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Austin Seven Ruby ARQ rejuvenation
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OuBallie



Joined: 02 Mar 2013
Posts: 225
Location: South Norfolk next to Suffolk

PostPosted: Fri Sep 18, 2015 5:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Previous restorers have made my blood boil with things they have done, resulting in the use of language of a matelot, something I'm particularly adept at, being ex-navy.

Busy on the Chassis, removing bits and pieces with axles next, and this one, however, takes the cake, and makes me wish most ardently/fervently that I could meet the one who decided that what they did was 'good', as I would hand him the 'Moron of the Decade' award.

Not content in using whatever bolts and nuts that came to hand, inch and metric on the body parts, this just beggars belief!

The photo shows what was used with one of the fuel line clips, all the others passing muster.



Geoff - To describe the air blue doesn't do justice to how I reacted.

PS. Glad you are enjoying the Thread Rick
_________________
Too many hobbies, not enough time!
1935 Austin Seven Ruby ARQ
1957 Austin A35 2-door
1967 Morris Minor 2-door
2007 Fiat Doblò MultiJet (It carries the spares etc)
Model Engineering
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OuBallie



Joined: 02 Mar 2013
Posts: 225
Location: South Norfolk next to Suffolk

PostPosted: Sat Sep 26, 2015 5:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yesterday finished making a copy of the upholstery patterns Colin kindly loaned me.
Had to wait for delivery of tracing paper I thought I had.
That remark reminds me of what Thought did.
Any takers?

Made a start but soon realised this was not on as by back would soon cry enough:


So did the sensible thing:


Have just made a pair of tweezers for my RSU that makes soldering of small parts a pleasure, as I found out whilst experimenting soldering wires to small DIN plugs and sockets. I gave up before as I kept melting the plastic that holds the pins, using normal soldering irons. Bliss!
Will use the tweezers IF I decide to solder and crimp when I do the re-wiring on the Ruby.

iOS9 has sent my iPad3 into a coma, so using iPad1.

Geoff - Apple doing its utmost to beat the Redmond company, at what it has excelled at
_________________
Too many hobbies, not enough time!
1935 Austin Seven Ruby ARQ
1957 Austin A35 2-door
1967 Morris Minor 2-door
2007 Fiat Doblò MultiJet (It carries the spares etc)
Model Engineering
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OuBallie



Joined: 02 Mar 2013
Posts: 225
Location: South Norfolk next to Suffolk

PostPosted: Wed Oct 07, 2015 11:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Apologies to those whom I promised that I was going to update my Thread last Sunday.
It didn't happen.
Been busy stripping the paint from the chassis the last two weeks, and not feeling up to doing anything else at the end of each day.

I have, however, updated mt Photobucket folder as to progress.
More details to follow when I'm up to it.

One thing that really made me use my Navy language, and something all you 'The Austin' officianados may be able to shed light on was the following:
All the fuel pipe clips where held in place by cheesehead screws, with the heads INSIDE the chassis, thus making it nigh on impossible stopping them from turning when attempting to loosen the nut, unless you possessed one of those special screwdrivers, one of which I have but cannot find.
Luckily I only one needs the attention on the L-grinder.
Did contemplate using Rivnuts, but I can only source metric so that's a no-no, did consider tapping the holes, but haven't decided yet
Proper 2BA hex bolts I do have so will no doubt use them.
Came across a few things that made me shake my head, all to be detailed at the proper update.

Chassis turned over yesterday afternoon and a coat of Biostrip applied.
The Biostrip paint stripper works an absolute treat, and a product I recommend without reservation. It dries out so the paint scraped off is easy to vacuum up, but bestof all NO smell.

Geoff - Not much doing today unfortunately.
_________________
Too many hobbies, not enough time!
1935 Austin Seven Ruby ARQ
1957 Austin A35 2-door
1967 Morris Minor 2-door
2007 Fiat Doblò MultiJet (It carries the spares etc)
Model Engineering
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OuBallie



Joined: 02 Mar 2013
Posts: 225
Location: South Norfolk next to Suffolk

PostPosted: Thu Oct 08, 2015 5:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Much progress today, with the underside of the chassis now stripped of paint and ready to be attacked with various wire implements prior to painting..

Advise needed please:
1) What is the best way to clean out those sections of the chassis where the cross members and brake cross shaft have boxed it in?
Getting to the flat metal, where the abovementioned span the chassis flanges, has me somewhat flummoxed.
2) Sequence for removing the brake cross shaft and what to be aware of. May as well check everything as I won't be doing this again.
3) What paint to use on the chassis?
4) Anything else I should be doing on the chassis?

Geoff - Wire implements ready and waiting to join battle tomorrow.
_________________
Too many hobbies, not enough time!
1935 Austin Seven Ruby ARQ
1957 Austin A35 2-door
1967 Morris Minor 2-door
2007 Fiat Doblò MultiJet (It carries the spares etc)
Model Engineering
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OuBallie



Joined: 02 Mar 2013
Posts: 225
Location: South Norfolk next to Suffolk

PostPosted: Sat Oct 10, 2015 6:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Response from Tom the Blacksmith on the AustinSevenFriends Forum:
Hi Geoff,
First thing I do is check the rear spring sockets for cracks, just had a look at the chassis pics and it looks like LHS is missing the section aft of the u bolt?


Hi Geoff,

First thing I do is check the rear spring sockets for cracks, just had a look at the chassis pics and it looks like LHS is missing the section aft of the u bolt?


HEEELP!
I don't think the brake cross-shaft has ever been off, as the centre bearing nuts and bolts have locking washers, and what I can see of the zinc bearings, they look original.
I've managed to get the OS rear brake lever off, but getting the cotter pin out needed the use of heat and brass drift.
The other two are SOLID even after applications of penetrating oil, Freese Rust and heat, then the hammer and drift.

Giving them a moderate biff has loosened the shaft and it now spins freely, whereas before it was tight, but no movement between the two.
Advise please

Geoff - Now I could take a club hammer to them, but that will no doubt do more damage than good

Response from andrew34ruby on the Friends Forum:

If struggling to get cotter pins out I find it relatively easy to drill right through them with a small drill bit. Then gradually increase the size of drill bit until the cotter is a thin-walled tube. it should then hammer through fairly easily.

Thanks Andrew.
Was hoping not to have to resort to that, but they are virtually welded in place, so have no alternative.
No great shakes..

Geoff - Carbide drill bits to the rescue once again
_________________
Too many hobbies, not enough time!
1935 Austin Seven Ruby ARQ
1957 Austin A35 2-door
1967 Morris Minor 2-door
2007 Fiat Doblò MultiJet (It carries the spares etc)
Model Engineering
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MooiMeisie



Joined: 04 Jan 2010
Posts: 41

PostPosted: Fri Oct 16, 2015 3:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

For all of you suffering withdrawal symptoms due to lack of updates, herewith something to calm you down:

Biostrip doing as designed:


Brake Light switch:


Biostrip applied:


Paint coming off:


Removing rear shock absorbers:


Recalcitrant lock nut:



Chassis and front axle have been stripped of paint and now just waiting for a dry day so that I can use the pressure washer to get into all the nooks and crannies to remove any oil/grease/paint bits prior to painting.

Photo annotations explain all, BUT just about ALL the cotter pins have either been mangled to greater or lesser degrees, or didn't have a nut in sight.
There was neither hide nor hair of any split pins accompanying the nuts holding either the Radius Arm or Torque Tube Ball Flanges to their Cross-shafts, which made me shake my head once again, something that is becoming a serious habit of late.

Rust pits under the felt strips:


Rust on both rear Chassis Extensions:


Chassis Number on NS:


Chassis underside devoid of axles and road springs:


Brake Cross-shaft, more details and photos to follow.
Removing a cotter pin, I tried heat and every release liquid I had, then hammer and punch, but gave up and tried this as a last resort, with success:


It was pretty easy to get the remaining parts loose and extract the shaft, the centre swivel bearing coming out after the two side plates where unbolted, the NS swivel bearing coming free after a few buffs of a small hammer, but the OS is well and truly stuck so unless I manage to free it at some point, I will need to slice the top rivets off, spread the bearing housing then free and clean the bearing, then bolt them back together, with details if I have to do so.
There are no felt washers in sight, so not sure if they where fitted as standard but doubt it.
I will see if I can come up with a way to stop gung getting onto them seeing that they are open to the elements.
Can now see why some plates are welded to the ends of the shaft and grease nipples fitted, so something to do.
Looking down the inside of the shaft, there is a pin across the centre some 9" in from the OS and at 45° to the stud that the return centre spring hooks round.
There is no sign on the outside that it pins the inner and outer tubes together, and neither are they welded, but have read that there is only slight movement between inner and outers.
Will post more photos when I get round to cleaning them up properly.

Stub-axles:
Only one Welsh plug was fitted properly, two being held in place by the grease alone and came away as I was scraping paint off, with one top one missing!
One King Pin slid out easily, but no play, the other only needing the use of a brass drift and gentle taps from a hammer. The cotter pins where just about the only ones so far that have not been molested in some way or other.

Radius Arms:
Have decided not to remove them, as see no reason to do so.

I have no doubt forgotten some of the 'features' I came across, as I took parts off, that made me use language that would have had my Dad's eyes popping and jaw dropping, but I've come to expect nothing else now, 'feature' wise that is.

Geoff - Class dismissed.


Last edited by MooiMeisie on Sat Oct 17, 2015 2:07 pm; edited 1 time in total
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SpiggyTopes



Joined: 17 Jun 2014
Posts: 43
Location: Portugal

PostPosted: Fri Oct 16, 2015 4:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

More! More!
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MooiMeisie



Joined: 04 Jan 2010
Posts: 41

PostPosted: Sat Oct 17, 2015 2:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

SpiggyTopes,
At your service Sir!

Dry day today so no excuses.
Chassis and front axle out onto the driveway and both given a coating of pink heavy duty cleaner, neat, getting it into all the hard to get at areas.
Power washer out, hosepipe and 220v connected and away I went.
That cleaner certainly did its job, as the water coming off of both parts was a dirty brown colour.
Used a 'pencil' stream of water and they both came up nice and clean, other than the few small areas of paint I either missed whilst scraping or couldn't get to.
Packed everything away and left the axle and chassis out in the open to dry off.

Chassis and front axle being cleaned:


The Carport floor was not looking as pristine as it did after I gave it a new coat of floor paint before starting on the Ruby, so what better time to give it a scrub!

Carport floor being scrubbed clean:

This time used a slightly dilute mix of the pink cleaner and a broom as scrubbing brush.
Oh yes, the dirt parted company with the paint

Newspaper down:

After sluicing down, I swept as much water as possible into the drain then newspaper down to soak up the remaining water.

Newspaper up and parts back under cover later, then ready to give them a coat of paint, AT LAST!

Geoff - Dread to think how long it's taken to reach this stage.
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MooiMeisie



Joined: 04 Jan 2010
Posts: 41

PostPosted: Sat Oct 17, 2015 2:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

SpiggyTopes,
At your service Sir!

Dry day today so no excuses.
Chassis and front axle out onto the driveway and both given a coating of pink heavy duty cleaner, neat, getting it into all the hard to get at areas.
Power washer out, hosepipe and 220v connected and away I went.
That cleaner certainly did its job, as the water coming off of both parts was a dirty brown colour.
Used a 'pencil' stream of water and they both came up nice and clean, other than the few small areas of paint I either missed whilst scraping or couldn't get to.
Packed everything away and left the axle and chassis out in the open to dry off.

Chassis and front axle being cleaned:


The Carport floor was not looking as pristine as it did after I gave it a new coat of floor paint before starting on the Ruby, so what better time to give it a scrub!

Carport floor being scrubbed clean:

This time used a slightly dilute mix of the pink cleaner and a broom as scrubbing brush.
Oh yes, the dirt parted company with the paint

Newspaper down:

After sluicing down, I swept as much water as possible into the drain then newspaper down to soak up the remaining water.

Newspaper up and parts back under cover later, then ready to give them a coat of paint, AT LAST!

Geoff - Dread to think how long it's taken to reach this stage.
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MooiMeisie



Joined: 04 Jan 2010
Posts: 41

PostPosted: Sat Oct 17, 2015 3:19 pm    Post subject: Can't have viewers experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Reply with quote

Two updates in one day!
Must conserve energy though.
Coffee finished so time to get back into the Carport to make way for the Ruby chassis.

Newspaper up:


Then heaved the chassis back into the Carport and onto the CarTrolleys, ready for painting.

Never thought I would be able to manhandle a chassis as I have with the Austin one.

No doubt there will be surface rust on both axle and chassis, but no great shakes, as I have/had every intention of going over both using wire brushes, both hand powered and L-grinder powered, the last with face shield on of course.
Will give the bright steel a rub over with Gibbs Brand protective whatsit.

Tomorrow is Management's day, so progress will have to wait till Monday.

Geoff - Need to lie down now Wink
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MooiMeisie



Joined: 04 Jan 2010
Posts: 41

PostPosted: Tue Oct 20, 2015 10:40 am    Post subject: Busy day yesterday. Reply with quote

Fairly busy day yesterday in attacking the upper section of chassis with wire wheel.

This is what I used to give the chassis as good a 'Birthday Suit' as I could:

Gloves are missing, and that full-face shield had bits of wire wheel pinging off of it on occasion. Hate to think where they would have imbedded themselves without, and a salutary warning to all.

The following photos show the condition of the chassis with additional information where needed.



Why was the chassis number plate removed and not replaced?
It has left quite an impression in the steel, and that surprises me!


Warning to all about leaving felt untreated:


This is the worst section found under the felt:

The felt will be replaced using rubber strip.

Chassis extension:


The following are for Tom the Blacksmith Smile

The metal only bent up as I was removing the rear axle, and had been professionally welded in the past when split.
Now Tom, please put me out of my misery and explain how the 'bleep' you realised that that front section was missing?
I forgot to take this photo previously, and those on Photobucket, until now, just don't show this, so you either have incredible eyesight or . . .

This is the section that Tom somehow deduced was missing, hence my remark about he being a Budding Sherlock:


Repairs done to the other side and by a professional from appearance:

A weak area?
Owners with cars that have these chassis extensions please take note.

Chassis top in a rejuvenated Birthday Suite ready for an appropriate covering of DTM epoxy paint:


Although I have one of those Garage Creepers that convert into a seat, and was thus able to sit for most of the time whilst wielding the L-grinder, I was, however, still bent double for a while after standing up, until that is I could unbend myself.
The face shield precluded the use of a good mask, and those surgery type just had the inside of the shield misting up, so I was blowing dust out or nostrils afterwards for some time
Suggestions please on a suitable mask to use with those full-face shields, something I will especially need when the time comes to strip the body of paint.
Still unwinding myself this morning

Geoff - Getting old definitely has its drawbacks Sad
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MooiMeisie



Joined: 04 Jan 2010
Posts: 41

PostPosted: Tue Oct 20, 2015 3:14 pm    Post subject: Should keep SpiggyTopes from relapsing Reply with quote

Coming thick and fast.
Did the welding repairs to the NS rear spring attachment point this morning, so now need to read up about using the Jotun DTM epoxy and how much activator to use.

Measured the chassis material at 1/8" thick and found a piece of metal the correct width that just needed a slice the correct length cut off.

Ready to start welding:


Set the stick welder to its maximum of 125A using a 4.5mm rod.
Welding the outer split was no problem, but kept blowing holes on the inner split so reduced power to 95A then used my O/A experience to fill said holes up, the rest of the welding going without mishap apart from an inclusion of flux on the inner split weld.


Splits and replacement done:

The replacement part was held in place by finger power, after giving up on using the G-clamp, just long enough to get a tack weld done. The rest was quick.

Welds tidied up:




Small split on the Extension welded up, at a previously repaired point:


Must say my stick welding has improved beyond recognition from its previous bird sh1t appearances, something I can only put down to previously welding too 'cold', but now with power upped, the weld is behaving itself.

Next will be painting chassis top section then front axle with radius arms attached.

Geoff - Just about walking upright again! Shocked
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MooiMeisie



Joined: 04 Jan 2010
Posts: 41

PostPosted: Wed Oct 28, 2015 5:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Fell asleep in the armchair last night whilst listening to an audiobook of Mark Twain's 'The Innocents Abroad', so effing up my chances of sleeping later.
Decided to stop tossing and turning and do something constructive, so here it is.

Top side of chassis painted after doing the welding.
Used Jotun Jotamastic 87 Aluminium epoxy paint, which took two days to cure using their Summer mix of 6:1 (paint:activator), so may well have to resort to the Winter mix of 4:1


Chassis turned over and before doing anything else, needed to free the OS Brake Cross-shaft bearing as it would not swivel as did the NS.


Tried everything I could think of to free it, but had to resort to grinding the heads off of the lower rivets and drilling them out:

Had to prise the two housing halves apart before the bearing would move.
Cleaned the gunk out and got some movement, but nowhere near as much as the NS bearing has.
Removed the screwdriver, clamped the two parts together and the bearing locked solid with no movement at all.
It would appear that this bearing is not meant to swivel as the NS one does, but it can be made to move when the shaft is fitted, so aligning with the others.

Brake cross-shaft bearings:
https://youtu.be/NJLCxekvzBI

The NS bearing was also stuck, but it soon freed up after applying heat, penetrating oil, then a few 'taps' with a hammer. The brown gunk that came out made be realise that they need protection of some sort from the elements.

Zinc 'bearing' material:


The centre bearing splits apart so easy to clean, but all three bearings need some easy way of getting oil or grease to them.
Zinc is excellent for high load low speed applications.

Chassis underside:












Geoff - Waiting for a 5" wire wheel.
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MooiMeisie



Joined: 04 Jan 2010
Posts: 41

PostPosted: Wed Oct 28, 2015 1:13 pm    Post subject: Club hammer and drill to the rescue. Reply with quote

Photos of the method used to get the rear spring pin collets out as they where well and truly stuck.

Club hammer was aimed at the steel bar as close to the backplate as possible, but had absolutely no effect until I drilled the collets.


Preparing the collets to be drilled:


Collets being drilled:


End result:






Geoff - In recovery mode.
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MooiMeisie



Joined: 04 Jan 2010
Posts: 41

PostPosted: Sat Oct 31, 2015 12:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Tom the Blacksmith was kind enough to drop his slide hammer off Wednesday evening.
Central heating (CH) guy arrived at the same time, my CH being on the blink, he finding that a temp fuse, at the top of the fan housing had blown, and he just having used his last.

Thursday attacked the spring pins, using a slide hammer for the very first time and the efficacy of such tools made me realise that they are a must in any workshop, so I shall be making one.
Attached it to the NS pin 'activated' it, but nothing!
Not enough welly so second time put more force in shifting the slider back and blow me the pin was out.
Couldn't quite believe how easy it was, and made me realise why everyone has suggested using a drift to punch them out.
The OS pin came out with just one action of the slider.
Another surprise was the new condition of the pins and their bushes, expecting to have to replace them due to wear.

Brand new Spring pins and bushes:

Thumb:


Cannot say the same about the springs.
There now appears to be some question whether these grooves are through wear, or done at time of manufacture.


Spring eyes with unquestionable wear:


Front springs in comparison:




Geoff - Still no heating Sad
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