Pembleton mkII - Tin Tub
Discussion
Small update today.
I went and collected some solid brass hinges this morning and a few other bits turned up in the post.
I've made the lid for electrical stowage bin...
I have some seal strip and some latches on order.
I also fixed the hinge along the front of my passenger seat so it can lift forward for boot stowage.
Added the perimeter strip around my breather box. As I thought, im having some issues sealing it, but will persevere.
I also took delivery if some seat runners. These will be for the drivers seat to allow both my wife and myself to drive TinTub. Likelihood is this will only be a handful of times, but I'd like the possibility of her to drive it.
I went and collected some solid brass hinges this morning and a few other bits turned up in the post.
I've made the lid for electrical stowage bin...
I have some seal strip and some latches on order.
I also fixed the hinge along the front of my passenger seat so it can lift forward for boot stowage.
Added the perimeter strip around my breather box. As I thought, im having some issues sealing it, but will persevere.
I also took delivery if some seat runners. These will be for the drivers seat to allow both my wife and myself to drive TinTub. Likelihood is this will only be a handful of times, but I'd like the possibility of her to drive it.
I thought about this in great depth...
There is logic to having it at the bottom. It means that if im working on the offside of the car then I can still lean over and do what I need to. The car is less than 1m wide here, so this is a very real possibility. The hatch will get in the way less hinging down, than it would hinging up.
It also means that it's easier to fit my catch mechanism at the top without setting the opening back a long way. If it were at the bottom, my designated catch mechanism would eat a fair amount of floor stowage space.
I'll be using a push-push catch type system.
There is logic to having it at the bottom. It means that if im working on the offside of the car then I can still lean over and do what I need to. The car is less than 1m wide here, so this is a very real possibility. The hatch will get in the way less hinging down, than it would hinging up.
It also means that it's easier to fit my catch mechanism at the top without setting the opening back a long way. If it were at the bottom, my designated catch mechanism would eat a fair amount of floor stowage space.
I'll be using a push-push catch type system.
Just had an update on my gearboxes.
I had one '70 Ami gearbox, and one '87 2cv gearbox. The plan was for "the gearbox guru" (builds basically every A-series gearbox in the country, including most of the racing ones) to strip both gearboxes, replace any seals and bearings that required it, then rebuild with the 2cv gearset and the ami diff to make a long gearbox.
On an initial internal inspection I was told they were "not good" and it may take a little longer to ascertain the damage.
The update came through this morning. The 2nd/3rd gearsets and synchros on both gearboxes are for the scrap man, and the taller diff from the ami box (the really useful bit) is damaged beyond use due to lack of historical gearbox maintenance. (I guess this means either running in old, contaminated oil, or lack of oil).
According Rick, the ami gearboxes are almost impossible to get access to in the car without removing the engine/gearbox assembly. This means that gearbox servicing and maintenance is usually overlooked and leads to a lot of knackered gearboxes.
He's going to build me a good long gearbox using some known components he has from stock. Naturally the price goes up, but I'm glad I didn't just stuff one of the knackered gearboxes in and hope for the best. Especially as I'm putting so much effort into everything else.
I'd have been really annoyed to fire her up and find a FUBARD gearbox.
I had one '70 Ami gearbox, and one '87 2cv gearbox. The plan was for "the gearbox guru" (builds basically every A-series gearbox in the country, including most of the racing ones) to strip both gearboxes, replace any seals and bearings that required it, then rebuild with the 2cv gearset and the ami diff to make a long gearbox.
On an initial internal inspection I was told they were "not good" and it may take a little longer to ascertain the damage.
The update came through this morning. The 2nd/3rd gearsets and synchros on both gearboxes are for the scrap man, and the taller diff from the ami box (the really useful bit) is damaged beyond use due to lack of historical gearbox maintenance. (I guess this means either running in old, contaminated oil, or lack of oil).
According Rick, the ami gearboxes are almost impossible to get access to in the car without removing the engine/gearbox assembly. This means that gearbox servicing and maintenance is usually overlooked and leads to a lot of knackered gearboxes.
He's going to build me a good long gearbox using some known components he has from stock. Naturally the price goes up, but I'm glad I didn't just stuff one of the knackered gearboxes in and hope for the best. Especially as I'm putting so much effort into everything else.
I'd have been really annoyed to fire her up and find a FUBARD gearbox.
I had a reasonably productive day yesterday.
I fitted the catch to me electrical bin and started making up the the other seat.
85mm fence post for the bending to avoid a corner...
Riveted...
Ive wired the bottom half of the seat, but left it oversize at the top as I need to mount it on the rails and then trim back to the shape I want. It will be asymmetric to the passenger seat.
What with making the seats and a few other "non standard" bits, I've used substantially more aluminium than I thought. In theory 4 sheets of aluminium should be enough for a full basic build.
I made the floor and front/rear bulkheads up in Duncan's workshop and bought some of his stock material. This used nearly 2 sheets.
In addition to this I bought a further four full sheets from a local supplier. However, making the two seats used up virtually a whole sheet, plus the rear deck and wheel housing etc... long story short, I've ordered another 2 sheets if aluminium as I'm going to run out.
In other news I've started on the bodywork. My sheet metal joggle tool only put about a 0.75mm step in the aluminium, so I've bonded in some 0.6mm steel rectangles into the jaws to increase the step. This will allow me to do the side panel with a flush seam. Victoria has a simple overlap and whilst its quite neat, its not smooth and flush.
I've also learnt that putting a dart in a paper pattern is substantially easier than putting a dart in sheet metal, but it is possible with a bit of practice.
Most people who do the bullet tail make the body go vertically down from the tangent of the barrel shape of the rear end. I think this looks weird and a slight under tuck looks better...
As you can see, I've raised the skirt up quite a lot at the back to expose the rear wheel.
Next job is to roll her out of the garage and take a look from 10yards back. Its hard to judge the lines when you're on top of it. If I'm happy I'll make up the other side and make a rear finisher panel which will be fir the numberplate and number plate light.
I made the floor and front/rear bulkheads up in Duncan's workshop and bought some of his stock material. This used nearly 2 sheets.
In addition to this I bought a further four full sheets from a local supplier. However, making the two seats used up virtually a whole sheet, plus the rear deck and wheel housing etc... long story short, I've ordered another 2 sheets if aluminium as I'm going to run out.
In other news I've started on the bodywork. My sheet metal joggle tool only put about a 0.75mm step in the aluminium, so I've bonded in some 0.6mm steel rectangles into the jaws to increase the step. This will allow me to do the side panel with a flush seam. Victoria has a simple overlap and whilst its quite neat, its not smooth and flush.
I've also learnt that putting a dart in a paper pattern is substantially easier than putting a dart in sheet metal, but it is possible with a bit of practice.
Most people who do the bullet tail make the body go vertically down from the tangent of the barrel shape of the rear end. I think this looks weird and a slight under tuck looks better...
As you can see, I've raised the skirt up quite a lot at the back to expose the rear wheel.
Next job is to roll her out of the garage and take a look from 10yards back. Its hard to judge the lines when you're on top of it. If I'm happy I'll make up the other side and make a rear finisher panel which will be fir the numberplate and number plate light.
A few minor updates, but nothing too meaty.
I got my "long" gearbox back from Rick Pembro. He's built me a refurb box in my Ami casing to almost the same spec as the race 2cvs. Same gearing, bearings, seals etc, but without an external input shaft seal. Apparently this is only required if you're seeing very high revs for very long periods of time as you whip up a foam and it tries to push past the scroll.
I went to go to fit it but couldn't for the life of me find the engine/gearbox hanging brackets. I've either lost them or never received them from PMC, it was about a year ago now so who knows. They weren't in the box with the rest of the stuff anyway.
A had a quick chat to a few other Pembleton builders to see if they had any spare brackets knocking around before I phoned Phil and bought some more. The consensus was not to bother as the design was simple, but flawed.
Basically at the front of the chassis is two large Bi-Metallic bushes pressed into the chassis. These have two right angled brackets down to the engine/gearbox top bolts. The problem is that these can droop, and rotation on the engine/gearbox along the crank/input shaft axis loads the bushes up in a less that ideal way, which essentially results in one bush taking all the stress at an angle. See below images of Victoria's standard set up...
With this in mind I have taken inspiration from one of the other builders and designed/made my own bracket, connecting the two bushes via a "bridge". This will mean that both bushes are always acting together in unison and will also be co-axial, resulting in less wear and longer life. This will mean a slightly more rigid installation of the engine, but time will tell how much difference it makes on "refinement" (HA!)
The main plate/bridge and mounting tabs are 4mm steel plate, the webs are in 3mm steel plate and welded in a way that prevent the bolt from rotating once pushed through from the inside, negating tool access. The welding isn't that neat, but I practiced with the settings, feed and timings quite a lot to ensure its a full penetration weld with a large root = strong.
(The gearbox position not correct in the below images, its about 20mm up and rearwards from where it needs to be, its only roughly positioned to get an idea)
The paint is still a bit tacky at the moment, but will post some installed images tomorrow.
I've also modified and reinforced the seatbelt mounts as they weren't up to my standards. And made the other rear lower panel, so I now have a matching pair Cleco'd in place.
I got my "long" gearbox back from Rick Pembro. He's built me a refurb box in my Ami casing to almost the same spec as the race 2cvs. Same gearing, bearings, seals etc, but without an external input shaft seal. Apparently this is only required if you're seeing very high revs for very long periods of time as you whip up a foam and it tries to push past the scroll.
I went to go to fit it but couldn't for the life of me find the engine/gearbox hanging brackets. I've either lost them or never received them from PMC, it was about a year ago now so who knows. They weren't in the box with the rest of the stuff anyway.
A had a quick chat to a few other Pembleton builders to see if they had any spare brackets knocking around before I phoned Phil and bought some more. The consensus was not to bother as the design was simple, but flawed.
Basically at the front of the chassis is two large Bi-Metallic bushes pressed into the chassis. These have two right angled brackets down to the engine/gearbox top bolts. The problem is that these can droop, and rotation on the engine/gearbox along the crank/input shaft axis loads the bushes up in a less that ideal way, which essentially results in one bush taking all the stress at an angle. See below images of Victoria's standard set up...
With this in mind I have taken inspiration from one of the other builders and designed/made my own bracket, connecting the two bushes via a "bridge". This will mean that both bushes are always acting together in unison and will also be co-axial, resulting in less wear and longer life. This will mean a slightly more rigid installation of the engine, but time will tell how much difference it makes on "refinement" (HA!)
The main plate/bridge and mounting tabs are 4mm steel plate, the webs are in 3mm steel plate and welded in a way that prevent the bolt from rotating once pushed through from the inside, negating tool access. The welding isn't that neat, but I practiced with the settings, feed and timings quite a lot to ensure its a full penetration weld with a large root = strong.
(The gearbox position not correct in the below images, its about 20mm up and rearwards from where it needs to be, its only roughly positioned to get an idea)
The paint is still a bit tacky at the moment, but will post some installed images tomorrow.
I've also modified and reinforced the seatbelt mounts as they weren't up to my standards. And made the other rear lower panel, so I now have a matching pair Cleco'd in place.
Edited by Ambleton on Sunday 26th May 08:11
A little while ago I bought a billet aluminium vented "aero" fuel filler. I wanted a flush fuel filler as I think they look better than the ones that protrude like a bottle top. Even the classic Aston Martin style ones don't really do it for me, it also must be lockable for the MSVA.
The lip is around 3mm so I made an oversized flange for it to sit on in 2mm aluminium, then made another "washer" in 1.2mm aluminium to go over the top. I cut my hole and aligned for drilling off the rivets. All three layers are bonded and riveted, with the fuel filler itself bolted in with its 6xM4 csk.
The lip is around 3mm so I made an oversized flange for it to sit on in 2mm aluminium, then made another "washer" in 1.2mm aluminium to go over the top. I cut my hole and aligned for drilling off the rivets. All three layers are bonded and riveted, with the fuel filler itself bolted in with its 6xM4 csk.
Doofus said:
I'm not a fan of those modern style fillers on old style cars.
I hear what you're saying but you can't please everyone, and whilst I agree that it doesn't look old, it will be reasonably well hidden. I think it will be barely noticeable once the rest of the car is done. I prefer clean lines to one that is peppered with protrusions anyway.[rude hat on//]
Anyway, it's my car and i'm building it how I want to... so there
[\\rude hat removed]
Ambleton][//rude hat on// said:
Anyway, it's my car and i'm building it how I want to... so there
[\\rude hat removed]
No worries [\\rude hat removed]
I wasn't intending to be rude, so don't be offended. I love the work you're doing, and you are developing some really nice improvements to the car. I just prefer different fuel fillers, that's all And I prefer the Brooklands, but let's not go there...
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