Beta Volumex HPE restoration

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The state of our water companies these days I might well collect it.

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With my back deciding to flare up just in time for my week off I’ve had to rethink the work I wanted to do in the workshop this week.
So a little bench work seemed safer than crawling around under the car.

I found these m10 ball joints recently and thought they looked like a good option for the gear linkage joint on the rod that comes through the bulkhead.
A simple case of cutting the old joint off, welding a bolt into the linkage rod and screwing it on. The only tricky bit was making sure it tightened up to rest in the correct position.

Has anyone got a suggestion for a replacement rubber boot where the gear linkage passes through the bulkhead? Mine was ripped to shreds.

[peteracs]

Hi Ian

Neat solution, but a lot of work for parts you can buy off the shelf?

Peter

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Hi Peter,
Half an hour to cut and weld a bolt on. This rod end cost £5 delivered and I suspect it will last a whole lot longer than the original design plastic cups. If it does need replacing it can be spun off in situ.
I like to make wearable parts more reliable and easier to maintain wherever possible. Maintenance is always the priority for me.

I’ve done a similar mod on the Berlina gearbox linkage rod with steel rod ends. That is a little more work but it’s working faultlessly and again the joints can be removed via a circlip ‘if’ they ever wear.
I’m going to fit this on all my cars as I think it’s the way to go.

Cheers
Ian

[SanRemo78]

I notice a grommet forward of the new hole. Is there an internal baffle in the sill that prevents that being used? It's on the list of jobs to ensure is done on my car before it goes for paint! It's still in the metal shop....

[peteracs]

Hi Guy

The grommet is further back from the new hole and I suspect Ian has made the new one to fall directly below the drain so you do not get any kinks in the pipe which could easily cause a blockage, there may also be an piece of the A pillar in the way….

Peter

[SanRemo78]

In that case i will take something so I can check next time I'm with the car! Hopefully an index finger will suffice!

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Yes as Peter says. It was a straighter route. The other grommet already in the floor would have introduced much more of a bend in the pipe and also it would have been quite difficult to thread the pipe through.

As a secondary job I intend to make a shield to cover the protruding pipe to limit it getting all the road crud thrown at it. Also the possibility of it generating noise at speed with air/water rushing up it.
The rear drain pipes already have this feature from factory.

Cheers
Ian

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More bench work today resulted in a shorter shift gear linkage setup going into a lightened raft. And a re-engineered front linkage rod assembly.
That’s the gear change sorted.

[Nigel]

Nice work Ian.

I gave my gear lever a bend backwards to make it sit better to hand, but
of course it's all about personal arm length.

On your firewall gaiter question, I wonder if a period Fiat had a similar,
if not identical, item?

Nigel

 

[peteracs]

Hi Ian

Understand your thinking on the ball joints, what have you done for the small link rod?

Peter

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Hi Peter,
For the cross link rod I chose to over engineer a little as it seems to me that the shallow angle of operation puts a lot of loading on the joint. I have considered changing the angles to reduce the load but currently I’m happy with uprated m10 spherical bearings. I can’t find a bench picture of my current setup but this was my first trial mock-up. (A couple of bolts welded together)
One left hand thread and one right hand thread using m10 bearings with stand off spacers to get the correct pivot height and improve articulation and enable use of correct m8 fixings in the linkage rods.
I was worried these bearings would not have enough articulation but it turns out they are fine.
I now buy stainless left/right hand double threaded studding, bearings, lock nuts and spacers. All off the shelf stuff.

[peteracs]

Interesting solution.

Thanks

Peter

[mangocrazy]

Very reminiscent of motorcycle gear change solutions - a pair of spherical bearings with one RH/one LH thread attachment and a LH/RH thread adjuster rod. I wonder if something of the correct dimensions might be available off the shelf?

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It’s been a while since I updated this post but I have been making progress. In my usual fashion the work has been jumping from one aspect of the restoration to another.
A fair bit of time has gone into the bodywork alignment and preparation. It’s not too far away from paint now. As seen in this picture it’s fully assembled with minor modifications to fit the Punto GT radiator and original VX oil cooler in its original position. Albeit 15mm further forward.
With the panel alignment checked and double checked, the next job will be to drop the drivetrain out and get busy in the engine bay.
 I like to do the preparation and panel fit with the weight of the drivetrain in the car to minimise things mysteriously ‘not’ aligning when everything is painted and the final assembly takes place.

Ian

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Another job done and put into storage was the inevitable electric window mechanism rebuilds. New drive cables duly purchased from Mark and rebuilt as per Nigel’s advice to use the original cable securing brackets. Thanks to Nigel for saving me from finding out the hard way.
Whilst I was finishing the assembly I had a little idea. Both the mechanisms had failed at the ‘window fully down’ position. The spiral wire gets stripped by the cog. So it got me thinking that the sudden stop when it hits the fairly solid bump stop at the bottom, causes a high torque moment to facilitate stripping the drive wire.

So I’m trying something to ease the moment.

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In my random collection of rescued springs I found these quite stiff springs that fit nicely where the original rubber stops live. With a bit of careful bolt and washer choice I managed to secure them.
When you power the motor into these springs you can see and hear the motor slow before it stops.
I’m hoping and praying these will protect the drive cables for a longer life.

Ian

[Nigel]

I like that spring idea Ian.

I've got a rebuilt assembly ready to fit in my drivers door and your mod
will be done before fitting.
Glad the spiral mount went well.

Nigel

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Thanks Nigel,
That tip about the spiral drive cable saved me a lot of time and hassle.

The spring I’ve used is very stiff. I can’t compress it with my fingers but the motor has enough oomph to do it.
Annoyingly I don’t remember where they came from and I only had the two.

Cheers
Ian

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As the bodywork nears final preparation before painting, a small messy job needed to be completed. Stone chip to the outer sills and exposed wheel arch lip. My preference is a stone chip that can be overpainted as I like my cars protected and all one colour. I’m not a fan of black sills although I do like black inner arches and liners.
The stone chip used can be rubbed down to soften the orange peel effect, which I will do and then cover with 2k primer ready for final paint.
The exposed lip on the wheel arches get a double coat several hours apart after the joining inner and outer arches have been sealed along the lip edge with PU seam sealer. After final top coat and to avoid any contamination, all jointed panels are then treated from inside with Dinitrol. It’s the best solution I have at my disposal to ward off future corrosion.

Another dirty smelly job ticked off the looooong list.

Cheers
Ian