Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[lowdrag]

The E-type is rolling again. The gasket was bent, how we don't know. I'll post a photo later.

[MikeEdwards]

As the threatened rain didn't appear on Sunday, I took the hatch home for lunch again and it ran much better than it had the previous week. As a reward, I re-glued the rubber strip onto the front bumper where it has started to come away, and stuck the rear wheel centre back in place. I also tested my new wiper motor, which works well and is much quicker than the old one.

I also remembered to check how I'd wired the coil. Because it's a non-ballast coil, I just by-passed the resistance wire and removed my DIY starting-boost cable.
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1976 Vauxhall HP Firenza, 1976 Vauxhall Sportshatch (x2), 1986 Audi coupe quattro, 2000 Audi TT

[Rootes75]

After months of rubbing down, cleaning and de-greasing, I took a day off work and we spent it down the yard simpy applying primer to the chassis.

Such a nice feeling finally seeing paint going on.
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Various Rootes Vehicles.

[lowdrag]

The offending article. Isn't it always the same? you think you have most bases covered with spare parts carefully stored in the boot but one silly gasket defeats you. In my defence I have never had or heard of this failing in nearly forty years of Jaguar ownership. All I can think is that the combination of a very hot day and spirited motoring caused, on switching off, an spike in oil pressure that blew the gasket. the car is running perfectly again, and a spare is added to the boot.

[MikeEdwards]

Oil and filter change on the Sportshatch this afternoon. It's only done about 600 miles since it went back on the road, but that's a few years now and I was suspicious that the leaking mechanical fuel pump might have dumped some petrol in the oil, so better safe than sorry. All seemed to go OK, but it's got quite a leak from somewhere else on the engine that I'll have to look at, at some point.
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1976 Vauxhall HP Firenza, 1976 Vauxhall Sportshatch (x2), 1986 Audi coupe quattro, 2000 Audi TT

[Rootes75]

More rubbing down over the past week, each night I try to stop in to the yard for half an hour to do some more rubbing down so when we head down the yard on a Sunday morning we can get on with painting. We got more of the chassis done yesterday and also the 5 wheels and that was quite a lot of painting!
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Various Rootes Vehicles.

[Rootes75]

So, started the welding on our 1942 Commer. It didn't go well.

The MIG that I have was bought many years ago and is simply not up to it anymore, the issue is that the wire feed keeps jamming. So it goes ok for say and inch of weld then jams, you have to strip it down, remove the jammed wire (lots of it).

So I am now looking to replace the welder.
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Various Rootes Vehicles.

[alastairq]

Oh dear.
Could you not simply replace the the torch?
Or adjust the tension on the wire drum?
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Dellow Mk2, 1951 built, reg 1952.
Fiat 126 BIS
Cannon special [1996 registered. Built in 1950's]
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Ford Pop chassis, Ashley 1172 bodyshell, in pieces.

[consul 57]

maybe a new inner liner for the wire, it is surprising how easy the new liner makes it flow or wire feeder.

[Ray White]

I found the wire would sometimes slip in its groove on the roller. I got so fed up with it I made a new clamp with a bigger spring.

If the wire sticks to the nozzle it is probably not being fed fast enough for the given power.

The spool seldom sticks but I usually lubricate the spindle/boss with a little grease.

and yes; the wire liner has a limited life.

[MikeEdwards]

I just about finished welding the repair into my inner wing yesterday, then spent almost the entire afternoon grinding the welds down. I wish I could weld without getting so much build-up, I hate the noise and mess of grinding welds.
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1976 Vauxhall HP Firenza, 1976 Vauxhall Sportshatch (x2), 1986 Audi coupe quattro, 2000 Audi TT

[Rootes75]

The welder is well past it tbh. The nozzle blocks regularly and the internal wire liner will not stay in place so the wire keeps snagging or tangling at this point.

Have been offered a second hand vgc gasless Mig, its actually cheaper that buying the parts to repair the existing one!!!
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Various Rootes Vehicles.

[peter scott]

In a word something STUPID!

I decided to change the oil in my back axle. The axle doesn't have a level plug or a filler at the correct level. It has a screw-in dip stick and a separate filler hole near the top of the rear casing. Access from above is quite reasonable but pouring from a 5 litre plastic container I seriously misjudged how much I was filling and because of the uncertainty of getting the pour aimed at the hole I was reluctant to fill it a bit at a time.

After righting the awkwardly positioned plastic container I realised that I had given the axle at least a pint more than I should, so now I had to drain out what I thought was reasonable and after two goes at that I got something near the correct level, but all rather wasteful.

Peter
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http://www.nostalgiatech.co.uk
1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon

[Ray White]

Peter. Take some comfort from the fact that you actually changed the oil. Back axles tend to get forgotten until it is too late.

Some time ago I filled the rebuilt TC diff with what I thought was the right oil... only to later discover it should have EP140 not EP 90.

Multiply these errors by all us old fools and the Oil Companies must be raking it in!

[badhuis]

Replaced the TR4 front spring. The front of the car had been making creaking noises when going over a speed hump or so. I told myself it was probably a rubber needing replacement. Then, two weeks ago, the noise got much worse and I immediately thought a spring was broken.
And it was. The spring was broken in three pieces - one old break and a fresh one.

There is not much space around the spring to retrieve it. External spring spanners cannot be fitted. The spring rest on a lower pan which is bolted to the lower suspension arm. The top of the spring is enclosed in a tower which is welded to the chassis.
The shock absorber is fitted inside the spring. It can be removed easily. Removing the broken spring was also easy.

I made a sturdy kind of platform which I fitted between the (new) spring windings. A long M12 thread goes through it with a nut underneath. the other end of the M12 goes through the tower, where the shock absorder usually is fitted.
The lower spring pan is removed, spring is put into place, spanner in action, then the spring pan can be refitted and the spanner loosened. It all worked well. A very good thing of these Triumphs is that everything is easily removed - bolts and nuts, even after 50 years of use.
Another nice thing is that for these cars almost everything is available, and cheap. I paid 70 UKP for a pair of new springs plus a bit for new seating rubbers and new shock absorber rubbers (which I did not need as the old ones were still good enough).

The platform I made took some time because I wanted to make sure it fitted really well and there was no chance of slipping aside. I made it from heavy metal strip, welded together and bended in a vice with a big hammer.
Very much doable but I can understand the warnings of trying to construct a cheap tool without using sturdy materials.

Next week or so I will do the other side. It takes time because inevitably there is lots of other work around it - cleaning suspension parts, regrease etc etc.








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a car stops being fun when it becomes an investment