Have a look on the internet at hydro dipping for the lamp frames, lots of folks doing it now and an amazing choice of colours/designs even though you only want chrome, it also seems to tolerate weird and wonderfull shapes
Worth thinking about it. I've seen it done (Youtube) to wheels and mirror caps etc. Might have to make enquiries about that if my Plan A is a non starter.
The rear light refresh is still an ongoing works so more on that later. I dropped the rear suspension off at the sandblasters a couple of days ago and picked them up this morning. I think it must have been a rush job as he appears to have spent no time trying to get into the corners of the brackets. But, for £40 I probably can't grumble although I don't know the going rate for this type of thing.
Anyway the rear beam and trailing arms as collected.
After a good wipe down with panel wipe 2 coats of Hydrate 80 were applied with the second coat at right angles to the first as per instructions.
After that had cured, which didn't take long in todays heat it was scuffed up with a Scotch pad and then some high build primer was sprayed on.
Next step will be to roughly flat back the primer and then spray them black.
Got some new shims to make which fit between he brake back plates and the suspension arms as the old ones were badly corroded and breaking up. Back plates to paint and then I think it can all be assembled.
I got the rear suspension units painted yesterday and although they have come out more gloss than satin (I suspect a mix up at the suppliers) I am happy enough. Unless you lie underneath the car you can't see them anyway.
The underside of the car was still in epoxy and,
I wanted to apply the Dinitrol 4941 before refitting the painted components so the trusty applicator was brought into action. There is also a 4ft lance for getting right into box sections.
I think the was wax a little thick in the tin as it kept partially blocking and just blowing air so the application is a little patchy. I'll warm the next bottle up before going over it again.
Starting to look like a car again but still lots to do.
Got on with some work at home today. After countless hours of scraping, strapping with emery tape, soaking in a bucket of muriatic acid and repeating god knows how many times I finally had the rear springs looking like this.
Cleaned with Panel Wipe and etch primer applied.
Followed by satin black.
The brake back plates got essentially the same treatment except for primer after the etch primer. I'll apply black top coat net time I am out at the car.
The ventilation grill underpanel was missing when I got the car and I eventually managed to get one. Unfortunately some clown had resprayed the car it was on, and rather than take 5 bolts out painted over it.
After many hours spent delicately removing the blue paint adhesion promoter was applied, followed by satin black and an acceptable finish was achieved.
That was me cabbaged after that lot so time to put the feet up and have a San Miguel.
Any reason you didn't get the rear suspension bits powder-coated whilst they were being blasted ?
Cost. The paint was about £9 for 3/4 of a litre and there is enough left to do the front. No idea what powder coating would have cost but I know a bicycle frame was £100 so would be around that I expect. My pension is taking a hammering and there is about £400 of door seals etc to budget for. Just need to try and not chip them during assembly. Big mistake was not getting the springs blasted as cleaning them was hard work.
Still plodding on with the 304. Undersealing completed as far as the front subframe which is now removed so I can complete that. Cleaned up rear springs fitted to nice new Delphi de Carbon dampers. rear axle, trailing arms and dampers fitted. Brake and fuel pipe fitted with new home made clamps. Waiting for rear hub oil seals to arrive before completing the rear suspension.
I'll trim the brake pipe to length and make the coupling when I decide what to do about the load adjuster. Pretty sure mine is US and at over £100 thinking of going with an adjustable one from Car Builder Solutions so don't know the precise location of it at present.
If only it was. Shouldn't take too long to complete the rear suspension and brakes when I get a few more parts. Then the fuel tank will get treated internally then painted and fitted.
A more serious issue I can't get my head around is that I can get full left lock on the steering but trying for full right lock it only goes about half way. Disconnect the track rod end and turn the road wheel by hand and it is the same when turning to full right lock. Drop the strut down and the top mount turns 360 so that is ok. There is some damage to the nearside wishbone so wondering if that is the issue. With everything on the bench there is full articulation of the wishbone so it is rather weird.
Still lots to do and I'm not getting any younger. (I'll be 70 in about 10 weeks)
Difficult to explain, but is it the rack/box ? If the rack/box wasn't centralised when you fitted it, and had 1/2 a turn or so of left hand lock in place when you fitted it.... When you turned it left, you'd hit the lock stop, but there there would be more travel available in that direction. Then when you tried to turn it right, you'd be half a turn short, and wouldn't be able to turn all the way to the right.
Hopefully that points you in the right direction - see what I did there
Yes Ray I agree with Moderator, when fitting the steering rack the drive (input shaft ) has to be in the middle of the whole travel of the rack so you get the same rack movement in both directions. All being good the steering wheel should be able to be fixed so the central part sits horizontally. Not forgetting that the streaming wheel fits to one side ( right hand drive in your case ) the splines of the shafts should line up to give same travel each way.
In relation to the two replies above I fully understand what you are saying but the issue is still present with the rack disconnected. Jacked up with the wheels off the ground I can turn the right hand wheel full lock left and right. However the left hand wheel goes full left lock but only about half way to full right lock. Drop the strut down and the top mount rotates 360. Strut and bottom arm on the bench and the ball joint allows full movement. There is some impact damage to the near side wishbone but nothing that I think would cause this problem.
So with the steering arm pin and the wishbone bracket not fitted the wheel moves all the way around on the top bearing thrust plate? If this is so then connect the wishbone only and try
I have had a better look at the front suspension issue and the bottom arm is damaged worse than I thought and I am confident that is causing the problem. I have sourced one in good condition and when that arrives I can rebuild both front units. Need to splash the cash and get 2 strut inserts first.
The spare wheel carrier and latch have now been fitted along with the release cable which is inside the boot. Considering what I started with it looks quite ok.
Cavity wax has been injected and blanking plugs will be fitted. The long lance went the full length of the sills passing through the holes I had made on the gussets between the inner, centre and outer sills.
I thought it best to refit the chassis plates before I lost them.
The front subframe has been painted.
The subframe will be refitted when I have recovered from helping my youngest daughter with her first house. So far I have spent several day on my knees rubbing down shirting boards, door frames etc and fitting wall panels to the spare bedroom and wallpapering. My knees are now causing me pain so need a break.
Not a lot to report and no pictures but various bits of progress which means quite a few things are coming together nicely which will see a sudden improvement in the near future.
I have a bit of a distraction in that I am rebuilding a small block Ford (289) from an old Mustang. Might do a separate thread on that. I've done the cylinder heads, the block has been rebored and I need to find a piston ring file to set the ring gaps before I do anything else.
Other than that I will be 70 tomorrow (Oct 12th) and we are going to Tenerife on Monday for 14 nights. My daughter will be 30 next Saturday so we are out for a meal tomorrow night for a bit of a joint celebration so work will resume in November.
It has been a while since my last post and various things have progressed. The boot interior is now complete other than a new carpet or matt. I might have a look round a scappy for a suitable bit of carpet which can be cut to suit and get some banding stitched round the edge or carpet from Ebay, cut to size and add banding to it. Rear panel trim made and carpeted. Millboard which Cumbria Classic Car Club members brought back from the classic car show for me has been formed to shape and then carpeted and fitted. New boot seal fitted and then the boot lid. Fog lamps are with a BRM member so need to ask for them to be posted and need to ask Chris on the process for painting the rear lamp surrounds with the paint he kindly sent to me. The filler strip which fills the gap between the rear bumper and panel needs polishing and then fitting.
