REPAINTING A CAR.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20315, 14 August 1931, Page 7

REPAINTING A CAR.

WHAT TO USE. WORK FOR THE WINTER TIME. There is no doubt thai people are now mailing their cars last a great deal longer than formerly, and also that owners are doing much more maintenance 'work themselves in order to save money. Usually, however, such work is of a mechanical nature, and appearance is disregarded to a considerable extent. It is quite practicable to make a fair job of repainting at home, though it must be understood that really good results need the skill and experience of the tradesman. Winter is a good time to carry out the work, because of the comparative absence of dust, and the fact that the use of the car is more easily dispensed with. Air-drying euame! is the simplest material to use, and should certainly be chosen if the car already has a paint or enamel iinish, as this would have to bo removed entirely before applying lacquer. Being much slower in drying, enamel is far more likely to give a surface reasonably free from brush marks than is lacquer. Besides the enamel, which should be of the best quality • made for car painting, at least three of the best quality brushes should be bought. One of these should be of large size, since panels of considerable area should be covered as rapidly as possible. Removal of Dust. First wash the car thoroughly, removing every trace of mud and dust from the places that do not show as well as those that do. Then clean axles, frame, and other chassis parts with petrol, followed by hosing, to wash away all grease and oil. The body is then rubbed down with medium sand-paper until blemishes are levelled, and then should be finished with powdered pumice if a really good result i'j required. The powder is used by mixing it to a thick paste with water, and rubbing the panels, with a circular motion, with a pad of thick moist felt dipped in the paste. 'The car must then have another washing. To prepare the brushes for use, they must be thoroughly washed out in turpentine to remove dust. Before starting, try painting a piece of tin to test whether brush marks level out quickly, for tho enamel may need thinning down slightly. It is best to paint the chassis first, using one of the smaller brushes, kept for this work alone, and pouring out the enamel to be used for this purpose into a separate can. The reason for this Is that some grease and dust is certain to be carried into it by the brush, making it unsuitable for the body panels. If possible, remove all tho wheels before starting on the chassis; otherwise they will have to be taken off one at a time. The under surface of the guards may be counted as part of the chassis and dona at the same time. Detachable Parts. Before painting the body, the wind screen, hood, and as many other detachable parts as possible should be removed so as to allow of tho brush having free play. The bonnet is best removed and painted separately, l'or all large surfaces, use the large brush and cover as rapidly as possible, then coming back over the surface to level it down evenly. Use plenty of enamel, but do not be so lavish as to cause streaks ending in blobs, to run down, as may also happen if the enamel is too thin. Paint the whole of the scuttle first, and then work along one side of the car, and eventually right round it. The join will then come low down under a front door, and will not be noticeable. Mud guards should be done last. Even if it is decided to give tho car a second coat, which will make a much better job, a week is not too long to let tho paint harden beforo it is touched. It should then be rubbed down again with pumice powder before the next coat is given. Since dust is fatal to good results, it is necessary to sweep out the garage before the car is given its final wash, and it may also be a good plan to water the floor. When drying the car, use a chamois to avoid any risk °f lint being left behind. It being probable that the hood will require renovating, a special hood dressing should bo bought, and the hood erected before being removed from tho car. A large brush is needed for hood painting. The utmost in "fancy work whic the amateur should permit himself is naintine the guards a different colour from the body. Nothing looks worse s£n striping or two-tone effects un- }£ tCaS? really irell done, and irregularities in the panels or Sards a?e treated by fil ing with a s*l SS-in" of "rust must to removed before applying either paint or stoppingWATER FROM THE EXHAUST. LSv £peo ? le wonckr ""Some from the' pl^w^ water 118 ;" 0 pr«?uJ^ la i r n G tbo a form of ""temperature in the engine gliuflnr mav be anything up to 1600 centi Sad?, so that the steam cannot conS»~ &rC^<2S£s! Hit'S "of '!>» evaporated water passes into the comparatively cold C: l\ a "he :llmoS P hcric tom * 'aturo is low the pipe remains reasonably cool, and when the steam comes ,nto the atmosphere it begins to condense into the familiar wjiite clou-l <j rtf if i«i reduced to th© iorro of SC prior to I wring the end of t!,e l£ust pipe, and from "f P°"" " firm;! out as ordinary \ atcr. Another cause of visible vapour in tho exhaust is moisture in the an, i« cueked into the engine and S'^'pLedTut throng!, tin', <»b»n»t •r-'tli the carbon-dioxide and tne ordi.i arv products of combustion. The most dangerous material from any motor-car is oarbon-monoside, but the presence of this gas shows that proper combustion is not taking place, and usually SicaL that the mixture is wrong Fncines Bhould never be run in a garage, owing to the risk of gas poißoning.