And So It Begins....

[SanRemo78]

Bonnet

[peteracs]

All very satisfying to see it in primer.

Will not be too long now!

Peter

[betabuoy]

Looking really good. I love the standard you’re working to here Guy. Thoroughly enjoying the picture updates of that lovely shell.
Chris

[SanRemo78]

Four bastard hours in the garage looking for the effing spring..... Wasn't with the plated parts - why? Because it fell off the bloody shelf onto the floor and I had to fish it out with a magnet. I want to fit this assembly before the painted shell comes back "just in case" and now I need to clean and plate it and looking at the black painted piece I'm not happy with the finish on that either. Let's start that one again I think. Am i right in thinking the bonnet bracket is held in place with three Phillips head bolts? Cannot remember now!
Guy

[lancialulu]

IIRC you should have 2 plastic blocks and 4 pozi screws to hold the black piece and spring

[SanRemo78]

Somehow the plastic blocks disappeared out of shot Tim - but they are there. One posidrive bolt holds each of them down. There's a slot/hole in the crossmember for the two spring ends and three holes for bolts/screws in the bonnet bracket. They're not bagged up so I'll measure what I need and fit new ones. The old ones must have been so chewed up getting them out they weren't worth plating.

Guy

[WestonE]

Hi Guy Yes they were Philips head bolts but stainless cap heads with washers look neater and give you a better chance of removal in the future. If I remember correctly I struggle to find a decent spring and metal loop from a many cars selection. So many were rust pitted.

Eric 

[SanRemo78]

I'm amazed at the condition of the bracket and safety strap Eric but the actual metal loop is pretty pitted. Hence the painted finish - I'll probably leave it as is and see if I can find a better one in the years to come!

[SanRemo78]

One step backwards and a couple forwards with more to come!

Early on in the restoration I wire brushed the front steering arms, rear stub axles, rear brake dust covers, top suspension mounts and rear hubs back to nice rust free finishes and then red oxide primered them and satin black topcoat it all. Moving forward these parts have been moved around the garage several times and, looking at the finish again, it was pretty obvious that the top coats weren't as hard and had suffered lots of little nicks. Long term this finish wasn't going to stand the test of time so yesterday I got the wire brushes out and stripped most of the parts back. I've got another day at it tomorrow before these parts get the POR15 clean, etch prime and two top coats so the finish matches the rest of the undercarriage in terms of colour and durability.

I've been putting off the springs because they're a pain in the arse to wire brush. And I thought that I'd get a set of lowering springs from Mark but that project has been held up with wrong specs being made for Mark so I decided, as the car is due back in a few weeks, that I needed to crack on with rebuilding the suspension with the old springs. But I couldn't bear the thought of putting the original ones back on as they were corroded and looked a mess. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Took them to Quality Powder Coating Ltd in Skelmersdale to see what they could do with them. Dropped them off on Monday, got a call yesterday lunchtime to say they were done and collected Thursday. Apart from a small mark where they were hung (I think) they look as good as new! I'll touch up the marks with something close enough and should have a rebuilt set of struts this time next week! Watch this space.

Guy

[SanRemo78]

And another step forward - previously painted with red oxide and satin black topcoat, the parts showed lots of scuffs and scrapes and chips from being moved around storage! So I decided to strip it all off and repaint it with POR15. I'm now ready to reassemble the rear hubs onto the stub axles and, once the Delta front hubs have been machined, the front hubs onto the steering arms. After that it's only the spring pads that need a clean before I can reassemble the front and rear struts ready to be fitted back to the shell.

[SanRemo78]

And after paint.

[SanRemo78]

Also been back to the paint shop, progress continues. The seams have been sealed inside and out, the interior is being primed and the exterior has been sprayed ready for it's final block sanding. The paint has also arrived ready to be applied sometime in the New Year!
Guy

[SanRemo78]

and seam sealing

[SanRemo78]

And the body as of yesterday

[gjanssen]

Wow!

base is already good! is the Beta sprayed into epoxy primer?

[SanRemo78]

It's taken a year or so to get the base into good condition! I think it's an epoxy primer.
Guy

[SanRemo78]

Good day yesterday - painter called to say bring money, it's painted inside, underneath and engine bay. Outside next and probably also the closing panels. I'll see it tomorrow!

Not such a good day today. Decided to assemble the four shocks in anticipation of the car coming home but it didn't go quite as well as planned.
I managed to get the four inserts into the refurbed struts and tightened down ready for the springs and that's where it started to go tits up.

I managed to get the spring compressors onto the front springs only to realise they were the rears. Off they came and onto the longer fronts. Now that the springs are powder coated they're nice and smooth and, you guessed it, I can't have been tightening them evenly as one slipped and took my thumb with it half way round the spring. To the other compressor. Ow. At least you couldn't see the blood on the springs as they're red.

Oh well, the rear springs, being shorter are easier to compress and fit to the shocks. Well yes but that went tits up too as none of the spring pads I've got (lots) are the rear lower ones. They're a narrower diameter than the fronts and a check of the parts book confirms it. Looking at Marks site he's out of the PU replacements and has no used stock.

So, has anyone got any rear lower pads (Part no 82284077) they can spare before I resort to cutting a good front one down and zip tying it to the spring/spring seat in desperation? I am happy to swap for good front ones or for beer tokens! Heeellllppppp!

Cheers
Guy

[peteracs]

Hi Guy

Let me check, but suspect I will be struggling to find 2 decent ones for myself.

Peter

[WestonE]

Hi Guy

First major sympathy for the thumb! A clean cut and superglue on the rubbers might get you a victory whilst you wait.

Eric

[SanRemo78]

Thanks Peter & Eric - I have got an enquiry in with Cavalitto in Turin who may have some. Fingers crossed (but not thumbs) that they or Mark come through. I'd prefer the right sized ones to cut down fronts but if needs must in the next fortnight I'll try that solution.

Cheers
Guy