Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Paul fairall]

Just as soon as I get back from China nearing the end of February I intend to have a good purge in the garage and move the benches to the far end. At present I'm struggling to get a bicycle out. The popular is at another garage I use for work equipment but I would like at home in the spring so I can carry out the bodywork repairs. I may have to move my woodworking machinery to the other garage even though there's no electric. I will keep my large bandsaw at home as its so useful. I may have to be ruthless culling the clutter.
What plans do you all have for this year?

[Rick]

Plans? Just to try and spend more time out in the garage and get things things progressing more quickly than of late. This mild weather has helped a fair bit, this afternoon for instance I gave 'erindoors' modern car its annual (!) clean, and a change of oil for good measure.

I recently re-jigged the inside of the garage, to make more space for actually doing things. The organisation of spare parts has also improved, thanks to a bulk purchase of neat stackable plastic boxes (with lids), each now labelled with its contents.

RJ
_________________
Rick - Admin
Home:https://www.oldclassiccar.co.uk
Videos:https://www.youtube.com/user/oldclassiccarRJ/videos
OCC & classic car merchandise (Austin, Ford ++):
https://www.redbubble.com/people/OldClassicCar/shop

[badhuis]

Plans? Several as usual....

Get the Imp back on the road. It has been asleep for a few years. In the past weeks I checked and renewed the brake and clutch hydraulics where necessary, put on a new water pump (old one has rotten bearings), cleaned up the engine compartment which was a lot of work. Just to do before the bi-annual inspection is clean the car and refit the battery / rear RH lamps which I have cleaned. Should be ready end of the month.

Get the Stag on the road. I welded in a new front valance, bought front wing repair corners which needs to be grafted in. Put in the s/h interior I bought as the other one needed too much work.

Fit a tow bar to my new 2004 Jaguar X-type 3.0 Estate.

Sell the Citroën BX GTi. Although this has been a lovely car, the fact that is does not have airbags or ABS is a disadvantage for us to use it as a "modern" car. My wife, daughter and son use it as well and I wanted a safer car. As a bonus the X-type has 4 WD (great in bad bad weather). But I doubt it will be as comfortable as the BX.

Maybe fit a Saloon J-type overdrive to the TR4. I will use the TR for the 10 Country Run (a 4 day European event from Club Triumph) in September and the overdrive will make the motorway drives a bit more relaxing. I have the overdrive waiting, it will need some fettling to fit it in a TR but can be done.
_________________
a car stops being fun when it becomes an investment

[Ashley]

I've got a 356SC engine I'd like to build without remortgaging the house. I'm chasing around for parts.

[Rootes75]

Lots of plans here. Mainly getting my Commer lorry finished for some shows this year. I have just finished the timber body and need to rewire before the better weather comes along when I can put the coach enamel on.
_________________
Various Rootes Vehicles.

[Paul fairall]

I still think clearing my garage enough to get the pop in is a greater task than any of yours

[Ray White]

My main objective will be to reassemble the Dodge. Having rebuilt the gearbox, I am still waiting for the engine to come back from being rebored. I have ordered 4 new pistons +0.040" and head studs. Unfortunately, the engineers found a crack where part of a piston ring had embedded itself in a cylinder wall and a liner will be required. I have also ordered 4 new clutch plates.

Plenty to be getting on with.

[Keith D]

I plan on finishing the Morris Cowley roadster. It's mainly a painting exercise now, although reassembly and replacing the upholstery will take a lot of time...........!!!

I cleared the workshop out at the end of 2016 so I've no excuse for not getting on with it. (Although 40 degree temperatures don't help!)

Keith
_________________
1926 Chrysler 60 tourer
1932 Austin Seven RN long wheelbase box sedan
1950 Austin A40 tourer
1999 BMW Z3
Its weird being the same age as old people.
You are either part of the problem or part of the solution

[Paul fairall]

[Keith D]

Paul,
I'm not whinging about the heat! I spent a lot of my working life up in the Pilbara (North West Australia) in the open cut mines. Out in the sun it frequently gets in the high fifties. (All temperatures are given as shade temperatures) Personally I prefer this to the cold, but everyone to their own, as they say!
I was actually meaning that sweat in your eyes and dripping on prepared bodywork is not conductive to a good paint finish!
Keith
_________________
1926 Chrysler 60 tourer
1932 Austin Seven RN long wheelbase box sedan
1950 Austin A40 tourer
1999 BMW Z3
Its weird being the same age as old people.
You are either part of the problem or part of the solution

[Paul fairall]

[kevin2306]

My plans are also to have a good sort out and continue to get rid of the unwanted.
I have a lovely blast cabinet that doesnt get used so that will be cleaned and gone as will the parts washer, great idea but becomes an extension to the work bench!

Kev

[petelang]

Well I keep pondering, but I guess I'm finally going to have to attempt to restore the original engine for my Armstrong Siddeley Fifteen Long. Having recovered it from a former owners garden where it had been living amongst some ivy for a number of years, it was in a parlous state. Filled with water I anticipated it may be too far gone but when stripped the crankshaft was barely affected, all nice clean oiled white metal. The camshaft is however sized in the block and despite a long term soaking in penetrant still won't budge. The bores are very badly pitted from corrosion where above the water line but the pistons all look amazingly good although most rings broke up on removal. It seems it's been bored 0.050 oversize already so I'm unsure how much more it can go but with such corrosive pitting expect it will need bore and sleeve on all six to be safe.
There is some mystery behind its transplantation, it was replaced by a Ford Pinto 2.00 litre unit, which works quite well but not as smooth as a six in line. I was told by previous owner that the guy before him took it out for a lack of power problem, but that after the Pinto was fitted the same problem existed and was eventually traced to blocked fuel lines! An expensive oversight I should have thought.
However, when I took the Claudel Hobson carburettor apart, the float had broken it's solder joint to the hinged arm so would have starved fuel supply as float sat too high. I suspect this in fact was the main culprit. The story goes that the engine was rebuilt not long before being withdrawn and this is borne out by the amazing condition of the bottom end and a newish looking head Gasket, although the pots were all very heavily carboned up.
I figured this would be a very expensive rebuild, especially with many ancillaries still missing, so last year jumped at an unmissable opportunity when I found a Siddeley Fifteen six pot sidevalve engine for sale in fully running order. Going by photos, I bid and bought, hired a van and set off to Oxford to collect, feeling very chuffed to find such a rare beast, however on returning to the shed and getting the tape measure out, it's actually too long to fit my vehicle by some inch and a half and close comparison finds it is a very different engine altogether!
So I now have to find a buyer. (feel free to contact me if you need it).
It's curious as my car is a Fifteen "Long" and this engine was a spare for a "Fifteen short" so, it seems the longer engine fits the shorter chassis and vice versa. Who would believe?
Anyhow, I can't just keep looking at the damn thing in bits and need to make a determined decision. Does anyone have any recommendations for a good engineering firm, preferably Midlands based, who might be able to recover the block, bore and sleeve it and get the sized camshaft out?
All suggestions gratefully received.
Peter
Nottingham

[Ray White]

Pete. My engine is with Cotterell Engineering of Clay Cross. Rob Cotterell has identified some problems that I didn't even know I had got! They were recommended to me by several 'Austin 7' people. I will get a better idea of how good they are when I get my engine back. I have been told that they are good (they seem to know their stuff) but not very quick.

Are you certain your camshaft is actually stuck? I ask this because on my engine the camshaft wouldn't come out at first. It is located half way along it's length by a tapered plug that needed to be prised out of the block. It was hidden behind the dynamo and I didn't know it was there until I asked someone on the Dodge Brothers forum.

Your question about a re bore or liner could be determined by what pistons are available for your engine. I have found that for many old cars you can get standard size pistons but oversize are often harder to find.

[petelang]

Hi Ray.
I have heard of Cotterell's, thank you for that as they are quite near.
I tried just to get the camshaft to rotate but it's solid, and broke off a gear tooth in doing so. I left well be after that but it's rock solid.
I'm not bothered with "quick" but more importantly "not outrageously expensive".

I actually have two sets of 0.050 oversize pistons so guess my best bet is to use these but I need to find new rings.
Certainly would be interested in your feedback when you assess their work.
Peter