large radii round a 6" diameter steel blank to start off then just formed the shape by hand.
Update, just bought an industrial sewing machine. fairly old but should be good enough to stitch some carpets and the headlining.
Those old lamps had a touch of art deco and so much more interesting than the flush mount modern versions. This one doesn't have an integral switch so, as mentioned before, it has a little Bakelite switch on the drivers side A post that is fitted in the earth circuit. The switch isn't the original type and if I work out how to do it will post a picture of the original type here in case one of you has one in the shed.
Done it.
Almost ready to start stitching up the headlinings for both this car and the 1500 as I have a month or more before paint spraying starts again. Another lucky break was finding the original cords for the rear window blind on the back shelf when I first got the car. The system can be seen in the archive picture above. My friend John who has just finished his Prefect had a spare roller and some of the eyes for the cord system so we should eventually have a fully functioning anti-dazzle system in place.
Of course before I can fit the headlining I need to make some new stainless steel hoops to hang it on. I have a set of originals in rusty mild steel. I hope to get a smooth curve on the larger ones by using my little sheet metal rolls that have grooves for wiring. The originals had eyes formed one end but the stainless is too tough for me to do this with primitive resources. Intention is to get washers welded on one end and with this in mind I have made up a little jig to keep it all lined up. The other end has a removable eye, I assume to make it easier to thread the hoop through the hollow seam in the headlining.
This is one of the short rods, 8 per car, with welded washer.
And this is Henry's version. Still too cold IMHO to start painting.
And these are the rods screws in place ready to receive the cloth.
This view shows the short rods, 4 each side.
In the end I bent the large radii round a 6" diameter steel blank to start off then just formed the shape by hand.
Update, just bought an industrial sewing machine. fairly old but should be good enough to stitch some carpets and the headlining.
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Started painting again and hope to complete in the next few weeks. Near side front wing needs flatting and polishing but the side panel has a problem with a reaction with something underneath. I have rubbed it down and resprayed twice and still I get the lines appearing that look like deep scratches. Only way is to get it blasted and start again but I also have a spare panel so will give that one a go. Luckily these are easily removed later to spray separately so not too worried.
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Latest is I have tried on some of the 'scratches' using a fine pencil brush painting in with paint from the can. First effort was promising when flatted so will try more and polish later. Worth a try methinks. If not happy will try another couple of coats over the top.
Latest is I have tried on some of the 'scratches' using a fine pencil brush painting in with paint from the can. First effort was promising when flatted so will try more and polish later. Worth a try methinks. If not happy will try another couple of coats over the top.
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One of the nearside doors. Good enough for what was a pretty rusty old car. Soon I will be able to turn the car to spray the other side.
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This is the sort of mirror I am fitting to the drivers door. I will fit another one to the nearside if I can find one or might even have to buy a new pair if I can save up some pennies.
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This is the sort of mirror I am fitting to the drivers door. I will fit another one to the nearside if I can find one or might even have to buy a new pair if I can save up some pennies.
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It helps me too when I look back over the thread and realise just how long it has taken but also what has been done.Lovely stuff! Thanks for writing and posting, really enjoyed reading that!Looking great, really nice colour choice too.
Strange thing recently, I removed the doors for painting as I needed to do this at home but the car is in my son's garage. Anyway, after the door hinge pins were taken out I found they were nearly all bent. I used an extractor to push out the pins so how could they be bent? I can only assume that they got bent when the doors were originally fitted. I will make new stainless pins eventually but straighted them up in the lathe with a few deft taps of a hammer so I can get the doors re-hung. Also needed to make sure there were no snags at the small end as a result of the extraction. The pins are case hardened so needed to use an oil stone.
Also got the running board back on. As soon as I can get some I will put a bead of black flexible body filler round the join between running board and chassis and wings. Pictures make the paint look so good. Second picture is more like the real colour.
The headlamp and its built-in indicator system are working fine. Almost ready to turn her round to do the other side.
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Car now turned round. It felt weird driving it with no door on my side. Now I can get stuck in on the drivers side and try to get the carpets progressed before the doors go on and get in the way. I was given some rubber backed carpet by a friend who had it left over from one of his jobs. It doesn't really need edging but I will give it a try to make it look authentic. Having bought an ancient industrial sewing machine I am keen to have a go - on some remnants first of course.
Still doing paintwork too. I knocked out the worst dent in the car last year and filled most of it but now its getting serious I am finding lots of small dints and rust patches under the previously thought firm paint. So its more rust converter and filler before the Bonda primer goes over.
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Doors are a bit further on with some primer over. With Bonda Rust primer the next cellulose coat has to go on between 6 and 24 hours after the primer or failng that you have to wait a week. Man at Bonda said this ruling was based on their experience and found if it wasnt adhered to there was more chance of the paint blistering. Roll on friday so I can get some grey high build on the rear door.
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More paint on ..............
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Just the boot door to do again and a couple of small areas on the body where I rubbed through. Luckily the weather is set to get warmer in the next few days and as long as humidity drops below 60% I will get it done. Main lesson I learned this time round is to be more patient and let the paint flash off more, say half an hour between coats, especially when humidity is marginal or temperature less than about 20°C. Also buy enough paint to do whole car to avoid colour differences in each tin. I estimated 6 litres but now into the 7th and almost finished. Latest batch seems slightly lighter when I patched in some bad bits. Hopefully it will darken when flatted and blended.
Took the remaining paint back to paint shop only to find the suppliers have changed the formula by removing the lead content. I thought that RAL 5008 would be the colour whatever the formula. Anyway the paint shop did me another can of paint in the old formula as it was their fault for not asking if I was matching with the old formula. All I need now is the right conditions to try it out. Plenty else to do that's not weather dependent.
Nov. 2017. Now fitted window channel in 2 offside doors. What a fiddle getting the little number 6 countersunk screws through the channel. One went awry because the glass had a rough corner and it picked up and tore the cloth covering. Had to scrap that lot and change to a better window so that went much better. The door shuts much better now with some weight in it. Next the door cards. I bought some good used ones from a later Prefect E493A that I thought might go straight on but find now the later cards are about 2" shorter. Maybe Fords found the bottom of the earlier cards got weathered so lifted the base line. Anyway, being tight I am determined to use them so if I can find some matching vinyl will glue that to the bottom of new millboard cards. Failing that I will have to get some new vinyl and start again. Target is to finish off drivers side then turn the car and do the passenger side, maybe next week. Carpets nearly finished in the rubber backed stuff and will do for now.
Still doing paintwork too. I knocked out the worst dent in the car last year and filled most of it but now its getting serious I am finding lots of small dints and rust patches under the previously thought firm paint. So its more rust converter and filler before the Bonda primer goes over.
Doors are a bit further on with some primer over. With Bonda Rust primer the next cellulose coat has to go on between 6 and 24 hours after the primer or failng that you have to wait a week. Man at Bonda said this ruling was based on their experience and found if it wasnt adhered to there was more chance of the paint blistering. Roll on friday so I can get some grey high build on the rear door.
More paint on ..............
Just the boot door to do again and a couple of small areas on the body where I rubbed through. Luckily the weather is set to get warmer in the next few days and as long as humidity drops below 60% I will get it done. Main lesson I learned this time round is to be more patient and let the paint flash off more, say half an hour between coats, especially when humidity is marginal or temperature less than about 20°C. Also buy enough paint to do whole car to avoid colour differences in each tin. I estimated 6 litres but now into the 7th and almost finished. Latest batch seems slightly lighter when I patched in some bad bits. Hopefully it will darken when flatted and blended.
Took the remaining paint back to paint shop only to find the suppliers have changed the formula by removing the lead content. I thought that RAL 5008 would be the colour whatever the formula. Anyway the paint shop did me another can of paint in the old formula as it was their fault for not asking if I was matching with the old formula. All I need now is the right conditions to try it out. Plenty else to do that's not weather dependent.
Nov. 2017. Now fitted window channel in 2 offside doors. What a fiddle getting the little number 6 countersunk screws through the channel. One went awry because the glass had a rough corner and it picked up and tore the cloth covering. Had to scrap that lot and change to a better window so that went much better. The door shuts much better now with some weight in it. Next the door cards. I bought some good used ones from a later Prefect E493A that I thought might go straight on but find now the later cards are about 2" shorter. Maybe Fords found the bottom of the earlier cards got weathered so lifted the base line. Anyway, being tight I am determined to use them so if I can find some matching vinyl will glue that to the bottom of new millboard cards. Failing that I will have to get some new vinyl and start again. Target is to finish off drivers side then turn the car and do the passenger side, maybe next week. Carpets nearly finished in the rubber backed stuff and will do for now.
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The carpets are finished apart from the fasteners and heel pads. The pads are due to be glued and stitched so need to get over my fear of the industrial sewing machine soon as jobs are backing up. In the end I had to dig deep and get some vinyl to cover my new millboard door cards and glad I did. I also decided to use the original type hidden clips for the panels as I could see that this phase could easily spoil the whole job if not done as well as possible. Technical info: I used clips from Triumph dealer and with the edge of the card about 1.6mm in from the door edge, the 7.2mm hole in the card is 22mm in to get the offset near enough.
I liken poor door cards to trying to sell an otherwise immaculate house that has a threadbare hall carpet. I was going to stick the vinyl direct to the cards but decided in favour of a 3mm thick foam backing to give it more depth and a softer feel. The original cards had a wadding layer to do a similar thing. The millboard is supplied with one side black finished which I assume has some water protection so in most cases I am facing this to the inside of the door and sticking the vinyl/foam layer on the untreated side. This one will be transferred to the opposite door. The foot-well kick boards are painted dark brown so I did both sides to give some protection against damp.
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Did you notice the two designs of door handle? The window winder is the original type but the door locker is from a barn in Yorkshire - there was evidence of car breaking so could have been from a Sunbeam or an AC. Anyway, trying to decide on which to use but as I dont have a full set of the original lock handles may opt for the Sunbeam type.
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Using flash changes the colours. I used dark brown Hammerite garage door paint on the kick board. The little stainless steel corner was added as I have seen on other cars this area gets kicked more than the rest. Just a little offcut formed over a suitably shaped piece of steel plate from the scrap box. The carpet is joined down the middle as I ran short of larger pieces due to making mistakes on the gearbox cover, particularly challenging for an amateur. My friend who supplied the basic large offcuts will hopefully get more soon.
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I liken poor door cards to trying to sell an otherwise immaculate house that has a threadbare hall carpet. I was going to stick the vinyl direct to the cards but decided in favour of a 3mm thick foam backing to give it more depth and a softer feel. The original cards had a wadding layer to do a similar thing. The millboard is supplied with one side black finished which I assume has some water protection so in most cases I am facing this to the inside of the door and sticking the vinyl/foam layer on the untreated side. This one will be transferred to the opposite door. The foot-well kick boards are painted dark brown so I did both sides to give some protection against damp.
Did you notice the two designs of door handle? The window winder is the original type but the door locker is from a barn in Yorkshire - there was evidence of car breaking so could have been from a Sunbeam or an AC. Anyway, trying to decide on which to use but as I dont have a full set of the original lock handles may opt for the Sunbeam type.
Using flash changes the colours. I used dark brown Hammerite garage door paint on the kick board. The little stainless steel corner was added as I have seen on other cars this area gets kicked more than the rest. Just a little offcut formed over a suitably shaped piece of steel plate from the scrap box. The carpet is joined down the middle as I ran short of larger pieces due to making mistakes on the gearbox cover, particularly challenging for an amateur. My friend who supplied the basic large offcuts will hopefully get more soon.
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The bonnet picture is probably the nearest to the actual colour - RAL 5008, the old formula with lead in it. It seems to be a regular colour now as Ive seen plenty new cars with something similar. When I started on this car and decided on a colour I dont recall seeing it on any new cars at all. Just shows how long I've been on it.
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Yes I think so, not even Fords would stoop to that. Thanks for reminding me I need to source some metal for the new pins.Those door pins - could they be designed with a slight bend to help location / lessen play? Just a thought, probably a wrong one...
And here's a picture that proves why I am keeping this car as near stock as possible. Why would I want to change a thing. This car represents an era of uncrowded roads, except perhaps the half a mile behind her. Pre-MOT and cross ply tyres. An engine rebuild every 40,000 miles thats eight oil changes. Motoring magazines at their zenith packed with DIY tips such as the string through each window tied to the wipers to keep them going and stockings, yes proper stockings, to replace the broken fan belt. Golden days.
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Still trimming the drivers side. Its so cold so trying to cover the door cards indoors.
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This is the first panel to be covered. Just used spray adhesive and no staples. The corners worked out not too bad - remembered to avoid cutting the corner of the vinyl too close to the board so it pulled over without showing whats underneath.
I learned from the first board to cut back the scrim sponge at the top half inch where it fits behind the Bakelite frame because it was a bit tight with it full height. I also made sure the scrim side was facing the vinyl as it seemed to me to give a smoother finish.
Picture of second board.
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The other side will hopefully look the same or better but now have to turn the car to make it easier to access.
One last thing to do this side is the rubber seal that goes over the top inside the door lip. I had forgotten I bought some of this from Baines some time ago so its time to check if it fits or not. Its sort of three legged section, an acute angle with a tongue in the centre. I will try double side tape to fix it.
This is the first panel to be covered. Just used spray adhesive and no staples. The corners worked out not too bad - remembered to avoid cutting the corner of the vinyl too close to the board so it pulled over without showing whats underneath.
I learned from the first board to cut back the scrim sponge at the top half inch where it fits behind the Bakelite frame because it was a bit tight with it full height. I also made sure the scrim side was facing the vinyl as it seemed to me to give a smoother finish.
Picture of second board.
The other side will hopefully look the same or better but now have to turn the car to make it easier to access.
One last thing to do this side is the rubber seal that goes over the top inside the door lip. I had forgotten I bought some of this from Baines some time ago so its time to check if it fits or not. Its sort of three legged section, an acute angle with a tongue in the centre. I will try double side tape to fix it.
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1,410 Posts
That rubber seal went in nicely using 12mm double sided tape. Luckily I have the 1953 Prefect to copy as it’s totally unmolested so I can place the seals as the factory did. Car is now turned round so cracking on with the off side trims and door glass. I found out the interior handles I bought are from a 2 litre AC and same designs are still available from Vintage Car Parts in Norfolk, at a price of course. More pics soon.
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