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Hillman Aero Minx restoration
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peter scott



Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 7113
Location: Edinburgh

PostPosted: Sun Jan 23, 2011 2:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Could you post a photo of it?

I don't suppose it looks like any of these?

http://www.sngbarratt.com/catalogue/parts/search.asp

Peter
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1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon
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1935Hillman



Joined: 06 Apr 2010
Posts: 257
Location: Hampshire

PostPosted: Sun Jan 23, 2011 9:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Will do, need to dig it out of the box so will come back to you.
Many thanks,
Tim
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1935Hillman



Joined: 06 Apr 2010
Posts: 257
Location: Hampshire

PostPosted: Tue Feb 01, 2011 9:20 pm    Post subject: steering wheel aside Reply with quote

As I wait for bits to come back to me from various points I thought I would share with you all my steering wheel restoration attempt. the wheel is not an Aero Minx one, I am still looking for one. I acquired this one with the car and liked it so much that I really wanted to have a go at restoring it. I found this stuff called Plastidip had been used by one or two others and gave it a try.
I stripped the wheel which wasn't difficult as the covering was coming off as you can see from the pictures.

I then rubbed down the rust and painted it all with kurust. I detached the spokes from the rim but decided against removing the hub, this would have meant taking out the brass rivets which I couldn't see replacing easily.
I then dipped the spokes each in turn, allowing the excess to drip off as much as possible and allowed it to dry.
I then created a dipping bowl by lining an old wok with plastic and filling it with the jollop. I then slowly rotated the rim through the dip, holding it by four inch screws screwed into the holes meant for securing the spokes.
this was quite successful but the stuff does 'skin' quite quickly and this can lead to stretch marks as one rotates.
However, I did discover that what at first looks like a very thick covering shrinks back to quite a thin coating when dry and several dips were required. I refixed the spokes to the rim and coated the whole thing a couple more times finally coating with a gloss coat with a soft bristle paint brush.

The result is satisfactory if not perfect but I do intend to practice my cord binding as well so it should be partially hidden when finished and I am sure I could make a better job of it another time.


Last edited by 1935Hillman on Tue Aug 22, 2017 4:06 pm; edited 2 times in total
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peter scott



Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 7113
Location: Edinburgh

PostPosted: Tue Feb 01, 2011 9:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That looks a very respectable job. I must look into this Plastidip stuff.

Thanks for posting,

Peter
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1935Hillman



Joined: 06 Apr 2010
Posts: 257
Location: Hampshire

PostPosted: Sun Mar 20, 2011 6:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The floor pan which supports the fuel tank had previously rusted away and had been replaced with a fairly flimsy, rough job which had been roughly bolted to the upstanding part. The pan is a fairly complicated affair with flanged edges and holes, reinforcing gussets and it is an L shape. The main problem was that originally the pan was fitted when the chassis was assembled. This meant that I would not be able to pre-assemble the pan and then fit it, it would have to be assembled and welded together in the chassis.
I used a 2mm steel sheet and cut out the basic shape and holes with a jigsaw.



I then had to form the flanges. I did this by bending the edges of the holes down with an adjustable spanner which I set to roll off the edge as it bent so as to avoid a sharp edge to the curve. This was quite easy and with a little practice became quite quick.



I then dressed these edges with a nylon round section bar to reduce the marks and creases, tapping round and round until they looked nice and smooth. I finished by sanding them with a coarse and then finer papers. One could work on these until they are perfect but the original pan on my other Aero is fairly crude and not perfectly finished.



I then marked the edge to be cut to match the existing edge of the remaining upstanding part of the pan.



The original pan was rivetted into the chassis but I used round head bolts instead and lined the two parts up for welding. The welding itself was very difficult, partly due to inexperience on my part but also due to the pan being set down between the chassis rails and the join being in a corner. Anyway with much stress I got it done and when ground down will be fine. The distortion of the fairly thin panel was also a problem but much can be flattened out when all fixed in and bolted up.



Another problem was that the heat has damaged the paint on the chassis which is a shame as I had taken a lot of trouble to keep it covered and protected up until that time.
I will let you know when it is repainted and looking finished.


Last edited by 1935Hillman on Tue Aug 22, 2017 9:39 am; edited 1 time in total
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1935Hillman



Joined: 06 Apr 2010
Posts: 257
Location: Hampshire

PostPosted: Tue May 17, 2011 8:23 pm    Post subject: Engine turning Reply with quote

I am still stuck on one or two points with the restoration of Aero number 2 so have been attending to other matters on Aero number 1. I have been meaning to change my side water cover for a while, the steel original was quite ropey very thin in places. I have a couple of other old ones and they are rusted right through also. i bought a replacement stainless one from Speedy Spares and while it is OK it is flat and not pressed and swaged like the steel one. I have wanted to have a go at engine turning for ages and so the ideal opportunity arose to practice engine turning and make my new side cover look prettier. I have seen all kinds of stuff used for making the swirls but for simplicityI thought I would try a wire brush first. Careful preparation and marking out is the key to success and the drill press is pretty much essential. The pictures show the side cover on the press and ultimately on the car although this is after an enormous amount of time re-drilling the holes in the plate to get it to fit. i dont know if the holes vary in all engines of the same type but some of these were way off and I thought for a while that the job would not be possible at all. Some relief when it was safely fitted. The pictures tend to suggest that I did not overlap the circles but I did and they show up better in reality.
[img][/img]

[img][/img]
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Richard H



Joined: 03 Apr 2009
Posts: 2148
Location: Lincolnshire, UK

PostPosted: Tue May 17, 2011 8:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nice fabrication skills. Welding looks very decent too. It'll soon be back on the road at this rate!

Richard.
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Nic Jarman



Joined: 05 Oct 2008
Posts: 1031
Location: Stoke by Clare, Suffolk

PostPosted: Wed May 18, 2011 10:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nice work and nice photos, it makes me itch to get back into our garage.
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1935Hillman



Joined: 06 Apr 2010
Posts: 257
Location: Hampshire

PostPosted: Sun Jan 08, 2012 12:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I can hardly believe that it has been so long since I posted last but here is an update. I will try to remember what progress has been made. Most of the corrective work has been completed on the road car and attention has turned back to the 'project'. It has taken most of the last year to get the spring shackles and bushes back from the engineers which has held me up quite a bit but they have finally arrived. Neither I or they knew exactly how they needed to be so it was not a total surprise that they were not quite right. The bronze bushes were slightly over long and the whole steel bush / bronze bush / thrust washer assemblies were too big for the dumb irons and other spring brackets. This was fairly quickly remedied by carefully turning the bronze bushes down which was done by a friend. The manual indicated that the end float on the bushes needed to be .003" which is pretty miniscule but that was what we went with. As you can see they look quite neat in the spring eye. I will post another picture when they are hanging.



I also have made some progress with the engine although have been very lazy about taking pictures! I cleaned the block by hand both inside and out and sent it Ian Burlingham of JEL Bearings for relining along with the crank and conrods for white metalling. Ian made a superb job of this work and it all went together beautifully when the time came. One word of caution, be very careful when torquing up any bolts. I stretched some of the big end bolts before I realised that the torque wrench I was using was far too big for the job and the leverage created by the long tool was massively overtightening the bolts. This was easily remedied by a trip to Halfords for a new small torque wrench. Everything simply felt much more 'right' after that.



I then painted the block. I know that originally Hillman engines were a kind of blue colour but this one was red when I got it and I like the look of red engines so thats the way I decided it would be. I used a brush on engine enamel in Ford Red and am pretty happy with the way it has turned out. It is very difficult to decide precisely when to paint components as there always seems to be one more job to be carried out which will scratch the paint off somehow. This has proven to be the case but one just has to be careful. I fitted NOS pistons that I found on ebay and refurbished the tappet assembly by carefully dismantling it, cleaning it all and reassembling. The tappets were completely seized and it took some days of lubricating with WD40 and light tapping to free them up. Once free however they were very smooth and clean and after a thorough oiling slid beautifully in their sleeves with no play. I picked the best camshaft and sent it away for regrinding and polishing. This was then fitted prior to the tappets going back in



I have rushed through all this somewhat to make up for lost time but if anyone would like further details please just ask. I will add more in the next day or so.
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Kelsham



Joined: 18 Jan 2009
Posts: 349
Location: Llandrindod Wells Powys

PostPosted: Sun Jan 08, 2012 10:24 am    Post subject: Hillman Aero Reply with quote

I am following your progress with great interest. The 1930s cars are my favourites.
The friend that I had in the early sixties that owned a Aero lived in Shortwood Avenue Staines Middlesex.

I can't remember his name. I wonder if his car is still about?

My BSA rebuild has slowed a bit, I seem to be suffering from a virus.

More disposable income would also help.

Regards Kels.
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1935Hillman



Joined: 06 Apr 2010
Posts: 257
Location: Hampshire

PostPosted: Sun Jan 08, 2012 3:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lots more disposable income would be even better!
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1935Hillman



Joined: 06 Apr 2010
Posts: 257
Location: Hampshire

PostPosted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 9:42 pm    Post subject: sump plug Reply with quote

I am now tackling the gearbox on the Aero and have broken both filler and drain plugs while trying to remove them. They are the same as the plugs for the rear axle and the sump and are the alloy type. I did buy a replacement Rootes one a few years ago but can't for the life of me remember from whom. Does anyone have any ideas as to where I might find one (or several)
Many thanks,
Tim
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Kelsham



Joined: 18 Jan 2009
Posts: 349
Location: Llandrindod Wells Powys

PostPosted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 10:32 am    Post subject: Hillman Aero Reply with quote

I wonder if the company who supply Humber Hillman spares in Brighton might help you with the gearbox plug? I have forgotten their name, might be Speedy spares.

In reference to you breaking studs when using a torque wrench. I use the type that clicks when the correct torque is reached. I assume your wrench operates in a different fashion?

Regards Kels.
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Roger-hatchy



Joined: 07 Dec 2007
Posts: 2135
Location: Tiptree, Essex

PostPosted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 10:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sheared 4 studs with the clicky type torque wrench.
The clicks were the studs shearing.
Only noticed when I happened to knock one of the studs.

Mind you, not the fault of the wrench or the setting, faulty stock, but have always been a bit nervous since when using them

Roger
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Rick
Site Admin


Joined: 27 Apr 2005
Posts: 22429
Location: UK

PostPosted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 10:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Roger-hatchy wrote:
Sheared 4 studs with the clicky type torque wrench.
The clicks were the studs shearing.
Only noticed when I happened to knock one of the studs.

Mind you, not the fault of the wrench or the setting, faulty stock, but have always been a bit nervous since when using them

Roger


I snapped a couple of head studs on my E83W's engine. No-one told me that you have to un-set a torque wrench before putting it away after use - I know it now though Smile

RJ
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