jasper Posted October 2, 2011 Report Share Posted October 2, 2011 Hi all, I want to replace a couple of the switches and repaint the center instrument panel area. Is there anything clever about removing the connections from the Oil pressure and Water temperature Gauges? or reconnecting them? Any tips regarding the crackle paint? Grateful for any help ... Cheers Jasper Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kiwifrog Posted October 2, 2011 Report Share Posted October 2, 2011 Oil pressure no , just put a bowl under the connection to catch the oil that will dribble out and be prepared to bleed it when replacing it. Temprature gauge if it is the origonal type with the copper tube and bulb in the thermostat housing they can be a pig to remove from the thermostat housing and if you break/fracture the copper tube then its away for an expensive repair on the temprature gauge. The tube does not disconnect from the gauge. Cheers Alan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rodbr Posted October 2, 2011 Report Share Posted October 2, 2011 Be careful when you disconnect the oil pressure pipe at the back of the gauge that you catch the leather gasket/seal. Tiny but often overlooked. Temp capiliary can be fragile when you get it disconnected from the thermostat housing. It can be a complete pig but sometimes eased by removing the housing from the head to get some Loose oil, penetrating oil, etc on both sides of the thread but refit back on the head before attempting to undo. Rgds Rod Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jasper Posted October 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 4, 2011 Thanks for the replies, no comments on the paint? I thought that it was difficult to achieve the effect. I'm wondering if I could get away with leaving the 2 problem gauges attached, but pulled out. Means I will be restricted in access, is the spraying difficult? cheers Jasper Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ian Vincent Posted October 4, 2011 Report Share Posted October 4, 2011 Jasper, Search the forum with "Crackle" or "Wrinkle" and you will find a number of posts with advice about the paint. I know because mine is among them - I had problems and ended up getting it powder coated. Rgds Ian Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mike ellis Posted October 4, 2011 Report Share Posted October 4, 2011 Jasper, I used VHT Wrinkle Plus and got a finish close to the original. Mine came from Frost but I think many suppliers have it. If I can get a good finish from it anyone can. Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted October 4, 2011 Report Share Posted October 4, 2011 Hi Jasper, I'm doing the same to a TR4 instrument panel. I foolishly removed the original coating and am now trying to find a close finish. You have a number of choices - crackle finish spray (Plasti-kote, Rustoleum, VHT) Textured Vinyl (normally with a backing but maybe on the thick side!!) Textured Vinyl (unsupported - this is very thin and I was hoping to heat form it onto the panel - but appears unobtainable!!!) Normal matt black spray paint. Whatever you choose practice getting a good finish on some scrap metal. Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BlueTR3A-5EKT Posted October 4, 2011 Report Share Posted October 4, 2011 (edited) I did a very good re crackle paint job on my TR3 instrument panel, mirror and screen support using the black crackle paint Moss sell. The only issue is 'cooking' them in the oven to get the crackle finish. This would be impossible if you have can not remove the items from your car. I tried crackle paint without doing the heating process and the finish was poor bordering on why did I bother. I then read the instructions and sought the advice from a friend who had done the same job a week or two previously. Shake the can, use an oven, were his top tips. Just use the domestic oven to preheat then cook (tech term 'Stove') the items when the kitchen custodian is out as the smell is a bit overpowering! Get a spare metal wire grid to support the items on then transfer to and from the painting zone and kitchen is easier. - Stops having to scrape crackle finish paint off the the oven shelves and finger marks in the paint. Cheers Peter W Edited October 4, 2011 by BlueTR3A-5EKT Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted October 4, 2011 Report Share Posted October 4, 2011 Hi Jasper, I'm doing the same to a TR4 instrument panel. I foolishly removed the original coating and am now trying to find a close finish. You have a number of choices - crackle finish spray (Plasti-kote, Rustoleum, VHT) Textured Vinyl (normally with a backing but maybe on the thick side!!) Textured Vinyl (unsupported - this is very thin and I was hoping to heat form it onto the panel - but appears unobtainable!!!) Normal matt black spray paint. Whatever you choose practice getting a good finish on some scrap metal. Roger Vinyl no good then Roger? Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted October 4, 2011 Report Share Posted October 4, 2011 Hi Stuart, haven't tried it yet. The beauty of the paint is its thinness (is that a word)(lack of thickness). The vinyl is chip resistant, and the grain is good. Unsupported textured vinyl would be the answer but I can't find any. I shall be experimenting with the vinyl and the paint this week. I have found that if you overspray (top coat) ordinary acrylic aerosol with Halfords Universal lacquer it crackles very well but maybe too much for the Triumph. Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted October 4, 2011 Report Share Posted October 4, 2011 Hi Stuart, haven't tried it yet. The beauty of the paint is its thinness (is that a word)(lack of thickness). The vinyl is chip resistant, and the grain is good. Unsupported textured vinyl would be the answer but I can't find any. I shall be experimenting with the vinyl and the paint this week. I have found that if you overspray (top coat) ordinary acrylic aerosol with Halfords Universal lacquer it crackles very well but maybe too much for the Triumph. Roger A piece from an original TR2/3 black door trim panel would give you the correct material if you could find one with a bit big enough to fit.that was undamaged.It would have to be an original one as thats the correct material. The crackle that you have obtained is just reaction between the two coats and probably wont ever dry out to handle. Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MJL Posted October 4, 2011 Report Share Posted October 4, 2011 Redditch Powder Coating made a good job producing a crackle finish for me and it seems more durable than the paint finish that i achived when i rebuilt the car first time round 20 years ago. Mick Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted October 4, 2011 Report Share Posted October 4, 2011 Hi Mick, I forgot to put powder coating on my list. I spoke to a chap at Beauliue last month that had a nice crackle finish - 'TDW Powder Coating' So many choices. Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jasper Posted October 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2011 Thanks for all the answers. I have got a can of VHT on its way, once here I'll have a play with it. cheers Jasper Quote Link to post Share on other sites
e_ingemann Posted October 6, 2011 Report Share Posted October 6, 2011 I seem to remember when I did the job on mine, I did not disconnect the temp gauge, it slipped nicely back once i removed the chrome rim and glas. I experimented a lot with the wrinkle paint, as the number of days with temperatures above 25 centigrade in Denmark is limited (mnimum temperature in order to produce the wrinkles after the second coat of paint), I just painted the dash and set it on top of my basement radiator which was around 50 centigrade. It did the trick and the finish was as good as I would have expected. Cheers, Esben Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted October 6, 2011 Report Share Posted October 6, 2011 Hi Folks, I've been playing!! Yesterday I bought a spray can of Rustoleum hammer finish (black). The instructions are rather skimpy but with a few experiments I ended up with a finish that was sort of hammer finish as per Hammerite brush paint. However the black paint had a silver/white fleck in it. Overall not too good. Today I bought an aerosol of Hycote wrinkle finish from Moss. The instructions were slightly more complete but not perfect - so many test pieces were undertaken. The instruction says to do two light coats 10 mins apart. My first light coat was way too heavy and killed any wrinkle that had an interest taking part. Experiment 2. Much lighter coat and greater distance (can to workpiece). You need to get a speckled pattern not a full/complete coat. Let this dry (10 min). Apply another speckle coat, allow to dry. Keep adding coats until the surface is covered - DO NOT ADD TOO MUCH SPRAY IN ONE GO. Experiment 3. To speed up things I introduced a hot air blower (Black&Decker) Spray a light coat and hit it with the gun straight away. This has the effect of setting the paint the instant it hits the surface. This gives quite a nice crackle. Probably a bit more crackly than the original finish but very good. An undercoat can be used if desired. The key thing is to spray many layers of light speckle - do not overflood the surface. The 'H' legs were done at the same time and look good. I considered using a vinyl cloth but did not go with this as it is a thicker material than the paint and I don't think I have the skill to make it look as good as the spray. Thanks Stuart for the vinyl - I shall cherrish it until I need it. Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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