DHC report 100; Finishing touches part 1

First of all over the past week I have been keeping an eye on the pressure in the right hand front tyre. When fitting the steel wheels this one had lost nearly all of its pressure, with only 0,5 Bar remaining. As sticky valves are not uncommon I decided to pump it up to 3,0 Bar and see what would happen. But after half an hour the pressure had already dropped by almost 0,1 Bar, at which pressure it seemed to settle, remaining steady for nearly an hour and a half. So I put the wheel on the car, dropped the pressure to 2,0 Bar and drove home. After that I have been keeping a close watch on the tyre’s pressure, but it has remained steady since. Looks indeed like a sticky valve.

On Wednesday really was the most import day so far, It was time for the verdict from the expert. 17 Months of work were to be valued by a sworn valuator. This is necessary to get the car insured properly.

Right from the start my aim has been that the cost of the restoration shouldn’t exceed the cars value. And it looks like I have succeeded, and with quite a margin. Considering the amount and quality of the work done the valuator would only give an indication of its value. Because it was so high for a TR7 he first wanted consultation with a few of his colleagues, before committing himself. Looks like the valuation will be a fair bit higher than the cost of the restoration, well pleased with that ...

After that it was time to give the car a good wash in preparation for the finishing touches. To start with a few flaws in the paint were polished out (dust particles and silicon faults). Turned out to be easy but rather time consuming. First the blemishes were polished away by hand with a little cutting pad ...

Giving a rather unsightly look to the paintwork, in this case the boot lid ...

After which the paint was cut back in three separate stages ...

With the paint polished the seams between front wings and nose panel, rear wings and rear deck and spoiler to front wing were sealed with a special sealant. I opted for this approach as it gives better protection compared to painting over the sealant. This way there is no risk of the paint cracking and trapping water underneath.

To prevent the sealant from making a mess of it, the seams were first taped of ...

After which the sealant was applied and washed in ...

Only two things remain now, the badges and the hood stowage cover. I Managed to make a mess of the front badge. So we removed that one immediately. Will have to order a new one. Hopefully I can get a better quality one from one of the (TR7) suppliers.

But I can and probably will take my time for that, as I received the cars new licence papers today. So it’s fully road legal again, about time to enjoy it.