Colin Lindsay Posted June 14, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2019 On 26/05/2019 at 23:19, Bordfunker said: And you are certainly getting getting there a hell of a lot faster than me! Karl Famous last words, Karl!! I'm taking a break from the TR, which is a very dangerous thing for me to do... last time the restoration of one of my cars paused it was 2003, and I've just this week restarted it again. I've put the hubs back on, torqued up to 5 ft/lbs then backed off one flat, and all is working as it should, including the modified steering. In order to work on some of the others it's now been rolled outside, minus propshaft, front calipers and handbrake, plus most of the interior. It's back on all four wheels but seems to be sitting high at the front, or is it low at the rear? Rear axle still to be renovated and maybe new springs there will raise it again. I'm not dismantling the front again to replace lowered springs or anything like that. I've moved it to the side in favour of two Heralds, which are long overdue but I've so many completed and restored components taking up room I might as well get them onto a car. I'm having a club Garage Day on the last Saturday in June and need the lift to be kept free, plus access to it, so the TR will roll in and out as needs be until after that date, when it will be restarted again. That's the plan, anyway. It was the same with my white Herald in 2003 and my red 1200 in 2008... I need to finish something!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted August 1, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2019 Well it's been a while, the club garage day is long over and the garage although it still smells of gearbox oil is clean and tidy again. The TR7 is back on the lift for work on the rustiest, dirtiest and leakiest rear axle that I've seen in some time. The whole car has been like this; I reckon it stood in a ploughed field for too long and as with the front, one axle (driver's side) is rustier than the other. The only solution I can think of is that it was always parked in the same spot with one side sheltered against a wall and the other exposed to the elements. It took me a little bit of time to work out how best to remove the axle, given that it weighs quite a bit and I have a permanently painful shoulder. The propshaft was removed long ago and refurbished so there was a lot of free movement on the rear axle, stopped only by the shocks and top brake hose. Once removed, the axle could be rested on the ground and the car raised just enough to allow removal of the final few bolts, and off it all came. I stripped the diff down and removed other component parts including brake lines, handbrake pivot and all those little plastic clips before taking into it with a portable sandblaster, which believe me earned its' keep. I didn't take any photos of the process, being far too engrossed in watching paint and rust fly off and making a mess of the grass, but made the most of today's excellent weather to apply a few coats of primer followed by rust-proofer; a top coat of gloss black to follow, once all that has hardened. That will be the rear of the car finished mechanically - obviously brakes etc all require replacing - but the majority of the donkey-work is now complete. The bodywork actually looks very sound underneath and will be thoroughly cleaned before undersealing and copious amounts of Waxoyl sprayed into all of the hard to reach areas, box sections and crevices. Once I swap the gearbox mounting, blast, paint and rebush the lever arms, and replace the axle assembly, the propshaft and handbrake cables and attachments the car will be back on its' wheels so that I can start the interior rewiring and cleanup. I'm getting there... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave.vitesse Posted August 1, 2019 Report Share Posted August 1, 2019 Colin, as you have the axle off the car. Check the fuel tank is OK, no rusty holes starting to appear. Otherwise you have to take the axle off again to get the tank out ! Looks a superb job. Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyman Posted August 1, 2019 Report Share Posted August 1, 2019 You are making good progress there Colin. Keep it up Tony. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordfunker Posted August 1, 2019 Report Share Posted August 1, 2019 Colin, that looks brilliant. Are you also going to replace all of the associated seals, well at least the ones that have failed? Karl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted August 1, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2019 Yep; already purchased for when the back plate and the pinion cover go back on. I've even bought a new breather for the top and a new drain plug... must have had a good day selling Herald parts on eBay back then! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted August 10, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2019 And here's one I finished earlier.... front cover cleaned up, oil seal replaced and a new gasket; looks a world away from what it was back when I started... The back plate has also been sandblasted and repainted, with a new gasket and new locking washers. As Dave recommended, I'll check the fuel tank for anything untoward but at first glance, while surface rusty, there don't appear to be any leaks or other horrors. This entire area will be cleaned, relevant parts undersealed and then a few gallons of Waxoyl should give it a more respectable appearance. Thankfully the exhaust is in good condition so that's one expense I don't have to shell out on. I'll replace the rubber hangers while I have access. I'm waiting for the Stratford Show before replacing the rear trailing arms as mine are very tatty, and if there are any better ones going second-hand I might invest and save a few hours blasting and cleaning. Either way I still need new bushes and nuts / bolts so will take a break until after that event to see what I come home with. I also have to remake the brake lines so some new pipe will save me using my current stocks of Kunifer, which are for my Heralds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted August 14, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2019 Last update before I head off to the International at Stratford. The two lower trailing arms were a nightmare of mud and rust, and I had intended to shop for a good second-hand pair at the show; however it turned out they were more mud than rust and a good clean worked wonders, in fact a good clean followed by a good sandblast and then a good repaint turned them up as new. You can see the difference in the new bearing that I've fitted and the distorted one that hasn't been removed yet. I already had two rear bearings for these so will not be using polybushes on the rears; the fronts depend on availability and price. I'm relieved at the way these have turned out as even second hand a pair would set me back around £100. If my sandblaster had not clogged I would have had both finished, but something is blocking the nozzle so a complete stripdown is now required and as I can't be bothered getting covered in dust today, I'll leave it until after the show, by which time I should have all the required parts to finish the underside of the TR7. Then it will be the interior, and finally - get it running again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted August 24, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2019 Since the compressor is once again working away ten to the dozen I've been blasting parts and was working on some of the rear axle brackets; there are two and to be honest I was suspicious of them as when removed they dumped a lot of rust onto the garage floor, huge big flakes that were too thick to be safe. I'd already priced second-hand replacements and before you ask no I don't want the stainless versions, at just over £100 a pair they're going to be a waste of money on my car. However the work today has confirmed my fears - perforations! In some ways I'm much happier that I'll have to replace both - and it will be both - rather than worry there might be less metal than is safe when driving. I didn't see any at Stratford but a call to Robsport is on the cards as I need bushes and handbrake boots anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted September 1, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2019 The rear axle is fighting back! I gave up either trying to reuse the old brackets off the axle as they were very bent and slightly perforated, or else trying to find second-hand versions that weren't in the same state, so off I went to Robsport for a set of stainless brackets which are solid and too good to paint... so they can stay unmolested in stainless silver. Very solid - much more so than the originals - and superbly made. The only problem so far is that the bump stop will not seat, no matter what I try to persuade or threaten it with. I opted for polyurethane from Polybush and they are the most unforgiving sods I ever saw. They will go only so far before the stem bends, and nothing will persuade it to go any further - neither heat not grease. I think I'll have to cheat and redrill the hole slightly, but of course I have only similar sized drill bits, or grossly larger, so will have to raid the in-law's Engineering Works later in the week, either for a drill bit of the correct size, or else arrive with chocolate biscuits in which case someone will do the job for me. It's worked before... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordfunker Posted September 1, 2019 Report Share Posted September 1, 2019 Colin that’s really annoying! Does the poly bump stop have a thicker stem than the original? Karl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted September 1, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2019 It does, and it's slightly more flexible as the original was harder, so it bends much more easily. I'll drill the hole out slightly... but not too much. I hope! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted September 1, 2019 Report Share Posted September 1, 2019 Could it be a bit of swarf from the original drilling of the hole digging into the poly? Is it sticking on both sides? Try a couple of stokes with a round file (yes I know its SS) it may just smooth the edges enough to allow the stop to run through. You might also try to pull the stem through with a pair of pointed pliers after warming up the steel to expand the hole. Just a couple of thoughts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted September 1, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2019 Have tried heat, and still have red fingers from the boiling water... but there's not enough coming through to get a grip on, even with fine pliers. I think gentle enlargement of the aperture will be the best bet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted September 1, 2019 Report Share Posted September 1, 2019 Fair enough. I have just been trying to remove the tatty vinyl coating on the radio plate that goes on the MkIV 'H' frame. Tried paint stripper, hot air gun, acetone. Eventually got it all off... with a blow lamp. I also have singed fingers and I was holding the plate with pliers. Forgot that steel stays hot after the heat is taken away, and I had relations in the steel industry in years gone by. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted September 1, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2019 I found out recently that when removing large, hot dishes from the oven, a wet tea towel is NOT an oven glove. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted September 1, 2019 Report Share Posted September 1, 2019 No, the science is that the heat vapourises the water in the towel and scolds you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougbgt6 Posted September 2, 2019 Report Share Posted September 2, 2019 I've had that in an Indian restaurant when the hot towels at the end of the meal had been in the microwave too long. Doug 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted September 4, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2019 I'm not happy... (well, which of the seven dwarves am I then?) I drilled out the mounting hole for the bump stop ever so slightly and was able to fit it much more easily, so both now fitted. However there is a slight problem, in that the metal of the original was much thicker than the replacement. Although the basic metal shape is stronger and heavier, the original had a reinforcing plate where the bumpstop goes; the lack of this on the new units means the bumpstop is loose and wobbles about. It won't drop out but still doesn't look as tidy as I'd like. I think I'll add a washer or clamp in behind to space it properly. The bit that I'm not happy with is the fit of the bolt that will hold the lower trailing arm on. When working on Herald front suspension I've always used a bolt that goes right through the metal leaving the threads clear with all of the weight supported by the unthreaded body of the bolt; this to me is safer and less likely to wear. When I removed the old bolt this is how it looked, and I've been resupplied with an identical one, but to me it's not right. I must shop around to see who can supply me with an M12 bolt with the correct length of unthreaded section before I refit the other one and regret it later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordfunker Posted September 4, 2019 Report Share Posted September 4, 2019 Colin, can you not bribe someone with biscuits to weld a reinforcing plate on the back of the bump stop mounting? As for the threaded portion of the bolt taking load, that’s just wrong! Karl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyman Posted September 4, 2019 Report Share Posted September 4, 2019 5 hours ago, Colin Lindsay said: I'm not happy... (well, which of the seven dwarves am I then?) Grumpy by the sounds of it Colin.... Tony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted September 5, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2019 Never, Tony mate! Puzzled, Concerned, Intrigued, but never Grumpy. When I'm Grumpy, I don't post at all... Karl - stainless welding might be a different kettle of fish, but possible! A thick washer would be a much easier solution, but maybe welding is simple enough? I'll wait until next time the in-laws pause to draw breath, then I'll step in. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted September 12, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2019 We're slightly further along, but as usual, as Snowwhite would say, it's the little things that cause so much frustration. I've sourced correct bolts for the rear lower trailing arms, proper bolts with longer unthreaded portions that bridge metal to metal and so should prevent sharp edges cutting into the threads. For some reason I bought four, despite only needing two... I'll have to stop that habit of buying extra bits for some rainy day that never seems to arrive. I mean, how many years will it take for these to need replacement? By that time I'll have forgotten where the spare ones are. I can't refit the rear axle yet as the lower arms are off to the in-laws to have bushes pressed in; my small bench vice having proved inadequate as were my shoulder muscles. I'm intending to refit the axle as a completely finished unit so have replaced wheel cylinders and am now making up the brake pipes, which are going on relatively straightforwardly so far. It's nice to see that my pipe flaring skills are still there, or is it just that I've got a good flaring tool, which makes the job a doddle? The handbrake lever boots - one on floor in picture just under the stainless bracket - are proving hard to fit. As I said, it's the little things that are the problems, and my flexible brake hose has neither securing nuts nor locking washers supplied - apparently these days, these are extras? An extra £5.40, in fact. I have the washers, but I just know that postage will probably cost more than the nuts did. I also need to replace the gearbox rear crossmember rubber, and spent an hour last night looking for the one I had already purchased, before finding it in the box of unfitted spares that I knew it was in, an hour earlier. I'm loath to start this as I've no idea what size of replacement nyloc nuts I need, as the workshop manual doesn't show them, and neither do any of the on-line retailers so far. They mostly show the mounting rubber, and the bracket, but not the nuts. As you can see from the photo, it needs replacing asap. The two nuts in the photo aren't the problem, but the four on the outer edges, out of shot. I don't like replacing old nylocs; not on something as heavy as this unit is, and they're all that stop it from dropping off the bottom of the car. I'll keep looking! And: StopPress! I managed to work out that a standard UNF nut fits, so that means it's not UNC or metric or something else weird, it's plain UNF nylocs and I have a good store of those. The crossmember has now been removed and from the looks of the old rubber, not before time. That one has practically melted, and left really thick black deposits on everything it touched, from floor to hands. I've had to clean it off with petrol. Good news is I'll have the new one fitted within the hour. One more job complete. Wait a minute!! Did I say UNF? Of course they aren't. They waited until I was back under the car, with the transmission supported, and offered up the refurbished crossmember with a new rubber mount, with the nuts in one hand, socket wrench in the other, crossmember supported by the other... you know how it goes... and THEN they decided they were really metric. Thankfully I had three new ones, so the fourth can wait with an old nyloc on until I get a replacement. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted December 7, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2019 Second Saturday in a row I've managed to find time for the TR7.... must be something wrong. Actually I got diverted by a couple of Heralds, including my own 1200 Estate, and stripped both engine and gearbox right down. Gearbox is now complete and waiting time to sandblast the bellhousing but the engine needs a bit of bore work, which I can't do myself, so the TR7 has benefitted as a result. Last Saturday I covered the floor, put on a bio-warfare suit, and Waxoyled the entire underside... which wasn't actually as messy as I thought it would be. I've had a tin of black Waxoyl in the cupboard ever since I mistakenly bought it at a mainland show - fifteen years ago, maybe even longer? - thinking it was clear, so the TR7 is the first car I've used it on. Went on well, once everything was cleaned underneath, and looks good. That left me with no excuse for not refitting the rear axle. I tried it with the wheels on, but nothing would line up, so I took the wheels off and lowered the diff onto a huge block of wood, and that made all the difference. Trailing arms, lower links, and propshaft all went on as planned, and I even refilled the diff. I've to connect the flexible brake pipe and bleed the system, and I also intend to replace the rear shocks at some stage but the current ones are still good. Once I have the handbrake cables reconnected - if I can remember how - all that is required will be the rear anti-roll bar, torque everything up, and it's back onto four wheels again. Gearbox is back in with new mountings so should be leak free. I also was able to locate the marks I made on the prop flanges before disassembly so it's gone back in exactly the same way that it came out. Everything under the car looks new, and amazing when you think of the state it was in when I started it... see comparison photo below... Once down on all four wheels again I need to finish the engine work - get the carbs back on, electronic ignition connected up and everything refilled; then it's the interior including some errant electrics and a passenger seat that won't slide. I also banged my thumb quite hard when a spanner slipped and it's still throbbing... they should teach that in self-defence classes. It's definitely one of those incapacitating pressure points. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted December 8, 2019 Report Share Posted December 8, 2019 looking good Colin as for spanner slip , you know its going to but that doesnt stop the ouch from happening , do we ever learn Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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