Practically Classics Forum

Well, the eye is feeling a little better though still blurry, thanks tractorman for now making me think it might stay that way And, I must say that Landy of yours is going to be one of the better sorted examples by the time its done.

Anyway, I decided I'd avoid the welder but couldn't resist uncovering some of the next job, and thought it a good chance to actually show how the repairs have stacked up over the years.

Inside the boot and above the rear spring hanger / chassis leg you can make out a large flat plate "welded" (and I use the term loosely) to the boot floor, I've made it easier to spot by prying up a bit of an unwelded edge.



Underneath this plate, was.... another smaller plate and some holes



With that one removed there is another tacked in plate just to the side of it in the curvature of the upright




And so I removed that also



You can see in the photo below more plates to the inner arch area,



little to convince me they are of better quality I shall remove them in the next sitting, but for tonight I just shifted the axle stand away from this area I want to work on and for want of anywhere better to put it I shoved it under the rear of the boot floor edge, hopefully that, a scissor jack to the new sill, a trolley jack to the new rear spring hanger and a lump of railway sleeper under the car will keep it in the air for want of anywhere good to actually support it.

Theres going to be a fair bit of remaking to get everything right here, and while I'm at it I have this lot to sort

More Bodgery



So for tonight I thought I'd just use a bit more of Lidls finest rust proof paint to stop the good bits getting a flash of rust.



Lots to keep me busy anyway, guess I'll keep chopping out and then take it from there.

One big (sensible) difference between you and me is that you went to get your eye sorted straight away! I suspect the pain will be a lot less (if not gone altogether) now and I have no problems with my eyes - unless I want to see something

On a more serious note - I don't, as yet, need specs for driving or distance stuff and find them a real nuisance for anything other than reading (I can manage to 10 point with a decent light - but I am over 60, so that's probably better than many of my age!) but, since that mistake, I always wear goggles - or a full-face visor - when using grinders or lathes, pillar drills etc.

On topic - one reason I didn't buy an "older" car when I bought the Landy was that I didn't fancy lots of welding in awkward places. You're a brave man to take such a restoration on - and I really envy your fabrication and welding skills!

Well.. not done any welding, but Ive cut everything out ready so I must get on. I decided to remove the petrol tank given its proximity to these repairs so spent a bit of time cleaning it up and painting it in an effort to avoid doing the serious stuff.

Anyway, quite a bit of missing metal



I have also now removed the section to the back of the inner arch that ties boot floor / arch / quarter panel and spring hanger together, this is the piece I will make next as I need to try and build some shape back before doing the spring hanger,



Oh, and here's the spring hanger itself, this will also need remaking




More metal removed





I think a new spring shackle is in order also, probably not helped by a previous repair covering over the grease nipple for the bronze bushes in the spring hanger.



I'll report back when I've actually bothered myself enough to get on with fabbing and rebuilding this area.

I was also further distracted today by this, thoughts please, kill it with fire or put it in the que of things to save? It needs a dash, clocks, front lights, seats, brakes sorting, exhaust, fibreglass repairs to front valance corners and the front suspension thingummy that attaches the wheel has a little rot to its brace, chassis is good though, not sure about engine yet though it does turn freely on the starter. I tried a bit of Kubota Orange paint on the roof and found it quite pleasing



It was free ( well I'd have been mad to pay), any future for them? Not really worth doing but I'm a sucker for a lame dog / duck etc.

Option 1: Keep it!
I can help with parts for the Rialto and can put you in touch with folk closer to you who can do likewise, the chassis is Galvanised but they weren’t always pickled properly and the earlier, non-dipped ones are sometimes better preserved so soak its innards in Ensis V if it's all solid.
Leading arms are available as are needle roller kingpin conversion kits, four branch exhaust manifolds, modified inlet manifolds that open up the ports and modified 700 heads to take A-series cam followers can be used along with reground Reliant camshafts from the mild to the wild.
If it has an "E" stamped head, then the engine is the high torque version which, although down on power compared to a red top (37 vs 43bhp), has loads of lowdown torque that makes the wee things fly as well as improving economy.
Smart ForTwo seats can be fitted, an expansion tank is advised for the cooling system as the level will otherwise drop below the matrix and cause local overheating and watch out for poor oil pressure: Earlier (pre-1990ish) engines have a three piece relief valve whose (cast iron) seat was attached to its (aluminium) chamber with Araldite, so the valve blows off as early as 10psi, later, cassette-type valves are hens' teeth but will keep the pressure at around the correct 55-70psi hot. Fortunately, Bean didn't use cast iron for the valve seats which means that a) these don't fall out and that b) all OHV Reliant engines from the very first of the 600s to the last of the 850s are suitable for unleaded though you'll need super rather than premium in an HE engine as its compression ratio can be as high as 11:1.

Option 2: Recreate Up Helly Aa in your own yard and watch the wee ba5tard burn! (salvage the mechanical bits first, they're always in demand).

I hate to see a car die if it is in a condition where it could be saved. They are a bit of a joke but if you have an interest in it then add it to the queue, if not then given it's purchase price you could offer it at an affordable rate to someone who does fancy putting it back on the road.

It looks like you are having an "entertaining" time with the A30. I've had a day like yours, removing lots more "metal" than has gone back. Hopefully you won't find much more to cut out and you can start putting new metal back in again

If you have the space I would vote to keep it, they are getting rarer, a mate had a robin when we were 17, always good for a laugh and pretty cheap to run and didn't rust like the rest f the wrecks we had.

Paint the rest orange, paint a confederate flag on the roof, and give it a pair of dixie horns?

SirTainleyBarking wrote:Paint the rest orange, paint a confederate flag on the roof, and give it a pair of dixie horns?

Just don't try welding the doors shut!

I have to confess that it looks as if it could be a "fun" project after all the welding that you've had to do with previous cars. It's a shame that it isn't "cheap tax" (ie Historic Vehicle) as it would be a handy little runaround vehicle; though I suppose the A30 will fulfil that role in a couple of weeks!

Three wheelers have pretty cheap tax anyway don't they?

kstrutt1 wrote:Three wheelers have pretty cheap tax anyway don't they?

Depends. The Ant is over the 450Kg limit, so is taxed as a car (or should be, though I know of some that are tricycles on the documents). The Rialto is under the weight limit for "Tricycle" tax so although not free, they're only £76 for a year. You're in luck when it comes to the MOT too, as there is - according to the ROC (Thistle Branch) - a class 3 venue in Reay, so not too far to drive the thing to get it tested when it's ready.