Team-BHP - My very own Premier Padmini - Restoration in progress

14-Sep - A few more pics taken this evening.

After scrubbing the floor panels clean of all grime/grease/rust spots, it was sprayed with zinc chromate primer.

Have ordered chassis kit from Shetty Motors. Expected delivery mid next week.

New suspension bushings would be pressed into position on Mon/Tue next week.

18-Sep-

The sub-frame, brake drums, backing plate, helical springs, shock absorbers were painted in black.

The under-body including wheel arches have also been painted in the same colour.

Was in a dilemma as to whether to paint the firewall in pale lilac in its entirety or paint the lower portion in black. Ultimately, decided to deviate from the norm (purists, please excuse).

Go-ahead was given to the painter to paint the lower portion in black as the area is usually difficult to clean and would get smeared in grease/oil/dirt in no time during normal use.

The propeller shaft would be painted in a dark shade of grey for contrast.

The engine compartment would be painted in pale-lilac tomorrow before the sub-frame is fitted in order to avoid over-sprays.

Suspension bushings would pressed into place tomorrow and front suspension reassembled the day after.

Next, work would commence on the rear suspension.

Hi Karthik1100,

Thanks for your note. You are absolutely correct. The PP came with many red oxide primer coated parts but I have deliberately opted for matt/glossy black finish for the underbody.

A few components would be painted in grey for the sake of contrast.

The exhaust pipe would be painted in aluminium/silver.

I hope the end result won't dissappoint.

20-Sep- A few pics from this morning.

The engine bay has been sprayed in pale lilac and clear coat has been applied

Must say this one has to be among the best Padmini restorations I have seen on this forum. With the amount of work going on into this car I am sure this can be kept as a Museum piece. :)

Would like to point out one thing, please ensure you use heat resistant paint on all the exhaust components otherwise with time finish will burn off/flake off.

BTW am kind of confused, you mentioned spraying the lower engine bay in black but its been painted very much to the liking of purists :D

Quote:

Originally Posted by samsag12 (Post 3243269)

Would like to point out one thing, please ensure you use heat resistant paint on all the exhaust components otherwise with time finish will burn off/flake off.

It's heat resistant paint. It may still flake off/undergo discolouration close to the exhaust manifold, but the remaining areas should be intact

Quote:

Originally Posted by samsag12 (Post 3243269)

BTW am kind of confused, you mentioned spraying the lower engine bay in black but its been painted very much to the liking of purists :D

If you look closely, the lower portion of the firewall still remains black. Probably the angle at which the photograph was shot hid this fact.

Dude, the engine bay look Fantastic! So the color of the body is going to be Pale Lilac! Cool.

For the body, hope you maintain the original look and not mod the car. Having spent so much on the restoration, we surely hope it results in a yet another original Padmini on road.:thumbs up

Thanks Karthik1100.

I intend to stay as close to stock as possible except for some minor mods in the interest of practicality.

Mods planned
===================
(a) plastic windshield washer reservoir (as the original pouch is nearly impossible to find)

(b) engine bay light

(c) stereo fitment within the glove box (the previous owner has already fitted a casette player which would be discarded in due course)

(d) carpet

Quote:

Originally Posted by Karthik1100 (Post 3243595)

By mods I meant stickering, alloys, and other bling stuff..:D

This is sacrilege - please rest assured that no such mods would ever be made

What an amazing transformation bikertillidie!
You have given a complete new look for your car.
As stated earlier in this thread, I am continually tracking the progress of the work. Enjoy reading the story. Trying to imagine how beautiful she would be once the restoration is complete.

21-Sep-
Had been to Kurla/CST Road this afternoon looking for some spares which are no longer available off the shelf. After scouring the scrap market for about two hours, had given up all hope when my companion (Javed's mian's father) chanced upon a friendly taxi driver who directed us to the right person.

This magician is named Wahid and he operates a scrap-yard near Sion railway station. After a visit, we managed to find exactly what we had been looking for. 150 bucks changed hands and we were smiling.

It's a different matter that fuel/toll expenses from Pune - Mumbai exceeded the price quoted by Wahid twenty-fold.:Frustrati

Glad to know you got all the stuff you required, hope to see some pics of your latest picks ;).

BTW regarding the plastic washer fluid bag, I might be able to help you out as IIRC I had a used one from scrapped car but it had a leak somewhere at bottom. Will PM you some pics soon & you can let me know about it. Although, you won't be able to operate it as the "bag system" works on suction (using a rubber bulb) as opposed to plastic container which is operated by a small motor.

Apologies for the delayed reply - work is keeping me extremely busy.

Shall post pictures of our "find" soon.

samsag12 - would love to have a look at the pics of windshield washer pouch.

Quote:

Shall post pictures of our "find" soon.

@bikertillidie, I have been hooked to your restoration thread since August and eagerly waiting to see the beauty in full. Do post pics of the beauty at every stage. clap:

Cheers!!!