** ON TO THE NEXT BIT ** Nose to Tail - 1972 Spitfire MkIV restoration upgrades!!

[Badwolf]

Sat in the car this morning setting up the crook lock thingie on the gear stick as I forgot to tighten up the collar that goes around the gear stick. Put it in first gear and as it went into gear it sounded a bit loud and metallic. Sort of, louder than it used to be. Then I thought...Muppet, you have put everything back together without checking the oil in the gearbox "@@!!@@##!!". So I will now have to test my new access panel...or could it just be that it just sounds louder in the garage with the new Silentcoat insulation instead of the old plastic bag of foam. Maybe I'm just more aware of it, maybe I should just turn up the radio!!

[Pete Lewis]

we have a local i call No Oil Mick   , will you have alisten to my gearbox its awfull......   ggrunt crash grate screech .....   "you have put oil in havnt you

.................er     NO 

Pete

[Badwolf]

Pete - Yes I read that on a different thread.  Will get out the oil and get the inspection plate off. As good a time a any to see if the access works.  I said it was all back together ... for the time being.  Didn't last long, did it!  Can't remember when I last topped it up. No pools on the garage floor so hopefully not dripping too badly.

[Badwolf]

Now, I am looking a fitting a clock (mentioned earlier up the thread), purely because there used to be one in the wooden dash. The hole had been filled before I got it but I veneered over it years ago. Now the veneer is starting to bubble over the filler, so rather than re-do the whole dash I put in a fag lighter, but now think that a clock might be a nicer option if I could find one. Now one has come up and the question is, does anyone know what size the hole is in the metalwork behind the dash. Yes, I could just take off the front and look, but that means the heater control knobs, the centre panel and the left dash panel...and I've only just put them all back!! So if any kind person out there has a 'naked' dash panel at the moment could you let me know the diameter of both the hole for the clock and the fag lighter.

[Josef]

As the car didn’t ship with a clock fitted, I guess any hole in the metalwork will be custom cut? Unless there’s something that happens to be already in an appropriate place. 

[Badwolf]

Josef - No, I believe that the metalwork is used on several models and the hole along with that on the driver's side, are used for air vents on other models. I think that the Spit 1500 came fitted with a clock and fag lighter utilising the holes on the passenger side.

[Josef]

Ahhhh, I see. In which case I have an air vent kicking around I can measure for you!

[Josef]

The air vent I have is from a Dolly dashboard, so I’d guess but am not certain it’s the same as those in the GT6. It’s 3.2” at its widest point. 

[Badwolf]

That's great Josef. Thanks for taking the trouble. The clock that I have my eye on should fit. Hope no one here beats me to it!!!

[Badwolf]

On 06/08/2022 at 17:59, Badwolf said:

.....  Will get out the oil and get the inspection plate off. As good a time a any to see if the access works.  I said it was all back together ... for the time being.  Didn't last long, did it!  Can't remember when I last topped it up. No pools on the garage floor so hopefully not dripping too badly.

The oil has arrived and ready to go into the gearbox. Now, I don't have a squeeze bottle with a tube to transfer from the 5litre bottle. I could use my Wanner grease gun but that's a lot of trouble cleaning the trunnion oil gun out. Is there an accepted standard way of getting the oil out of the big bottle into the gearbox without putting most of it on the garage floor. Thought about using one of those disposible water bottles, you know, the ones with the 'sports' valve along with a length of tube. What is your home made solution. I don't want l have to get a small bottle of oil just for the bottle!

[Chris A]

3 minutes ago, Badwolf said:

What is your home made solution

I put the 5 litre bottle on the passenger seat then drive over to the next village and let the village garage do it. 🤪

[Badwolf]

Chris - Good idea, but assumes that you know that there is enough oil in your gearbox to get there without damage.

[Dick Twitchen]

I use an oil can with a decent length flexible spout (perhaps Machine Mart, and works on the diff as well.

 

[Chris A]

54 minutes ago, Badwolf said:

Chris - Good idea, but assumes that you know that there is enough oil in your gearbox to get there without damage.

Hey, I didn't say it was fool proof. Although it must be as it has worked for me more than once . . .

[NonMember]

1 hour ago, Badwolf said:

What is your home made solution.

I've used an old "Killaspray" with the spray nozzle/handle removed. Put oil in the canister, put the hose end in the filler hole, pump it up and wait for the dribble. Then pull the pressure release valve to stop it.

[Paul H]

I bought a syringe 200ml added some tubing . Also used for topping up the gearbox and diff 

Paul 

[Badwolf]

Thank you for the leads everyone.  Suffering brain fog on this one. 

Plan A - Thanks Dick...Yes, I have an old trigger action oil can that was my Dad's. I sure that it would be ideal...if I could find it!!  Usual thing, you keep all this stuff, just in case, and when you need to find it...!!!!

Plan B - Thanks PaulH. Wouldn't have though of that one immediately. I have a boxful of syringes from filling my old inkjet printer and yes, there is a 300ml version with an adapter which fits a length of 1/8th tubing that was also in the box.. brilliant.

Plan C - Thanks Rob.. I will see what I have in the garden shed

Plan D - An off shoot from the ideas offered.  I found an empty 600ml plastic bottle in the bin which has a nozzle of sorts which fit the same plastic tube that I use for bleeding the brakes etc.

So now I am spoilt for choice. I have no doubt that, as soon as I have sorted the job out, that I will find my old oil can in the most obvious place.  I am sure that I also have a sort of pump thingie as well. You know the sort of thing that you push onto a nipple, push and it pumps the oil/grease inside.  I really need to tidy up and stocktake....too hot for that....pass that other bottle, the one from the fridge!!! Cheers all and thank you so much.

[Badwolf]

Settled down in the garage to top up the gear box oil, the garage being the coolest place in the house at the moment.  Great thinks I, test out the new inspection hatch in the tunnel cover. At this point you all know that it's going to go wrong so, a collective "told you so" now please.  Turned up the carpet out of the way, drew out all the retaining bolts and off with the panel.  There is the filter head right on cue.  Now, of course it's square and none of my sockets fit. So good old open ended/ringers.  Struggle to get the spanner in the hole without dropping it, fit it on the head... and it's been gorilla'd in. Yes, by me, I know, but of course then, there was easier access. So before I do something silly, is there any advice about which are the best spanners to use here please.  A good old fashioned square box would be good but I don't have one the correct size.  Crawling underneath to loosen it does not appeal!!

[Badwolf]

... and just to prove the power and highly worthwhile nature of this forum, a quick search on 'Gearbox filler' came up with the answer. Use the female end of a 1/2" drive extension bar. That along with an open ender for the male end and out it came with minimum damage.  Of course now it's out I can happily find out that one of my 1/2"socket pushed on hard fits perfectly. Now, that oil.

..and what do I find leaking out of the filler hole, beautiful clean gearbox oil.  Could not believe it!  So, the box is full but the selector is still 'clunky' so I hope that is just because of the new gearstick and linkage. We will see.

[Badwolf]

Because of the current (Aug 22) hot spell I retreated to the garage to finish off some bits and pieces as it was marginally cooler in there.  Firstly, as mentioned earlier, having put everything back together I then had to take bits apart again to access the gearbox oil filler. So, carpet up and access panel off...

.. a bit of a squeeze and not too easy but I managed it.   Note the repairs to the motheaten (well just worn out, but more of that in a moment) carpet. You can just make out the black ali bar that I put along the tunnel cover base before fitting the keyhole plate with longer hex head self tappers, along with the compressed rubber 'D' profile draft excluder seal which appears to be working well.  Only done the one side at the moment as this side went in quite well, even with the 'H' frame in place. The other side, not so easy and will wait until a time when the frame has to come out again. (Note - I never did find the original ali bars that I made and then lost. I really do wonder where I have put them for 'safety'!!). The spare replacement is going in the spares box where I can find it in years to come!!

Having found that the oil level in the gearbox was OK, I started to reassemble...

..Access plate back on. Note the three jack-nuts in the centre of the plate.

..carpet back down. Now this i where I made my mistake when I first fitted the carpets in 1980something. I cut the carpet to fit around the footrest and it did it no good.  The carpet frayed dreadfully and when I came to clean the carpets, it was a dreadful mess. So at that point I just over-stitched around the hole with polypropylene wool stuff.  This time around, the carpet was in an even worse state so it was repaired as you can see from the previous photo, with some black denim that I had in my sewing kit. Not pretty but it holds the whole thing together.

Then it was a case of locating the jack-nuts with a pointed instrument and once found, making three holes with a soldering iron.

Then the foot-rest goes on with three cross headed bolts. I was going to use really posh collared bolts with allen key heads, but by the time I had finished messing with the carpet repairs the bolts I had were too short. The ones I used were lurking in a jar of misc bolts on the shelf.

Then finally, the rubber foot plate cover and two new pedal covers. Yes, I know the the clutch need rubbing down and a coat of paint....well, so does the brake, but I will do that the next time I have the black paint out.

So there you have it tunnel cover, access plates, carpet repairs and new rubbers.  Another job off the list...'til the next time.

[Josef]

Do you find the footrest comfortable when driving? I’ve done about 40 miles in the Spit today and was thinking along the road that I’m glad I didn’t bother fitting a one. Suppose it depends on the length of leg though, mine wants to rest comfortably further towards the front of the car than where a footrest could possibly sit. 

[Badwolf]

Josef - Seriously I don't actually remember using it.  It's one of those things that you do naturally, or not.  I will have to take more notice the next time I go out.

[Badwolf]

Yeah!! (trying to sound youf-full, doesn't work does it?!!). I have got a clock, well I will have when it arrives. Now when I fitted the oil pressure gauge 30 years ago, I vaguely remember having problems cutting the hole in the wooden dashboard. Am I correct that the gauge sits in a rebated hole? If so does anyone have any guidance for cutting? Obviously two sizes of cutters but what is the best way to proceed? Ideas as ever gratefully received. Garage in the morning to look for suitable cutting devices.

[NonMember]

The best method, I would have thought, would be a rebating bit on a router. If you can find one.

[Peter Truman]

I have a small Dremmel router which obviously has small tools too, which should work, but if you use two hole cutters use the larger first just to cut into the ply then cut the thro hole with the smaller hole cutter this should enable the rebate to be easily trimmed scraped out, well theoretically! Try on scrap ply first