PeteH Posted December 11, 2022 Report Share Posted December 11, 2022 Repairing (welding) Fuel tanks is generally frowned upon largely due to the ignorance of many who have attempted it in the past, and the sometimes Lethal effect!. I gas brazed the seam joint of Norton Motorcycle tank back in the 60`s, By sealing the filler and filling the tank with HOT water effectively reducing the volume of the tank, making the job less (potentially) hazardous. Steam cleaning has also been used, especially on large LPG vessels where there is access. (it removes the "hazard" but the "Stench" remains), If I examined one for Calor. `er indoors made me strip in the garage before I came indoors to shower!!☹️ and all the "gear" went straight in the wash machine!. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted December 11, 2022 Report Share Posted December 11, 2022 anything listed in TDF in the courier needs a telephone call so the old card index and brown smocks can go have alook in the rows of stillages they have so much stuff not listed but give them a part number and off they go . it really is a step back into a 1960s parts wharehouse dont know where the improvements to the tssc website has got to im a very distant helper with some photo gathering bu thats stopped thissite Triumph Parts And Spares - From T.D. Fitchett Limited (tdfitchett.co.uk) this is where selected parts are loaded and linked to the tssc shop the club get avery small handling charge for running it all other parts are back to a call /visit and ask as whats in the courier advert list and the website are not the same its not the best set up Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted December 12, 2022 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2022 16 hours ago, PeteH said: Repairing (welding) Fuel tanks is generally frowned upon largely due to the ignorance of many who have attempted it in the past, and the sometimes Lethal effect!. I gas brazed the seam joint of Norton Motorcycle tank back in the 60`s, By sealing the filler and filling the tank with HOT water effectively reducing the volume of the tank, making the job less (potentially) hazardous. https://brownlowradiators.com/fuel-tank-re-nu/ These guys did the Estate tank twenty years ago so can have my Herald tank tomorrow. Back then it cost me £110, expect twice if not three times that now, but the tank will be ethanol-proof and good for another twenty years. I've seen entire garages demolished by idiots welding petrol tanks IN SITU who ended up badly shocked and lucky to be alive. Speaking of said idiots who are lucky to be alive... I've been inspecting the removed tank. It was not, as suspected, the area where the drain was removed, but the lowest point on the other side. It seems we had a slight pinhole back in the day, so some bright and thankfully non-explosive spark has decided to coat it with what looks like filler but is probably one of those wonderful 'Stop-Leak' products. I've no idea of what has reacted with it during my ownership as I've been running on E5 Superplus Unleaded, unless of course some of the local garages have been pulling a fly one and selling E10 instead as a nice little earner. Assuming it was the man who 'restored' it, rather than the last owner since 2000, it lasted well enough for him but gave up after 15 months of my ownership. You can see the pinhole to right of centre, to the bottom edge of that rusty circular patch at about the 3 o'clock position; the larger patch to the left of centre also appears to have a perforation. This isn't the first downright dangerous bodge I've found in this car, but thankfully so far I have found them before anything serious happened. You can understand now why I rebuilt the entire braking system as a priority... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted December 17, 2022 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2022 Well, the tank has gone off to Brownlow Radiators AKA Fuel-Tank-Renu, turn around time is about a week or so they tell me. The fuel tank department is quiet at present, unlike the radiator department, where they still have my Herald radiator from last February. The snotty girl at the counter told me I never came back for it; I countered by telling her I called in last May and was told it would be ready when they phoned me, and not before. They haven't. Now they're frantically trying to find it. In any case, having checked the price of new tanks, I reckon it's worth the outlay to have this one returned ethanol-proofed and fully plastic coated inside. It will also have a drain, and a reserve tap. I was also offered a tank by a Herald-owning mate, who wanted to swap for a Solex carb or two. Have you seen the price of those??? I only have five, plus one unknown that I suspect I bought cheaply for spares, so being easily sidetracked I thought I'd renovate a few of them in case they were ever needed either as spares or currency. As you can see, the unknown carb (left) has slight differences to the 'usual' 1200 B30 PSEI, most notably the fuel economiser under that plate with the five screws. close inspection shows it's a B30 PSEI 2 and probably from a Ford Anglia 1200. My line of reasoning is that if it's a '2' then it's an improvement, so might be worth using. Externally the neck is the same, only taller, and the cable connecting bracket is a different shape. Easily swapped over, though. Other than that, there is scant information anywhere on the Net and even some of my Solex reference books skip straight from 28 to 32, so I can't work out what the differences or improvements are. The brass dome on the top of the 2 is a breather / overflow for the float chamber, which replaces the older style of inlet neck which has a channel for petrol to flow down inside the carb. After a good clean with Carb Cleaner, and a soak in petrol ( expensive, but nothing works as well on an old carb!) we can start to dismantle one bit at a time. I've found another spare in the drawer that has the later body with the earlier Herald top cover.... no idea what that came off, but still worth keeping just in case. The original float needle valve was seized solid. I did free it up but decided to replace it with a Herald 1200 version, which is a 1.3 rather than the original 1.6. The float is good, and floats, and all other parts seem quite unworn and suitable for reuse. I've sent away for a full kit of spare parts and will rebuild once that arrives. I've already been told that the diaphragm for the fuel economiser is very expensive - up to £50 from some sellers - but luckily I've got a box of those. During the rebuild I'll add Herald parts where possible, in hopes that it will match the Herald engine requirements, but can always replace the Ford parts if necessary. Now all I can do is wait for the repair kit to arrive, then we'll see how things go together. One of these carbs is selling for £150 in rusty condition online at present so a spare should be worth having. I also tried to explain to a mate about the curved 'arm' for the accelerator pump, what it looks like how it works etc. just in case I damage this one during removal, and need a spare. "Like a kitchen tap? By a firm called Solex?" I should have known... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted January 12, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2023 Well, give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day. Give him a set of spanners and his car will end up in bits. Poor old Herald... Well, it's only got itself to blame. The fuel tank leaked, it went off for repairs, so I may as well address some of the little issues that need addressing. The dashboard surround has gone off to the upholsterer's for recovering, and while that area is all stripped down I've been addressing the issues likely to be caused by fitting a Vitesse dashboard instead of the 13/60 version. I'm adding a rev counter, oil pressure gauge and voltmeter, so the wiring is being addressed for those; simple stuff like stringing additional cables along the loom and splicing into the red and white cable for the additional gauge illumination. I've recently stripped down an old loom so the cables can be the correct colour and size. It's funny how complicated a simple thing can be; the 13/60 dash had the switch bar across the middle, and the Vitesse dash has separate holes for all the components. What should go where? I had to borrow heavily from the Herald 1200 but eventually arrived at ignition left, then wipers, headlights, and choke with the two lower holes for heater controls. This means that some of the cables must be extended, as the switches aren't in the same area any more, and not only that, the hardboard backing has to be cut to take different gauges in different places. Simple enough, and I'll add suitable strengthening once these are cut out to help everything keep shape in the car. One interesting area is that of the ashtray; originally the 13/60 had it on top of the dash but the upholsterer is covering that up for me. I don't need an ashtray at all but it's a tempting area to play with. Consequently I've decided on a USB charger area, maybe two USB slots, and even a 12v socket in this area. The intention is for the ashtray fascia to look original, but will be held in place with magnets. Pull it away to expose the electronics; clip it back into place when finished. Looks fully original and simple to do. I want everything to look period if not original; it's the fun of sourcing the right bits that counts. That will mean a few alterations to the loom yet again plus probably a fuse box fitted in behind. Again, I'm planning the best way to do it. Whilst that door is off, to enable me to paint the horrible black area around the A-post, I tried to work out why the glass will not wind all the way down. It goes down by 2/3 then stops. By dint of amazingly flexible and almost unnatural contortions I was able to see inside the door while the mechanism is turned and found that it hits off the quarterlight frame at a certain point, so sticks until serious force is used. This explains why the winder handle was broken when I bought the car. It also explains why the entire door frame flexes inwards as the handle is turned. Quarterlight frame and all winder mechanism out of the car it soon transpired that the rivets were so worn there was more sideways movement than up and down. The activating arm was also bent, no doubt as a result of more force being used to try to force the window up or down. The rivets - there are two per side - were fairly easily adjusted; drill a dimple into the end of each one, then insert a suitable-sized ball bearing and hit it with a hammer. This flares out the end of the rivet and shortens it so that it once again takes up the slack. The winder arm has been straightened and should be better than before. With the quarterlight out I had to replace the rubber seal and address the rusty nut and bolt with which the frame had been held on. Easily removed but a suitable replacement has always been difficult to find. There's a seller on eBay selling uprated fixings which screw into each other over a brass spacer; I bought a set of these for about £20 and am well impressed. Two plastic washers, two metal, one spaced one male screw and one female fixing. Very very tidy and works well. The quarterlight window is a bit springy at present, inclined to burst open, but that's because the seal is so new and needs to bed in. It'll keep the rain out in any case. I also replaced the runners; mine were badly distorted and the lining was past its' best, so that the glass rattled whilst going over bumps. Did you know that the bar from a common-or-garden door handle is the right square profile for straightening these out in a vice? New seals fitted, which have made the glass quite stiff to move, so a sneaky treatment of spray grease will help things initially. No more rattles, hopefully! Next job was to replace one of the rear overriders whilst the fuel tank is out. I had a replacement sitting ready so all I had to do was attach rubber seals. I'm using 3/8 threaded bar instead of bolts so if it ever needs to come out again it should be a simpler job. It takes around 6 inches so the two 12 inch lengths I have here will do four. Those cost me £8 including postage. In the meantime the fuel tank has returned from Fuel-Tank Renu, also known as Brownlow Radiators - blasted, repainted and ethanol-proofed with a lifetime guarantee. The little brass plate proves they did the work and gives reference data. They also found my missing full-width radiator, which they've had since January 2022, but recored and uprated it for me for only £50. So that's us almost up to date. Some spraying, a little bit of welding, rewiring and reassembly should see us back on the road by March. Plus the re-veneering of the dashboard once all the holes have been cut to the correct size. To be honest I'm starting to wonder why - we've no events planned, no-one seems to want to attend shows or static displays any more, it looks like we won't be having a Triumph Show this year... I can see me moving closer to some of the local Clubs who have shows and fun days quite close to home. I do love me coffees and burgers in a tent in a field, whilst watching the local yobs trying to pull shiny bits off me car... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NonMember Posted January 12, 2023 Report Share Posted January 12, 2023 43 minutes ago, Colin Lindsay said: the 13/60 dash had the switch bar across the middle, and the Vitesse dash has separate holes for all the components. What should go where? The Mk1 Vitesse layout has ignition switch top left, choke below it, master light switch bottom right, and the heater controls (valve, fan switch, flap) across the top. Wiper controls are to the right of the instruments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daverclasper Posted January 12, 2023 Report Share Posted January 12, 2023 1 hour ago, Colin Lindsay said: The rivets - there are two per side - were fairly easily adjusted; drill a dimple into the end of each one, then insert a suitable-sized ball bearing and hit it with a hammer. This flares out the end of the rivet and shortens it so that it once again takes up the slack. The winder arm has been straightened and should be better than before. Maybe obvious to some, though to to me, good thinking outside the box Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted January 13, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2023 13 hours ago, NonMember said: The Mk1 Vitesse layout has ignition switch top left, choke below it, master light switch bottom right, and the heater controls (valve, fan switch, flap) across the top. Wiper controls are to the right of the instruments. I think I'm stuck with the size of the currently drilled holes - the large one to the left will take the ignition switch, all others are too small, so it will have to go there. The three top holes are of two different sizes, too. I've been swapping about, referencing, changing over... and with the wiper switch and choke being thinner I can put the larger Herald-style light switch in the centre. Screenwasher and fan switch are out to the right, indicator and full beam warning are now between the gauges. There's also the smaller hole where the indicator jewel would have been. That will now be an additional switch for screenwash pump. Once both those holes are properly cut out and routed in behind the switches will fit through sufficiently to take a bezel. All I need to do is to find suitable veneer; I really need to get on and start a proper search. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josef Posted January 13, 2023 Report Share Posted January 13, 2023 17 hours ago, Colin Lindsay said: Oh they are neat. I had a brass spacer in one of mine, so I turned up another to fit on the other side and they’re both fixed with a suitable pop rivet. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted January 13, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2023 3 hours ago, Josef said: Oh they are neat. I had a brass spacer in one of mine, so I turned up another to fit on the other side and they’re both fixed with a suitable pop rivet. They are superb; my second set now. I experimented with all kinds of things such as domed head rivets or small nuts and bolts but these are so neat, they're the best I've seen so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul H Posted January 13, 2023 Report Share Posted January 13, 2023 23 hours ago, Colin Lindsay said: Well, give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day. Give him a set of spanners and his car will end up in bits. Poor old Herald... Well, it's only got itself to blame. The fuel tank leaked, it went off for repairs, so I may as well address some of the little issues that need addressing. The dashboard surround has gone off to the upholsterer's for recovering, and while that area is all stripped down I've been addressing the issues likely to be caused by fitting a Vitesse dashboard instead of the 13/60 version. I'm adding a rev counter, oil pressure gauge and voltmeter, so the wiring is being addressed for those; simple stuff like stringing additional cables along the loom and splicing into the red and white cable for the additional gauge illumination. I've recently stripped down an old loom so the cables can be the correct colour and size. It's funny how complicated a simple thing can be; the 13/60 dash had the switch bar across the middle, and the Vitesse dash has separate holes for all the components. What should go where? I had to borrow heavily from the Herald 1200 but eventually arrived at ignition left, then wipers, headlights, and choke with the two lower holes for heater controls. This means that some of the cables must be extended, as the switches aren't in the same area any more, and not only that, the hardboard backing has to be cut to take different gauges in different places. Simple enough, and I'll add suitable strengthening once these are cut out to help everything keep shape in the car. One interesting area is that of the ashtray; originally the 13/60 had it on top of the dash but the upholsterer is covering that up for me. I don't need an ashtray at all but it's a tempting area to play with. Consequently I've decided on a USB charger area, maybe two USB slots, and even a 12v socket in this area. The intention is for the ashtray fascia to look original, but will be held in place with magnets. Pull it away to expose the electronics; clip it back into place when finished. Looks fully original and simple to do. I want everything to look period if not original; it's the fun of sourcing the right bits that counts. That will mean a few alterations to the loom yet again plus probably a fuse box fitted in behind. Again, I'm planning the best way to do it. Whilst that door is off, to enable me to paint the horrible black area around the A-post, I tried to work out why the glass will not wind all the way down. It goes down by 2/3 then stops. By dint of amazingly flexible and almost unnatural contortions I was able to see inside the door while the mechanism is turned and found that it hits off the quarterlight frame at a certain point, so sticks until serious force is used. This explains why the winder handle was broken when I bought the car. It also explains why the entire door frame flexes inwards as the handle is turned. Quarterlight frame and all winder mechanism out of the car it soon transpired that the rivets were so worn there was more sideways movement than up and down. The activating arm was also bent, no doubt as a result of more force being used to try to force the window up or down. The rivets - there are two per side - were fairly easily adjusted; drill a dimple into the end of each one, then insert a suitable-sized ball bearing and hit it with a hammer. This flares out the end of the rivet and shortens it so that it once again takes up the slack. The winder arm has been straightened and should be better than before. With the quarterlight out I had to replace the rubber seal and address the rusty nut and bolt with which the frame had been held on. Easily removed but a suitable replacement has always been difficult to find. There's a seller on eBay selling uprated fixings which screw into each other over a brass spacer; I bought a set of these for about £20 and am well impressed. Two plastic washers, two metal, one spaced one male screw and one female fixing. Very very tidy and works well. The quarterlight window is a bit springy at present, inclined to burst open, but that's because the seal is so new and needs to bed in. It'll keep the rain out in any case. I also replaced the runners; mine were badly distorted and the lining was past its' best, so that the glass rattled whilst going over bumps. Did you know that the bar from a common-or-garden door handle is the right square profile for straightening these out in a vice? New seals fitted, which have made the glass quite stiff to move, so a sneaky treatment of spray grease will help things initially. No more rattles, hopefully! Next job was to replace one of the rear overriders whilst the fuel tank is out. I had a replacement sitting ready so all I had to do was attach rubber seals. I'm using 3/8 threaded bar instead of bolts so if it ever needs to come out again it should be a simpler job. It takes around 6 inches so the two 12 inch lengths I have here will do four. Those cost me £8 including postage. In the meantime the fuel tank has returned from Fuel-Tank Renu, also known as Brownlow Radiators - blasted, repainted and ethanol-proofed with a lifetime guarantee. The little brass plate proves they did the work and gives reference data. They also found my missing full-width radiator, which they've had since January 2022, but recored and uprated it for me for only £50. So that's us almost up to date. Some spraying, a little bit of welding, rewiring and reassembly should see us back on the road by March. Plus the re-veneering of the dashboard once all the holes have been cut to the correct size. To be honest I'm starting to wonder why - we've no events planned, no-one seems to want to attend shows or static displays any more, it looks like we won't be having a Triumph Show this year... I can see me moving closer to some of the local Clubs who have shows and fun days quite close to home. I do love me coffees and burgers in a tent in a field, whilst watching the local yobs trying to pull shiny bits off me car... Hi Colin the 3/8 threaded bar . This if AF ? Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Truman Posted January 13, 2023 Report Share Posted January 13, 2023 I like the Fly Window hinge pins, pic shown, pls Colin where did you get them? The second photo is my attempt which is a Rivnut locked in upside down thro the bottom ie window hinge flange with a shallow slot head thro the window frame flange it works but doesn't look as professional and original as yours. ref the Fly Window new rubbers I brought a pair from the specialist UK reputable rubber seal supplier the LH fitted perfectly but the drivers side (RH) appeared to be too thick around the window clasp seating area making closing and locking the window virtually impossible. I had to dremmel out some surplus rubber so it closes now, but not perfect ie it distorts the rubber a little. It was obviously a moulding issue, I was a little disappointed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteH Posted January 14, 2023 Report Share Posted January 14, 2023 I like those pins too, I might have a go, when it`s warmer out there, at turning a couple up on the lathe?. Mind I`ll have to clean and service it first having looked at it recently, Lot of Sawdust on it from cutting Fire log`s. Are the washers steel? ot plastics? Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richeee Posted January 14, 2023 Report Share Posted January 14, 2023 Thank you Colin. Like those hinges. In fact so much that yesterday evening did a bit of looking and found what i believe to be them under 'Triumph quarter light hinges' on ebay and purchased a set. Sometimes things just look right. It was nearly ' I liked it so much i bought the company' for those old enough to remember the advert. In this case only a pair not the company. Some times moan about Internet and the bad things, but in this case we can share ideas. Thanks again. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted January 14, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2023 32 minutes ago, PeteH said: I like those pins too, I might have a go, when it`s warmer out there, at turning a couple up on the lathe?. Mind I`ll have to clean and service it first having looked at it recently, Lot of Sawdust on it from cutting Fire log`s. Are the washers steel? ot plastics? Pete It's a kit comprising two plastic washers, two metal, one brass spacer and the screw assembly. I must admit that I mulled over them for a long time before buying but now I'm fitting them to all my Heralds as one of the best solutions to the original rivet that I've seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteH Posted January 14, 2023 Report Share Posted January 14, 2023 They look pretty well fabricated, But I supose at 11quid each they should?. But it`s definitely given me food for further thought. Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted January 28, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2023 Well, still alive here, but some days it fells like only just. The days are flying by, so much going on with other things, the garage was largely ignored this week until this afternoon, when I finally got to sneak in and do a few things. I just feel like there's no motivation to get the cars finished, so a local club is having a static show on March 26th and that's now the deadline date. I'm out and about a lot so bought a new angle grinder (my trusty Black and Decker broke after thirty years. The switch failed and replacements, although widely advertised through the Internet, are no longer available anywhere.) and a few tins of brush-on underseal. I like the Hammerite stuff, and my local Motorfactors are selling for £9.99 per litre tin, so two of those will suffice. I'll treat the chassis to an internal coat of liquid rustproofer, I know the gang here like Dinitrol, but I have about a gallon of Waxoyl and I'll use that up. I had an interesting moment or two when I unblocked the drain holes in the chassis, a PO has drilled one in each main rail at the lowest point, and a stream of dry sand came out. I could have boiled an egg, it just kept raining down. With the car being inside for the last few months any moisture is long gone so an airline will clean out the rest of the rails. Work on the door has stalled due to the little pivot hole for the window arm being elongated. This means any force from the winder is being transferred sideways, rather than upwards, and is causing flex and distortion in both the door frame and the lifter arms. Effectively the window would neither drop fully, nor wind up easily, due to unwanted movement. I'll enlarge the hole so that a washer can be flush-welded in place and this should cure the problem. I managed to find a few NOS pivots with good threads and the correct wrinkly tension washers and would like to think that once they're fitted, that's job done. I've also managed to remove both sills; not an easy job as they had been botch-fitted which included welding. The driver's side was particularly entertaining; why use one neat weld when you can use hundreds? Luckily I have two new sills, intended for the red convertible but they'll be donated here instead. The bodywork behind and underneath appears sound enough, or else the underseal is hiding the horrors. Either way I'll leave it alone, bar a cleanup and either a repaint where required or just more underseal to freshen it up. The driver's side sill was also fitted very close to the chassis rail compared to the other side, so I'll also adjust that when the sills come back from painting and the rest of the chassis and underside has been cleaned up. One other thing to be addressed is the gap at the b-post on the driver's side. Theoretically it should be a case of loosening the rear driver's side body mountings and shimming as required. In reality it's breaking the welds where the body has been welded to the chassis, and where it hasn't been welded it's been glued by the dissolving mounting pads that have deteriorated through time. Once I had managed to free everything up the gap still would not close, until I realised the schoolboy error of not removing the door catches first. That gave me a half inch more movement - they were heavily shimmed - and the gap closed. All I need to do now is keep it that way; not as easy as it sounds, since once the bolts start to tighten off there's a good chance it will go off again, so it will be trial and error. The door also requires adjustment, which again won't be easy as one of the bolts in the top hinge has been replaced with a screw, and it's not only seized solid but worn away. The door is coming off anyway, to treat the area of the A-post. Some of the funny-looking paint has turned out to be white silicone sealer... Another area that requires addressing is the top of the B-posts on both sides. I could not understand why my trims wouldn't fit, nor would my hood bag sit properly, until I compared it with another convertible tub nearby. Yes, my welder has bee at it again. The photo to the left is the factory finish on the B-post top, where the seam gradually angles down towards the front to leave a flat area of about an inch, which is covered by the convertible trim pieces. Mine, on the right... yes he's welded a large 'fin' of metal here, so that the trim will not fit and the hood bag lifts up at the front. I'll have to carefully reprofile this area, minimum paint damage needed, and remedy the poor job so that all fits as it should. I'm also intending to make up some kind of bracket here so that my wind deflector attaches to this point; there's a long story involving wind deflectors currently in progress - I've found that the deflector from an Audi S3 is a great fit, once you work out how to attach it - certainly a much better fit than one I bought online recently for the 'Triumph Vitesse - fit in 30 seconds, no tools required'... yeah, right. Suffice it to say it's the subject of on-going legal argument and I can say no more. I'll stick with the one I've got and hope it doesn't fly off at 30mph or higher... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted January 28, 2023 Report Share Posted January 28, 2023 Colin pleased to see the Mo Jo is returning think we are all on the winter blues Ha !! Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteH Posted January 29, 2023 Report Share Posted January 29, 2023 That was the very last job I got too, before "life" got in the way, I keep going in the garage for other reasons, tools usually, but haven`t touched the 13/60 since around late October, when I had a few days "happily" driving myself nuts with cills and door/bonnet gaps. Cills are now aligned, within reason, but must come off again to finsh welding and underseal before final fastening, and the other gaps are less than perfect, but probably no worse than "ex factory"?. Will it ever get finished?, I often ask myself?. Paint is already causing headaches, mostly around how to mange it without upsetting the neighbours (too much). It`s probable I will DIY, no one locally wants to take it on this side of 2025 anyway, but getting a location to do it is problematic. One possiblity is an old collegue`s son`s Barn, but I would need a tent or something to keep the Bird poo off and a the only power would be my Generator. Life is getting more Mr Micawaber by the day. Day off Monday, well lying on a slab while the medics have yet another look and my intestinal tract from the top and try and decide what is next, whatever it is it will not be a "pleasing" experience no doubt!, nothing to eat from Sunday Night and not even water after 4am!. Pork steak for lunch and a few beers or a bottle of nice red?. The condemed`s`s last meal? What was it Pete, about winter blues?. I am told the technical term Is actually SAD?. (seasonal affected disorder?) acording to the NHS. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted January 29, 2023 Report Share Posted January 29, 2023 wow ,,,,,,,,, sad and blue so i will go and get some grapes before i join the Old Crocks Club awe heck im already there Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteH Posted January 29, 2023 Report Share Posted January 29, 2023 4 hours ago, Pete Lewis said: wow ,,,,,,,,, sad and blue so i will go and get some grapes before i join the Old Crocks Club awe heck im already there Pete "Grapes" Or the fermented juice thereoff, has already been consumed courtesy of a well known Supermarket, who had some on special offer for 6 bottles, pre christmas when to parphrase that equally well known phrase "I filled my boot". Old crocks?, Well my grandkids do think I am some sort of dinosaur, so that must qualify? Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted January 29, 2023 Report Share Posted January 29, 2023 I reckon all Dinosaurs should be respected Hic !! Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris A Posted January 29, 2023 Report Share Posted January 29, 2023 1 hour ago, Pete Lewis said: I reckon all Dinosaurs should be respected Hic !! Pete I'll drink to that 🥃 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted February 14, 2023 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2023 Working away on the bodywork; I can't progress the interior until the spraying is done and there's quite a bit of it required. Smaller jobs by me, larger and more noticeable jobs are going off to the local bodyshop - both sills, the bootlid and a quarter valence or two. I will never understand how any PO of a white car can spray the door shuts black - it just makes the door gaps stand out more - and then coat them with Waxoyl so that grime and dirt stick to it and make a mess. There has just been so much to undo on this car before moving anything forward but hey - it keeps me off the streets. Once both doors were finally removed, by drilling out one long-frozen setscrew on the driver's door - this revealed two very grimy A-posts, gallons of petrol and panel-wipe eventually getting me down to bare black paint. Masked off and sanded down a guide coat of grey primer makes the damage or distortion stand out really well, to be addressed as required. The driver's side was really interesting; the strange-looking paint at the base of the a-post has turned out to be white silicone sealer. I mean would you ever in your life? Still, it was the correct colour at least. Strange thing is that once removed there was solid metal underneath. This was sanded down, treated as required and a thin skim of proper filler over the top. After that, primer again, rubbing down and treating the blemishes it revealed, then more thin guide coats, and finally a few top coats of pure white. A vast improvement, even if I must say so myself. Sadly I can't yet refit the doors as the winder mechanism on the passenger door requires welding, and the area of the footwell around the hinges also requires changing from black to white; it's very visible especially when the doors are closed and the trim ends in a black area instead of white. This time it'll be spraying from inside out so not so easy to prepare or even get at. I've also trial-fitted the sills, this required a lot of fettling until they sat correctly, and some trimming of the edges of the sills themselves. They sit slightly wrong at the bottom of the rear wing but I'll address it by adjustment on final fitting after respray. It also highlights how the PO 'dressed' the treadplates by running an angle grinder along the edge using a wavy line as reference; nothing I can do about that bar a bit of tidying, but once fitted and sprayed white it'll be less noticeable. Other little jobs have been progressing alongside - the boot hinges have been replaced with NOS items; wonder how long it took for the originals to wear like this? One other thing I've noticed is that the overriders - both brand new from Fitchetts - don't align with the bottom of the light unit. I hope they adjust! Pulling in at the top will leave the light sitting proud, so shimming out at the lower bolt might be the best solution. Not the biggest problem; when at ground level you don't really see it... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahebron Posted February 15, 2023 Report Share Posted February 15, 2023 Hi Colin today I had a look at my rear overriders and fitting them. I am using stainless steel threaded rod instead of bolts but I find I need a 30mm-ish packer to bring the top fixing true to the taillight. Do the overriders have a packer there, I cant remember its been so ,long since I took one apart. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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