New Boy

Author
Discussion

Kitchski

6,514 posts

230 months

Friday 24th August 2018
quotequote all
I'd strongly suggest stripping that chassis down and getting it shot blasted, if you've gone to the trouble of removing the body. You can only find half of the potential issues with rust, corrosion or fractures with a wire brush.

Bercilac

Original Poster:

294 posts

68 months

Tuesday 28th August 2018
quotequote all
After a couple of hours of scraping and prodding with a variety of implements I decided that the only sensible way to do this is as you suggest - body off, strip it down and off to the shotblaster. At least 80% of the bits required to make it a car again are now painted or purchased new.

It will be interesting to see what the blaster exposes over my hammer and chisel approach.

I'm planning to change the clutch whilst the engine is removed, but are there any other seals, bearings, gaskets etc that should be replaced while access is easy?

My engine experience is really MG based and those are more simple lumps of iron. smile

Edited by Bercilac on Tuesday 28th August 05:27

Bercilac

Original Poster:

294 posts

68 months

Tuesday 28th August 2018
quotequote all
This is too nice to put on the car, it should be on the mantle piece! Courtesy of Shaun Taylor lovely bit of work.

Steve_D

13,737 posts

257 months

Tuesday 28th August 2018
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Good call. The grit blasting will find plenty you were not aware of.

If you plan to have it blasted, do your repairs, then hand paint I would recommend you get the blaster to prime it as soon as it is blasted.
Yes, you will cut and grind some of that back but at least most of your chassis will be ready to paint. Also remember the chassis starts to rust the minute he stops blasting so if your repair work takes you a few weekends the chassis will need blasting again before paint unless primed.

Steve

Podie

46,630 posts

274 months

Tuesday 28th August 2018
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Nothing to contribute really, other than it's nice to see an S being returned to the roads smile

Bercilac

Original Poster:

294 posts

68 months

Tuesday 28th August 2018
quotequote all
I'm planning to get it primed or zinc coated by the blaster, then painted using epoxy and I'll finish that off with stone guard on the vulnerable areas with plenty of Dynax S50 in all the tricky nooks and crannies.

The tank and other components have had POR15 in black, over painted in black Hammerite, which I'll go over with stone guard in white, same as the chassis. The idea being that if I get a chip in the stone guard the black paint beneath will make the chipped area easy to spot (I hope).

Steve_D

13,737 posts

257 months

Tuesday 28th August 2018
quotequote all
Bercilac said:
I'm planning to get it primed or zinc coated by the blaster, then painted using epoxy ..................
Sounds like the way we do it....Blast then repair followed by a second blast, hot zinc spray, zinc primer, two pack epoxy. As you say we then hand paint the outriggers with an epoxy mastic which gives a stone chip type resistance.

Steve

Bercilac

Original Poster:

294 posts

68 months

Wednesday 29th August 2018
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Thanks Steve. Great info.

Bercilac

Original Poster:

294 posts

68 months

Saturday 8th September 2018
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Bit further on, going the whole nine yards. I was surprised how light the body and chassis are when separated. All of these big chunks are easy to shove about single handed.

Technique was to ratchet strap the back up about three feet, then push the chassis forward 20cm on its dolly (thanks Tom!) then lift the front with the block and tackle.

Engine, transmission and diff out tomorrow, when it stops raining, then off for some repairs, blasting, zinc primer and two pack epoxy.
The repairs are just to cut the pathetic outrigger seat belt mounts off and weld on something that has a little more heft to it.




Steve_D

13,737 posts

257 months

Saturday 8th September 2018
quotequote all
ther's way to much white on that chassis. The ones we normally see are predominantly brown.

Steve

Bercilac

Original Poster:

294 posts

68 months

Sunday 9th September 2018
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Haha - yes, I think its remarkably solid but as you say, the blaster is bound to find its way in!

Kitchski

6,514 posts

230 months

Sunday 9th September 2018
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White chassis' seem to be the best on the S, in terms of rust resistance. Same with the Wedges. I believe these were the last chassis' TVR had coated externally (though they owned the company who did it at the time).

Compare that with the white chassis' of Chimaeras and Griffiths, and well......yeah.

Bercilac

Original Poster:

294 posts

68 months

Saturday 15th September 2018
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Chassis liberated. Everything played nice apart from the diff which is round at my local garage (Paradise Garage, Toft Road, Knutsford classic friendly and top guys) getting the busted bits drilled out.

Clutch was hardly worn and nothing was seized, front and rear gearbox oil seals gone though. Core plugs fine but will be replaced anyway along with all the gaskets etc.

Off to the blaster/painter in the next couple of weeks.




Bercilac

Original Poster:

294 posts

68 months

Friday 26th October 2018
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Chassis back from first blast and all is good. Replacing the outrigger seat belt mounts and one mounting plate as half a millimetre of corrosion on both, daft not to do it, then blasting and painting. The painter specialises in coatings for North Sea oil rig and mining equipment so it should last a bit.



Block painted Ford Gray VHT, unleaded heads acquired and I found a supplier for the rocker cover stickers.



Should be on the road by Spring 2019 at this rate :-)


magpies

5,129 posts

181 months

Friday 26th October 2018
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brilliant work - enjoy the build readsmashbeer

BIG DUNC

1,918 posts

222 months

Friday 26th October 2018
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How exciting. I remember getting my chassis back last Jan.

Enjoy the build, it’s a lot more satisfying (& expensive) than the strip down.

Bercilac

Original Poster:

294 posts

68 months

Saturday 27th October 2018
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Oh yes, it's all the fiddly bits - a couple of spring clips for the handbrake cables, nuts bolts and washers throughout, gasket sets, but even with the purchase price it's still coming in at under £4.5k, without the retrim costs.

There have been good bargains in there though. I found a nice pair of seats from a Griff for £100 the pair (plus another £100 to get them delivered). I had to paint the frames but the leather responded to a good clean and feed.



And a pair of reconditioned heads with unleaded valve seats and new rockers, valves, springs and pushrods came off Fleabay for £126 (I'm busy cleaning and painting them ready for fitting next week). Even a new 3 part LUK clutch was only £40 and £35 for disks and pads, what's not to like - way cheaper than my moderns.

Apart from the cheap Ford parts, what I really like is how easy it is to work on compared to the MGs I've had. I know these are not fast but I think it'll feel quick coming from a 1275cc Midget, so I'm happy to keep it stock and I'm far too old to Hoon it about.

Bercilac

Original Poster:

294 posts

68 months

Monday 29th October 2018
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All now fitted, nice big chunks of cast iron, none of your lightweight nonsense!

Bercilac

Original Poster:

294 posts

68 months

Wednesday 21st November 2018
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Getting close to build time as the chassis is off this week for final blast and paint, two new outrigger seat belt mounts welded in along with two corner plates. Neither was strictly necessary according to Chris Dickinson who did the welding, plenty of meat on them still apparently, but I wanted to be sure the job doesn't need doing for another 30 years.

|https://thumbsnap.com/81B8Kg8v[/url]


New tube on one trailing arm and a new section on the tank cradle completes the fabrication process.

The engine is ready and gearbox titivated with new seals and gaskets, internals were unmarked and no nasty swarf in there.


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Kitchski

6,514 posts

230 months

Wednesday 21st November 2018
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Nice to see one being done properly smile