Project Front Valance Refurbishment

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Fordoholic Nick
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Project Front Valance Refurbishment

Post by Fordoholic Nick »

Hi all,

Some of you may know that I have been refurbishing my front valance due to spotting a couple of areas that needed attention sooner rather than later. Well I finally got the job finished yesterday as one thing lead to another and I ended up removing the bumper caps and over riders too and refurbishing/replacing these. Here's how I got on...

This was the area of my valance that concerned me the most. Blistering and loose paintwork. The other side was not as bad but still needed attention so rather than just 'patch up' I decided after advice from John, to refurbish the complete valance...
Image20170328_162351 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

I was very worried what I may find underneath after scraping off the bad stuff but to my relief the valance was completely solid. Thankfully I had caught it I'm time.
Image20170328_164432 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

The other side was not as bad but again was still a relief to see a perfectly solid valance underneath the flaking paintwork
Image20170328_181032 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

As I am not a professional sparyer and was going to be using rattle cans I wanted the 'join' to be hidden by the bumper end caps so this was a perfect place to work from. Removed the other side too
Image20170328_181023 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

So after treating the bad areas with a rust treatment paint I then applied some Halfords Filler Primer, designed to cover any imperfections
Image20170402_184028 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

Image20170402_184054 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

A few coats later...starting to look much better already
Image20170402_184040 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

Whilst the filler primer did a grand job I was not completely happy that the impertions had been covered so applied a very fine layer of easy sand two pack filler to give me a better base surface before continuing
Image20170407_173802 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

Whilst it might not look it in this pic sanding down the filler did give me the result I wanted, a much better smoother surface.
Image20170407_173812 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

Now to start building up the light coats of red primerImage20170407_180037 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr
Image20170407_180020 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

Image20170407_180027 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

Image20170407_181202 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

I took my time and slowly built up the layers...looking even better now
Image20170407_183527 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

Image20170407_190207 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

Until I was happy with the primed surface
Image20170407_190200 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

You can see the finished top coats later :)

Waited a couple of days for the primed surface to harden then set about refurbishing the plastic 'trim' on the valance with Halfords Matt Black rattle can. Turned out really nice
Image20170420_191459 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

While I was waiting for the plastic trim to harden I set about refurbishing the end caps too
Image20170413_100405 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

Sanded down with 800 the 1200 wet/dry paper to sort the bad patches. But of course sanded the whole end cap to get an even surface. Did the same with the other one
Image20170413_100351 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

Washed them in warm soapy water before applying the new paint
Image20170413_102435 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

I used Halfords Plastic Bumper Paint and again applied in very light coats until I achieved the finish I wanted. The light reflection makes it look a bit pale but they did turn out really nice in my opinion
Image20170413_110604 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

Now my over riders were in a poor way so I decided to treat myself to a set of new ones from CCI. Even though brand new they were still a tad to 'faded' looking to me so I decided to try to 'darken' them which I knew would look much better, so I treated them to a few light coats of......Halfords Flexible Vinyl Paint Black :wave:
Image20170421_185448 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

They turned out really nice indeed. Sorry I forgot to take a pic of them 'before' but trust me they did look faded and patchy even though new
Image20170421_185535 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

Now I turned my attention to the rear bumper end caps and refurbished them in the same way as the front ones. The over riders on the rear were in a better condition than the fronts so thought to save money I would try a refurb on these. Here is a pic of one that I did against one I had prepared using wet/dry paper again so you can see how well they turned out
Image20170425_120634 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

Time to fit it all back together...but first I whipped off the grill and gave that some attention too :)
Image20170422_183228 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

The bit I enjoy...fitting it back then standing back to see how it turned out
Image20170423_185633 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

I am really chuffed with the end result. Yep, it may have taken me a while to do this but definitely worth it as the front end (and back) looks so much better than it did before
Image20170426_184249 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

Image20170426_184323 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

Image20170426_184308 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

The top coat paint I got from an online company I use that mix up the Ford Lacquer Red L5. They supply in rattle cans with a 'wide' angle spray pattern so not a cheap basic nozzle. I attached my faithful trigger gun to give me more control over the spraying. I know rattle cans are not highly thought of but theses ones really are pretty decent. Now in these pics the way the light is its not really showing that the colour blend is actually pretty good indeed :)

I hope you enjoyed reading through refurbishment Project Front Valance...and some more :lol:

All the best

Nick
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Re: Project Front Valance Refurbishment

Post by Paul G »

What a transformation, looking better than ever. Little tip - give the area behind the repairs a good undersealing or spray of waxoyl just to stop any grot going through.

Just finished the valance on my laser at the weekend but that had 3" missing each end so is a patchwork quilt behind it. Not got it too bad now but will have to have a coat of stonechip under the paint to hide a few wrinkles.
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Re: Project Front Valance Refurbishment

Post by Fordoholic Nick »

Paul G wrote:What a transformation, looking better than ever. Little tip - give the area behind the repairs a good undersealing or spray of waxoyl just to stop any grot going through.
Hi Paul,

Thanks for your kind comments and for that tip mate about protecting the other side. Nice one !
Paul G wrote:Just finished the valance on my laser at the weekend but that had 3" missing each end so is a patchwork quilt behind it. Not got it too bad now but will have to have a coat of stonechip under the paint to hide a few wrinkles.
Wow, you have certainly been busy on your valance by the sound of it Paul and sounded like a very tricky refurbishment indeed. Glad you are happy with it fella. The valance is one of those things that may be tucked away underneath the bumper minding its own business but to me its a very special part of the Capri 'look' so I am really pleased I finally sorted mine, like you are too Paul :lol:

All the best

Nick
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Re: Project Front Valance Refurbishment

Post by Taff50ish »

What a great little job you've got done there Nick. Looking really good, but remember, Simply Ford is nearly on us and some people might actually get down on their hands and knees to check this...... I can't think who does this off hand...??? Hummm.... but it could happen to you!!! :xd: :xd: :xd:

Seriously though, this does look good. Hope I can pull mine together in time, see you soon, cheers,

John...
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Re: Project Front Valance Refurbishment

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

Hi Nick,
Fantastic result, your car just gets better and better all the time.

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Re: Project Front Valance Refurbishment

Post by andyd »

Looks great Nick, well done :applaud: :D

Really hope you can bring it Sunday, weather permitting of course :)

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Re: Project Front Valance Refurbishment

Post by Arya2.0S »

Awesome job! You dont know how lucky you are to have your own garage and can do all this stuff whenever you want!
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Re: Project Front Valance Refurbishment

Post by Not_Anumber »

You have made a very tidy job of it. :beer:
The proper paint matched aerosols you used do seem to give a very acceptable finish and though not cheap they contain much more paint than standard off the shelf cans.
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Re: Project Front Valance Refurbishment

Post by pbar »

Great job that Nick. Quick question, did you do anything to bring a 'shine' to the new paintwork, e.g. cut it back, polish, whatever. Or is it simply apply paint and leave it.
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Re: Project Front Valance Refurbishment

Post by sheff »

Looks great Nick..... I'll give it a close inspection at the weekend, but ultimately you have stopped it getting worse! And a professional spray job would have cost you a few hundred quid and not given you the same satisfaction :D

All the best
Neil
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Re: Project Front Valance Refurbishment

Post by Fordoholic Nick »

Hi chaps,

Thanks for all your nice comments. Much appreciated indeed :) Was a job I was really happy to get done.
Taff50ish wrote:some people might actually get down on their hands and knees to check this...... I can't think who does this off hand...??? Hummm.... but it could happen to yo
I don't know what you mean John :wave:
Andrew 2.8i wrote:Fantastic result, your car just gets better and better all the time.
Thanks Andrew, It certainly has made a difference so well worth taking it on !
andyd wrote:Looks great Nick, well done. Really hope you can bring it Sunday, weather permitting of course :)
Nice one Andy. I am watching the weather and its all over the place at the moment :banghead: :lol:

All the best

Nick
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Re: Project Front Valance Refurbishment

Post by Fordoholic Nick »

Arya2.0S wrote:Awesome job! You dont know how lucky you are to have your own garage and can do all this stuff whenever you want!
Thanks Arya. Yep its very handy to have a garage mate but as its an en-bloc one it does not have any power. That's not a bad thing though as most jobs on the Capri I can get away with without power tools...although sometimes I think it would be nice to have power to use polishers and that spray gun that Neil bought recently. But I am not complaining at all as just having the garage is good enough for me...and B112 :)
Not_Anumber wrote:You have made a very tidy job of it. :beer:
The proper paint matched aerosols you used do seem to give a very acceptable finish and though not cheap they contain much more paint than standard off the shelf cans.
Cheers ! Yep the paint matched aerosols are better quality than say a Halfords can, and as you say they do give an acceptable finish. Its by no means a perfect match but I was not expecting this. The bumper and end caps work as a 'barrier/spacer' between the old and new so its not quite as obvious the slight difference in colour, but its not bad. Just as you put it yourself, its acceptable enough for me and looks much better than before :)
pbar wrote:Great job that Nick. Quick question, did you do anything to bring a 'shine' to the new paintwork, e.g. cut it back, polish, whatever. Or is it simply apply paint and leave it.
Nice one Paul. Mate I achieved a decent finish that I was afraid to tinker with so as I had also applied some clear Lacquer its got protection too. I will wait a few weeks then apply some Autoglym to it which should bring out a nicer gloss to it. Don't want to do this too soon in case I mess it up, as I am not that experienced in 'spraying' like this. Hopefully the finish I have now is all I need to do :)
sheff wrote:Looks great Nick..... I'll give it a close inspection at the weekend, but ultimately you have stopped it getting worse! And a professional spray job would have cost you a few hundred quid and not given you the same satisfaction :D


Thanks Neil. Yep the important thing is that the troubled valance has now been refurbished and should last for a few years now ! I agree the satisfaction is much better than getting someone else to do it, albeit they might do a better job but charge lots of money ! Now regarding your inspection at Beaulieu...have you looked at the weather :shock: :lol:

All the best chaps

Nick
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Re: Project Front Valance Refurbishment

Post by Caprifan Rob »

Great tutorial Nick. As Neil said, you must have had a lot of satisfaction doing it yourself. The end caps & over-riders look like new too, I see you had to use Halfords Vinyl Paint somewhere :D, Excellent job.
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Re: Project Front Valance Refurbishment

Post by Fordoholic Nick »

Caprifan Rob wrote:Great tutorial Nick. As Neil said, you must have had a lot of satisfaction doing it yourself. The end caps & over-riders look like new too
Thanks Rob :)

Yep I really enjoyed doing this job Rob as it really has inproved the front end albeit not to a professional standard but bleedin good enough for me ! Yep the end caps and over riders really came up a treat too. Amazing the difference these items can make when refurbished.
Caprifan Rob wrote:I see you had to use Halfords Vinyl Paint somewhere :D, Excellent job.
Rob...its Halfords Flexible Vinyl Paint (HFVP) fella :sorry: :wave: :lol:

Thanks again for your kind comments.

All the best

Nick
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Re: Project Front Valance Refurbishment

Post by pbar »

Fordoholic Nick wrote:
Nice one Paul. Mate I achieved a decent finish that I was afraid to tinker with so as I had also applied some clear Lacquer its got protection too. I will wait a few weeks then apply some Autoglym to it which should bring out a nicer gloss to it. Don't want to do this too soon in case I mess it up, as I am not that experienced in 'spraying' like this. Hopefully the finish I have now is all I need to do :)
Thanks Nick, I'd be the same, and definitely wouldn't 'mess' as the finish looks very good in the pics. Which rust converter did you use Nick? Also did you do any sanding in between coats or was that not necessary.

Sorry for all the questions but when you see a job done well it's good to know the techniques!
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Re: Project Front Valance Refurbishment

Post by pbar »

Fordoholic Nick wrote:Yep its very handy to have a garage mate but as its an en-bloc one it does not have any power. That's not a bad thing though as most jobs on the Capri I can get away with without power tools...although sometimes I think it would be nice to have power to use polishers
Might be worth considering something like this Nick?

http://www.sgs-engineering.com/generato ... ator-2200w
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Re: Project Front Valance Refurbishment

Post by Fordoholic Nick »

pbar wrote:Thanks Nick, I'd be the same, and definitely wouldn't 'mess' as the finish looks very good in the pics. Which rust converter did you use Nick? Also did you do any sanding in between coats or was that not necessary.
Hi Paul,

Sorry I did not reply earlier. I used this Hammerite stuff to treat the rust areas mate, albeit thankfully just surface rust...
Image20170501_143922 by nicholas bowler, on Flickr

Between coats Paul I used the best tool I own...my bare hand :lol: and ran it over the surface between coats to check for any bad spots. As the paint dried so quickly I was able to crack on with layering the coats on. Any bit of surface I did not feel good enough I just very lightly sanded using 1200 wet/dry paper.

Paul, I have done jobs before and rather than stop and finish I would go that 'extra bit' and bleedin ruin it so as I was happy enough with the finish on my valance albeit not a professional standard I decided to quit while I was ahead !! Next couple of weeks I will autoglym it which will gloss it up and also add more protection :)
pbar wrote:
Fordoholic Nick wrote:sometimes I think it would be nice to have power to use polishers
Might be worth considering something like this Nick?

http://www.sgs-engineering.com/generato ... ator-2200w
Thank you for this link Paul. I have considered buying one of these but the good ones always seemed too expensive. This one does look fantastic value for money so I will think on it. Thanks again Paul, much appreciated.

All the best

Nick
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Re: Project Front Valance Refurbishment

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

Fordoholic Nick wrote:Image
Hi Nick,
Nice to see the Halfords flexible vinyl paint making an appearance there..... :lol:

Andrew.
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Re: Project Front Valance Refurbishment

Post by Fordoholic Nick »

Andrew2.8i wrote:Nice to see the Halfords flexible vinyl paint making an appearance there..... :lol:
Jeepers....I dont know how that happened Andrew :wave:
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Re: Project Front Valance Refurbishment

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

Fordoholic Nick wrote:Jeepers....I dont know how that happened Andrew :wave:
You should be on a commission from Halfords for product placement! :lol:

Andrew.
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