Austin A35 Project

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Zelandeth
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Re: Austin A35 Project

#51 Post by Zelandeth » Tue Aug 24, 2021 10:41 am

Dick wrote:
Sun Aug 15, 2021 7:05 pm
gazza82 wrote:
Sun Aug 15, 2021 5:13 pm
After the photobucket fiasco I'm just not that keen on hosting all my pics externally .. :?

Just need a bit of time on a windows-based system or find something that works on my Android tablet
What's happened with photo bucket? Id like to find another free service but i always get confused with it all.. even i could manage photo bugger with a lot of help from Terry... come back sòon mate...
Overnight they binned the free model and required an extortionately priced premium service to maintain the ability to embed images on external sites like this. It destroyed countless build threads on countless forums overnight.

I did self host things for a while - right up to the point where completely at random a Russian car forum hotlinked to an image I had used in a thread somewhere, and the resulting traffic basically just saturated my internet connection as it was getting downloaded many thousands of times an hour. Less of an issue now as the server itself would be the limiting factor...but it's an experience which has always made me wary.

ImgBB offer a free and paid service, and I've used the paid version for a couple of years now as it's only a few quid a month and it's a service I make a lot of use of.

It's very like Photobucket to use, drag and drop uploading and then it just gives you a selection of links to copy and paste into posts.

I know quite a few folks use Imgur for this purpose, however if you actually read their acceptable use policy they specifically state that their service should not be used as your content delivery provider, rather that they see themselves as a standalone gallery, more like Flickr. Which I know you in theory can embed images from but I've never managed to make it work!
My website - aka. My *other* waste of time
Current fleet: 73 AC Model-70. 75 Rover 3500. 84 Trabant 601S. 85 Sinclair C5. 88 Renault 25 Monaco. 06 Peugeot Partner 1.6HDi.

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gazza82
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Re: Austin A35 Project

#52 Post by gazza82 » Sun Sep 05, 2021 5:01 pm

So the latest update is the shell is now devoid of glass. And it's all in one piece!!

Gentle leverage from inside with a scraper allowed me to push the side windows out.

The screen took a bit more persuation with the sole of my boot (I had to put the seat back to give me something to press against. There is a lot of hard window sealant under there that needs scraping out.

The rear screen seal was already made from two so I just sliced through that. It had a couple of bits missing on the inside which meant it would need relacing anyway.

So just the boot lid to come off now ... the hinge nuts are hidden behind the headlining beneath the rear window.

The rear section of the headlining frame is also out now ... and will need some gentle tweaks to get a couple of bends out. It's a pressed metal frame which slots between the internal bodywork, and the headlining is glued to the opening under the glass seal. There is also a spring clip .. which I forgot about .. which presses the frame down behind the seat back/parcel shelf. Actually parcel shelf is a bit of licence .. it's only about 4" wide at it's widest point!

Most of the last couple of weeks has been scraping, scraping, scraping. Interior is coated in a bitumen-type of coat to act as a sound-proofing, then painted in body colour. Most of that was very brittle especially where is was a bit rusty underneath. The sealant on the heel board and propshaft and gearbox tunnels isn't thick but is still softer so more reluctant to come off .. even with an oscillating multitool .. the friction on the scraper blade warms it up and it sticks!
"If you're driving on the edge ... you're leaving too much room!"

Retirement Project: '59 Austin A35 2-door with 1330cc Midget engine and many upgrades
Said goodbye: got '98 Alfa Romeo 156 2.0 TSpark to 210K miles before tin worm struck

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gazza82
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Re: Austin A35 Project

#53 Post by gazza82 » Thu Sep 30, 2021 4:05 pm

And now devoid of any panels .. fixed or removable. Last one to come off was the boot lid which you can only remove if you take out the headlining and rear seat (the very narrow parcel shelf is actually part of the seat back and screwed in place .. it's plywood!)


It now has this through the centre of the car ...
20210922_165248_copy_768x1365.jpg
20210922_165248_copy_768x1365.jpg (227.51 KiB) Viewed 1769 times

That is for the roll-over frame once I lift the bodyshell up to reach the clamps (scaffold-clamps on a builders scaffold frame). The rear needs lifting a few inches but the front will have to come up over a foot! I'm told by the owner the shell will then be perfectly balanced and easy to rotate. It isn't too bad to actually lift the front by hand considering the weight of that pipe and the scaffold pipe that runs through the centre of that!

Next up is to remove the bits and pieces floating around the inside and boot, and the bonnet and rear seat cushions I carefully stored on top of the roof! Then secure a plate to the factory jig hole in the engine bay and we should be about ready to try it out.
"If you're driving on the edge ... you're leaving too much room!"

Retirement Project: '59 Austin A35 2-door with 1330cc Midget engine and many upgrades
Said goodbye: got '98 Alfa Romeo 156 2.0 TSpark to 210K miles before tin worm struck

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gazza82
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Re: Austin A35 Project

#54 Post by gazza82 » Mon Oct 25, 2021 5:09 pm

I must love scraping ... more of the same today.

The interior floors, heel board, gearbox and prop tunnels are now devoid of that sound deadening gunk from 1959. Then wire brushed down (angle grinder one) and the odd surface rust areas treated with Hydrate-80.

Then my work light expired and it wasn't going to be too productive holding a mobile phone torch! :?

Scraped off most of the hardened windscreen sealant and treated the one or two surface rust patches around the screen opening.
"If you're driving on the edge ... you're leaving too much room!"

Retirement Project: '59 Austin A35 2-door with 1330cc Midget engine and many upgrades
Said goodbye: got '98 Alfa Romeo 156 2.0 TSpark to 210K miles before tin worm struck

Dick
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Joined: Wed Sep 11, 2019 7:31 pm

Re: Austin A35 Project

#55 Post by Dick » Mon Oct 25, 2021 6:40 pm

Its progress mate :thumbs:

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gazza82
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Re: Austin A35 Project

#56 Post by gazza82 » Tue Oct 26, 2021 1:57 pm

I know. Slow but methodical is my way ... I'll set a deadline in the New Year!

I'm working to the "How do you eat an elephant? .. One small bite at a time!" approach ...

The loss of my work light was the main reason to down tools yesterday. I'll try and at least get some etch-primer on the tunnels to keep back the surface rust.

I didn't get much done during the last three weeks as brickies were here re-building a garden retaining wall. The entrance to the car port was their storage area .. even now they have gone there are still some left-over bricks, a bag of cement and some small carrier bags of sharp sand still blocking access (I paid for the material, so hung on to most of the excess!)


I think the MIG may now see the "light of day" very soon .. first up is to re-attach the two mounting plates to the centre pole of the rotisserie .. the welds had broken (or been broken) and so it will not stay put if turned over like it is.

Then I'll try practicing on those floor splits before taking a disc to the floor areas and getting the floors cut out and replaced ... this is definitely going to be the interesting period for me as I have never welded before! :shock: I did a few practice welds on a piece of sheet cut-off when I got the welder .. back in 2016! One or two are pretty OK if I say so myself. (Welder was a nearly new and a good price on the bay of fleas and I knew I'd need one or could sell it on which is why it's been collecting dust since! :roll: )
"If you're driving on the edge ... you're leaving too much room!"

Retirement Project: '59 Austin A35 2-door with 1330cc Midget engine and many upgrades
Said goodbye: got '98 Alfa Romeo 156 2.0 TSpark to 210K miles before tin worm struck

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gazza82
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Re: Austin A35 Project

#57 Post by gazza82 » Wed Jan 05, 2022 4:59 pm

Well Christmas definitely got in the way .. as did a "request" from Mrs T to decorate a bedroom before our youngest returned for the festive period (which for him is about 4 nights!). So that took priority .... :?

I picked up a pair of NOS track-rod ends for a very good price as my car lucky as the female type of ends on a threaded rod. One is RH thread the other a LH. On earlier models they are male threaded ends with screw into a hollow tube to connect steering box and o/s to idler and n/s steering arm. Alignment is by adjusting the whole cross-tube on a normal A35 as the two short track-rods to steering arms are actually fixed length. I'm upgrading mine to A40 MkII adjustable track-rods so the cross-tube will be fairly redundant for alignment purposes.

Also measured up for some bracing tube to fit across door openings for when I eventually cut out the rotten sills and parts of n/s floor to maintain the shape of the shell and found a local supplier for a Hobbyweld 5 cylinder along with a proper 2-dial regulator and conversion hose for the MIG. Hoping I can pick those up later this week or early next while there is a lull in the "interior decorating" project awaiting carpet and curtains (Mrs T's part of the project!).

Oh and ordered some new batteries for the welding helmet that clearly says "Fitted with solar power panel - no batteries required." and yet has a CR2032 in the visor assembly and was "low". Being left in the box means it's run down.
"If you're driving on the edge ... you're leaving too much room!"

Retirement Project: '59 Austin A35 2-door with 1330cc Midget engine and many upgrades
Said goodbye: got '98 Alfa Romeo 156 2.0 TSpark to 210K miles before tin worm struck

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gazza82
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Re: Austin A35 Project

#58 Post by gazza82 » Wed Jan 19, 2022 12:57 pm

Took a drive up to my local steel stockists and picked up some 20x20 square tube and a Hobbyweld 5 cylinder. I've bought a regulator conversion kit just before Christmas so after a bit of a faff with the original feed hose connector (which should have pulled off but wouldn't!), I connected it all up and had a play!! The new batteries also arrived for the mask so I didn't need to resort to the cheapo hand-held thing that came with the MIG.

No the results were not great but I'm still trying to find the best power and gas settings and may need to tweak the wire-feed a bit. I also need to clean the original metal more as I think this may have contributed to a lot of the splatter, etc. The wire feed did sound a bit erratic, but I think that is a feature of a single-transformer MIG that needs to drive the reel and the arc. It has been sat in the garage for a couple of years so it may just need using and maybe a small amount of lubrication on the reel drive but it was very clean inside and the 0.6mm wire feels clean with no corrosion, etc. It moves ok when it's not arcing! (I'll get the off-cuts out an practice again!)

But I did get some weld on a floor crack without (a) setting fire to the car and (b) setting fire to me! :shock: But I'm relatively pleased with my first efforts and will now try out a few ideas people have given me to try and improve :thumbs:
20220117_162121_copy_825x619.jpg
After some tidying up with the flap-wheel!
20220117_162121_copy_825x619.jpg (182.08 KiB) Viewed 1492 times
20220117_162102_copy_825x619.jpg
And from underneath
20220117_162102_copy_825x619.jpg (129.25 KiB) Viewed 1492 times
For info the MIG is a Clarke Pro 90. Cheap but it should be OK for what I need it for.
"If you're driving on the edge ... you're leaving too much room!"

Retirement Project: '59 Austin A35 2-door with 1330cc Midget engine and many upgrades
Said goodbye: got '98 Alfa Romeo 156 2.0 TSpark to 210K miles before tin worm struck

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gazza82
Posts: 413
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Re: Austin A35 Project

#59 Post by gazza82 » Mon Jan 31, 2022 5:02 pm

So with a few minutes spare I thought I'd get the circlips out of the prop in readiness for a new set of UJs ..

When those spare minutes had expired, and the air cleared of expletives, all 8 circlips are still in place ... :shock:

Some move but none actually released from the groove in the propshaft parts ..


So they're now soaking in penetrating fluid .. and I'll look for a better set of circlip pliers later!! :roll:
"If you're driving on the edge ... you're leaving too much room!"

Retirement Project: '59 Austin A35 2-door with 1330cc Midget engine and many upgrades
Said goodbye: got '98 Alfa Romeo 156 2.0 TSpark to 210K miles before tin worm struck

Dick
Posts: 1280
Joined: Wed Sep 11, 2019 7:31 pm

Re: Austin A35 Project

#60 Post by Dick » Mon Jan 31, 2022 7:24 pm

gazza82 wrote:
Mon Jan 31, 2022 5:02 pm
So with a few minutes spare I thought I'd get the circlips out of the prop in readiness for a new set of UJs ..

When those spare minutes had expired, and the air cleared of expletives, all 8 circlips are still in place ... :shock:

Some move but none actually released from the groove in the propshaft parts ..


So they're now soaking in penetrating fluid .. and I'll look for a better set of circlip pliers later!! :roll:
Can you put a bit of heat on it?? Good luck with that though, last time I used circlip pliers i nearly lost fingers..

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