Practically Classics Forum

I'll have you know those are hand-crafted bespoke lightweight panels made in Britain to the highest standards.

But wont the Plod be pulling you for having blacked out windows forward of the drivers seating position ?? We shall all be watching for your appearance & excuses to the said officers on Motorway Cops or Road Wars

Carbon Fibre FTW!!!11one!

vulgalour wrote:I'll have you know those are hand-crafted bespoke lightweight panels made in Britain to the highest standards.

Maybe, but I'm not sure the Duct tape meets the Constructions and Use requirements for anti burst door locks.

BL didn't do much better back in the day!

I'll be replacing the special lightweight plastic doors with bonded seams with some more traditional steel items soon. Brought back the four doors, bonnet and boot lid that replace the shabby ones on the HLS yesterday but got back too late to get anything fitted and today my body is just one massive ache from all the work of the last few days catching up with me. When I have a helper, I'll get the trailer unloaded and the doors bolted on, in the meantime the weather appears to be staying out of the car and it's been dry and very cold here

Today I am blighted with a stonking headache, I think I may have overdone it a bit the past few days but needs really must given the opportunity the spares car offered. Last thing Mum and I did last night as Dad hobbled in to get some painkillers and generally do nothing for as long as possible was to drop the bonnet in place to keep the engine bay dry. Unlike the old bonnet, this one has no rust and only a minor distortion to the passenger side windscreen edge pointy bit that can be sorted with very gentle persuasion. The previous bonnet had a difficult dent over one wiper arm and another dent in the leading edge along with surface rust and bad paint that would have taken a while to sort, dropping this one on is a much better solution. I haven't bolted it down, that's a two person job, but it can wait for now.


First thing I did this afternoon was drop the bootlid on. This is so much better than the bootlid that was on it's genuinely pretty remarkable. There is a small area of surface rust under the lock and that's it, even the trim is in good order. The paint is a bit flat but otherwise in superb condition overall. I haven't bolted this down yet but I can probably do this one on my own if I have to, though a second person will make the job a lot easier.


Last thing I did before I finally admitted defeat to this headache was to put a door on. It's only loosely bolted in place with the appropriate shims, has no handle or latch, but it's on. Plastic cover put over the window hole until I can rebuild it all but will keep the weather out a lot better.


The most satisfying thing is the paint colour on these panels. The banger car is an earlier darker red than the more vibrant hue on the HLS but the colour difference is near enough that the panels don't look that out of place. It looks like the replacement front wing has been done in the same colour as the replacement panels, which is a stroke of luck.

This has set my timetable back a little bit on getting the car running, but I reckon it's worth it. Where else was I going to get so much stuff for free?

silly question but does anyone remember the austin ambasador? or was i dreaming again

rich. wrote:silly question but does anyone remember the austin ambasador? or was i dreaming again

Of course you were. I mean, why on earth would ARG have built anything as inherently sensible as a hatchback version equipped only with the tough (if a little crude but that's a good thing) O-series engine and even more comfort than the preceding wedgie things.

It must be time for something from the Shuttleworth Collection :

CLICK HERE.


Apologies, that clip isn't exactly HD but you get the idea.

Is it just me, or do the new panels match the colour of the driver front wing? If I recall that was darker before but now is the same as the door above. Top result that

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FU-tuY0Z7nQ