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The spring compressors are scary, let alone those clamp ones that go on the outside of the spring, not a fan of working with compressed springs lol.
Thanks Ray, I know what you mean about the compressors!
Here's some more photos from the build...
The door frames cleaned up a treat, it was the right decision in the end, I wasn't happy with how they were coming up when I had a go at blasting them.
In the photo they look bare metal but they were actually coated in an anti corrosion (I'm guessing zinc based) which should give me some extra protection under the epoxy.
I repaired a few small holes and tidied them up ready for epoxy. The day I shot them there was a lovely frost and it was barely above freezing in the yard, great when you need to shoot paint! No matter, when its cold out, go into a cold-store! Actually it used to be a temperature controlled fruit store, but because its so insulated the ambient temperature was a toasty 10 degrees inside, add a few heaters and you've got a cosy paint booth!
This was the first time I'd used epoxy in the build and I have to say I won't ever be using another system again. It was easy to paint and the finish was superb. I had some left over which I tried over my existing two pack, no reaction and good adhesion, so as planned I decided at that point to seal everything I'd already done in 2pack with epoxy.
Anyway to build yourself a door, start off with a new skin...
Add a bead of sealant around the three sides...
Lay your frame into the skin and adjust accordingly until the gaps look about right, and loosely clamp together. You don't want to clamp too hard or you will damage the skin, I used two clamps one in each corner..
Add another bead on the topside where your edge folds over...
Bring the edge over in stages, using a sensible hammer! I did this in approx three stages, first to vertical then over in two ready to clamp. Don't go crazy, the prefabbed fold will bend nicely with little effort...
I then used a hand tool to clamp up the edges, again I started at one end and progressed along...
When your hands get tired ask your dad to have a go...
I left the doors for ages because I thought they would be a nightmare, but actually they have been one of the most enjoyable things to do so far on the build. I was really impressed with how well the skins bent to the frame and the overall fit was excellent.
We even managed to get them hung just before I moved house...
More of the story to come!
Thanks.