RUMCars Forum
General Category => Unusual Microcar Discussion => Topic started by: Basket case on October 26, 2013, 07:09:05 PM
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Is there such a thing as a Bond Minicar forum on the go? Just starting to restore a MkD and could do with some extra knowledge / photos. Thanks
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no i am afraid not , but go ahead and ask and we will see what we can do here ;)
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Hello Basket Case,
I have a nice Mk D that's road worthy and correct in detail. Let me know if you need any help or photos. Nick.
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Thanks.
What's the best way to preserve the aluminium body panels? How can I avoid any future corrosion? Should I give the inside of the body a coat of paint or just leave it bare? If I use stainless fasteners, will this promote corrosion due to dissimilar metals or am I being paranoid?!
Over the years the bumper, dashboard etc has had 'extra' holes drilled in them for accessories. These look like they will be really difficult to weld up as the panels are so thin. Is it common practice to use fibreglass and filler for these repairs?
Finally, do I use normal etch primer or is there a better product?
Any info or advice is greatly appreciated.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_corrosion
Anodic reaction :-
There is a fair gap between Aluminium and Stainless Steel in the galvanic series (18% Chrome in steel)
However, I think you are worrying unnecessarily. If your fasteners were always in damp conditions or especially in a sea salt environment, there could be some degradation.
I doubt very much that there will be any noticeable deterioration due to anodic reactions.
You would probably get a more pronounced reaction if you used zinc plated steel fasteners. The zinc would eventually corrode and the steel would start to rust - in a long time.
There were some problems with Aston Martins between the aluminium body and the steel chassis but this was in areas where water was trapped.
My morris is still positive earth. I think vehicles were changed to negative earth to help reduce corrosion but it is a marginal improvement.
Sometimes large lumps of zinc were attached to steel structures because the zinc would corrode rather than the steel - sacrificial anodes.
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Hi Basket Case. I've been working on putting my mark D back together for a while now, so I'd also be glad to help. Mine had been stripped down to a pile of bits when I got it and the floor had been seriously affected by corrosion wherever steel underneath had been in contact with aluminium - the two steel cross members (BA45 & BA137) and the points where the flexitors were bolted to the floor were the worst points. Critically, where these surfaces met originally, they were left as bare metal and where the steel bolts on the flexitors went through the aluminium floor, corrosion had turned parts of the surrounding aluminium to powder - you can see the holes around the bolt holes in the photo below. On the cross members, the floor had splits along the lines of rivets. Although most of the floor was perfectly sound, corrosion around the two brake pivot points was also beyond repair and on my car it made sense to replace the floor entirely.
Underneath the car I've used Hammerite direct to galvanised metal paint, but others I've spoken to have used aluminium paint or waxoyl. Almost everyone I've spoken too has used metric stainless fastenings as they're easiest and cheapest to source, use copper grease so that you can undo them if and when the time comes.
For painting the bodywork, you do need to use a good acid etch primer underneath whatever paint you put on top. Aluminum forms a layer of oxide on it's surface and most paints bond to the oxide rather than the aluminium underneath, it'll then flake off very quickly. Some of these primers can absorb moisture though, so you need to check if you can leave it in primer or have to apply the top coat soon afterwards, otherwise you may end up with paint defects.
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Thanks for all the advice. A week of sanding, filling and spraying coming up.
Can anybody let me know what the tail light above the rear number plate should be like? I presume it's a Lucas motorcycle type light, but which one? Is this a twin filament light or is it just a brake light, with two further round tail lights on the back wings?
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The pictures show the type fitted to my 1953 Mk C that I had in '63-4. Also shown in a terrible state circa 1976 at the rear of Groombridges motorcycle shop.
There's one on ebay at the moment for a fiver. Number 291004076566. Used, coloured black.
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The Mark C's began with a single tail light above the rear number plate. Initially there were no other rear lights, but around Sept 54 this single light was replaced by a Lucas L467 combined brake and number plate light with a black cover and two Lucas L488s tail lights were added to the rear wings along with a matching pair of reflectors beneath (as shown on JAP 369).
These were changed to two Lucas L471 units in early 1955 (like the ones on PHX 744) initially the reflector was still seperate as seen on PHX, but soon afterwards these were integrated into the lens of the rear lights. Somewhere along the line the number plate light was also changed to a Lucas L525 unit with an additional built in reflector. Later in 1955 the tail lights were changed to Lucas L549 units, but only on the Family cars.
Most cars now have the indicator versions of L488s, but none of the cars were fitted with these originally.
The Mark D's are where Sharp's upgraded the lighting system to 12 volts and the tail light above the number plate on a Mark D looks like a Lucas L564 unit although mine doesn't have Lucas written on it anywhere. The combined brake lights moved to the wing units for the Mark D Saloon and intriguingly are described as Perei units in Bond's spare parts list though these look to be identical to the Lucas L471s used previously. Lucas L549's continued in use on the Family models.
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PHX 744 recently sold at the Bruce Weiner sale is the same car, JAP 369, resurrected with a different engine, reg number and a few other parts in the 1980s I believe before Bruce bought it.
I have recently been kindly reunited with the original bulkhead/firewall and number plate from JAP, my first car in 1963.
The reg. number is now on a Mercedes E320 Cdi Elegance A (Estate). I think I prefer the Bond.
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The reg. number is now on a Mercedes E320 Cdi Elegance A (Estate). I think I prefer the Bond.
Definitely! :)
Here's a pic of a Mark C with the single rear light, I'm guessing it's a Lucas cause of the medallion on the top, does anyone know what type this is?
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Thanks for the illuminating responses!
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The light used on this early MkC family is made by Butler and is the same type as used on the earlier mini trucks. Note the same light fitted to the MkB mini truck in the current Bond Info article by Dennis Jump.
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Just a bit of light entertainment.
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Rob is baasking in reflected glory . Is it a case of What The Butler Saw - or what Butler did you see ? That medallion on the rear light must the the Butlers medallion I guess
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Looks identical to the light on the back of an Austin A35 to me.
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I always thought that Butler did it.
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Can anybody advise me on the windscreen wiper motor? Is it a Lucas item that I might find on Ebay?
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Should be one of these :
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/331044091056?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649
also fitted to Nobel and Scootacar in 12v form and Bond Mk C and Peel in 6v
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A hard weekend filling, sanding and priming. Still loads to do.
I've been told the wing piping should be painted the same as the body colour. How about the piping between the widscreen frame and the main body? It appears to not be painted but it looks like the only way to get it off the car is to drill all the rivets and remove the dashboard. Should I paint it or not?
Thanks
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windscreen, not widscreen!
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;) to answer the question , when built the seal would have been plain black rubber but unless stripping the car apart i imagine no-one would see anything wrong in a painted sealing strip - there really is no alternative . The wing piping i imagine was chosen by the factory to be a good match to the body colour , rather than painted ? or am i wrong here ?
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On the C's and D's at least, the rubber strips were always painted, including the one between the windscreen frame and the main body. I think they were all black originally, but now you can get other colours and some people have used this to good effect!
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I'm pretty sure that ALL Marks of Minicar had the piping painted: my A and my G both originally had it painted (and both now aren't, as I think a coloured piping run looks good, and is less likely to bubble up over time).
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but the question really related to the rubber sealing strip between windscreen frame and body and surely that would have been left black rubber wouldn't it ?
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It was certainly painted in situ on my car and has been on most of the seemingly unrestored cars I've seen. I've also been told the same by a couple of long-standing members of the club. Unfortunately all the early factory photos are in black & white, but if you look at these enlargements of painted cars coming off the production line, you can see the black rubber around the windscreen stands out, whereas the strip beneath which runs between the windscreen frame and the body doesn't. The B&W photo of a restored car with the strip unpainted hopefully illustrates the difference. Other factory photos show the cars with the bodywork (minus windscreen glass) fully assembled but unpainted, and I can't imagine Sharp's doing this only to have to take them apart again.
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i think i must be wrong - again :) maybe i am thinking only of the early Mark A's with perspex screens , they certainly had an unpainted black rubber seal . maybe that bottom pic has something dark going on though doesn't it ?
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i think i must be wrong - again :) maybe i am thinking only of the early Mark A's with perspex screens , they certainly had an unpainted black rubber seal . maybe that bottom pic has something dark going on though doesn't it ?
Is the bottom pic you refer to the one I've craftily named "restored"?
I think you're right about the Mark A's with perspex screens and I wouldn't consider it beyond the bounds of possibility that some cars slipped through Sharp's meticulous quality control and ended up for sale with an unpainted rubber strip between the screen and body. If the screen frame got damaged while the glass was being installed for instance.
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Check out the wing piping colour of this Mark F Ranger, got to be quick at time 2:26
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03fv7sl/Timeshift_Series_13_Full_Throttle_The_Glory_Days_of_British_Motorbikes/
Well?? Possibly not, all very interesting though.
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Great stuff !! didn't really get the piping but what the heck :)