Headliner

Tried something new today, in that it's the first time I paint vinyl. The paint used was Dupli-Color's High Performance Vinyl and Fabric spray. The result was quite nice to use. It's a thin spray, and it takes several light coats. By using light coats, the threads on the seams did not clog or even appear to gather paint other than turning white, and no surface detail is hidden. The paint itself is obviously very pliable. The end result is quite pleasing to the eye, and doesn't look like paint, at all. If it lasts a long time and resists cracking and scratching, I'll be happy.

Below, the headliner after painting. This headliner was white originally, not Limestone. The wrinkles were there before, and should pull tight(ish) when reinstalled.

The headliner fittings, after cleaning, de-rusting and two coats of Eastwoods Rust Converter (which has turned them black). After priming, they'll also be painted black, their original colour. The three parts at the top are for the 'eyebrow' headliners. These small headliners will not be installed immediately, as much work needs to be done to de-rust the metal there and re-glue the vinyl.

Photo, taken before the restoration, below shows the'eyebrow' headliners at the top of the windscreen, just below the main headliner. These are sheet steel with vinyl fabric glued on.

Lift Gate Installed; Headliner

Haven't had too much time to work on things, but have managed to get the lift gate installed. This was not as easy as it sounds, as the collision (or whatever it was) that made the original tail gate unusable also distorted the lift gate hinge brackets and dented the steel frame. This meant that the hinge brackets had to be re-bent to not just their correct shapes, but also to conform to the dent, etc..

It took me a while to figure out how to bend the hinge brackets, as they are very thick. Finally, however, they were done with the help of a long pipe wrench and a firmly anchored shop vice. It took a lot of adjusting and many trips back to the vice.

The damage also meant re-riveting the galvanized brackets into which the hinge brackets fit. No damage there to the parts themselves, just pulled and sheared rivets which had to be replaced.

Below, the final result (which also makes me realise the original paint on the interior needs better cleaning...). No inner door handle yet, as the mystery of how the parts get assembled still needs to be resolved. Window and seals also need installing.

Overall Land Rover still wearing the plastic used for protection when painting the lift gate. It'll stay on a while longer, as work begins on the interior headliner.

More damage than you might think. The latch handle had been pulled off, too, dragging the bolts through the skin.

Headliner. Very dirty, but still in pretty good shape. The metal frame is rusted, but should last for a while, and won't be the end of the world if it needs to be re-made. Thread and seams are in excellent shape. I had thought about having the local upholstery shop redo the fabric, but I think a good cleaning and a coating of specially formulated paint for vinyl will work, and is in keeping with efforts to keep everything original where possible.

Lift Gate Paint

Haven't had as much time as I hoped, to work on the Land Rover, but progress is still being made. Clutch bleed was very successful, and the rear side windows are now in place along with their seals. Rear window seals have a filler strip, which I though I'd be able to insert with the tools here, but ended up being too difficult to do properly and so have ordered the correct tool from Vintage Car Parts .

The vehicle's value has now been professionally assesed, and so insurance can now be purchased, after which it will be time to get the licence plates. This by the end of next week, I hope.

Small problem with the brake light hydraulic switch means it will now have to be replaced, so that will hold up the first test drive until that is taken care of, as it means waiting for the new parts (switch from 3 Bros. and 5-way junction from Leacy Classics) and after that re-bleeding the brakes.

Inside surface of the lift gate has now been painted, as has the liftgate seal retainer, plus the seatbelt brackets that will be installed in the roof sides.

The lift gate latch mechanism housing has been re-riveted. The gate will now have to dry for a few days and then it can be turned over to paint the outer surface.

Lift Gate

Started work on the 'catflap', as the lift gate is often called. Removed the window and took out the latch mechanism and rods, then carefully removed the lower seal cover and the seal itself. The steel frame on the lift gate is in good shape, with just suface rust, and no cracks or rust-through holes. A little difficult to trace how far the surface rust has gone under the paint, but it doesn't look too bad. Gave it all a thorough once-over with the wire wheel, then scraped and sanded, and then applied a liberal coating of Rust-Converter to the exposed metal then sprayed it into all the holes in order to coat the insides.

Latch mechanism on top the bracket/cover in which it is normally held. Galvanizing has stood the test of time, with no rust in the mechanism, and the springs are in good shape. Have straightened the rods (apart from the normal bends), as they were quite bent out of shape.

A bit of in-the-field ingenuity: using a bolt or threaded rod to replace the tapered end. Must have taken some work, as it's also been tapped to fit on the rod.  It'll be staying, unless the lift gate seems loose.

Roof Paint Completed

The gold paint is finally gone from the roof, which, in broad terms, leaves only the 'catflap' to do. Very nice to have the gold gone from the main body. The paint has revealed other little dings and dents which were hidden via the matt oxidized gold paint, but that's fine, and there will be some small things to tidy up later on (for instance, the remaining red paint of "Goldenrod" managed to bleed through the Limestone, just a tiny bit and barely noticeable, but come Spring it may be worth just putting another coat of paint on that panel).


While sanding the rear roof panels, another decal turned up, one on each side: Shell. A search of the web reveals that this rather ornate version of the famous Shell logo was indeed in use in the late 50's and early 60's.

Same style as the decals on the Land Rover, although the Rover's also has a square striped background.

...And if you were driving in Ontario in 1960, you may have had a map with a cover like this!

The capping stripped, and seals and 'catflap' support brackets removed:

Top panel masked and painted. In hindsight, of course, should have sanded "Goldenrod" completely off, but as the surface was completely flat and I assumed it was the same kind of paint as the gold.... But not a big problem, it's barely visible and it's an easy panel to repaint at some point in the future. The first priority, obviously, is to have a working Land Rover, and the rest can come later.

And finally, in the cold light of a snowy -9 C Winter morning, the completed roof paint, after drying in the warm overnight.

More Painting

The roof sides have now been painted Limestone. All went well, except for one small 'sag' on the left side, just where everyone is going to see it. Ah well, hopefully it'll just blend in with the dents.... For such a small area to paint, this required a lot of masking! Now the side windows can go in, and work preparatory to painting the rear of the roof can start. The roof has now been firmly bolted on.

A final view of "Hayward & Littlejohn", during sanding. The words are still slightly visible under the new Limestone paint, thanks to the paint's shiny surface.

Before painting:

Nice fresh paint on the roof sides, and overall looking more and more as she did a long time ago. The wheels look white due to the outside light from garage door being open.

Aside from the 'catflap', this is the last of the gold paint. Can't say I'll be sorry to see the name "Goldenrod" go. Land Rover is up on jacks from the brake bleed and adjustments, plus will make doing the wheel aligment that much easier.

Looking just a little strange with one wing missing....

Hydraulics

Tonight Steve was over again, and we bled the brakes and clutch. The brakes went well, but there is a definite problem with the refurbished clutch master cylinder, and so that will be replaced. That was the only problem, however, and aside from that, mechanically and electrically this Land Rover is ready to go for a test drive.

While waiting for the new clutch master cylinder, there will be time to finish up the roof sides. Steve helped put the "lid" on, and for now it is just sitting in place and is not bolted on, so it can be lifted for masking etc.. The new window seals have arrived, and once the painting is complete, the side windows can go on. The roof sides are the only places where the old gold paint still exists, except for the rear 'catflap'.

Wheels will go back on tomorrow and she can come off the stands. Far side wing will go back on once the clutch master cylinder has been replaced (which won't be until next week sometime, at the earliest, unfortunately).