A body off in pictures, LOTS of pictures.
Discussion
Well we all like a good piccy so I thought I would post some.
This job started such a long time ago, for various reasons it has taken far too long.
I have made mistakes and learned some lessons along the way but can now see the light at the end of the tunnel.
When I say lots of pics I mean lots. 32 only takes me to being ready to reassemble and I have really left a lot out.
Please feel free to comment, critique or just call me names and if you get sick of seeing the pics tell me to stop.
But I hope you don't.
Okay, here we go.
It Begins.
2 Yorkshire lads and 1 Engine hoist and it's almost off.
And Breathe!
Here's the reason why.
Fully stripped, on the stands and ready for work.
WOW! It seems so quick and easy when I see it as a post on here, if only that were the truth.
More to follow.
Carl.
This job started such a long time ago, for various reasons it has taken far too long.
I have made mistakes and learned some lessons along the way but can now see the light at the end of the tunnel.
When I say lots of pics I mean lots. 32 only takes me to being ready to reassemble and I have really left a lot out.
Please feel free to comment, critique or just call me names and if you get sick of seeing the pics tell me to stop.
But I hope you don't.
Okay, here we go.
It Begins.
2 Yorkshire lads and 1 Engine hoist and it's almost off.
And Breathe!
Here's the reason why.
Fully stripped, on the stands and ready for work.
WOW! It seems so quick and easy when I see it as a post on here, if only that were the truth.
More to follow.
Carl.
1st Lesson.
Initially I decided to clean and prep the chassis myself. MISTAKE!
It's horrible, time consuming and expensive.
After cleaning all the dirt and grease from the numerous oil leaks, I spent many many hours and well over £100 on sanding discs and belts, wire wheels, wire brushes, rust inhibiter, zinc oxide primer etc.
This is where it got me.
At this point I decided I was wasting my time, lots of time and the result is never going to be as good as having it shot blasted. You just cannot get into all the crooks and nannies like blasting can, plus the blasting gives that lovely key for the new finish.
Fortunately due to all this wasted time I was now in a slightly better position financially so took the decision to cut my losses and have it done.
After a little haggling with a local blaster bloke I got the price for blasting the chassis to £200 which I didn't think was to bad considering how much of a bugger some of that powder coat is to shift.
So there it is, Lesson 1. DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME DIY-ING (word?) THIS STAGE. IT'S A FALSE ECONOMY.
Initially I decided to clean and prep the chassis myself. MISTAKE!
It's horrible, time consuming and expensive.
After cleaning all the dirt and grease from the numerous oil leaks, I spent many many hours and well over £100 on sanding discs and belts, wire wheels, wire brushes, rust inhibiter, zinc oxide primer etc.
This is where it got me.
At this point I decided I was wasting my time, lots of time and the result is never going to be as good as having it shot blasted. You just cannot get into all the crooks and nannies like blasting can, plus the blasting gives that lovely key for the new finish.
Fortunately due to all this wasted time I was now in a slightly better position financially so took the decision to cut my losses and have it done.
After a little haggling with a local blaster bloke I got the price for blasting the chassis to £200 which I didn't think was to bad considering how much of a bugger some of that powder coat is to shift.
So there it is, Lesson 1. DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME DIY-ING (word?) THIS STAGE. IT'S A FALSE ECONOMY.
Having made the decision to have the chassis blasted (as I should have in the first place), I then chose to do the obvious repairs prior to blasting so that the new parts got the same treatment.
Armed with a printout of this diagram, I believe courtesy of Norman (thanks and appologies if incorrect)
and a measuring tape, off I went to the garage again.
I chose some good datum points, carefully measured the positions of all the bits I was going to cut and marked up the diagram accordingly.
It was now time to begin cutting off all the old grot and rust.
Where tubes were going to be joined they were cut back to good material and drilled at 3 points around the circumference for plug welding the internal sleeves.
The internal sleeves were made from the same material as the outriggers will be. I cut some 6" lengths and then cut down the length with a slitting disc in the angle grinder. This allowed them to be squeezed with vice grips and inserted into the tubes, springing back to a nice tight fit when the grips were released.
These were then plug welded through the holes to ensure that they could not move when the new tubes were fitted.
Guess I had better make some outriggers now, they will be up next.
Carl.
Armed with a printout of this diagram, I believe courtesy of Norman (thanks and appologies if incorrect)
and a measuring tape, off I went to the garage again.
I chose some good datum points, carefully measured the positions of all the bits I was going to cut and marked up the diagram accordingly.
It was now time to begin cutting off all the old grot and rust.
Where tubes were going to be joined they were cut back to good material and drilled at 3 points around the circumference for plug welding the internal sleeves.
The internal sleeves were made from the same material as the outriggers will be. I cut some 6" lengths and then cut down the length with a slitting disc in the angle grinder. This allowed them to be squeezed with vice grips and inserted into the tubes, springing back to a nice tight fit when the grips were released.
These were then plug welded through the holes to ensure that they could not move when the new tubes were fitted.
Guess I had better make some outriggers now, they will be up next.
Carl.
Edited by Ceejay73 on Tuesday 8th September 22:25
Edited by Ceejay73 on Tuesday 8th September 22:30
Here we are then, after much careful measuring and cutting, tacking, re-measuring and welding I finally have the bones of one new outrigger.
Add a new diagonal brace and body mount plate, fettle the welds and I am left with:
Just needs a seatbelt mount and that ones done! (no pic of that sorry)
Et Voila, here's one much the same but on the other side and with seatbelt mount.
It really did not happen that quickly.
Drill 2 holes in those body mount plates and we are ready for the blaster.
Add a new diagonal brace and body mount plate, fettle the welds and I am left with:
Just needs a seatbelt mount and that ones done! (no pic of that sorry)
Et Voila, here's one much the same but on the other side and with seatbelt mount.
It really did not happen that quickly.
Drill 2 holes in those body mount plates and we are ready for the blaster.
.Thanks for the comments chaps.
On with the next installment.
Chassis is back from the blasters. No nasty surprises uncovered by that process thankfully. Whilst it has been gone I have had a much needed sweep around and sheeted the place up ready for some painting.
After a good wash down to remove dust from blasting and any residue from handling it's on with 3 coats of 2 pack epoxy primer in a lovely heated garage.
That was left to cure overnight and then it was time for some colour.
Once the air cleared and the paint had dried.
I learned another lesson whilst completing this stage, spray painting a tubular chassis is really not economical. Yes it gives the finish that I wanted but with so little area at which to aim the gun, half of the paint (as can be seen) ends up on the floor as over spray. A brush would have been far more economical but hey ho, live and learn.
On with the next installment.
Chassis is back from the blasters. No nasty surprises uncovered by that process thankfully. Whilst it has been gone I have had a much needed sweep around and sheeted the place up ready for some painting.
After a good wash down to remove dust from blasting and any residue from handling it's on with 3 coats of 2 pack epoxy primer in a lovely heated garage.
That was left to cure overnight and then it was time for some colour.
Once the air cleared and the paint had dried.
I learned another lesson whilst completing this stage, spray painting a tubular chassis is really not economical. Yes it gives the finish that I wanted but with so little area at which to aim the gun, half of the paint (as can be seen) ends up on the floor as over spray. A brush would have been far more economical but hey ho, live and learn.
Thanks for the comments Max but I am no writer. This thread is really here because I read the forum a lot but don't tend to contribute that much and to maybe help/inspire anyone else who is thinking about having a go at it.
To be honest doing one of these cars is far easier than chasing the rot out of an old monocoque steel bodied car.
Carl.
To be honest doing one of these cars is far easier than chasing the rot out of an old monocoque steel bodied car.
Carl.
Just spent a half hour preparing the next installment, clicked submit, got an error and lost the lot! God damned computers! 
Okay, next stage, attempt #2.
More red bits. These were shot blasted at home in a small bench top blasting cabinet, all except the trailing arms which were too large. I took those to an ex employer and used their Guyson blaster.
Unfortunately, by the time these were done, winter was fast approaching. Since cold,
damp conditions are not good for painting and as motivation is scientifically proven to be directly proportional to ambient temperature, nothing much else happened for a while. The freshly blasted parts were coated in oil and packed away for winter.
Spring rolls around once again, the chassis is moved out of the way and some parts are hung and washed off.
Then given the same treatment as the chassis.
Then onto some black parts for a change, these were brush painted not sprayed. There are obviously more black parts but you get the idea.
Woohoo! That's most of the painting done, not quite all but enough to be going on with.
More red bits. These were shot blasted at home in a small bench top blasting cabinet, all except the trailing arms which were too large. I took those to an ex employer and used their Guyson blaster.
Unfortunately, by the time these were done, winter was fast approaching. Since cold,
damp conditions are not good for painting and as motivation is scientifically proven to be directly proportional to ambient temperature, nothing much else happened for a while. The freshly blasted parts were coated in oil and packed away for winter.
Spring rolls around once again, the chassis is moved out of the way and some parts are hung and washed off.
Then given the same treatment as the chassis.
Then onto some black parts for a change, these were brush painted not sprayed. There are obviously more black parts but you get the idea.
Woohoo! That's most of the painting done, not quite all but enough to be going on with.
Edited by Ceejay73 on Monday 14th September 17:11
No pictures here but thought I would include the info anyway.
Once all the painted stuff had dried and was moved out of the way it was time to prep the engine for installation. There were some stuff I knew needed doing and plenty of things to check whilst it was out. I knew the engine was basically good with no real bad faults but some niggles i.e. oil leaks and noisy tappets. I may have missed something out but think this is basically the list of tasks carried out.
I started at the bottom, removing the sump to paint and fit a new gasket. Found some damage from previously saggy engine mounts and a crack. The sump was cleaned off and taken to my father to be gas welded, (thanks Dad). I could have MIG welded it but gas welding, if done correctly gives a much neater job, less build, without the need to grind back. Dad did the job as I have neither the equipment nor anywhere near the same skill level as he has. After welding he straightened a couple of dings and dye tested the weld for leaks (there were ofcourse none). When I got it back, all I had to do was paint and refit with a new gasket. Big ends and main bearings were checked for any play but found to be fine, as expected.
Next fitted were front and rear crankshaft oil seals.
All core plugs were replaced.
Valve clearances adjusted. I now KNOW that it has solid lifters after previously not being sure either way.
Rocker covers painted and new gaskets fitted.
Obviously new oil and filter.
Flywheel cleaned and deglased.
New spigot bearing fitted.
Complete new clutch kit fitted
Gearbox got a new tailshaft oil seal, a new clutch slave cylinder was fitted and the clutch actuator rod refurbished.
Once that little lot was done I could finally think about re-assembly.
Once all the painted stuff had dried and was moved out of the way it was time to prep the engine for installation. There were some stuff I knew needed doing and plenty of things to check whilst it was out. I knew the engine was basically good with no real bad faults but some niggles i.e. oil leaks and noisy tappets. I may have missed something out but think this is basically the list of tasks carried out.
I started at the bottom, removing the sump to paint and fit a new gasket. Found some damage from previously saggy engine mounts and a crack. The sump was cleaned off and taken to my father to be gas welded, (thanks Dad). I could have MIG welded it but gas welding, if done correctly gives a much neater job, less build, without the need to grind back. Dad did the job as I have neither the equipment nor anywhere near the same skill level as he has. After welding he straightened a couple of dings and dye tested the weld for leaks (there were ofcourse none). When I got it back, all I had to do was paint and refit with a new gasket. Big ends and main bearings were checked for any play but found to be fine, as expected.
Next fitted were front and rear crankshaft oil seals.
All core plugs were replaced.
Valve clearances adjusted. I now KNOW that it has solid lifters after previously not being sure either way.
Rocker covers painted and new gaskets fitted.
Obviously new oil and filter.
Flywheel cleaned and deglased.
New spigot bearing fitted.
Complete new clutch kit fitted
Gearbox got a new tailshaft oil seal, a new clutch slave cylinder was fitted and the clutch actuator rod refurbished.
Once that little lot was done I could finally think about re-assembly.
Cheers Mick, nice to know my ramblings haven't done this 
to everyone.
Okay, onwards.
Having devised a plan of attack the rebuild can begin. The theory is simple, as tempting as it was to slap on the suspension and wheels, I decided not to as I would then have to work around these things to do pretty much everything else. The plan therefore was to start in the middle and work outwards.
With the chassis still standing in the same position as in the background here.
I fitted the diff carrier and then the diff, thinking it would be easier than stuffing it up from underneath. Not sure if I was correct but it wasn't to bad so will call it a success.
Got the chassis righted and onto the stands, yet again.
Then with somehinder assistance from my other half, in went the engine, box and prop.
Next to go on were, new brake hard lines to the rear end, all with metric unions rather than the mixture of metric and imperial that for some reason TVR used.
Fuel lines fitted along with the handbrake cable.
At this point I decided to give all of the chassis that can't be seen or got at with the body on a liberal coating with waxoyl as an extra layer of protection, the original clear type, not that nasty horrible black stuff.
Now it was time for the suspension and steering. Wishbones, hubs and steering rack all with new bushes, balljoints and track rod ends. Oh and anti roll bar.
New bushes in the trailing arms and on with those.
New flexi and hard lines on the trailing arms.
Rear brakes fitted with new wheel cylinders, drums dressed and all adjusted.
At this point I hit a snag.
I had put something vital to one side and forgotten about it..
You guessed it.
The bloody tank cradle!
It had a couple of small holes. No surprise there but I hadn't decided how to tackle them.
It would have repaired but since it seemed to have been constructed from Unobtanium, ERW that didn't seem to be any kind of standard size.
My thought was that it would take me longer to repair and make it look something like ok than to remake it.
So..
It is made from slightly bigger (40mmx40mm) and slightly heavier material but still fits nice, doesn't look out of place and is a hell of a lot stronger than original. I could now safely use the cradle as a jacking point without fear of damage.
Once that was done and fitted, it was on with the tank and fuel pump and then complete the fuel lines with a new 5/8" flexi pipe between the two.
Which got me to here.
I have to say, at this point, the light down that tunnel seemed to be getting awfully bright and I was feeling nothing short of well chuffed.
to everyone. Okay, onwards.
Having devised a plan of attack the rebuild can begin. The theory is simple, as tempting as it was to slap on the suspension and wheels, I decided not to as I would then have to work around these things to do pretty much everything else. The plan therefore was to start in the middle and work outwards.
With the chassis still standing in the same position as in the background here.
I fitted the diff carrier and then the diff, thinking it would be easier than stuffing it up from underneath. Not sure if I was correct but it wasn't to bad so will call it a success.
Got the chassis righted and onto the stands, yet again.
Then with some
Next to go on were, new brake hard lines to the rear end, all with metric unions rather than the mixture of metric and imperial that for some reason TVR used.
Fuel lines fitted along with the handbrake cable.
At this point I decided to give all of the chassis that can't be seen or got at with the body on a liberal coating with waxoyl as an extra layer of protection, the original clear type, not that nasty horrible black stuff.
Now it was time for the suspension and steering. Wishbones, hubs and steering rack all with new bushes, balljoints and track rod ends. Oh and anti roll bar.
New bushes in the trailing arms and on with those.
New flexi and hard lines on the trailing arms.
Rear brakes fitted with new wheel cylinders, drums dressed and all adjusted.
At this point I hit a snag.
I had put something vital to one side and forgotten about it..
You guessed it.
The bloody tank cradle!
It had a couple of small holes. No surprise there but I hadn't decided how to tackle them.
It would have repaired but since it seemed to have been constructed from Unobtanium, ERW that didn't seem to be any kind of standard size.
My thought was that it would take me longer to repair and make it look something like ok than to remake it.
So..
It is made from slightly bigger (40mmx40mm) and slightly heavier material but still fits nice, doesn't look out of place and is a hell of a lot stronger than original. I could now safely use the cradle as a jacking point without fear of damage.
Once that was done and fitted, it was on with the tank and fuel pump and then complete the fuel lines with a new 5/8" flexi pipe between the two.
Which got me to here.
I have to say, at this point, the light down that tunnel seemed to be getting awfully bright and I was feeling nothing short of well chuffed.
Edited by Ceejay73 on Monday 21st September 20:49
Edited by Ceejay73 on Monday 21st September 20:53
Hi Lee,
that was a surprise seeing my old thread back on the first page.
I have been reading your posts and see you are cracking on, I just tend to keep quiet unless I have something of value (imo) to add.
Yes I did "finish" although they are never really FINISHED. I stopped adding to this thread because that was basically the end of the chassis part of it although the scabby old shocks were junked in favour of some nice new Protech items curtesy of Joolz at Kits and Classics (spitfire4v8 on here). Also upgraded the front brakes slightly to 260mm with Xr4i discs and Fiesta Mk6 calipers which are a direct bolt on replacement with no drilling or shimming required and much cheaper and easier to find than the old Sierra stuff or Chim/Griff calipers.
Made my own variation on bonnet hinges to give full opening but never did a thread on those.
Here's some links to a few other stuff I remember.
Some radiator stuff
Dash fascia and trim.
Back on the road
Not so great.
All good now.
More recently I have begun to piece my old MG BGT back together although I have spent the last month or so beating some tin worm out of the ST170 including fitting a pair of new wings oh and I have a new kitchen to fit but that's another story.
New battery ordered for the S this morning, will be out of the garage for a clean and then turn some fuel and probably rubber into smoke later in the week if the bloody rain stops!
Life would be so much simpler if I just sold them all and bought some boring euro s
tbox but where's the fun in that?
So yes I am watching and reading, try to enjoy it. The best advice I can give is that if it starts to get you down at any point, down tools, take a week off and come back to it when you are in a better frame of mind. There's nothing worse than trying to tackle a job frustrated and that's the joy of a hobby car over yer daily, you can walk away and come back later.
All the best mate, good luck with it,
Carl.
that was a surprise seeing my old thread back on the first page.
I have been reading your posts and see you are cracking on, I just tend to keep quiet unless I have something of value (imo) to add.
Yes I did "finish" although they are never really FINISHED. I stopped adding to this thread because that was basically the end of the chassis part of it although the scabby old shocks were junked in favour of some nice new Protech items curtesy of Joolz at Kits and Classics (spitfire4v8 on here). Also upgraded the front brakes slightly to 260mm with Xr4i discs and Fiesta Mk6 calipers which are a direct bolt on replacement with no drilling or shimming required and much cheaper and easier to find than the old Sierra stuff or Chim/Griff calipers.
Made my own variation on bonnet hinges to give full opening but never did a thread on those.
Here's some links to a few other stuff I remember.
Some radiator stuff
Dash fascia and trim.
Back on the road
Not so great.
All good now.
More recently I have begun to piece my old MG BGT back together although I have spent the last month or so beating some tin worm out of the ST170 including fitting a pair of new wings oh and I have a new kitchen to fit but that's another story.
New battery ordered for the S this morning, will be out of the garage for a clean and then turn some fuel and probably rubber into smoke later in the week if the bloody rain stops!
Life would be so much simpler if I just sold them all and bought some boring euro s
tbox but where's the fun in that?So yes I am watching and reading, try to enjoy it. The best advice I can give is that if it starts to get you down at any point, down tools, take a week off and come back to it when you are in a better frame of mind. There's nothing worse than trying to tackle a job frustrated and that's the joy of a hobby car over yer daily, you can walk away and come back later.
All the best mate, good luck with it,
Carl.
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