kevin s's blog

Post pictures and stories about your cars both present and past. Also post up "blogs" on your restoration projects - the more pictures the better! Note: blog-type threads often get few replies, but are often read by many members, and provide interest and motivation to other enthusiasts so don't be disappointed if you don't get many replies.
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kstrutt1
Posts: 516
Joined: Sat Oct 22, 2011 8:55 pm
Location: essex

Re: kevin s's blog

#271 Post by kstrutt1 »

Some more welding on the minor, the are around the bump stop is now finished.
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Next up is to butt weld a piece in the front lower corner and to replace the seam, with this all of the welding on the shell will be finished, only 2 years of work!
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tractorman
Posts: 1399
Joined: Mon Feb 21, 2011 11:22 am
Location: Wigton, Cumbria

Re: kevin s's blog

#272 Post by tractorman »

Does that mean the "respray" will be done by the end of the month? ;)

It's most satisfying to be able to hang up the welding gear (figuratively speaking) and make a start on something else. The only thing I find is working out which is the next most important job and getting into the right "mindset" to do it!
kstrutt1
Posts: 516
Joined: Sat Oct 22, 2011 8:55 pm
Location: essex

Re: kevin s's blog

#273 Post by kstrutt1 »

more likely the end of the year ;)

Seriously I would like to get some paint on at least the shell and doors this summer, this will allow us to build it up mechanically over the winter then add wings bonnet boot etc next year (they will only get knocked around if I paint and fit them now). I have been putting some thought to what to do next, the current thinking is:

Remove front suspension
Paint and stone chip underbody / inner wings.
Paint engine compartment
Paint and rebuild then fit front suspension.
remove and clean, strip and repair as required rear axle then fit.
Fit brake lines and wiring (after modifying loom for extra fuses, relays and alternator)
Fit powertrain
Paint and fit wings / bonnet/ boot.
fit interior
drive it!

In amongst the above I am also making my own 5 speed and disc brake conversion (mx5 box & corsa brakes with beetle dual circuit mastercyl) so that will add time idealy I would like to get it drveable next year but lets see what happens.

The other thing will be money, up until now it has only cost around £300 spread over the last 2 years, because I have made most of the repair sections, now it is largely unavoidable to start buying parts!

kevin
tractorman
Posts: 1399
Joined: Mon Feb 21, 2011 11:22 am
Location: Wigton, Cumbria

Re: kevin s's blog

#274 Post by tractorman »

I can assure you buying parts is easy - paying for them is the hard bit!

To make things worse - buying parts that are correct is almost impossible. I have just had to pause the new brake shoes job as the Britpart springs I ordered aren't right (though are supposed to be for 11" brakes) - I've a photo to download later, but the ends are in line across the Britpart springs and 90deg apart on the Land Rover ones (which also have one or two more coils, so the spring is longer). I should have known better, but thought I may as well have "all new" when doing the job!

I'm sure I don't need to preach to you about that though!!

You seem to have the right order, but wonder if painting the inside of the engine bay with stone chip before putting the top coat on might be a good idea? I have done the inside of the Landy's inner wings with some old smooth Hammerite in the hope that it will be a little lighter in the engine compartment (it worked well on my old Maxi!). However, the Landy is much more utilitarian than a Moggy and I suspect the MMOC would excommunicate you if the engine bay was a different colour to the rest of the body!

OK, I've got a photo I want printed now so I am about to go back to the garage and clean the old brake springs off!
kstrutt1
Posts: 516
Joined: Sat Oct 22, 2011 8:55 pm
Location: essex

Re: kevin s's blog

#275 Post by kstrutt1 »

Britpart is strange, some of their stuff is fine and great value but other parts are terrible, they and most pattern parts seem to particularly struggle with rubber parts, the landrover handbrake and hi lo gaiters barely last me a year.
tractorman
Posts: 1399
Joined: Mon Feb 21, 2011 11:22 am
Location: Wigton, Cumbria

Re: kevin s's blog

#276 Post by tractorman »

You are right about rubber parts - I was amazed when I took a dust cover off the end of one of the wheel cylinders to see why the shoe wouldn't seat properly. It was more akin to a kid's balloon than a serious bit of rubber!

As you say, some of the Britpart stuff I've used has been good - or usable, It's a shame they don't say "This part is rubbish" or "This part is actually a good one" on the dealers' sites! The swivel housings would be OK if the chrome was two or three times as thick. I don't know how long they'd last if I didn't fit the gaiters -I would suspect it would be less than a year around here thanks to our salt air (and tidally flooded roads!).
kstrutt1
Posts: 516
Joined: Sat Oct 22, 2011 8:55 pm
Location: essex

Re: kevin s's blog

#277 Post by kstrutt1 »

Finished the inner wing welding today,
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I also welded in inserts for the wing mounting bolts,
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I used stainless rivnuts like this one.
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kstrutt1
Posts: 516
Joined: Sat Oct 22, 2011 8:55 pm
Location: essex

Re: kevin s's blog

#278 Post by kstrutt1 »

I also looked at my idea to fit corsa front brakes, it looks a strong possibility.

I opened up the centre of the disc so it fitted. Then slid the caliper over it.
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The caliper mounting looks like it will be pretty simple, in the picture below a 10 mm drill is placed between the upright mounting face and caliper face, so it should be pretty easy to cut an adaptor out of 10mm steel plate.
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I just need to get a non vented disc which will match my calipers to make sure the disc centre line is the same.

On the other side it will need a wheelspacer, the corsa must have a dished centre to the wheel, the minors are flat, it needs around 15mm, 19mm seems widely available for around £20 per pair.
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kstrutt1
Posts: 516
Joined: Sat Oct 22, 2011 8:55 pm
Location: essex

Re: kevin s's blog

#279 Post by kstrutt1 »

Spent a little time on the MX5 today, put it on the ramp and fixed the rattling heatshield on the downpipe, then finished off the paint repairs to the rear wheel arch where the mudflap had worn through the paint causing corrosion.

before:
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After:
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kstrutt1
Posts: 516
Joined: Sat Oct 22, 2011 8:55 pm
Location: essex

Re: kevin s's blog

#280 Post by kstrutt1 »

Been a few couple of weeks of odds and ends, been using the Lotus as an everyday car for the last 3 weeks with no real issues, on the landie I been getting the petrol system working properly, with the new pump I have plenty of fuel and it ran and drove but not particularly well, also it was not possible to set the mixture, a quick look identified the problem, the hole in the jet was oval not round. Today I fitted the new jet and now it seems to run very well.

On the minor I have splashed out on the paint and started preping the shell and doors, the worst of the filling is now done, just stripping the paint off the roof and pulling the last few parts out of the engine compartment left before the priming starts.
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