On the Midget I have had to replace a couple of oil pan bolts with coarse thread as I have put inserts in due to stripped threads. I just keep a list of the changes in the back of the owners manual. You've long passed original - a list might be easier than changing everything again.
On the Midget I have had to replace a couple of oil pan bolts with coarse thread as I have put inserts in due to stripped threads. I just keep a list of the changes in the back of the owners manual. You've long passed original - a list might be easier than changing everything again.
That is a good idea. I've already got a document of specifications, which I keep updated. It contains things I've discovered about the original car, and things I've done.
It annoys me to grab a handful of spanners for a job, only to realise I need metric ones. But the wings aren't a service item, so maybe they can stay as they are, at least until they come off again for a repaint in the distant future.
Nothing much completed/photo worthy at the moment. With the possible exception of the water pump change.
First step was to drain the coolant. A nice touch is a small ball valve, which makes it super easy. But the valve was blocked, so I took it off and cleaned it. Shining a torch through it, reveals threads in a very bad way - hmmmm. The £6 stainless replacement is looking in much better health.
There is a 2nd port for draining water, on the other side of the engine. Currently that has a regular drain plug in it. But it won't budge, I got Plus gas and plenty of heat on it, but no joy. That will have to wait until the engine comes out, just in case any further efforts go south.
The flathead V8 is wierd, in that it has two waterpumps, mine are "structural" and form the engine mounts. Which makes them a little awkward to change. I'd previously done one, because it was leaking, it also looked pretty grim inside, so I had the other in stock waiting for a suitable opportunity. Saturday was that day. Comparing the old and the new.
I also replaced the bottom hose, as I knew that would be an issue. The original one is short and so thick it is impossible to get on without removing the radiator. A more modern silicon hose is a lot more forgiving, but still tricky.
The rad seems pretty clean, but the block could do with a flush. I bought some flush, but it needs to be idling for 40mins. That will have to wait for another day, one where the neighbours are out, and the temp gauge is hooked up, so I can keep an eye on everything.
Continuing the fit up of the panels. The front aprom is pretty rough (but original I believe) it is bent in all directions, and makes truing up the front end awkward, because I don't know what is right, and what it bent.
My car is lowered, and it is common practice to fit an apron that is 2" shorter to stop it catching on everything. The shorter ones are GRP to my knowledge.
So I thought I'd give 3D printing one a go. This is my first attempt, using up old material, and using a big hole to save on time/material when printing.
Drawing stuff like this in 3D isn't easy, and I tried to 3D scan it and ran out of patience with that. So, I resolved to make a quick'n'dirty prototype, tweak it wherever necessary, then send it out for pro printing in one piece.
I wasn't happy, now I had a completely free hand, how my original apron, and version 1 of my design didn't follow the shape of the radiator grille.
That contour is a pretty big change to the design, so I decided to do another prototype.......
Alas I'd made a mistake in CAD, which made editting it very difficult, so I spent 7 hours redrawing it from almost scatch. I was able to trace some lines and measurements from the original thankfully.
This time I printed everything in ASA - very much like ABS, as if I got lucky, it could be the final part. I tried keying the center section to see how it responded to sanding.
I glued it together using a homemade paste of ASA and acetone, and gave it a first trial fit.
That is looking very promising, but did highlight why that area always looked a little off.... The wings aren't a matched pair, the profile/contour is slightly different. I suspect one is from a slightly earlier car, not that I'm an expert, and nothing drastic I can do about it now. I'm going to trim a little off the offside one, to even it up - you can see my scribe line in the picture. But it is looking better already.
I'm going ahead without the pro print. I'm going to make this one work. The reinforcement on the back isn't strictly necessary, but I wanted to make a fixture that would hold the very awkward shape for painting.
I should get some colour matched paint next week, so I can continue, and get the bodywork buttoned up.
Whilst I was suffering project creep. The rad shell needed a couple of repairs. The bottom corner was tweaked, by the time I'd straightened it out it was split and wafer thin.
No point making a panel, I just built it up with weld and ground it back.
One of the mounting holes had ceased to be a hole.
A washer badly cut to size formed the recessed repair section.
But it all came good in the end.
Hopefully my paint is a 1/2 decent match, and I can make good those few areas, without it being too obvious. Fingers crossed.
The old girl is coming back together slowly but surely. The paint has been matched to a Fiat black, and is a good match, so I've touched a few bits in before final refit of the grille shell.
Running the wiring through the grille shell to the headlamps and horns has always been an issue. There are massive holes in the grille shell, so big that the blingy headlamp conduits I bought from the States don't fit. Good job I didn't spend a bunch on two pairs of those then.....
Wanted a more low key approach anyway, I put those in the for-sale pile and 3D printed a couple of fittings. The threads came out quite well, I was impressed. A bit of heatshrink to hold it all together too.
Couldn't be happier about how this has come out. I added some braid over the heatshrink for a better look. The headlamp mounting stud is hollow, and original the wiring just ran through the bottom, and big rusty nuts were used to hold everything in place. A big stainless acorn nut, now holds everything in place, and the wiring goes straight into the headlamp shell.
Using the old adage, what looks right, is right. I'd say that was right
With the wiring in place, I could fit up the headlamp reflectors. Sidelamp holders were missing, and I couldn't find replacements. So again a 3D print, and I coloured them in chrome, using an art pen, as the originals were white. I don't know if it will last, but it was a mellow 5 minute job anyway.
Originally the gaskets were cork, but we have sponge rubber now, which is better and cheaper.
A happy couple of hours terminating all the wires in the headlamps and the horns, and we are getting somewhere.
Never had sidlights before Everything seems to work - which is good.
Thankfully the original 90 year old glass in the headlamps has "some age" to it, so the refurbished reflectors are quite subtle.
I'm going to try and paint that apron over the weekend, then I can cross-off - refit bodywork, and move onto re-piping the brakes.
I cleared some space in the garage, and setup a rudimentary paint booth.
Paint went on a bit heavy, I was in a rush, because I only had extra fast hardener. But I wasn't after perfection, otherwise it would look wrong up against the rest of the panelwork.
That panel turns this.....
Into this.....
Some coach bolts with painted heads hold that panel in place, rather than the hex bolts previously. Much much tidier. I've managed to get decent even-ish gaps and symmetry in the fit up, which was sorely lacking before.
Now that bumper iron is calling out for a bit of paint.....there is no end ;-)