A V12 sized gamble
Discussion
d on startup.
They do tend to be heavy on the front brakes but those look good.
My dad's car had been in storage for a couple of years - it had been turned over once a month or so - but the valve stem seals had still obviously dried out. It also needed a fuel tank and a full suspension rebuild as the bushes were pretty knackered. The body was surprisingly good - a few rust spots on the sills but still only surface.
My dad's car had been in storage for a couple of years - it had been turned over once a month or so - but the valve stem seals had still obviously dried out. It also needed a fuel tank and a full suspension rebuild as the bushes were pretty knackered. The body was surprisingly good - a few rust spots on the sills but still only surface.
wst said:
'll have to keep an eye out for this lovely machine... I'm in Biggleswade 
I've love to have a shufti at the engine of one of these!
You're more than welcome to pop down for a look wst, our unit is at the microlight airfield in Sandy if you know where that is? I've love to have a shufti at the engine of one of these!Today has been an absolute nightmare, I moved onto the other side this afternoon and found the lower calliper bolt to be absolutely stuck solid. I tried everything, even heat, but no luck. Eventually it ended up like this:
Dodgy, I know, but after some persuasion with a sledgehammer, it worked!
I was thinking of the whole unstoppable force/immovable object scenario 
Just a rear radius arm to fit to the car this weekend, unfortunately I've sent the tax back for a few months to save a bit of money whilst the weather is dire. I'll tax her again come April/May time for 6 months so that'll see me through to the end of the show season.
Just a rear radius arm to fit to the car this weekend, unfortunately I've sent the tax back for a few months to save a bit of money whilst the weather is dire. I'll tax her again come April/May time for 6 months so that'll see me through to the end of the show season.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqpfKz8qMWk
Just found this on Youtube, the noise, the cheesy electrosynth, it's all so 80s but just brilliant
Just found this on Youtube, the noise, the cheesy electrosynth, it's all so 80s but just brilliant
Bit the bullet and ordered a new GRP headlining board covered in limestone cloth, comes with more cloth for doing the side batons and rear buttress panels. 150 quid including postage which I didn't think was too bad.
Probably spent enough money on it for now... the new anti roll bar drop links and polybushes were fitted yesterday, although when I tightened them up the bushes have came out of their locating cups on one side rather than compressing out. I tried loosening them off and pressing it in with a screwdriver, then tightening. No luck. Maybe a jubilee clip round them as they're tightened will work?
Probably spent enough money on it for now... the new anti roll bar drop links and polybushes were fitted yesterday, although when I tightened them up the bushes have came out of their locating cups on one side rather than compressing out. I tried loosening them off and pressing it in with a screwdriver, then tightening. No luck. Maybe a jubilee clip round them as they're tightened will work?
LewG said:
You're more than welcome to pop down for a look wst, our unit is at the microlight airfield in Sandy if you know where that is?
Today has been an absolute nightmare, I moved onto the other side this afternoon and found the lower calliper bolt to be absolutely stuck solid. I tried everything, even heat, but no luck. Eventually it ended up like this:
Dodgy, I know, but after some persuasion with a sledgehammer, it worked!
Is that a Ferret almost out of shot? I used to know a lass who got one as an engagement present Today has been an absolute nightmare, I moved onto the other side this afternoon and found the lower calliper bolt to be absolutely stuck solid. I tried everything, even heat, but no luck. Eventually it ended up like this:
Dodgy, I know, but after some persuasion with a sledgehammer, it worked!
Good eyes Hooli, it is indeed. Quality! They're literally the best fun you can have on four wheels. We've had ours for about 12 years now, it's sort of turned into a family heirloom.
Looking a bit sad at the moment:
Been off the road for about 18 months now, slow progress being made. The exhaust system has had a manifold elbow replaced, along with both movable tubes, and elbow through the armour. The exhaust gases had actually eroded the armour and bowed it quite badly so I had to weld that back and grind it all flat again, then got some copper gaskets made up to seal it all.
With that done I replaced the oil filter, a big roll of cotton type stuff, took the fan off and repacked the bearings with grease, repainted the cowling, and put in a new radiator.
It all sounds quite easy, but it's a bloody nightmare to work on. Space is tight, and of course you have to remove the armour to get there in the first place. The bolts that hold it on are supposed to be captive, using a square nut inside a 'cage' with tangs on the inside edge to hold the nut. Of course over time they rust solid, so any force trying to undo them just forces the tangs outwards, and the whole lot starts spinning, just where you can't reach it.
The entire front hub assembly is off as well to have the trunnion bushes replaced as there was a fair bit of play there. Usually you can just take it off as one big lump, and I'm sure the allen bolts that hold the trunnion caps would've came off a piece of cake in 1954, 60 years later, not so much, so I had to take the whole hub apart to drill them out. It's a bit of a daunting thing to do let alone put back together. 6 planetary gears around the sun, each with 32 needle rollers. The planet carrier bolts are known for working their way loose causing absolutely catastrophic damage to the entire assembly too, so it's pretty essential it all goes back together as it should.
All good fun!
Looking a bit sad at the moment:
Been off the road for about 18 months now, slow progress being made. The exhaust system has had a manifold elbow replaced, along with both movable tubes, and elbow through the armour. The exhaust gases had actually eroded the armour and bowed it quite badly so I had to weld that back and grind it all flat again, then got some copper gaskets made up to seal it all.
With that done I replaced the oil filter, a big roll of cotton type stuff, took the fan off and repacked the bearings with grease, repainted the cowling, and put in a new radiator.
It all sounds quite easy, but it's a bloody nightmare to work on. Space is tight, and of course you have to remove the armour to get there in the first place. The bolts that hold it on are supposed to be captive, using a square nut inside a 'cage' with tangs on the inside edge to hold the nut. Of course over time they rust solid, so any force trying to undo them just forces the tangs outwards, and the whole lot starts spinning, just where you can't reach it.
The entire front hub assembly is off as well to have the trunnion bushes replaced as there was a fair bit of play there. Usually you can just take it off as one big lump, and I'm sure the allen bolts that hold the trunnion caps would've came off a piece of cake in 1954, 60 years later, not so much, so I had to take the whole hub apart to drill them out. It's a bit of a daunting thing to do let alone put back together. 6 planetary gears around the sun, each with 32 needle rollers. The planet carrier bolts are known for working their way loose causing absolutely catastrophic damage to the entire assembly too, so it's pretty essential it all goes back together as it should.
All good fun!
Edited by LewG on Sunday 2nd February 16:45
Edited by LewG on Sunday 2nd February 16:47
More V12 fun this evening, removed the old headlining ready to refit the new one. It's a slightly different colour when compared, but still virtually the same as the seats so no issues there. I removed the rear seat cushion and squab to make getting the rear buttress panels out easier as I've got extra fabric to recover them, and unfortunately found some of the dreaded rot down by the rear seatbelt mounts. I'll have to look at repairing this over the next few days, does anyone have any experience with repairs in this area?
Well a bit of an update for you all.
The new headlining is now in, and looking far better than the old one. It was totally knackered, I had no hope of re-covering the old board, it literally fell to pieces as it was removed.
Rear buttress panels and side batons re-covered too, not looking too bad for a first effort:
This is the old headlining, well and truly past it!
So whilst that all went fairly well, just to keep me on my toes it seems I've got a bit of a rear suspension issue. The O/S is sitting a fair bit lower than the N/S, I've only had a quick glance under there, I can't see any broken springs. I suspect someone in the past has replaced the N/S springs, but not the other side. Great.
O/S:
N/S:
I'm thinking drop the entire IRS and give it the business. I want it perfect for this coming summer and currently my bank balance is looking fairly healthy for a change...
The new headlining is now in, and looking far better than the old one. It was totally knackered, I had no hope of re-covering the old board, it literally fell to pieces as it was removed.
Rear buttress panels and side batons re-covered too, not looking too bad for a first effort:
This is the old headlining, well and truly past it!
So whilst that all went fairly well, just to keep me on my toes it seems I've got a bit of a rear suspension issue. The O/S is sitting a fair bit lower than the N/S, I've only had a quick glance under there, I can't see any broken springs. I suspect someone in the past has replaced the N/S springs, but not the other side. Great.
O/S:
N/S:
I'm thinking drop the entire IRS and give it the business. I want it perfect for this coming summer and currently my bank balance is looking fairly healthy for a change...
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