114
Nigel ’s relationship with
the Scimitar’s bonnet
has become abrasive
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I
finishedmylastreportonalow note,
having discovered the Scimitar’s
overdrive was properly kaput. I could
try to remove the unit in situ (possible
but tricky) then somehow fix the
overdrive oil pump’s cam back on the
shaft (uncertain) and refit the o/d to the
gearbox on the car (apparently possible but
fiendish). Or I could take the gearbox out,
which would make everything easier.
I decided to do something that would be
easier still – fit a replacement gearbox with
a functional overdrive. I found one via the
Scimitar club’s excellent Facebook page.
However, I didn’t fancy lying in a frozen
puddle on my drive in Edinburgh’s long-
lasting winter, so I’ll be outsourcing
the gearbox swap to my local
garage. Before that, I wantedto
address the Scimitar’s cosmetic
shortcomings, particularly the
offside front corner, where it had
been nursing a wound when I boughtit.
I cleaned it back with a coarse sanding
disc and rebuilt the little angle around
the headlamp aperture with glassfibre.
I applied a coat of gel over the repair, let
that settle and then blended it into the
surrounding area with fine polyester
filler. At this point I discovered more pits,
chips and cracks to remove. So with more
sanding, more gel and more fine filler,
I soon ended up with a patchwork car
requiring a full front-end respray.
But that’s OK – I’d repainted the engine
bay and the area around the windscreen
when I had the engine and screen out,
and it would be strange to own a classic
on which the only smart paint was under
the bonnet. Also, I got an air-fed mask
for Christmas and I’m keen to try it out
All white on the night?
and make the switch from cellulose to
two-pack paint. I suspect two-pack primer
and top coat should prove more stable on
ageing GRP than cellulose.
With the bonnet off, I sanded everything
with 240-grit Abranet, masked up (car and
myself ) and got priming. Which revealed
more imperfections. Time to retouch with
ultra-fine filler, re-sand, re-prime. Then
prime again with the gun adjusted to throw
on as much high-build stuff as possible.
Then, on the final pass, the airline union
on the gun let go and the spiral air hose
sprang back, brushing the car as it passed
and leaving marks on the nearside wing.
So I’ve got more sanding and re-priming to
do. But the next time you see it, maybe the
Scimitar will be white again.
1971 Reliant Scimitar SE5
Owned by Nigel Boothman
([email protected])
TimeownedFiveyearsMiles thismonth 0
Coststhismonth£150(gearbox,paint,abrasives)
PreviouslyDiscoveredbrokenoverdrive
Rub, rub, rub... and
then a bit more rubbing
