30th July - Started paint and wheel well finished

After the last post and moving the 109 turned around this now enabled easier access to the rear end  for painting (bonnet/wings/cab to follow when I get to them). BUt, before that could be done a few other tasks had to be completed....

CAVITY WAX
In the middle of the week the 'new to me' compressor arrived which means I can now inject the Dinitrol 3125 into the bulkhead; chassis outriggers; rear x-mem; door bottoms. Out of the three 1 litre cartridges I had bought I only used one. That was a struggle but reading that this stuff goes a lot further than Waxoyl maybe that is enough? After all one 5 litre cart of Waxoyl is enough for a whole chassis - and I am only doing the x-mem etc. as the chassis is galv'd already?

SPARE WHEEL WELL
I have had this sitting around for a while ('Rogue Trooper' donation - cheers Rich) I decided to fit this in the rear tub on the passenger side. After all a bonnet mounted 750 tyre makes lifting the hood a PITA - plus getting it off can do you an injury. So the rear tub location it is.

The well and wheel securing bracket came off a 88" and were originally mounted behind the bulkhead on the SWB - but the same parts fit almost spot on at the side of the tub in the 109. So with a bit of fettlin' they went in and the spare is now enscounced in here.

ANTENNA MOUNTS
The two rear mounting points for the antenna brackets needed a bit of tidying but all the reinforcing/strengthening brackets had already been painted with POR15 sometime in the past, so only needed a top coat and could then be riveted in place.

Once all this was done all bare parts could be etch primed after rubbing it all back with some 80 grade paper on the rotary sander.

Ideally I would fit the 'correct for year' Larkspur mounts but they either cost an arm and a lower limb or are unobtainable.....so I will fit the pair of 'Clansman' bases I have to hand.

PAINT
Once all the items above had been ticked off and the primer left for 4-5 hours (warm weather anyway) I could thin some Containergard, grab a brush and a mini roller and tackle the tub and sills (the latter were painted off the vehicle).

So in the pic below we have one coat on there, but it looks tidy so far. Weather permitting I will get a final coat on tomorrow and it can then be left to harden for a few days.

After one coat.....

Next task is to finish the paintwork (as above) then get the fuel return selector/tap seal replaced - I still haven't done that after over a month of talking about it. Mmmmm