A V12 sized gamble
Discussion
YoungRestorer said:
LewG, you are living the dream! If had had the cajones, I would certainly do the same!
Can I ask about your insurance? I didn't think there were any classic policies, and so I wondered who you were with, how much you paid etc?
Thankyou sir, insurance isn't that bad. If you search around, away from the mainstream insurance, be pushy over the phone, tell them you've had quotes elsewhere for so and so, you can get it surprisingly cheap! At the moment the car isn't insured for me, just dad whilst it's in storage, but I checked on a normal comparison website and limited mileage, use of other cars etc. I managed to get the price down to 790 quid. I'm planning to get an awful lot off that when I go to the classic brokers. Last year I managed to get my Series 3 Landy insured with Adrian Flux for £600 which I thought was pretty reasonable. They say they won't insure under 25, but with a bit of persuasion and going solely on my own policy, they did. Not sure how that one works, they obviously need the business!Can I ask about your insurance? I didn't think there were any classic policies, and so I wondered who you were with, how much you paid etc?
V8 Disco said:
I know what you mean about the GM (TH400?) Can't remember what it was - think a seal somewhere. You are really welcome to the engine - hope it's useful! As soon as the weather cheers up I have to hire a skip and start clearing a path to it (very messy garage!) once it's free I will let you know - PM me a telephone or email address. Seem to remember it arrived here in a VW transporter but you'll need something big plus a crane. Look forward to following progress on yours..
V8, shall PM you now. Think it'll go in the back of a Mondeo estate? Me and dad managed to lug a 2.8 Toyota straight six in the back, so I'm sure an engine double the size will be fine.... Failing that we'll get a van hired.Oh and bang on about the transmission, you've obviously got a good memory! You know you have a true man garage when you have to clear a path to items in there. Quality!
Well, had a few weekends off from cars I'm afraid to say. Definitely know how to spend a Friday night so I got cracking with the suspension/axle stripdown and cut a bit of rot out of the offside rear arch just to survey the situation.
I wasn't best pleased to get poking with a screwdriver and see it go straight through the lower arch piece, I cut a square out with the grinder and thankfully internally it's fairly solid. A bit of welding should see this back to normal, sadly it didn't allow me access to the snapped radius arm bolt as this is the other side, right in the inner sill. The rear arch really is quite crusty and seemed to be keeping most of its integral strength from the waxoyl in there, it was the age old story of rot behind the waxoyl you can't see.
After I build the rear end up it'll be going straight for some bodywork attention, it's a shame it can't be done 'as is' due to everything being more accessible, and I suspect the radius arm will have to be removed again too.
I was a bit apprehensive about stripping the IRS down so I took lots of pictures, marked everything up, then reassembled it when it was off the assembly.
At this point in time the springs are out, the lower arms are off, and tomorrow should have it right back to the differential itself. Through a mate at work I've hopefully managed to secure a hefty discount on all the bits I need, including an exhaust. It's all a bit of a waiting game and really time is not on my side at the moment. I want the car back on the road for May, and I'm away for the best part of a month from March 30th. It's all a bit depressing at the minute!
I wasn't best pleased to get poking with a screwdriver and see it go straight through the lower arch piece, I cut a square out with the grinder and thankfully internally it's fairly solid. A bit of welding should see this back to normal, sadly it didn't allow me access to the snapped radius arm bolt as this is the other side, right in the inner sill. The rear arch really is quite crusty and seemed to be keeping most of its integral strength from the waxoyl in there, it was the age old story of rot behind the waxoyl you can't see.
After I build the rear end up it'll be going straight for some bodywork attention, it's a shame it can't be done 'as is' due to everything being more accessible, and I suspect the radius arm will have to be removed again too.
I was a bit apprehensive about stripping the IRS down so I took lots of pictures, marked everything up, then reassembled it when it was off the assembly.
At this point in time the springs are out, the lower arms are off, and tomorrow should have it right back to the differential itself. Through a mate at work I've hopefully managed to secure a hefty discount on all the bits I need, including an exhaust. It's all a bit of a waiting game and really time is not on my side at the moment. I want the car back on the road for May, and I'm away for the best part of a month from March 30th. It's all a bit depressing at the minute!
LewG said:
V8, shall PM you now. Think it'll go in the back of a Mondeo estate? Me and dad managed to lug a 2.8 Toyota straight six in the back, so I'm sure an engine double the size will be fine.... Failing that we'll get a van hired.
Oh and bang on about the transmission, you've obviously got a good memory! You know you have a true man garage when you have to clear a path to items in there. Quality!
Hi, apols if you have emailed me - have been really busy with work and family lately - realistically its going to be a while before I can spare the time to clear the garage, but the engine's yours, no question. As for putting it in a Mondeo, I have no idea - but it is a large object (as you know!). I'll let you know when I get enough room to extract it! Oh and bang on about the transmission, you've obviously got a good memory! You know you have a true man garage when you have to clear a path to items in there. Quality!
Thankyou! Still pretty brave and good on you for getting a superbarge, they're the way forward! (if you're looking for financial ruin) 
Dropped the hubs off at a specialists today for reconditioning, I was thinking about having a go myself but chickened out, it's a fairly in depth process to set up the bearings and I'd much rather have someone looking over my shoulder making sure it's done right.
I set myself a deadline that the car would be done by May, but realistically including the bodywork issues that's not going to happen. It needs to be done right, so it's finished when it's finished.
Hopefully get the lower trunnions, cage, etc. cleaned up this weekend, then away for blasting. The callipers are going to be rebuilt and zinc plated, so it should be looking pretty impressive.
Dropped the hubs off at a specialists today for reconditioning, I was thinking about having a go myself but chickened out, it's a fairly in depth process to set up the bearings and I'd much rather have someone looking over my shoulder making sure it's done right.
I set myself a deadline that the car would be done by May, but realistically including the bodywork issues that's not going to happen. It needs to be done right, so it's finished when it's finished.
Hopefully get the lower trunnions, cage, etc. cleaned up this weekend, then away for blasting. The callipers are going to be rebuilt and zinc plated, so it should be looking pretty impressive.
Someone said more pictures? A few boring ones to add:
The diff is now completely stripped of discs and callipers, all I was going to do with this is paint it, and get the rear cover beadblasted to bring it up like new again. Yes nobody's ever going to see it, but at least I know it's shiny under there...
Courtesy of work's part cleaner the hubs came up quite well:
Obviously these are away for recon at the moment so I'm hoping when they come back they should be like new
The diff is now completely stripped of discs and callipers, all I was going to do with this is paint it, and get the rear cover beadblasted to bring it up like new again. Yes nobody's ever going to see it, but at least I know it's shiny under there...
Courtesy of work's part cleaner the hubs came up quite well:
Obviously these are away for recon at the moment so I'm hoping when they come back they should be like new
A man can never have enough variable pressure applicators. 
Needed them to drive the roller bearings out from the inner ends of the wishbones.
It is pretty messy but I'm hoping it'll be worth it in the long run. I do have a pint tin of POR 15 I bought specially a couple of months back for this sort of job so I'll have to think about that. The cage I was thinking of spraying for a real mirror finish. Had some great results with smooth Hammerite from spray cans before, just requires lots and lots of very, very thin coats to get it looking nice.
Needed them to drive the roller bearings out from the inner ends of the wishbones. It is pretty messy but I'm hoping it'll be worth it in the long run. I do have a pint tin of POR 15 I bought specially a couple of months back for this sort of job so I'll have to think about that. The cage I was thinking of spraying for a real mirror finish. Had some great results with smooth Hammerite from spray cans before, just requires lots and lots of very, very thin coats to get it looking nice.
Edited by LewG on Thursday 3rd April 09:49
A small update, just a bit of progress on endless wire brushing and trying to make things look shiny.
The outside of the cage has now been painted, just the inside to do. I want to leave the outside to cure completely over the week, then I can start painting the insides.
Diff is stripped and received several hours of soul destroyingly tedious wire brushing today:
Callipers are getting there slowly, they'll received a good clean at work this week ready to be sent off for plating:
There's a lot to do before I can even think about putting it all back together, a good job really as one of the sources for parts is messing me around, it's been about a month since I placed an order and although I keep chasing them I'm not getting very far.
The outside of the cage has now been painted, just the inside to do. I want to leave the outside to cure completely over the week, then I can start painting the insides.
Diff is stripped and received several hours of soul destroyingly tedious wire brushing today:
Callipers are getting there slowly, they'll received a good clean at work this week ready to be sent off for plating:
There's a lot to do before I can even think about putting it all back together, a good job really as one of the sources for parts is messing me around, it's been about a month since I placed an order and although I keep chasing them I'm not getting very far.
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff