Bfg

Yesterday afternoon ..with work in progress on the driver's side, things were looking like this . . ^ Beginning to look more like a restored car now. Katie's prior owner(s) had not only used copious amounts of something like 'No more Nails' to secure the felt underlay and carpet, but also numerous self-tapping-screws. There are possibly 20 or 30 small holes through the floors and, because my welding thin sheet-metal isn't that good, I decided not to weld each up. Instead I've painted the hole's edges and now will use a sealant to close them up. Having found that my use of C-Tec CT1, as a seam sealer, prevents this white-spirits-based acrylic paint from going off for a month ..on the gearbox cover , Last night I tested Everflex - Weather Mate, which is a n-butyl acetate compound to see if that proved any less "inconvenient" ! All night and all day in the warmth of my lounge, and this evening the red is still tacky enough to come off on my fingers. I'll find something else ! - - - Today was very damp and equally as dull to be working outside, even under a cover. That, together with a pulled back, led me to find a job in the warm. Mind you the job I chose to get on with wasn't possibly the best choice for my back.., don't know really because sometimes I find wrapping it up and just getting on with jobs sometimes just works through it ..we'll see. Anyway's up, this afternoon's exertions were to pull the driver's MX5 seat mechanism out ..and to start cleaning the leather . . . ^ four bolts hold the seat back adjuster / tilt mechanism to the seat squabs, and then one screw, on the other side of the seat back, releases the backrest altogether. Seen on the window sill (second photo) is that mechanism and its two trim covers. Each have overlapping tabs and a cross-head screw or two to hold them in place. The screws are removed and then the covers can be wriggled out over the bolster's padding. ^ Seat runners were removed because ultimately I'll be taking the leather cover off the seat to replace a couple of pieces of its foam padding. I had already started cleaning the base pan of its light surface rust and giving it a pretty coat of zinc, so I'll do more of that when the covers are off. However, having been freshly painted, it then revealed the diamond shaped scuff marks, from the TR's floor as the seat was moved back and forth. The adapter plates are just 1/8" (3mm) thick and even though the car's floors are slightly bowed downwards, it looks as if I might want to spacer the back of the seats up, by just a 1/4". Moving on to the task in hand . . . ^ The light grey better reflects the light amount of dirt on these seats ..after all they came from a breaker, so who knows what the condition the car was in. I'm sure many of you have seen the " remarkable " cleaning properties of bespoke leather and fabric cleaners. Well - I didn't use them ! ^ I started with a relatively-dry nail-brush and a tiny dab of washing-up-liquid ..first wipe. I followed that with a light scrub of kitchen degreaser (..I was introduced to Sgrassatore Universale ' Formato Professionale ' ..when I was preparing to restore my Citroen Ami-Super in Slovenia, and was so impressed with it that, when I got back to the UK., I ordered 5l. of it from Italy). Again I used just a tiny amount on a relatively dry nail-brush. And because that doesn't froth, I followed it up with soap (..to lift out the degreaser). Yep, that was really posh stuff too.. from Aldi's basic range. Each stage was wiped off with an old washing-up sponge and clean warm water. And to finish off ..just another quick scrub with another tiny dab of washing up liquid. I did this to minimise any residue of soap in the leather. That again was wiped over / rinsed off with the sponge and clean water. Throughout I tried to keep things as dry as I could, particularly because the squab's leather is perforated, but on the side bolsters (which have no such perforations) I could let things get a little " frothy man ".. Each stage was wiped dry with an old cotton, clean T-shirt. ^ cleaned with ordinary household / ordinary kitchen products. No particularly strong chemicals, and soap and washing-up bubbles to wipe the dirt out the leather's grain and perforations. I went on to clean the rest of the seat, which was then set over a low temperature oil-filled radiator (seat squab inverted and not touching it) to mostly dry for 20 minutes. The leather now feels very much more supple (compared with the passenger seat which I haven't yet cleaned) and I think would take in leather conditioner quite nicely, but first I want to dye the light grey to black. I have some shoe dye but it's at least xx years old, so I think I'll pop out to the shops and spend a few shillings to buy some new. Just out of curiosity, I do have some foaming upholstery cleaner, which I may try tomorrow, to see if that leaves things any cleaner still. In the meantime, I bid you a good evening, Pete

two tone, green over red

Not much to report on, so I'll keep it brief . . . ^ speaks for itself. This was at 10am, so my working outside was postponed to the afternoon. ^ amateur restored 22 years ago, so I'm not complaining, but as you can see seam sealer even when over painted with a good quality primer doesn't prevent rust in the corners and panel overlaps. As I work around the car I'm pulling it out, cleaning out the corners and then painting into them, first with POR-15 or else zinc (cold galvanising) paint, before topcoat. If then still needs a little seam sealer, I'll do it once that paint has dried. ^ little steps, but still progress. Bidding you a pleasantly warm evening, Pete.

Might I suggest .. 1) a flapper wheel or power-wire-brush will clean the surface and yet take next-to-no thickness off the steel. 2) cut out the worst of the rust yes, but why an extra inch ? that just means a larger patch to shape accurately, and considerably more welding. for example a 1-1/2" (38mm) dia hole or patch has a 119mm circumference, whereas as a 1" larger dia hole or patch has 279mm circumference. That's 11" of welding. And the more you weld the more chance there is of distortion, and more refinishing to do. 3) agreed, but practice shaping that plate as a compound curve.. Preparation in making the patch fit really well will make welding it flush to the surface very much easier and then save a whole lot of time in refinishing. It'll look much better when done too. Panel beating ; All that takes is hammer and a block of timber. Hammer the middle of your metal patch when it is resting flat on a block of timber (I'm using a 4 x 2" or a 3 x3" block sitting on the end of my B&D workmate) and then work around that as a spiral. Start again in the middle and around again as a spiral and you'll find that the metal in the middle stretches to make your patch slightly domed shape. The hammering doesn't have to be that hard as to massively dent it, that of course depends on plate thickness, but in general it just needs to dint it down a 0.5mm at a time. If you have a piece of thick copper sheet then it's very much easier to work and practice with. For shallow dishes no heat (no blowtorch is necessary). Turn the patch around to fit the hole in the body, and mark (with a felt pen) it's orientation so that when you weld it - it's already a great fit with it's edges sitting down flush. 4) I very rarely use self tappers ..and then only when panels are overlapping (like making an access cover) and then those self-tapped holes will remain part of the finish article. That's just more work.. to drill, screw / tap, to remove that screw, and then re-weld and refinish it. I use an offcut strip or rod of steel, or an old screwdriver, to hold the patch in place for the first tack. And then the same to hold the other side of the plate down flush for the next tack ..and so on until there are tack welds all the way around. Most important things are preparation - clean the metals to be welded, and accurately shape the pieces. De-burr those edges otherwise the parts will not sit flat. BTW under-seal and wax-oil will ignite, paint melts and burns with toxic fumes and like zinc will cause your weld to splatter ..so everything is best cleaned off anyway. welder set-up. Start on a practice piece (of the same thickness) which is easy to hold and stand over, rather than getting straight in to working with a contorted posture. good Earth to the metal your welding. Inevitably, that too will necessitate thoroughly cleaning the paint and crud off where your earth clamp will be. good posture and visibility - working in a dark corner usually means that you'll miss the spot your aiming to weld, and an awkward posture will make it difficult to hold your hand steady. Getting yourself in a good working position makes all the difference to doing a good job. protect yourself and the surroundings (especially glass, trim, paintwork, chrome, soft metals, nearby wires and plastic parts.. and of course the petrol tank, filler and its pipes) - It's difficult to focus when splatters come back and land on your scalp ..&/or you're worried that the car might explode or otherwise be damaged. The surroundings also include your working space / garage, any paint, parts cleaner or fuel containers, other vehicles, blocks of wood, clothes or bundles of rags. Rags, wipes, tissues, etc. should not be in the bottom of the car. Never weld a car with its battery, ECU or alternator connected. Welding sheets / fire blankets are cheaply available from your local hardware supplier, or off e-bay, amazon, etc. Cardboard &/or other dust sheets are not suitable. Young children &/or pets should not be in the work space. Anyone else should be warned when you're welding. if any weld doesn't work.. STOP and THINK "why is that so crappy ?" If necessary clean that up and start again. ie., Don't compound splatter or a blow-hole with more of the same. Grinding and linishing are filthy, noisy, damaging, and potentially dangerous activities and so are best avoided ..by welding neatly in the first place. To "quickly / just do that" usually leads to something going wrong. ie., the weld being shyte, blowing a hole through, or a stray spark damaging something nearby. After you finished welding, keep an eye on that working environment for an hour. Many a garage / workshop have burnt down because a stray spark has landed in corner and only quietly smouldered away ..until after the man has gone home. Have a fire blanket and a decent capacity (in date) extinguisher close to hand. Most of the same applies to grinding. Those sparks are literally WHITE HOT and can fly and bounce off things and into dusty corners. Glass, trim, and paint is very easily damaged and so on... Schoolboy error # 1. is to weld or grind near a windscreen, the back or side windows ..without protecting them first. It's just dumb to end up with little black bits burnt onto the inside of a windscreen. Schoolboy error # 2. is to take the glass or doors off and to put them next to the car your welding and grinding.! Schoolboy error # 3. is to wind the windows down and forget there's no trim pad, nor anything else, to prevent splatter from burning into the glass.! Old codger error # 1. is to pay someone else to do these things I'm sure others would be able to make worthwhile contributions to these notes.. Anyway, I hope they help. Welding is actually very satisfying because it's creative. Welding beautifully is especially so - That's craftsmanship. Pete

I'm sure it would do the job well, but I recommend you check to see if it is UV resistant. On my boat, when used to seal around the stanchion bases, the CT-1 was painted over. Pete.

For the racing guys, the TR4 IRS, together with chassis changes, was said to add about 100lb to the car's weight ..not good. And that particular IRS chassis has a design fault insomuch as it's poorly cross braced. The renown negatives of live axles, like rear wheel steering, limited suspension travel, their unsprung weight, and axle tramp.. could to a large extent be held in check with link bars and a Panhard rod. The further idiosyncrasies with a live axle is relatively easy to live with because they are intuitive and so driver predictable. Live axles have the advantage that the drive parts are well protected both from impact (whether flying stones or the car landing on a boulder or edge of a ditch or a rock) and again from dust, wet, sand, grit, etc. Sealed lubrication is easier within a tube, and their fewer parts means less joints (in particular articulating) and therefore less maintenance. They are also relatively idiot proof in terms of alignment / height adjustment, etc. ..and easy to weld up in remote places. As a consequence they gained an enviable reputation with rallying and hill climbs, and also in countries where unpaved roads are very common. In these scenarios robustness is the differential (pun intended ) between finishing the competition or not, &/or getting home again. In the US or Australia where it may be 100+miles to the nearest garage and where imported / transcontinental parts supplies were erratic at best - that is an important factor. Hence the US version of the TR4A ..with live axle. Triumph and of course many other saloons proved that IRS could be made robust enough for rallying in all weathers and terrains, and the TR6 and many others proved that IRS can be set up and be adjusted for and used to advantage on different race tracks and surfaces. But that's not going to change the mind of those who like a live axle. Pete

I agree.. I specifically chose to buy the TR4A because it had IRS. Pete

Not if you were to listen to many TR owners ..who seem to believe that their live-axle cars have the ultimate in chassis & suspension design ..and the IRS models have been cursed with a rear-suspension abomination ! Perhaps posted a little tongue-in-cheek but nevertheless prevalent underlying theme. Today for example < here >

All manufacturers in any industry 'compare' their design / marketing proposal with competitors offerings. Be dumb if they didn't. I did the same when I worked in the design and manufactured of cars, and then of boats. When I had my own kit-car business ; to be commercially viable I needed to offer advantages in my product ..but at the same time not to be so outrageous whereby the buying public thought it weird. The accommodation design (whether car or boat interiors) would start with knowing what was considered good &/or 'of note' in other designs, which inevitably meant what had been received favorably in the press ..even if we didn't happen to like other aspects of the competitor's product. From those space envelopes, scale drawings or manikins were placed to sit over mechanical and within structural limitations of our own design. Controls like pedal box and steering wheel would be placed accordingly in plan, side-elevation and cross-sections. Likewise glass (viewing angles) and roof lines. This wasn't copying others designs, it was simply deriving established dimensions that were known to work ..at that point in time. These set acceptable parameters to work within. Inevitable once our design was released, the motoring press would road test and comment on what they thought was good and what was not so, and what else was interesting. Those then would add to the database or yard-sticks which were to be improved upon during the next round of product design. And so, as each designer adds a little more, so cars have grown in size and with ever better design features. Design is evolution more than invention, and although other's work is noted for its excellence and so inspires a trend or fashion, it's rarely plagiarized. Pete

No BW., the POR-15 went off fine. I painted the steel with that first ..as I like to rub it deep into any overlapping seams. Once that had dried, I then applied the CT-1 as a seam sealer. I left that for another day and that went off. I then applied the enamel ..just as a colour finish coat, and it was that which wouldn't go off. ie. the red paint, not the POR-15, remained tacky where there was CT-1 under it. The rest of the paint, directly over the POR-15 dried just fine.

If it was Blakes, then I used that on my boat and it did a brilliant job. Years later I came back to using the same on my Citroen. The company had changed names to Hempel and the product had been subject to health and safety ..and was relatively speaking.. crax. I'll not use it again.

Yes I was considering steam cleaning first. We have a company just five miles or so from here that years ago did my Scimitar. Lots of foam and steam to get that wax oil and any old under-seal / loose paint off. Having a sticky (car) bottom is where I'm hung up though.

Makes sense. I just hate crawling under a sticky car and I know that will come ..time and again ! Yes to tomorrow evening at the Sorrel Horse, as Mathew says we're meeting at 7 for a meal beforehand. Andrew also. See you there. Pete.

This afternoon I did similar alterations to the passenger-side seat adapter plates, and again to that inner-wheel-arch to bring it in line with the driver's seat. ie., 2-3/8" (60mm) further back. ^ In the first instance I drilled the floor adapter plate holes 1" further in, as I had on the driver's side. That was a mistake because the Mazda passenger seat has a different offset to its runners. So I redrill again the outside floor mounting hole (further in). 1st photo ; The larger nut on the floor is where the seat runner's stud would be - with the adapter plate the correct way around, but I chose to reverse it (..to move the seat back by 60mm). I also wanted to move the seat closer to the door by 1" (25mm). NB. the inside mounting required a small bracket extension to reach the standard Triumph mounting. 2nd photo ; the rear adapter plate required two additional small extension plates to suit. The inside floor mounting is again back to the original captive nut in the floor. Please NOTE ; the adapter brackets supplied would suit most owners, just as they are. It is only because of my size that I sought to modify things to gain the extra length and slightly different offset. The task was easy enough, with the adapter plates giving me a useful head-start. ^ If at all noticed, I've installed these seats slightly skewed relative to the car's centreline. The front mounting of each seat was moved closer to its door by 1" whereas the rear of each seat only moved out 1/2". That may seem odd, but the reason was to better align the seat back to the asymmetric footwells & offset pedals, and to allow the seat adjuster mechanism to clear the B-post (second photo). There ought to be just enough space for a piece of vinyl trim in there ! ^ The LHS rear inner wheel arch was similarly 'altered' in line with the driver's side, but this time I took the concave further down ..so as to clear these seat's tilt mechanism. . . I further altered the RHS inner wheel arch ..in line with this, so the driver's seat can now move still further back on its runners. - - - And so to conclude this subject of fitting MX5 seats, for the Big & Tall, here are a few final dimensions (..taken on the driver's / RH side) . . . ^ From the step on the bulkhead (my left foot rest) to the seat squab is now almost 29" (735mm). And the distance to the corner of the backrest is 48" (122cm). ^ measured from the clutch pedal to the seat squab is now some 25-1/2" (65cm), & the distance to the centre-bottom of the backrest is 45" (114cm). Standard spec (see drawing from a road-test at the bottom of this page) shows max length from pedal to seat squab as 22". The distance from there to the backrest is 10", so I've increased the overall pedal to seat backrest squab by 3-1/2". In turn that means I can better straighten my legs to get them under the steering wheel and dashboard. The seat squab's centre (width), measured at the rear of the handbrake bracket on the driveshaft tunnel, is 12-3/4" (325mm) from the car's centreline. ^ with 1/4" spacers under the front seat runner mounts, the clearance between the underside of Katie's 15" steering wheel to the (uncompressed) squab is about 7" (18cm). And my own knee clearance under the dashboard padding is a now more than 4" (10cm), with my foot resting against the step of the bulkhead, & when wearing thick soled shoes. NB., When I drove Mike's TR4A, also fitted with MX5 seats, my leg was wedged tight under the dashboard, between the H-frame and the steering wheel. Admittedly he had a double USB port fitted under there which lessened the height by 3/4" but on the other hand I was wearing brogues with 1/4" thick soles So thanks to moving the seat runners back / the extra legroom - my leg straightens, to similarly give me the equivalent of an additional 3-1/2" inches under dashboard clearance. Tomorrow, I'll just be tidying and repainting the brackets and altered inner wheel arches. Pete Autocar - 1965 : TR4A

My car's recently had its chassis swapped and I didn't think to instruct the body shop to clean off and give the underside of the body shell a protective coat of paint while access was easy. ^ although not in a terrible state yet, areas of that underside body shell have black paint which is flaking off or has been scratched, light surface rust in places, and otherwise what appears to be wax-oil over it. As a car intended to be driven i all weathers and mostly parked outside in the wet, I need to deal with this before I'm faced with having to deal with holes ! I accept that the body will have to be lifted again, but I'm hoping to get away with just jacking it up three or four inches ..to be able to get in above the chassis rails with an electric wire brush. My question then is how you might recommend cleaning it up ? and then what best to paint it over with to seal it, bearing in mind that it'll be nigh on impossible to clean off all the engine / gearbox oil, grease and wax-oil ? Thanks. Pete

I use CT1 on my boat and it's really very good for structural bonding and as a sealant between grp and wood parts. I can glue a batten of wood to the hull side and the following day it will take my weight. I also used it for bedding (sealing bolt holes of) the stanchions around the deck edge. However., I used what was left in tube as a seam sealer on the gearbox cover I altered to fit my car, and then over-painted this with acrylic paint. It stuck extremely well to the POR-15 that i used as a primer / protective layer, but it's taken 4 weeks of those panels sitting on a high shelf in my lounge (the consistently warmest place in my apartment) for the paint to now feel only 'slightly tacky'. That drying time is annoying. Both use white spirits as a cleaner. Pete.

This afternoon I did just a little more to help my jack-in-a-box-like syndrome, by altering the inner wheel arch . . . ^ with the seat hard back ; I felt and marked with tape as far as my finger would squeeze in. And then peeled back the cover to reshape the metal. I did it progressively so that the convex bonged inwards to be a concave shape, and that went well, but after refitting the seat again I found that I needed the dint to go 2" further down, to clear the now moved back tilt mechanism. Hey ho., just an opportunity to do it again tomorrow ! I also redrilled the front adapter plate to try the seat 1" (25+mm) towards the door. Now I know that sounds contradictory to the issue I have in getting my big feet passed the open door, and also that my arm is already hard against the door (..and shoulder against the hood frame), but I reasoned that moving the seat outwards would square me up a little better with the offset steering-wheel and pedals, and that in turn would lessen the twist to my back when I'm in the seat. These things are always a compromise and, for the sake of just two holes in the adapter plate, it was worth a try. It worked better than I might have hoped insomuch as the improvement was quite apparent. Together with the gain in leg length, the driving position is more comfortable for me. And for the first time, I feel that I have half-decent leg room under the dash & around Katie's 15" steering wheel ...well at least 'half-decent' for someone who's 6ft-5" . . . ^ You can see here that although my legs cannot go straight, the under-dash clearances are good and it is a comfortable / relaxed leg position. This is while wearing steel-toe-cap work shoes that have 3/4" thick soles and 1-3/4" heels, and with my left foot resting on the bulkhead step (where the main-dip switch fits). Conversely, I recall test-driving my friend Mike's TR4A way-back-when (..as previously reported in these pages) and my knee was literally wedged inbetween the underside of the dashboard (alongside the choke lever), the H-frame and the steering wheel. Admittedly he did have a USB port screwed under the dash pad, which made things lower by about 3/4", but I now have an honest 2-1/2" clearance under there. He also had MX5 seats fitted, but the seat couldn't be moved back any more on its runners. ^ For comparison, with each seat right the way back. This space would appear to be practical for me. And perhaps because the seat's backrest is further back (giving me more room to straighten and get my leg under the steering wheel) &/or else because I now find it easier to lean back over the driveshaft tunnel) - it feels a little easier to get in and out of the car. Worthwhile progress So that's it for tonight.. I hope there's something useful here to anyone else who is in any way 'larger than average'. Pete

^ sounds very much like my own learning curve

^^ Thanks very much This afternoon I reassembled the MX5 driver's seat runners which were stiff and clunky. . . ^ after a whole lot of flushing out with petrol and running the sliders back n' forth numerous times to clear the crud and surface rust out of the mechanism, all I could do to lessen the clunking was to run some emery paper over the groves (Left hand photo) to lessen the each hard edge. I only dismantled the one, as the other when flushed out was in better condition. Once repainted, I lubricated each with a generous dollops of waterproof grease. They now clunk a tiny amount as they roll ..but not enough to warrant any further rework. They are easy to adjust and so good to go. Again, during this seat's fitting into the car, I found one of the runner's fouled the adapter bracket. Similarly inserting a washer or two under the runner, enabled it to clear. However, having fitted this seat, I found its position still too far forward for a BFG. As previously said, its about 1/2" more than the standard seat, but that was too tight for me. I really need to move the seat back a bit, as much relative to the door opening as to the pedals, as again.. my size 12's have an issue swinging in or getting out passed the door. You try wearing flippers instead of shoes and you'll see what I mean ! ^ reviewing the adapter plates, I recognised that I could rotate the front one around by 180 degrees ..and the holes to the floor still aligned and the studs to the seat runners were still square.. but were then positioned 58-60mm further back. Where the 10mm nuts are seen on the floor, in the Left photo, is where the studs would be with the adapter plate the correct way around. The photo on the right shows the rear bracket, and because the floor's bolt pattern relative to the MX5 runner studs is the same, rotating that bracket around by 180 degrees has no effect. I decide that (for the rear bracket) I'd have to drill new rear floor holes, some 60mm further back (to match the rotated front plate). Doing that would be fine for the inboard one, as it is clear of the main chassis rail and there's enough space to use a sizeable plate under the floor for seat security, but the one closest to the sill then would be over the IRS-chassis. hey ho . . . ^ So I modified the adapter bracket, just on the outside, to position its hole through the floor to where I could reach from the underside and also fit a decent sized body washer. That works. . . ^ the MX5 driver's seat, so fitted, sits 1-1/2" further back, and is now hard against the rear inner wheel arch. That extra length makes things very much better, but there's still another 3/4" to easily be had ..if I locally flatten the curve shape of the wheel arch. There's certainly plenty of space between that and the wheel to do so. But it'll have to wait until when my hammering will not disturb the neighbours. Until then.., I bid you all a very pleasant New Years Eve. Pete

I feel you've made this very much more difficult by trying to make the repair piece sit flush with the surface. That's great for those attempting totally hidden repairs ..required for a concourse finish, but for someone without experienced panel beating and the welding skills - that'll multiply the restoration by ten times (each in time, frustration, and cost). It is of course a personal decision as to the standards you aim for. For myself, I'm aiming to have a really good / solid driver's car ..to enjoy using as a daily and to holiday tour in ..but which is also very tidy. I don't have an interest in concourse, as I feel my life is too short for all it involves. And if I was, then I'd have started off with a better car.! Conversely, my decision allows the liberty of changing things from original, including of course the finished colour and its trim. My aim is to keep the character and good looks of the 1960's car, but it'll have to be adapted to better take my physical stature, and then to also accommodate some conveniences of everyday driving. Imo., several of those conveniences effect driving safety. Therefore, for this particularly repair where a panel is locally loaded (..in this case from the seat belt) - I would have cut out the rust and then cut a repair patch 1/2" larger all the way around. And yes, as advised by RogerH round corners avoid concentrated stress points and so are stronger. I would have shaped (panel-beat its compound shape) that oversize patch to fit flush to the underside of the arch ..where it sitting 1/16" proud would hardly be seen under rust-preventative treatment. And I would have spot-tack welded its outside edge of the patch ..pressed tight to the arch. I would then have worked from the inside boot space to again.. spot tack weld the edge of the hole you cut through the arch to the patch. Please have a look at Josef's work on his Herald to see what i mean by tacking < here > or my own < here >. Josef is much better work than my own but I'm certain mine was quicker to do, and because of the overlap also stronger. Note how a few spots are used, to secure the piece firmly in place, and then further spots are added inbetween those. This way, each piece of metal is less likely to distort with the heat. If required, any miss placed splatter or ugly spots of weld can be ground level before others are added. Your flush fitting panel means that you're welding a gap all the way around, and that is particularly difficult where the metals are inevitably of different carbon composition * and possibly also a slightly different thickness ..and where access is awkward. ie., a right-handed person working from behind to reach inside the RHS of the boot. You've done very well, but if you add a doubling plate on the reverse side, for strength, then your efforts to achieve a flush panel are wasted. * if you have a scrap panels or pieces from the same model of car, then that is often the best source of matching steel. It used to be common practice for car repairers to reclaim roof panels or boot lids from cars in a scrapyard. "Dial the welder down". I'd suggest your temperature setting is good, but you might want to dial the wire-feed speed down just a tad, and to hold your gun at a 45 - 60 degree angle. It's probably bad advice to give, but I do a lot of spot welding without a mask. I position the gun, perhaps holding it with two hands or sometimes resting it against a piece of scrap wood (..like a sign-writer would do) and then close my eyes as I fire the trigger. I then listen to what's happening. Each burst of weld is very short to avoid burning through. Only when there are enough tacks to hold the patch tight to the surface do I don my mask and weld inbetween those. In non structural applications, the infilling between spots is not necessary. A good tack every 3/4" on each edge of an overlapped plate is more than enough. I do hope these comments are taken in the spirit of my trying to share helpful advice ..rather than damning criticism. Best regards, Pete

I'm guessing you missed "the rear bearing has a plastic cover on both sides". The 608 is the bearing facing towards the front of the car. This rear bearing is serviceable and smooth, larger diameter, and just needs its grease replenished ..but that is under plastic covers . . . ^ before being cleaned up Still I guess what you say "They will come off, not certain they will go back on! " equally applies

Thanks, I didn't know that. The rear bearing has a plastic cover on both sides. Will the cover prise out so I can get fresh grease inside ? Pete

Season Greetings to one and all. Ho., Ho., Ho., says the big guy with the grey beard that looks back at me from the mirror. Just an afternoon of pottering tasks ..on the slay, this past week or so . . . ^ cardboard template and then the almost finished article in ribbed rubber, which befittingly was up-cycled from a damaged piece used on the shelves in the Range household store. ^ In case you're wondering, it's simply a noise and heat barrier between the engine bay and the gearbox tunnel. Of course the same bolts are also used to secure my gearbox cover. Credit to Steven, in our local TSSC group, for sharing the idea with me. He's used similar on his Triumph Spitfire and says it works surprising well. Next up, having learnt of high-torque starter motor woes on the TR-Register forum, I decided to have a quick look inside mine. Like the car's dynamo, it most probably needs a little fresh grease on its bearings (being so close to the radiant heat of the exhaust down-pipes they are particularly susceptible to drying out) . . . ^ the starter motor was still off the car, so it was simply a matter of undoing the two long screws and the wire, to separate the motor from its gear box. The motor itself is remarkably tiny. Thankfully, despite the engine's coolant having been dripping on it, there was nothing but very light surface rust inside. The bearing next to its output shaft, just needed cleaning and I'll try to get some fresh grease in there. Under the pressed-steel-end-cover (which faces the exhaust down-pipes) there's a tiny little bearing .. and despite a good flushing out with carb' cleaner it still clunks as it turns. The problem then was how to get it off, to replace it ? . . . The gap between the bearing and the plate is just about 2.5mm, and I know my pullers would be too big, So I thought to make a Heath Robinson one, especially for this job, out of scrap metal. Fortunately though I found., in my bag of scrap steel, a bracket, 2.25mm thick, and already slotted to carry something pretty heavy. The bearing spindle dropped over that and then with blocks of wood to support the armature.. I was hands free to use a centre punch, on the end of the spindle, to drive it out. Success ! Of course our excellent and local East Anglia Bearings is closed for the holidays, but I've left a message with the part number (NSK 608Z) to ask if they have or can get one for me. Moving on.., after yesterday's seasonal good spirits (..just half a bottle) with my old college buddy Chris, this afternoon I was ready to get on with the next task. . . ^ Yes, I'd succumbed to temptation and bought a pair of leather covered MX5 seats. My back is too prone to aching when a car seat is the wrong shape for me and also twisted (as many seem to be ..perhaps thanks to the weight of the clutch). I have tried two standard TR4A seats in the car and neither was any better, so e-bay for the seats (under £200 delivered) and my good friend Rich for a pair of seat runner adapters ..to fit the Mazda seats without having to alter the standard seat bolt holes in the floor. As per the instructions supplied - the seat runners of the Mazda need flattening out and the pins sticking down at the front also need chopping off. As you can see I did this manually. This is the passenger seat, and the rear end of the inside runner is angled down (top of second photo). This is just next to the seat belt mounting (on the Mazda seat) and is a pretty tough mounting. I cut a vee in the side and then managed to also bend that end of the runner flat (..using the grips, I needed an extension bar to bend this one). Sometime before final fitting, I'll remove the runner and weld the v-slot up again. ^ The seat runner adapters are conveniently labeled (this one's PR standing for Passenger-Rear bracket) which as you can see overlaps the body mount. I'll most likely cut the body mounting plate and weld the two plates together. The second of these photos shows the corner of Mazda seat runner sitting on the standard seat mounting bolt. As it happens the seat wobbled diagonally (this floor is uneven, rather than the seat or adapter bracket), and so a couple of thick body washers lifted the seat runner up enough to clear the bolt head and also leveled the seat to stop it rocking. That'll work. The adapters made life very much easier and altogether the task happened pretty quickly. That MX5 passenger seat is now temporarily fitted. . . ^ To compare ^ I've never found this car's original seats attractive. Indeed (..just my opinion you understand) but out of all the TR models - the TR4A are the ugliest of them all, and being short and stubby - the least comfortable for me. Conversely, the Mazda seats are too modern looking for a 1960's car, but that aside - they are really good looking, both beautifully shaped and I very much like their white stitching. I'll re-colour the light grey squabs to black, which will tone them down ..and then I'll be happy with the benefits of having an adjustable backrest and better ergonomics. For me ..dainty as I am not, size and fit is really important. I find the Standard-Triumph seats look bulbous but are actually pretty softly sprung (generally more so than the bolster across its back rest !). The Mazda seats are firm in comparison, but (at least in the passenger space) offered good under-thigh and lateral support. In essence they fit my shape much better. Despite their differences in shape and firmness - both seats offer a remarkably similar position to sit in. Across wise the centreline of the Mazda seat is 310mm from the centreline of the handbrake bracket, whereas the Triumph seat is 10mm more. In practice I don't think that'll make a jot of difference. Length wise, the bolt-holes in my Triumph's seat runners had been redrilled to move them back some 30mm. The Mazda seats and adapter brackets, when pushed right the way back, offer just a very-little more legroom. And, for my weight and stature, I sit just a tad lower. Those tiny distances work together, and so the bottom line ..for me, is that with a foot rested against the bulkhead step (where the main-dip switch is), my knee clearance to the dashboard centre switch console is 1/2" or so greater ..when sitting in the MX5 seat versus the Standard-Triumph seat. Just half-an-inch may seem like nothing worth writing about, but for my getting in and out of the car ..it counts. Whether the Mazda seats will transmit more harshness of ride remains to be seen. I think though that their better ergonomics will (for me) lessen back and bum ache over a greater touring distance. In the meantime I'm quite looking forward to feeling supported around corners when I go for a spin. That's it for tonight, so I bid you a pleasant evening and a good holiday. Pete

I've just heard a fellow TR club member is facing domestic tribulations and will be selling his RHD blue TR6. He previously had a well sorted TR4A and expressed that this car was even better. He's also a very capable engineer so I'm guessing the car is pretty good even where unseen. Sorry I have no idea of price at this time. PM me if you want me to pass on your email address. Pete

I had a Volvo 145.. very good car with overdrive (switch on the gear-lever) and heated seats, but for the fact that it cornered like a narrow boat in a sea swell. I wonder.. if I were to drive one now whether I'd still think it a good car.?