tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86101672024-03-05T05:17:54.747+00:00Will's Spitfire BlogRestoring a 1976 Triumph Spitfire 1500William Columbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02187558391596397366noreply@blogger.comBlogger126125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8610167.post-68785059128143058882012-08-09T20:43:00.000+00:002012-08-09T20:43:11.370+00:00The Shark!Sorry for the lack of Spitfire news recently - I've been working on 'The Shark'! That's the nickname my girlfriend's gives my Mercedes Benz 300CE 24! I bought it last year as a bit of fun. It was cheap, fast, had ruched leather and seemingly only needed a very small amount of work to make it a very usable modern classic.<br />
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<br />Unfortunately, that small amount of work has been increasing by the month! I bought it in the knowledge that it needed a new front wing and the wheels refurbing but during the winter the windscreen cracked by the centre mirror and on the lower drivers side. I got Auto Windscreens out to have a look at it and they identified the cause as a rust bubble on the windscreen frame - so that was added to the 'to do' list!<br />
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The next problem to crop up was rusty rear subframe mounts. This is a bit of a common problem with these cars and isn't something you can see very easily when buying because the underseal on these W124 Mercs is very thick and solid and does a very good job of hiding rust.I only noticed mine when I was refitting the newly refurbished alloy wheels. After a quick poke with a screwdriver and a go with a wire wheel, I realised I was going to have to bite the bullet and do a proper repair. <br />
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It's definitely a '5 spanners' job! So far the order of events has been...remove the rear seats, detach abs sensor wire, jack up the back and support on axle stands, remove exhaust, remove handbrake mechanism, unbolt diff from propshaft (which has a rotoflex style flexdisk!), remove rear suspension arms, remove the four subframe bolts, remove old subframe bushes, repaint subframe with POR15, cut off old subframe mounts and prepare new mounts for fitting. Despite rumours to the contrary on the internet, Mercedes still make the subframe mounts even if they do think they'll only fit the estate version!<br />
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These are the 4 subframe bushes. They are a very complex design with liquid inside them and large alloy centres. It took me ages to knock them out and they fell apart when I did!<br />
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This is the rusty old subframe with all the various suspension arms. The subframe is now looking a lot better after a few days of gritblasting (at home in the garden) and a good coating of POR15.<br />
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So there we go, it might not be a Triumph but at least it's rusty and in pieces!William Columbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02187558391596397366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8610167.post-60685765863552158552012-02-04T19:50:00.000+00:002012-02-05T09:30:44.652+00:00More Pictures from the NEC Classic Motor Show 2011!At the time of writing, it's covered with snow outside and it's absolutely freezing. I spent some time working on the car this afternoon but it's not easy keeping momentum up when you've got a couple of hundred spot welds to drill out and you can see your own breath! While warming up with a cup of tea, I found a few more photographs from the NEC in November. 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MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675291575791163682" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglGLpVj1Dq7BfoBTxU4zxCmUxB0yYeqvXjh8t19v0lE8xE0eZzWVJlp74bQGbFf3JWFELA7VsDhhKGfeqFjSK2KTqC-Psmo6JaUFR7PYrDukfFL6kNV2HvPEQpnWX7fXYbMJxa/s400/IMGP0224.JPG" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIrLgrwMvOMWGfRLm6T0WQwWrUaJ-_sIvAjbhUTYXeWScYCy1S85FI1OqfHWPmhOXpjW5JlyWrm_cVooQSdkJhpdfE5_br5nc0fB2RfXNuTbxLvgttywLQljw06jadlGbuGXFy/s1600/IMGP0212.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675290288107134962" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIrLgrwMvOMWGfRLm6T0WQwWrUaJ-_sIvAjbhUTYXeWScYCy1S85FI1OqfHWPmhOXpjW5JlyWrm_cVooQSdkJhpdfE5_br5nc0fB2RfXNuTbxLvgttywLQljw06jadlGbuGXFy/s400/IMGP0212.JPG" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOYUN0N8jXuVnvoARZwyUmyB3LRVYqSLGDRvT11DJZtVyuNzpyL42YPf_pPEvY0SgNLgm51C5g2lT87-T-5Ofrvz_zAQMRyNJeygGKZhACsw31jtLTc7XoKzXL44fch6myoVe2/s1600/IMGP0215.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675290283233067250" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOYUN0N8jXuVnvoARZwyUmyB3LRVYqSLGDRvT11DJZtVyuNzpyL42YPf_pPEvY0SgNLgm51C5g2lT87-T-5Ofrvz_zAQMRyNJeygGKZhACsw31jtLTc7XoKzXL44fch6myoVe2/s400/IMGP0215.JPG" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxkZHK5whkBG0cTmyZ1xXdm25Nr5oUZ-Y1lRTKZTU6xDEK73LitGnYBEx0x76YsIL7sqXaUkSWbJcc0PC9lSqrVOyuz4JEB8cD7M0c6fhB-fHUl7J0hYGIlwYjWITg9z5t8CJf/s1600/IMGP0218.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675290265856782802" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxkZHK5whkBG0cTmyZ1xXdm25Nr5oUZ-Y1lRTKZTU6xDEK73LitGnYBEx0x76YsIL7sqXaUkSWbJcc0PC9lSqrVOyuz4JEB8cD7M0c6fhB-fHUl7J0hYGIlwYjWITg9z5t8CJf/s400/IMGP0218.JPG" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhobKRYYg8IXYJFX0HeD3lhOvvqFLujVaLIPion-kJe-q-GoyhtsmyHWOjgK6HrJ85z_uK0tBv4zOtp9PWdqUPJWkpzWM0woedEsZdyhNcTM5HkHSEtg1QezgXQ6uotkQSeyLYt/s1600/IMGP0223.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675290257834246882" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhobKRYYg8IXYJFX0HeD3lhOvvqFLujVaLIPion-kJe-q-GoyhtsmyHWOjgK6HrJ85z_uK0tBv4zOtp9PWdqUPJWkpzWM0woedEsZdyhNcTM5HkHSEtg1QezgXQ6uotkQSeyLYt/s400/IMGP0223.JPG" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPLVtpl3Jsi01mRdWp4MB-oFhfU7vmO8DrJRX6hTHG8mcU24tLxf4dQ6NBTQtTnt3AMP_K_MHFxaxIRXE1TwtjHNjGMTxTaAnQ-SHpx-rmgHcaS-pLw0n6V8Ng9LtsvXdSJhLF/s1600/IMGP0211.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675290338444838274" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPLVtpl3Jsi01mRdWp4MB-oFhfU7vmO8DrJRX6hTHG8mcU24tLxf4dQ6NBTQtTnt3AMP_K_MHFxaxIRXE1TwtjHNjGMTxTaAnQ-SHpx-rmgHcaS-pLw0n6V8Ng9LtsvXdSJhLF/s400/IMGP0211.JPG" /></a>William Columbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02187558391596397366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8610167.post-71648552877280349652011-11-20T16:30:00.007+00:002011-11-20T17:30:38.535+00:00What Lurks Beneath...Okay, I've got a bit distracted recently with the lathe, the tool trolley and my trip to the NEC. It's time to get back to the Spitfire! It's just amazing how decent a car can look and yet still hide all manner of bodgery! I keep telling myself that I'm one step ahead of most restorers in that I've got fully working, tried and tested mechanicals and that I've really only got bodywork and paint to do but it's not easy keeping the momentum up!<br /><br />I'm still slowly getting through the bodywork on the front half of the car. The bonnet top panel only needs to be separated from the drivers side bonnet cone panel and a minor repair made to the flange before it's good to go. The passenger side headlight support panel (a Steelcraft panel) is clamped in place and looks to be quite a good fit around the headlight area but looks like it might need a bit of a trim where it meets the wing. The bonnet strengthener is clamped in place too and I'm now working on fitting up the drivers side support panel. Next step for me is getting a new bonnet strengthening bar and start trial fitting the wheelarch panels. I did buy one off eBay but it turned out to be a bit bent so I had to scrap it!<br /><br />This weekend I turned my attention to the drivers side rear wing. It seemed solid enough but when I passed over it with a 'Dronco' clean and strip disc I was in for a nasty surprise!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_p3zhBRpC-0vSzEAg5A-KbvqZRlQd5BAG9xfjTQCVM85QoYtY-CTb9FebodeIjVbOcTDwduph8jtzj5gI5YRFOdDjrj0RNT8K9PJL3lN1akZywywT34ds6JgBWcuQB146mBN-/s1600/IMGP0307.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_p3zhBRpC-0vSzEAg5A-KbvqZRlQd5BAG9xfjTQCVM85QoYtY-CTb9FebodeIjVbOcTDwduph8jtzj5gI5YRFOdDjrj0RNT8K9PJL3lN1akZywywT34ds6JgBWcuQB146mBN-/s400/IMGP0307.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5677121438880852258" border="0" /></a>Yeah, that's a seam weld running across the bottom half of the panel! The welding isn't bad but there is some horrible distortion in the panel and there was a lot of filler used to cover it! Next on my list of unpleasant was discoveries was this...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgThbS8B-er29HXtA477t94jsomGoV0oQpj7wmVYuGzjLlnZ0PV3CvXxM7vKo_C1erwwifNd1QXEEon7K8jwor3lReH9JAieT5Jy27G48cPtRy_gETvVYFg-TQxY4hiumy7Wrhh/s1600/IMGP0306.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgThbS8B-er29HXtA477t94jsomGoV0oQpj7wmVYuGzjLlnZ0PV3CvXxM7vKo_C1erwwifNd1QXEEon7K8jwor3lReH9JAieT5Jy27G48cPtRy_gETvVYFg-TQxY4hiumy7Wrhh/s400/IMGP0306.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5677122527271479570" border="0" /></a>It's a fairly minor wheelarch dent. It's not too bad but it's an annoyance none the less! Finally, and I've saved the best for last, I found this...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX68oPYxpNvBIxo0o25diPvdP_C2_USfvM_9C_weMQX6Al2BTpwBCXSNcPt17DJX8N4rVftO5TJjOgaYvZnvppXQ9FWtjT3H_fTtL5t2oTewjr8JBm20oVwHHQEdjB_gCufv9d/s1600/IMGP0308.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX68oPYxpNvBIxo0o25diPvdP_C2_USfvM_9C_weMQX6Al2BTpwBCXSNcPt17DJX8N4rVftO5TJjOgaYvZnvppXQ9FWtjT3H_fTtL5t2oTewjr8JBm20oVwHHQEdjB_gCufv9d/s400/IMGP0308.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5677123450874662978" border="0" /></a>I did cut into that a bit with some tinsnips to neaten it up so I didn't cut myself on it, but most of the metal was removed with my bare hands! A large chunk of boot floor, inner and outer wing literally came off in my hands!<br /><br />Finding the wing in such poor condition has really made my mind up to replace it. There doesn't seem much point in repairing the back of it when the front's already been done and there's a dent in the middle. You may as well do the whole thing while you can! It needs to come off anyway because I need to do the B pillar too as it's rusted through on the drivers side. I've already got a repair section for the back half of the inner wing so hopefully with that in and a new inner wheelarch (it has multiple patches) I should be back in business!<br /><br />I made another annoying discovery this weekend too. When pulling off the weatherseal around the door aperture I realised that the flange where the outer sill meets the strengthener and the floorpan looked a bit odd. My worst fears were confirmed when I managed to slip a knife blade between the outer sill and the strengthener and move it about a foot without hitting a weld. I really need to look into this closer - the sills are supposed to have been replaced before I bought the car and I was hoping not to have to do too much work on them. I'm just glad I didn't have an accident in it - a large part of the cars strength is in those sills.<br /><br />Finally, here's a few pictures of my boot. The boot floor looks like it may just be repairable but the rear valance needs full on replacement. Lot's of welding fun to be had in the future!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjatFdDeLBJEdYyQRY8rjuVfuv9q1SCo3tjDt3taFPHmcA6oSKLh79Pt9lOSxrry0n-pe-SmixwB4pxxzXhjvDyii1oaNd6V2Ku_1JfWvO3wDXtHuyrQDrB6qFpFKNSdAZZj59w/s1600/IMGP0313.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjatFdDeLBJEdYyQRY8rjuVfuv9q1SCo3tjDt3taFPHmcA6oSKLh79Pt9lOSxrry0n-pe-SmixwB4pxxzXhjvDyii1oaNd6V2Ku_1JfWvO3wDXtHuyrQDrB6qFpFKNSdAZZj59w/s400/IMGP0313.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5677129690537845122" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZHqK2WkS8Jnj3aQtRT7gPYRY_UY-e5UmbxvaMlrKqQEa-MPJpn_3m-aWlBHxkbyR06nyzELJirqb_p8J4N41M-ysj5A-xDHrel5Rdozf66hftJhDLzboiZw_Zolq219x1OreK/s1600/IMGP0312.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZHqK2WkS8Jnj3aQtRT7gPYRY_UY-e5UmbxvaMlrKqQEa-MPJpn_3m-aWlBHxkbyR06nyzELJirqb_p8J4N41M-ysj5A-xDHrel5Rdozf66hftJhDLzboiZw_Zolq219x1OreK/s400/IMGP0312.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5677129683066444130" border="0" /></a>William Columbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02187558391596397366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8610167.post-63141403743129905632011-11-14T18:22:00.009+00:002011-11-14T20:32:41.020+00:00NEC Classic Motor Show 2011On Saturday I made my annual pillgrimage to the NEC for the Classic Car Show. I got there early on the saturday to try and take in as much as possible before it got too busy! I was glad I did! When I left the Top Gear Live show was in full swing and the whole NEC seemed to be absolutely rammed! I'm definately going to take a day off work and go on the Friday next year.<br /><br />The lights in the exhibition halls do very strange things to cameras so it's not easy to get good shots, especially with my little point and shoot Pentax, but I think I came away with some quite good pictures this year. Enjoy!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXVnlSa41LuCIDbsm3Y76WviHLJRlVbww0Ck7tHtdwaUc-0YbfBE85fpO5_FOckQNilPDRDtsSIJqUQf-p7_LwB3FQh8AGciFqrZTAZ38vl5SyFRwfGQ2jmqo7lQISrCcyao2x/s1600/IMGP0290.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXVnlSa41LuCIDbsm3Y76WviHLJRlVbww0Ck7tHtdwaUc-0YbfBE85fpO5_FOckQNilPDRDtsSIJqUQf-p7_LwB3FQh8AGciFqrZTAZ38vl5SyFRwfGQ2jmqo7lQISrCcyao2x/s400/IMGP0290.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674950260257526450" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4uojQ8Trl3IPTZLvNhzr2cjz4t_teZWil4eqX1viR_p52dzBpqjnaP44kIOqt92_pOlUwV0pOOFUUK7mfpAQ8NweJGUPTpj7pMuywAss3Tkih6olF-vsP8PztzNYCrc2oq_1Z/s1600/IMGP0291.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4uojQ8Trl3IPTZLvNhzr2cjz4t_teZWil4eqX1viR_p52dzBpqjnaP44kIOqt92_pOlUwV0pOOFUUK7mfpAQ8NweJGUPTpj7pMuywAss3Tkih6olF-vsP8PztzNYCrc2oq_1Z/s400/IMGP0291.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674950263643788418" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnmU-IplziwU6_HmiVIf4MokWkysn7FusJG6en7QeRbQbsA7T8r2JE5rP0vIjolliCzLVZM0vypt8ytvD4A0B_UpWEuxXIoU9-nqtv9I5eIXqjf9ecrSPAE1ms3ivSjuvnpJTl/s1600/IMGP0292.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnmU-IplziwU6_HmiVIf4MokWkysn7FusJG6en7QeRbQbsA7T8r2JE5rP0vIjolliCzLVZM0vypt8ytvD4A0B_UpWEuxXIoU9-nqtv9I5eIXqjf9ecrSPAE1ms3ivSjuvnpJTl/s400/IMGP0292.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674950247574058370" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP0NChCiqjJ5jrKDpLUT6Ikc02r9aHFegxnpIDWVKfDL83CGzy9IJ29Q2daXfRGGGxZxkb5e0DiiTIftykhO_2FXnOfTe_CUZxHnaVKBBgMsBkDCy1XiTvvQJLC4g2SAYd0FMg/s1600/IMGP0295.JPG"><img style="display:block; 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margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRX_uy8BZ1lHQn7QNhDTbvUgzylmDH7XtNvIiqT6PVGH5NN8y596_WrwZfX22zJQo6i7c33WCDKuG6R6W-v98KephrunN1hk8LI6CyFNhakuD9RsP7qt0SfwgpqXdyUktn9Vbb/s400/IMGP0273.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674933196696621474" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiai6UsZo_PaysQM_OaEOSiVLtkSq1kY38SOKdeDLEZBWt7FnwgYT661zwE8O5woqJNci9BdlwnMc4I2iFwW8ryaxBFFwXDEiPwB228NVfa_renFgVxko49IZihfDgQ72nRo300/s1600/IMGP0275.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiai6UsZo_PaysQM_OaEOSiVLtkSq1kY38SOKdeDLEZBWt7FnwgYT661zwE8O5woqJNci9BdlwnMc4I2iFwW8ryaxBFFwXDEiPwB228NVfa_renFgVxko49IZihfDgQ72nRo300/s400/IMGP0275.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674933188881256274" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSGVmxramJSvM3FXOkyQL06fDErwdVW3cNwkhjaXPnhlk_93gKxT-ROUKmyaDUUasEEwlhTP-4rWAj6NNxOi88-384Ydxko53wd3Tc5xwIQPGQRFM7y3WiSaL7XSVJ6hgEP2ud/s1600/IMGP0251.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSGVmxramJSvM3FXOkyQL06fDErwdVW3cNwkhjaXPnhlk_93gKxT-ROUKmyaDUUasEEwlhTP-4rWAj6NNxOi88-384Ydxko53wd3Tc5xwIQPGQRFM7y3WiSaL7XSVJ6hgEP2ud/s400/IMGP0251.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674933225419561218" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuaYCMEqFf9B-wWRhSpa2z-Vwz4DhG0QtErOYQzp4S8IolBq_ZXck3lZ5XNKb4svF6ZaTi0cNRPEsA82KIa5JPA0hwS-mmKsA9Irf3UykAxEcdRUukeIoWEmIONkuT_0NdA22q/s1600/IMGP0246.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuaYCMEqFf9B-wWRhSpa2z-Vwz4DhG0QtErOYQzp4S8IolBq_ZXck3lZ5XNKb4svF6ZaTi0cNRPEsA82KIa5JPA0hwS-mmKsA9Irf3UykAxEcdRUukeIoWEmIONkuT_0NdA22q/s400/IMGP0246.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674926796172738722" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Renault Spider - I remember reading about these in <span style="font-style: italic;">Car and Car Conversions</span> when they first came out!<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5MD0WvhJGKcGNtoJhATqeo2vmW1CzQ2w90lgo4ppXQrfmKwZmtMCsuxDA_nNbBUWa2ZRWRQxhNy2lFsQKU7qx5STLXZg5ZhYtwHWKmAZT5Ct8QH9L37L9K1bTSitH1YG2Uent/s1600/IMGP0243.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5MD0WvhJGKcGNtoJhATqeo2vmW1CzQ2w90lgo4ppXQrfmKwZmtMCsuxDA_nNbBUWa2ZRWRQxhNy2lFsQKU7qx5STLXZg5ZhYtwHWKmAZT5Ct8QH9L37L9K1bTSitH1YG2Uent/s400/IMGP0243.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674926782968638962" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9C9w61S5sq6728Uni9DvB_NkDSKC5emXK_ehwAdDW5_LOZC4SOaW9oG31UsthKaWoKAapRE3xfVa9QUwIhFx0x9D3QwnD1qzcX725RC20VqlL5V_m4oVQJKcnTSac6rRCHH6s/s1600/IMGP0249.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9C9w61S5sq6728Uni9DvB_NkDSKC5emXK_ehwAdDW5_LOZC4SOaW9oG31UsthKaWoKAapRE3xfVa9QUwIhFx0x9D3QwnD1qzcX725RC20VqlL5V_m4oVQJKcnTSac6rRCHH6s/s400/IMGP0249.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674926779899701954" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">This was sporting a modern Zetec powerplant!<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6n0dkmginWZ51L9OYbCPni5XUG0xGEfl43YQTCZ1V2N3qt279-sKW2NizWl6vhLCQFWM5QvzI8P1fvQfeQmNBslEkQFXTTP_DVcO8VXgjUNAwJJqy8UVTS_6yohbHx-fpyZ5m/s1600/IMGP0250.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6n0dkmginWZ51L9OYbCPni5XUG0xGEfl43YQTCZ1V2N3qt279-sKW2NizWl6vhLCQFWM5QvzI8P1fvQfeQmNBslEkQFXTTP_DVcO8VXgjUNAwJJqy8UVTS_6yohbHx-fpyZ5m/s400/IMGP0250.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674926772558732210" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirocB1QhMnFY81Viiyrg3OjgToK7_DxKKDdGEDweVRrUZpfftr07OkxqHpwzWqYbmaj3aUKu_uoZdg2jwg-j7gzGVDsLl_YoKp91qPxaaZMOrlvgnQxd-C0Z1OblGsY6PphWkR/s1600/IMGP0240.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirocB1QhMnFY81Viiyrg3OjgToK7_DxKKDdGEDweVRrUZpfftr07OkxqHpwzWqYbmaj3aUKu_uoZdg2jwg-j7gzGVDsLl_YoKp91qPxaaZMOrlvgnQxd-C0Z1OblGsY6PphWkR/s400/IMGP0240.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674926803102822706" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">This was a nice TR8!<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGitdKR5XR7Bz0TUYlYVEMR3Zks83MKaOjOox3rPWIwKCxL9jDm6aAo_uT005cUjXN8CP_4JcvAdzFbIGVCRNOzWxWMXPfUmlSV-ieJUe6et0rIJbqOfgke3hHQjFYkJ24RZNE/s1600/IMGP0234.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGitdKR5XR7Bz0TUYlYVEMR3Zks83MKaOjOox3rPWIwKCxL9jDm6aAo_uT005cUjXN8CP_4JcvAdzFbIGVCRNOzWxWMXPfUmlSV-ieJUe6et0rIJbqOfgke3hHQjFYkJ24RZNE/s400/IMGP0234.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674925321436700114" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBbmhpl6RTAj_fNBf_JxMf4Xi54Al-9vCi3PXoc-iggtFn7VmGdg0g1j9SVOJSBx3gTSxsumi4Cs6NHvNb2AJ7Rtvu7MKT7a1e__x-SsEnUA67_xZYrQ2GdgOhjSHsIGqT2IXQ/s1600/IMGP0235.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBbmhpl6RTAj_fNBf_JxMf4Xi54Al-9vCi3PXoc-iggtFn7VmGdg0g1j9SVOJSBx3gTSxsumi4Cs6NHvNb2AJ7Rtvu7MKT7a1e__x-SsEnUA67_xZYrQ2GdgOhjSHsIGqT2IXQ/s400/IMGP0235.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674925319538809698" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">One of my all time favourites - Mercedes 450SEL 6.9!<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvR_a_fGvNAZkA0-EXDHMeheMApxfhuUC7aDIBHrocrfQgHdpOoEb7EELvOBZBnQdQZRimcPTF3tf1KoYb6SRx8yHfWciKtmWk45BFbCYZUzZdinXtO5-EQ7xKhW3Iz84xLkbD/s1600/IMGP0237.JPG"><img style="display:block; 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margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRRe_F-upjAk9QLDVOYDjvdKgDKlbPgqSSs3ECPNVAopUDlvywHIxAdOpovTUPJlE7sVp2hXIqNM6aExAeDtJlY1sMymDMDpLpMRUsc-kTVp7RDit2DYLJr0P092DRd4c5Hhaf/s400/IMGP0222.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674922351335694850" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLoy3l-UrPSL7DQC_glwvLVitiXmViwVllSDrddZFuoQ3kxAlI0xDiYRdVzJBCFYd4dl6JuegwWrH74L-qwv3eacS2U6iXUAlUsVAVJwl63cFXPvlAGo61RPFm5BHldNkrKyd-/s1600/IMGP0231.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLoy3l-UrPSL7DQC_glwvLVitiXmViwVllSDrddZFuoQ3kxAlI0xDiYRdVzJBCFYd4dl6JuegwWrH74L-qwv3eacS2U6iXUAlUsVAVJwl63cFXPvlAGo61RPFm5BHldNkrKyd-/s400/IMGP0231.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674922378053623362" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk9XOw_shw6SNkDKR211lMq99EexMzrn5-M-Fp9Rrre2bpVLpCIGvnqeUlaXScKFY26oNDUvjqsrIzQvg_HFt0WULE6qsCSZ8OSj3wX1IrmagXdIWxmGSOUpWXzh9efApNhdnw/s1600/IMGP0213.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk9XOw_shw6SNkDKR211lMq99EexMzrn5-M-Fp9Rrre2bpVLpCIGvnqeUlaXScKFY26oNDUvjqsrIzQvg_HFt0WULE6qsCSZ8OSj3wX1IrmagXdIWxmGSOUpWXzh9efApNhdnw/s400/IMGP0213.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674920976420787330" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsasiaNMNXaAqPR_SYNKU-U0GpBuNI7s99gmWcnSX_-PBciDFvgBVtcsiI_zM40846Ee6FQgkYcm2PHf2ySjrbzWReEwSubBQoU3sJ3XjuDuR5oJ6uzPhEsHXWmxDSsdVRT0_U/s1600/IMGP0214.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsasiaNMNXaAqPR_SYNKU-U0GpBuNI7s99gmWcnSX_-PBciDFvgBVtcsiI_zM40846Ee6FQgkYcm2PHf2ySjrbzWReEwSubBQoU3sJ3XjuDuR5oJ6uzPhEsHXWmxDSsdVRT0_U/s400/IMGP0214.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674920971600819922" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr-0sb-XO_dxUNgcD4GMVz2QVGu5FRSh_CX_YKRzy34K2xznRpWa9z8gqYbrEgNrRayt3AvoG_V7s21A9aFVXX1hUGjv7lCP7joZv7ympIaYIJNM_kQZg7dD18sbyY41dcCg0U/s1600/IMGP0220.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr-0sb-XO_dxUNgcD4GMVz2QVGu5FRSh_CX_YKRzy34K2xznRpWa9z8gqYbrEgNrRayt3AvoG_V7s21A9aFVXX1hUGjv7lCP7joZv7ympIaYIJNM_kQZg7dD18sbyY41dcCg0U/s400/IMGP0220.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674920957399852834" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEMIsEOi6JgrLA45h962sowA1gSnL-I3uuDRy4QOL-42aYsdOi4_pDk0_2BWBqTddzDJz4Er37dkthNh_qdEnRe0DCu5UqlIL8SSPFeJZZdddipZAgk7Gs2lhjSVF2YPESBb2K/s1600/IMGP0221.JPG"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp85xtHsnA52_DtQANQmaQzpXHkm61mXjE2HXwZ3XHSpjQsXWOrpB_8cnnqVlQOpa1FDvGhE2SdU7XPEJiC6yZF2tuTnW-JPDcqzEyVzhBFiFqGKb7-V38Y5B03nrRMu5exy4s/s1600/IMGP0210.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp85xtHsnA52_DtQANQmaQzpXHkm61mXjE2HXwZ3XHSpjQsXWOrpB_8cnnqVlQOpa1FDvGhE2SdU7XPEJiC6yZF2tuTnW-JPDcqzEyVzhBFiFqGKb7-V38Y5B03nrRMu5exy4s/s400/IMGP0210.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674920984347257810" border="0" /></a>William Columbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02187558391596397366noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8610167.post-87253542878095798912011-10-24T16:57:00.011+00:002011-10-25T07:07:23.736+00:00Pimp My Drill!<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify">My first project on the lathe is complete! I've created three knobs for the end of the feed handles on my pillar drill. They're not very complex, which is why I thought they would be a good first project to get used to the lathe!<br /><br />I started off by cutting a length of 2cm diameter aluminium bar into three 5cm sections. I then faced both ends of each piece and worked them until they were all within 1/10th of a mm and then I centre drilled and tapped each piece. After a quick tool change, I turned each piece just to clean then up a bit, before putting a slight bevel on the tops to loose the sharp edge.<br /><br />I then set the thing up to do some tapering. The Unimat has a really neat headstock that can be twisted. That puts the work at an angle and allows tapered pieces to be created really easily. After making a couple of passes to neaten it up I was done!<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Kc42SnBI7vEZXl5fc269tm7IjF-WGT5awwQ1O3JXe_mJF08C1EgC5pznNGCyjz6-NjRmOLXkjF03HkWLPDmvTLl0D7Pgz-O9gXFLdN5qXrIzwYINjzacO-fG3IqLOwY9ewxW/s1600/Spitfire+Restoration+017.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667108044225651154" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Kc42SnBI7vEZXl5fc269tm7IjF-WGT5awwQ1O3JXe_mJF08C1EgC5pznNGCyjz6-NjRmOLXkjF03HkWLPDmvTLl0D7Pgz-O9gXFLdN5qXrIzwYINjzacO-fG3IqLOwY9ewxW/s400/Spitfire+Restoration+017.jpg" /></a>This is the drill as purchased - with nasty black plastic knobs.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUB3sqRxcGXR7_PlkHsfPl8U9qbA5t0H-mewCuaFV25OMb9a0GsWtZKRTwfWTmq13j8AlazJ-bR1p-3TYGIw6jV1Q2liXDngNQaDLsTBokVbANTATDw2rmeBM_xAqhq5bkCfnh/s1600/IMGP0192.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667108042592447362" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUB3sqRxcGXR7_PlkHsfPl8U9qbA5t0H-mewCuaFV25OMb9a0GsWtZKRTwfWTmq13j8AlazJ-bR1p-3TYGIw6jV1Q2liXDngNQaDLsTBokVbANTATDw2rmeBM_xAqhq5bkCfnh/s400/IMGP0192.JPG" /></a>The freshly turned aluminium replacements!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji3i6vwKUulPrQrK92N-fAi613_0ON2zbiNruL4btsce8EJidzQT0GaFrG_6_NNyLVllbsluR88DPQ10LWNg5CRA08mweQftRcfvME78wCycGnu2BdGe75RgnhOIgW7ywtje9g/s1600/IMGP0193.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667108056120048642" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji3i6vwKUulPrQrK92N-fAi613_0ON2zbiNruL4btsce8EJidzQT0GaFrG_6_NNyLVllbsluR88DPQ10LWNg5CRA08mweQftRcfvME78wCycGnu2BdGe75RgnhOIgW7ywtje9g/s400/IMGP0193.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Jo8xEIvEZJEMfAZ6L3hyZuiPKQOoDzn0nG8EdlNs-HEJFE2FLpSW8dqzCvNyXA87WVVnMDN-iQdrpDkhEw9MMfcFuSQjKEhaT1__7dn1wmoT9vQ3O314k46sGZxk1x-Qvq-T/s1600/IMGP0194.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667108061385738370" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Jo8xEIvEZJEMfAZ6L3hyZuiPKQOoDzn0nG8EdlNs-HEJFE2FLpSW8dqzCvNyXA87WVVnMDN-iQdrpDkhEw9MMfcFuSQjKEhaT1__7dn1wmoT9vQ3O314k46sGZxk1x-Qvq-T/s400/IMGP0194.JPG" /></a>I think they look pretty good! They aren't perfect but I am very impressed with the finish on them. I still have a few things to learn before I make a few bits up for the car though! If anyone knows a good tip for stopping the chuck marking a previously worked surface I want to hear it - it'll save me a fair bit of polishing next time! </div>William Columbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02187558391596397366noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8610167.post-15252453110538072102011-10-17T20:00:00.001+00:002011-10-18T19:27:19.072+00:00Lathe<div><div style="text-align: justify;">Things have been going very slowly around here for the last few months! Work, other projects and a back injury followed by a foot injury have conspired against me!</div><div><div><div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />Despite being busy, I have managed to do a small amount of work on the Spitfire. The windscreen is now out and didn't reveal too many horrors - just a little rust in the rain channels! The bonnet is now stripped down completely apart from the rear bonnet cone panels. I want to keep these on for as long as possible to get the right shape but I really need to sort out the bit where they meet the bonnet wing flange. There are three panels spot welded together here and rot has, rather unsurprisingly, taken hold. I think the easiest solution is going to be to chop it out and let some new metal into the flange before tackling the cone panel and then the wing.<br /></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTj0xJdAFaDdiayDmmDPJ7JD1lXAC-28DBXuRpLwaiHfjGxEpycyOuEgo9a11eqtJUI-RHqhkN6uhYAfYChKEshNorkiO4Lt_WgZKI5u4rZF6jrlp32cEHnQYcpkQ3rBa1-FUp/s1600/IMGP0047.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5664559484101867922" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTj0xJdAFaDdiayDmmDPJ7JD1lXAC-28DBXuRpLwaiHfjGxEpycyOuEgo9a11eqtJUI-RHqhkN6uhYAfYChKEshNorkiO4Lt_WgZKI5u4rZF6jrlp32cEHnQYcpkQ3rBa1-FUp/s400/IMGP0047.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Once I have repaired all the panels, I need to start getting them cleaned up and I've made a bit of an investment in a 3hp compressor from Jawel Paints so that I can get some grit blasting done. Grit blasting has a bit of a bad reputation with classic car restorers and a quick read of the Internet might have you believe you were practically guaranteed rippled panels. The reality of it is, though, that damage to panels like that can only be caused by industrial equipment and is not something that can easily be achieved at home!<br /><br />To complete the kit, I bought a cheap sandblasting gun from Machine Mart which may or may not be any good (I haven't tried it yet!) and some J-Blast Supafine grit which came highly recommended on the MIG welding forum.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">One of the other projects I have just finished is this mini lathe. I bought it off eBay as a complete wreck. It's an Emco Unimat design made by Elliott Machine in the UK. There is a huge following for these little lathes and parts crop up fairly regularly on eBay. According to http://www.lathes.co.uk/unimat/ my lathe is a Mk4 Unimat and probably originated from around 1959 - 1960.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE3mepsUntGu-dl_XH7a6NQZpsN70dqf2I4YSpMxXwthyPpfffolxWWdTsU7D4O0wwMyasTC9x32NEmIosIsYcfKYzFZ8gfkEhsuVsqj_JhMgvceMLNZilOTLQiyP9vEc4HmmT/s1600/lathe.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5664550535769767570" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE3mepsUntGu-dl_XH7a6NQZpsN70dqf2I4YSpMxXwthyPpfffolxWWdTsU7D4O0wwMyasTC9x32NEmIosIsYcfKYzFZ8gfkEhsuVsqj_JhMgvceMLNZilOTLQiyP9vEc4HmmT/s400/lathe.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I started the restoration off by stripping the paint. I couldn't decide if this was original or not but I guessed not because it looked like green Hammerite and it was literally slapped all over everything (including the plastic motor brush caps) but I have since seen a few finished like this! Either way, it got a few coats of the same grey POR15 I used to repaint my gearbox.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTXruw0KM2z5rXh3XcI5qcCH_dtBaWeBTvI-Zw3wSqNro5f0bv7DId9HiIurV2zVaTLN1ttOhIL3kgUxdrbipIpxray9vG0hagjGEc-eM846x3bkK719ez8fQ1hcVEEjk7k_H/s1600/200909+142.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5664551641296696962" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTXruw0KM2z5rXh3XcI5qcCH_dtBaWeBTvI-Zw3wSqNro5f0bv7DId9HiIurV2zVaTLN1ttOhIL3kgUxdrbipIpxray9vG0hagjGEc-eM846x3bkK719ez8fQ1hcVEEjk7k_H/s400/200909+142.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The rusty metalwork got a thorough dunking in derusting solution, whilst the seized chuck got a thorough soaking in penetrating oil followed by a bashing against the soft wood of my workbench!<br /></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNmZd-AxdNgCVKlcpvyPvixL3U0s0B7ZoK7-EI2FDJfX-gVVGuQVI9bvrdtUtJ6A6fSEOFckNECPPcWQnhU_iyaMD3nnpnzxxkzbB8NoNLAWZM4MSW88CmdS2Pf_scps_VuZ-r/s1600/IMGP0058.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5664558684874466002" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNmZd-AxdNgCVKlcpvyPvixL3U0s0B7ZoK7-EI2FDJfX-gVVGuQVI9bvrdtUtJ6A6fSEOFckNECPPcWQnhU_iyaMD3nnpnzxxkzbB8NoNLAWZM4MSW88CmdS2Pf_scps_VuZ-r/s400/IMGP0058.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The trickiest bit by far was the motor. Unimats are powered by a U-90 motor made in Holland by Motoren Eindhoven. Its a nicely made motor and has big 'Oilite' bearings but suffers from a low duty cycle. For every 8 minutes it's in use you have to let it rest for 2! It did work when I got it, but I took it apart anyway to repaint and instantly realised that all was not well with it. For a start, there was some very dodgy soldered connections inside that had been left bare and, secondly, there was supposed to be a suppressor inside. The only trace it had ever been there was a couple of soldered tags!<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">This was a bit of a problem. The motor would run without the suppressor but the brushes would wear rapidly. Unfortunately, the original type of suppressor hasn't been available for years and the only one available is too large to go inside the motor. I decided that the only real option was to use a suppressor from Maplins and mount it outside the motor.<br /><br />Fitting the suppressor and putting on a new flex involved a lot of fiddly soldering in a very dingy, confined space but I eventually got it done! I find a soldering gun rather than a soldering iron makes these unpleasant jobs much more straightforward, not least because mine has a light on the front that comes on when the trigger is pulled!<br /></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixnT9Fd16eDvpbYsR8wtdr4GqmiMOx_J-Ux1RKT7jQaT_-_OFOjALc2uO15tlpe6NtG0DDWKsRC6pvQmdYjNpY6lnydEkhdA82x_geCABRkVnCzfyZKcJxjOBedtCd5qESIgNA/s1600/IMGP0190.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5664558702066740882" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixnT9Fd16eDvpbYsR8wtdr4GqmiMOx_J-Ux1RKT7jQaT_-_OFOjALc2uO15tlpe6NtG0DDWKsRC6pvQmdYjNpY6lnydEkhdA82x_geCABRkVnCzfyZKcJxjOBedtCd5qESIgNA/s400/IMGP0190.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The last job was to fit a new switch and plug. The originals were Bakelite and had seen much better days!<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTcUMEgNqilMw53ZC_KsAEbgikXxQgg6fGQcJcUANeMxIBZ_ewagC5RziFU4D-4mqFU-28f6-iannCXE1tBU-xhVrFACb_sTjr6hUym80egwdR-R_4zxhUvjJE9Muxef4nuIwd/s1600/IMGP0189.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5664558690329534098" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTcUMEgNqilMw53ZC_KsAEbgikXxQgg6fGQcJcUANeMxIBZ_ewagC5RziFU4D-4mqFU-28f6-iannCXE1tBU-xhVrFACb_sTjr6hUym80egwdR-R_4zxhUvjJE9Muxef4nuIwd/s400/IMGP0189.JPG" border="0" /></a>That's it! After a few false starts (due to a brush not making contact) the motor ran up nicely and sounded much healthier than it did before. All that's left to do on it is to heatshrink the suppressor to the cable to tidy it up and think of some things to make on it. My drill press has some nasty plastic bits on the feed handle that could be replaced by something nicer so I think that might be my first project.<br /></div></div></div></div></div></div>William Columbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02187558391596397366noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8610167.post-49187532297203321762011-05-24T19:28:00.007+00:002011-05-24T22:14:53.756+00:00Tool TrolleyI've not had much time to work on the car in the last month or so but I did manage to find enough time to do a few small jobs on the bonnet. First of all, I spent a good few hours grinding off all the remaining <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">spot welds</span> on the bonnet flanges. I also discovered a bit of rust on one side where the bonnet support tube bolts up to the flange. It looks like water has been trapped between the support tube and flange and has rotted both. Fortunately, the bonnet flange was easily repaired whilst the support tube is probably best replaced.<br /><br /><br /><br /><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610370766992821138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV_Y21AekvpYAk2brxY3RiN0V_-VfviWjKBg23XN0GXJt_Uj6gPYMwkpg1RYu-dUnrpl_-d7UAGA78zt80mXcDvXHk4BrJfjlWpjoda7xSfwgpXqEi1YIzhVHCZCYwCpcuvEgc/s400/IMAG0123.jpg" /></p><br /><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610370756419598114" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBubMsdSFPlqOoYPVxvsgZzw2DOPwi1e76KuR-6ixoJBBeUBrVMQ_vMUnfWPEQ8ZguL8fUJyyalxVsq9fMzlkQzQWR3S-XQQcGP9W3ByFEt4y6QjR9lCuIA0UDpKhDdkkrGHqI/s400/IMAG0122.jpg" /></p><br /><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610370769516699618" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ3kvnOQ5nq4ab5HKKbQ8gNgffObBMH35HdTBAoF7CDXypAVKQaMjzlUSwCsPvyjIK1q_lNeMS3nWPFiY6RcvLpz7Pd76J2CVUJ1P7l3l9VFOQlKu_5KyBCM_Xgp4ELXf3MkvA/s400/IMAG0124.jpg" /></p><br /><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610370775752913330" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX_8B8k9_fxpQPKlDJPooDxOnB2NTbUwvR-WXtOPUIGiziVfvWt8JaVStUGstvYRKus73_ADNzsobsVIGs0Vd-_gWmz7qYNHVuysJIotlz1-1v0Gy6TAdcqriMaMgUqZZtsvox/s400/IMAG0125.jpg" /></p><br /><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610370780859896050" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_JpnN7rhnxh0bDvayzMSNwzfkFk-uq5E_4b_wiU-QSnCfrDA7vGZQxxqTLZeql4-fcLeaOrMh6vrJp8Jb7xzqBaNvRuY7WuvvfaDnHcVjh9zkmmDbWsqOoAFQ1qyUSNHGTIhr/s400/IMAG0126.jpg" /><br />I'm getting better at these small welding jobs! I've discovered that the secret to really neat welds is accurate 'fit up'. Time spent making the repair sections fit <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">definitely</span> pays off when it comes to the welding!<br /><br />I still need to sort out the bonnet cone mounting panels at the back edge of the bonnet. For the time being I'm leaving these on to help with aligning the wings but they'll eventually be replaced. Thanks to eBay, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Canleys</span> and a couple of panels I got donated from a failed restoration, I've almost got all the panels I need and I should be able to start the rebuilding process soon.<br /><br />Another project I've been working on recently is a tool trolley. I'm still waiting on a few panels so I thought I'd fill the time by making a tool trolley. Basically these are wheeled carts used to store parts and tools while working. You can buy them, but they either seem to be cheap and a bit rickety looking or solidly built but expensive. I wasn't after anything fancy but I did want a well built, stable cart and I wanted it to be a bit higher than normal because I'm tall! I also thought about building in a power strip so I can plug all the power tools onto the trolley and then just plug the trolley in. Sounds like a good idea, huh? </p><br /><p>I started by cutting up some 25mm box section with my new Evolution 'Fury' saw (a recent purchase on a 'VAT free' day at Machine Mart). I'm using 1.5mm wall thickness to keep it light.</p><br /><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610395442735971154" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho_lmI1ndq8dJX9KBU5kAyPM-MsJ2ILlf-cbHZzaSwVNr_C_bXZnf6SwBM6_6gjQtz4Qq3dXzdhXavrPjhH2asseeSTUpT2AbyZHFCwAGy7Wo62WlySXBo0MD2zkO2IwY8lG-B/s400/IMAG0135.jpg" /></p><br /><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610395440951920418" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKwuBc7nL1BRSWT_dKaXJhnJZtjrQo8ZI_G-aHiso9U5z4uWQ5oAXhUDgwEvqSvWmosCPiwzNtjZyE6j17q1ldmyg6q7WO6tjyv-BrSjiHOCpj4dQwzEZGzbKoevcj8mlhM5bp/s400/IMAG0137.jpg" /></p><br /><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610395421158770210" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIHC_zhbq5AI2gwn9K5Vd56nyS4Sd-PgVYsowdDX0Xjn7VD995DK9iIhhocc2JuMVUPinStsa3zP9OZiSn5nbvGkxY6dlc7L_wIiCjPmMblZ71bbjB3-aPHSHy69oGY75IXDPW/s400/IMAG0138.jpg" /></p><br /><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610394287151584722" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZSk1_dm-BRJdMybTsOMsb0PouH6Lem8cSKyexDi4sXH1i_3KvDQ4EJxqoW-w8hrD2m4saHESwFwZxbG7BnszUlilA-IMQXORyurKr2brNJ-69vnvX5WZseF_uKEEFw_3yN3F0/s400/IMAG0139.jpg" /></p><br /><p>The trickiest bit so far has been the handle! I used a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">holesaw</span> in a drill press to make the tube fit against the box section sides of the handle. This worked a treat and all I had to do was cut the angles on the chop saw and weld it up.</p><br /><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610394284360570898" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje6bJGIkAVj59nBgCBHMSMrVSyp2BY9xl5V5c5tUoOog38zTK0iD3PkO1XHz0aLGtXjWnORwv_Op2_QnMvB-17Fla1iPnhHi-2YQH_Zoqfo9c2i-AGad_3souL9XKP-JKZ1cGd/s400/IMAG0140.jpg" /></p><br /><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610394262414064114" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhOsBHmmp1VYx9sbTSPN4fe8N9opAT511viYt26GfWgtJtzasRdcnb4tBh0X0K3mwlURxESt6MlkA4-q9G1S7MX0aRVPKhr4LRn6Aqv_yVKwPMJEoTTl-yKfd4Zwd1EEn8TfjZ/s400/IMAG0143.jpg" /></p><br /><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610394272979553186" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjjfnYzzQFIpLXEOd2nrkkc6UN0cPvMflIrXJ3luDW30PBvhmHbSRdMwYTicgma9nZIidpjT-QL4s4AoriyEPVVmdhUmTpG8Q1XPBrvPGpF-fHnWfxrkFft1jT9-7pG1Swbr_S/s400/IMAG0142.jpg" /></p><br /><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610394276592862546" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3u13dqOfNItlUbu8kQVH9SDhPgGrXwAOpd76qDb-nJxMc_ID77LhTshJwM1fOKwZcMHoXHLvvjMLSXxpXItAB62q6zjE5OlKVMm20GijGUtaICobygWuJIUZZpkAooOYSrRE_/s400/IMAG0141.jpg" /> It's coming on nicely! Thanks to eBay, I have some decent size lockable <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">castors</span> and thanks to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">Banbury</span> Plastic Fittings (<a href="http://www.bpfittings.co.uk/">www.bpfittings.co.uk</a>) I have the inserts that the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">castors</span> bolt up to and various plastic plugs to seal the ends of the tubes. I was quite pleased to find this company, as everywhere else seemed to have a minimum order quantity or was only open to the trade.</p><br /><p>That's it so far! I'll let you know how it turns out in a future blog post!</p>William Columbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02187558391596397366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8610167.post-64806914127454374362011-03-05T17:26:00.003+00:002011-03-05T18:29:21.058+00:00More Bonnet Metalwork!There's not been much to write about going on with my car recently. I've been slowly working on the bonnet to get it back into tip top condition before I weld any new panels to it.<br /><br />One of the jobs that needed doing was the removal of the remaining scraps of the headlight support panels. These came off easily enough elsewhere but I couldn't remove the last bit of them where they met the corner of the bonnet. It looked like they'd been brazed in and it wasn't the easiest work in the world to separate the two without damaging the bonnet. In the end it wouldn't fully separate without me cutting a bit out of the bonnet flange off! This was annoying but easy to fix so I set about making a 'corner piece' from a bit of scrap panel. This was easy enough but made slightly more complicated by the fact there was a spot weld drill hole in the middle of the intended join between the two panels!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjJO4tZplagqCLmF_dl8loICRlz6OLF7f0Vt3Rzu1_GhTQs8KByLNmxAAxF7-KD3QoPsjk2U5LaRHZTx6JZsUxrojwgIHFCTbh-xJuYMIp4lcPXYWzxh9sNWrDz1w07xMX3f6q/s1600/IMAG0074.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjJO4tZplagqCLmF_dl8loICRlz6OLF7f0Vt3Rzu1_GhTQs8KByLNmxAAxF7-KD3QoPsjk2U5LaRHZTx6JZsUxrojwgIHFCTbh-xJuYMIp4lcPXYWzxh9sNWrDz1w07xMX3f6q/s400/IMAG0074.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580652289023177122" border="0" /></a><br />I was really concerned about the heat distorting the tiny repair section so I clamped a couple of scrap bits of 3mm alloy behind to take some of the heat out.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKHJBFfqrsGieHj4ZuAsHDY8rE1wclU_SDBF9lZUhl21h5yD0ryHfKrBVhX3EbU9oy_tD1fTBk3_zxxwEMKuJ0W0zVFRKt_tGZFz1c5m0zpgrsQV7t692rBy4VJ7hYBrJHk-IZ/s1600/IMAG0075.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKHJBFfqrsGieHj4ZuAsHDY8rE1wclU_SDBF9lZUhl21h5yD0ryHfKrBVhX3EbU9oy_tD1fTBk3_zxxwEMKuJ0W0zVFRKt_tGZFz1c5m0zpgrsQV7t692rBy4VJ7hYBrJHk-IZ/s400/IMAG0075.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580652286041419970" border="0" /></a><br />I did the welding really slowly - just a spot at a time. I did have a small issue where the the welder 'ate' the edge of the metal but I soon built it up with weld again!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8pdJYEXrLVqwfm-pHm5A-IAzKgIceQDq1ke-vDlZ1kpT6-ECqOiNws2d5XnEtRuLl27acCXecgVtqdK9yFpwBfHX9QWbB6mvKzWqKz_PsQYvX3EEIZ-abrqoIemmGynMn-Z-n/s1600/IMAG0077.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8pdJYEXrLVqwfm-pHm5A-IAzKgIceQDq1ke-vDlZ1kpT6-ECqOiNws2d5XnEtRuLl27acCXecgVtqdK9yFpwBfHX9QWbB6mvKzWqKz_PsQYvX3EEIZ-abrqoIemmGynMn-Z-n/s400/IMAG0077.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580652280346889890" border="0" /></a><br />I ground the weld back with a flap disc on an angle grinder. While I was doing this I noticed a definite 'ridge' along the front of the panel. I initially thought this might be a lap weld - maybe part of some dodgy repair!? I decided to investigate! I swapped the disc on the angle grinder to a cleaning fleece and ran it along the ridge. To my relief, all I could smell was hot filler! The relief was short lived though because I decided to follow the filler up the panel and as I was getting closer to the nose it was getting thicker - much thicker! To be fair, it could have been so much worse - I think I was pretty lucky to uncover a fairly minor dent.<br /><br />Dents are really difficult to get a handle on so, in order to see the full extent of the damage, I sprayed the panel with some blue paint and sanded it with wet and dry on a cork block. The remaining blue paint shows up the dent!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKX4TkVc-3u4hGS0jYfYKLugnVILLMHccfcfQM5mnrn-Q5TX2h5vVHrzAbtmiVLJJnet3_kNrm84m5zOX5ecZIymYjPoFCRI18xktXlIQpyt-QVwQh0pWCmKtsLgJR_Iyd0hYk/s1600/IMAG0080.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKX4TkVc-3u4hGS0jYfYKLugnVILLMHccfcfQM5mnrn-Q5TX2h5vVHrzAbtmiVLJJnet3_kNrm84m5zOX5ecZIymYjPoFCRI18xktXlIQpyt-QVwQh0pWCmKtsLgJR_Iyd0hYk/s400/IMAG0080.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580652277294928882" border="0" /></a><br />There's nothing really wrong with using filler for something like this but, with easy access to the back of the panel, it'd be a shame not to have a go at knocking it out! Obviously, with no panel beating experience whatsoever, this was not going to be easy. But if you can't learn something from watching a few Youtube videos, buying a 7 piece panel beating set from Machine Mart and practicing on a few old panels is not worth learning - right!? It took about an hour of hammering and dollying but I think the result is worth it!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPR6G6IEAS4JUsUCawOIwtXB4HEEy9p6xuA1oV4GSf6xjsoLYI3_vROSg4tKJNiSvjF38PCHX9ntzBS0gJIxYpmBgihdsbwAwOsniDHdmKlg6PkT2CsS9ZPKbRRxYGixqEvVuK/s1600/IMAG0084.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPR6G6IEAS4JUsUCawOIwtXB4HEEy9p6xuA1oV4GSf6xjsoLYI3_vROSg4tKJNiSvjF38PCHX9ntzBS0gJIxYpmBgihdsbwAwOsniDHdmKlg6PkT2CsS9ZPKbRRxYGixqEvVuK/s400/IMAG0084.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580652276606608338" border="0" /></a>William Columbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02187558391596397366noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8610167.post-89375836327549662872011-01-30T17:15:00.002+00:002011-01-30T18:10:39.284+00:00Bonnet WeldingI've spent the last month or so practicing my welding whilst continuing to strip down the bonnet. I'm quite enjoying learning to weld. I'm getting good results and it seems to be quite straightforward. If I'm honest, I think I'm being flattered by my equipment!<br /><br />I stripped off the mangled remains of the panels behind the headlights and ground the remains off the bonnet strengthener panel. I was planning to reuse the strengthener panel but it was too far gone to reuse so I ended up drilling it out as well.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilVuDdsy2W5gQ85nBk4u1wI6Iv3sQ0wGcsALj_REHAzBG3oCiJV0OiIFQLyToUxt07Wu42Aj4iPvPTfwwtS0tVPPMmBlbnHmwyCcH_7mVSVnUSUh7UWAcFUcDuBJzOCcpLq3mS/s1600/Spitfire+Restoration+018.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilVuDdsy2W5gQ85nBk4u1wI6Iv3sQ0wGcsALj_REHAzBG3oCiJV0OiIFQLyToUxt07Wu42Aj4iPvPTfwwtS0tVPPMmBlbnHmwyCcH_7mVSVnUSUh7UWAcFUcDuBJzOCcpLq3mS/s400/Spitfire+Restoration+018.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568029835964858498" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1RZwZP0VSmB79Ao8R4d_B4JD74M5bM6fQqt7Y3F6THRs622tL6Gq87U6l9Q88HhlmznC_lYMvHwMaPvKs7xTCokG2oJYulXcjpMuqtf-ThAyzyPBL6LBH9Yr2rCuVGkhQs77B/s1600/Spitfire+Restoration+019.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1RZwZP0VSmB79Ao8R4d_B4JD74M5bM6fQqt7Y3F6THRs622tL6Gq87U6l9Q88HhlmznC_lYMvHwMaPvKs7xTCokG2oJYulXcjpMuqtf-ThAyzyPBL6LBH9Yr2rCuVGkhQs77B/s400/Spitfire+Restoration+019.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568029830764545170" border="0" /></a>Like a lot of Spitfire bonnets, mine had the 'classic' cracks around the bonnet corners. These are caused by the bonnet flexing when the bonnet is opened from one side. On mine, the lack of metal around the headlights had actually caused the alloy headlamp cowls to crack as well!<br /><br />Replacing the alloy headlamp cowls is straightforward enough. I actually bought a drivers side cowl on eBay for 99p. The listing ended on Christmas day and nobody else bid!<br /><br />The bonnet welding was a bit trickier. I started by practicing my butt welding technique on one of the old wheelarch panels.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaRIqHiKThp4W18j4sHGbZSXbS9bfgsA-hLXdF69SjcnBPBPyh2AevO4ZpngVxhx2JtePPHjuva3qOMmuTddOBbLcpJn03y_pr2DNPT7LM8k6dw9SqpEW1-eoG-r3orlIzi4x5/s1600/Spitfire+Restoration+021.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaRIqHiKThp4W18j4sHGbZSXbS9bfgsA-hLXdF69SjcnBPBPyh2AevO4ZpngVxhx2JtePPHjuva3qOMmuTddOBbLcpJn03y_pr2DNPT7LM8k6dw9SqpEW1-eoG-r3orlIzi4x5/s400/Spitfire+Restoration+021.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568029818170575042" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ydt3U4b8up658SJSSEmpiztsW0-42uPmomRNAfETLnainF6LHi5sFLvgqRsZtZ4YihYl6DMYTHN6tkrPl9Twd-y2Run4jRgHzz5kdNgRi9eqfF2xCf5FvfkJ5lu29991Oz4y/s1600/Spitfire+Restoration+020.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ydt3U4b8up658SJSSEmpiztsW0-42uPmomRNAfETLnainF6LHi5sFLvgqRsZtZ4YihYl6DMYTHN6tkrPl9Twd-y2Run4jRgHzz5kdNgRi9eqfF2xCf5FvfkJ5lu29991Oz4y/s400/Spitfire+Restoration+020.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568029820940704162" border="0" /></a><br />That went ok, so I started on the bonnet cracks. The metal is thin here so I took it slow and set the welder on the lowest power setting. It's important not to distort the panel when welding stuff like this so I used short bursts of welding and a thicker piece of metal behind to stop the panel getting too hot. I'm pleased to say it worked a treat and, after grinding it back, you can't even see the welds.<br /><br />I also bought myself a new toy this month! Machine Mart sent me an invite to a VAT free day and I used the opportunity to snap up a pillar drill. It's not the most top quality tool in the world but, for £50, I can't complain!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3VCdwR9Ihts5IqKvxJjD5SiImrmA9a90k4yrJXHuBtevEycmNMlzJ31rhDQki3t7g4GdGSin4g8gT9zXKKYaetBsUpHTx0gGFSn9B5OJu2M1TyidY-3qA9dAT_DnsrFF3r_s/s1600/Spitfire+Restoration+017.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3VCdwR9Ihts5IqKvxJjD5SiImrmA9a90k4yrJXHuBtevEycmNMlzJ31rhDQki3t7g4GdGSin4g8gT9zXKKYaetBsUpHTx0gGFSn9B5OJu2M1TyidY-3qA9dAT_DnsrFF3r_s/s400/Spitfire+Restoration+017.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568029838022152162" border="0" /></a>William Columbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02187558391596397366noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8610167.post-89472389439917765482010-12-30T17:44:00.007+00:002011-05-05T22:17:19.537+00:00Safety First!I've been thinking a bit about workshop safety recently. It all started about the time I bought my new welder. As I hinted in a previous post, I thought it was about time I started learning to MIG weld, so I treated myself to a Clarke 160TM from the Weldequip shop at www.mig-welding.co.uk.<br /><br />Obviously, being new to MIG welding, I had to invest in the appropriate safety gear. There's a really good forum attached to the Mig welding website and virtually everyone on it recommended the auto dimming type of mask. I picked up a 'SIF Lite' mask off eBay for a very reasonable £45. This dims automatically when you look at bright light and should be just the job! In terms of clothing, I picked up a 'Silverline' apron (£6.89) on eBay and a pair of ESAB MIG gauntlets (£7.85) from the Weldequip shop.<br /><br />My shopping list would have stopped there - but one of the guys on the Sideways Forum mentioned the importance of having a fire extinguisher. This got me thinking! Obviously, I've always had a workshop fire extinguisher but had I ever really looked at it properly? tested it? did I even know how to use it!? I took a good look at it and a few things began to worry me. Firstly, I couldn't even begin to guess at how old it was! It actually had the MOD 'arrow' mark on it which means it was most likely obtained by my dad when he still lived in London. That would've been in the '70's! Secondly, it didn't have a pressure gauge so I couldn't tell how full it was. Obviously this was no good, so with the knowledge that I'd be replacing it anyway, I decided to see if it worked. Worryingly, but not unsuprisingly, it didn't work at all.<br /><br />So, with a decent CO2 fire extinguisher on the shopping list, my thoughts turned to my other workshop safety gear. I've actually been pretty good with safety gear in so much as I've got it and I use it, but was the stuff I had any good?<br /><br />In terms of eye protection, I've always used a pair of safety glasses for general work and a pair of goggles for grinding. The glasses came free with a garden strimmer about 15 years ago and the goggles were part of a £5 'safety kit' that I got when I hired a floor sander from HSS! Both would probably have worked but neither had any kind of safety markings (CE mark etc) and the goggles were horrifically uncomfortable so both went on my shopping list. Amazingly, protective eyewear is really cheap, so there was no excuse for me not to get some! I picked up a pair of Bolle 'Spider' glasses (good for impacts up to 45m/s and CE marked) for £5.45 (eBay) and a pair of Bolle 'Blast' goggles (120m/s impact protection and CE marked) for £5.99 (also from eBay).<br /><br />For ear protection, I've always just used cheap disposable foam earplugs. Now I'm doing grinding on an almost industrial scale, I thought it was about time I got something a bit better, so I invested in a pair of Peltor 'Optime 1' ear defenders. These are good for general workshop use and cost just £8 from eBay. I have actually used the military spec versions of these whilst shooting in the past so I can vouch for their effectiveness!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip0v9K8QyS_7hH_4Febmr6_wPZGSPyPJ4cxzNbqfqkXLCuF_byjilEwTxtL_OXDeqh9Q8PDct7BCoEvJuoXiZRwhdIecUBokoNo2eCbFI9WffBoeQGB5hwI36by-QMUz1dT7cM/s1600/IMAG0045.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558411371356892242" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip0v9K8QyS_7hH_4Febmr6_wPZGSPyPJ4cxzNbqfqkXLCuF_byjilEwTxtL_OXDeqh9Q8PDct7BCoEvJuoXiZRwhdIecUBokoNo2eCbFI9WffBoeQGB5hwI36by-QMUz1dT7cM/s400/IMAG0045.jpg" /></a><br />While I was in the mood I also picked up some more gloves. OMP do a good pair of general rubberised workshop gloves for £2 (eBay) so I had a couple of pairs of those to go with the fibreglass pair I already had.<br /><br />So there we go, safety equipment might not be the most exciting or fun thing in the world, but it's good to know that for less than £25, you can get good quality, stylish and up to date eye, ear and hand protection. Done!William Columbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02187558391596397366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8610167.post-327145211926300522010-11-28T17:57:00.006+00:002010-11-28T19:30:46.888+00:00Bonnet Rot!I've decided I'm going to start by sorting the bonnet out before I go on to do the rest of the car. The main reason for this is because I want to do things in manageable chunks so I don't get bogged down and I think the bonnet is a good place to start!<br /><br />Having stripped off the lights last week, the next stage was to remove the bonnet catches. This was trickier than I'd imagined because of corrosion and in the end I had to get the Dremel out and grind the screws off. I made a mental note to use stainless fasteners here when I'm refitting them! I then set about removing the bonnet at the hinge boxes. I used thick cardboard between the quarter valances and the bonnet to stop it dropping down and hitting the radiator cap and carefully undid the bolts. With the help of an assistant (my mum!) I lifted the bonnet clear and stood it up on its back edge.<br /><br />With the bonnet like this I could get a good look at it. To be honest, it was a pretty sorry sight! I had a good poke around and managed to make some pretty big holes with a screwdriver. There was also filler, glassfibre and copious quantities of extra steel sheet welded in! It was time to start sorting all this out!<br /><br />I thought I'd start with the ropey wheelarches so I cleaned up the edge of the drivers side wheelarch using a 'Dronco' cleaning fleece, with the intention of finding the spotwelds and drilling them out to release the wing. Imagine my surprise then to find - no spotwelds! It seems at some stage, someone had badly seam welded them in! I really needed the arch out of the way so I could get at the wing spotwelds so there wasn't really an alternative other than to just cut through the outer arches. I used a Clarke 1mm 'plasma cut' cutting disc on an angle grinder to slice through it and aviation snips to cut back the edge.<br /><br />While I had the snips out I removed a previous owners modification - a piece of plain sheet steel welded under each of the headlight strengthener panels. Guess what I found underneath? If you guessed rust - you're right!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYzUDkfLMR-BC0wG-hQ-WeIVYbvubPzc6mw3uEkxiJz-EGwJP_AnYMu0_7iORJtogTJeeP1H-wl9-MeZeJxb82WbHMH4bzfjdx-nf3NSliw6DdMf_MfeUz6ycoH2U9mmj-nj6K/s1600/200909+229.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYzUDkfLMR-BC0wG-hQ-WeIVYbvubPzc6mw3uEkxiJz-EGwJP_AnYMu0_7iORJtogTJeeP1H-wl9-MeZeJxb82WbHMH4bzfjdx-nf3NSliw6DdMf_MfeUz6ycoH2U9mmj-nj6K/s400/200909+229.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544672354289022066" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcZamu4VQ-ZctzIyAjQ5W9VmSk1lf3s4yNt9ZZm6dgvbojm1JTtH_uYHXtdXUDHrhPAdFXQ1j6foBFu34jQt3EMnseTuLKWjyarkQYClhOBmPuYvBJVHOb_lhI7jxcKduCJ1rB/s1600/200909+231.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcZamu4VQ-ZctzIyAjQ5W9VmSk1lf3s4yNt9ZZm6dgvbojm1JTtH_uYHXtdXUDHrhPAdFXQ1j6foBFu34jQt3EMnseTuLKWjyarkQYClhOBmPuYvBJVHOb_lhI7jxcKduCJ1rB/s400/200909+231.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544682844095039154" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZQQthtmx8U7c0r5BaarmWLzXeQ8ktJt_y9UZq1uaAZ6wzeVboVkSV5fkr3CEWgekD7vxBHNi9HCqG-gcuHWdnA1cjBpk_ryTUV51BkTJEEfDfL-97OxK7JoOUOoOBEwRNDJ-/s1600/200909+235.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZQQthtmx8U7c0r5BaarmWLzXeQ8ktJt_y9UZq1uaAZ6wzeVboVkSV5fkr3CEWgekD7vxBHNi9HCqG-gcuHWdnA1cjBpk_ryTUV51BkTJEEfDfL-97OxK7JoOUOoOBEwRNDJ-/s400/200909+235.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544671945585768434" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9NhyoOSG6OSxfmB_Iv9_PqbMT68gxntyL6H2zZkYUbA8uidGBUhUncYb08gSyf2CzYeFvhxzljq7WR6nlEfYldrOlMArMsJ0LcG7sopqUNrRLbV45ZSqOoJthSirjhK8PeH9e/s1600/200909+232.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9NhyoOSG6OSxfmB_Iv9_PqbMT68gxntyL6H2zZkYUbA8uidGBUhUncYb08gSyf2CzYeFvhxzljq7WR6nlEfYldrOlMArMsJ0LcG7sopqUNrRLbV45ZSqOoJthSirjhK8PeH9e/s400/200909+232.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544671957078888162" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB23dxuW17q2nUvkwwlB7aEukXvUKITjQCxqZWmYbfrl6LI-zsZMzYof5EKR1kBoL6x-_y02obRgQWwc7f1Rb6RaOgl_BUlewgjb-ap3bnya6NBQg1SHJxGdDBbIFahwKoooVV/s1600/200909+233.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB23dxuW17q2nUvkwwlB7aEukXvUKITjQCxqZWmYbfrl6LI-zsZMzYof5EKR1kBoL6x-_y02obRgQWwc7f1Rb6RaOgl_BUlewgjb-ap3bnya6NBQg1SHJxGdDBbIFahwKoooVV/s400/200909+233.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544671954420232802" border="0" /></a><br />With those cut out, my next job was to remove the passenger side wheelarch. I had hoped to reuse the inner arch panel on this side but when I pulled it away from the bonnet support tube bracket, I realised the metal I was looking at was on the bracket and the panel had a hole in it! The outer on this side was particularly bad - there were three layers in some places and very crusty! The cutting disc made hard work of this and I was forced to split the various layers with a chisel and then cut them out!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic8egAdzhW5Yzk4UOy6IM6mk0sSCDqveL3eMRIjmlJs-9UTdQOzC_fh2LaT7wVVb5EsqIqbha8HBmnkEHw_l1FBiuKoJow3MaZYxg506yNg-Mv6BRGCJKiSrxvOpsK6-1ZS_9n/s1600/200909+239.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic8egAdzhW5Yzk4UOy6IM6mk0sSCDqveL3eMRIjmlJs-9UTdQOzC_fh2LaT7wVVb5EsqIqbha8HBmnkEHw_l1FBiuKoJow3MaZYxg506yNg-Mv6BRGCJKiSrxvOpsK6-1ZS_9n/s400/200909+239.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544671925081148818" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5BsrN_p2dYjfl3wLakiMysctEpjPVDskFCoKeV2SU1U2G2e5sRrL3DJtg62f3mQ-M7SQiOXFaVb_kIi_Er1wr9cayzUvgvsj2l9XxtsjtreXkmQcErm1FITSgnMT5Dt3MVYI8/s1600/200909+237.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5BsrN_p2dYjfl3wLakiMysctEpjPVDskFCoKeV2SU1U2G2e5sRrL3DJtg62f3mQ-M7SQiOXFaVb_kIi_Er1wr9cayzUvgvsj2l9XxtsjtreXkmQcErm1FITSgnMT5Dt3MVYI8/s400/200909+237.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544671940944931954" border="0" /></a><br />I had hoped to reuse a wing and one of the inner arch panels but on closer inspection it looks like I'll be fitting two new wings, inner and outer wheel arch panels on both sides and two new headlight stiffener panels. Basically, that's all the panels other than the main bonnet panel and the strengthener panel in the nose!William Columbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02187558391596397366noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8610167.post-935624540643646102010-11-15T22:30:00.006+00:002011-05-05T22:11:50.338+00:00Big Decisions!Over the last few months I've come to the inescapable conclusion that the time has come to properly restore my car! The last 7 years have taught me a lot about Triumph Spitfires - how they work, why they don't and, above all, the importance of top quality workmanship! Whenever I've had a job to do I've always tried to do it to the best of my abilities regardless of the time taken or, at times, the financial cost! The results of my labour is a car that is pretty much mechanically sorted. The bodywork however, is another kettle of fish. I've had a few patches welded on the floorpan in the past and needed a few more before the RBRR. This got me thinking - if I don't restore it soon it might deteriorate to the point where it's not worth doing.<br /><br />I think that you basically seem to need a combination of four things to restore a car. Those four things are time, money, skills and space! When it comes to money and time, like everyone, I could do with more of both but I hope to keep the costs down by doing a lot of work myself. I also have the advantage that all the mechanical stuff is done already so I won't have the costs of that to factor in. In terms of skills, I'm going to need to learn how to MIG weld and I'm also going to have to get better at bodywork. There is really no getting away from that, those are essential! I've made a fairly serious investment along those lines but I'll discuss that another time!<br /><br />In terms of space, I've really lucked out! My grandparents house is only a mile from my house and has a sizable double garage with a workshop at the back. It's full of junk but should be just fine once I've cleared it out. It has a special significance for me as well as I have many happy memories of the projects my grandad and I built in there before his death last year. Back in the 60's it was also used to build an Austin 7 special so I'm hoping it will bode well for my car! Here are a few pictures of my car settling in...<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539916875911662962" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1jSkd1X74s_A7mQjDYid2NRMAnVyu7a3Dx4PlJmWJT8j3QVFrGsiTYe609DgIrI8AFv_Q-67-Q5SIZHPKo7GXYIgi6vYgkSb4bch-H4iRXTfLgPfnyloLh65MDY1PVm6l8bY2/s400/IMAG0029.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539916866901745634" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtIznPGni1JsHimUAAnD890PsE4b1CDul7SKriA0J1-p5xMRgHQ85SSjWosnXXxCS3hr3hz-XJmCmM86fZ_guOmtHSyf_53gqZPUiJIezX0dUM8WlaBY7dfll23q7db93s0nar/s400/IMAG0030.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539916861993417346" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjErKPjp7xrlr8SvXyHOEaBmS1_o3SAKKeJn4WLjWnG_P5bTusklacDRj29HdZ4VIKD8rfVjfPzamCYjj0SUA05kyaIsSUCfySL7zxKYCgiAoPvoJe3ttMt7ebY23g8HTebAte/s400/IMAG0032.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539916858014725938" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLBi-ZArCzwH7BK5t2tK_Rk5uilzh3vSA9m1f8vE70F1n4gI35f9JF1Gy-lz3d7zL7kppCPlHnQriLvw9ijW2uoIZQeLKJ9jHjBYG1FGfGXFrG-mLheC5ryinq6HiUdoLbuslS/s400/IMAG0033.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539916849964120674" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSnhysrCTlm-saNXunSsh9HLy7odt-_BgN2B9OboTQtllENKe_-eREGdzvmB0fduWV0XgbrxuQrvQwyTeIudsVWFQhc69nEViyPvRc5QFN_mVT5JZsYcB66qgIZZ88JcrsgTcS/s400/IMAG0034.jpg" /><br />I've just started stripping it down. The front bumper, lights, spoiler, overiders and number plates are all removed and boxed up in my workshop. It begins...William Columbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02187558391596397366noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8610167.post-78475505584376643182010-10-17T11:40:00.014+00:002010-10-17T12:13:29.646+00:00The Round Britain Reliability Run!Better late than never! Here are some of my photos from the RBRR... <div><br /><div></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528984960336388866" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi27gfjH3_vdYOKhgwhkwY9rcsYJ4nfSm6tD3WRDKD7mi2dCWwAvoam7sOJCLPNRU1v_-iBI-7cDZAbN027WzaW4DxBV61o4vUwxJZpkejpK6JUJUzyDGE2HMP5MNdcG8b2vsR8/s400/DSC00067.jpg" /><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528984712330390354" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDbqgGaE8fo-RrsONQfkfAC0QhLRny4gKwKJ64PQ2M0zuWDBVDESSgK05DPwekBed_JcB1JmXRuxkUoO41KqaGvR3Fv97qtDVb3Efy5brxM7van8qOwmkxx6qCOQMxFejFOE23/s400/DSC00066.jpg" /> <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528985097324673506" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje71jVSzYOUccivqt2aBrWcY9U1xMPG9trFQGzKXjh4ox6LFBJEwppOVk2NCS2Bk_aHp8IEmqmNhX9-yY1A8QQuFtFGnr5YXQ3vwI1A6DXy8RujptwvG_PckBkDjgcqtYb7KYe/s400/DSC00068.jpg" /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbimIuTcBD2qlEtg6C5wKIK1pQE1rnLdz5QENevaSLX5lh1qKiDN1IWd018lNTufXBtLWJLnJa5P_0Ecqo0pLpe__06M3CsuHSE_9XcUnokvIQgehwqDNrs0-G5FyNmwEKUEUS/s1600/DSCF0867_2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; 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MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528979655905737778" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0zfrEtQWtB22vF61elLCwerVQ2xM8ye7th7xBlBvT6wc46zCAoZPqFD1WCYGeQl9TFoZBzTAFx4x_-dy0ulV5qLaJ55v09iCxeib4lqASm42NKMHMUDv-EP7DzjTweDdSuiNK/s400/DSCF0904_2.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNjjPK0BtJ6TxFKzv_8IS5MKkrz0A4d4YgwpziS3CMCUaBbKJWnc93RGvkMVfy_dGiF02-7FJBOQkWkKuzo7cPBa498fMI9KhxKVt1xqtgy3XSUdrFj6tZTNOKNnANYkr0VLuW/s1600/DSCF0905_2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528979655098374914" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNjjPK0BtJ6TxFKzv_8IS5MKkrz0A4d4YgwpziS3CMCUaBbKJWnc93RGvkMVfy_dGiF02-7FJBOQkWkKuzo7cPBa498fMI9KhxKVt1xqtgy3XSUdrFj6tZTNOKNnANYkr0VLuW/s400/DSCF0905_2.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhho1dJVT12vjf3gbU4wQBi8KIv7JngVOR-SHxeS6gNN-TI1ulat_T4dFOPmQbOmUbpR4pERgz1-Ovrijkset0tTfz3_nozlOip2z2Ito0-zsR16UNDPClPJOgmdVxTi-pvj30p/s1600/DSCF0906_2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528979648928193714" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhho1dJVT12vjf3gbU4wQBi8KIv7JngVOR-SHxeS6gNN-TI1ulat_T4dFOPmQbOmUbpR4pERgz1-Ovrijkset0tTfz3_nozlOip2z2Ito0-zsR16UNDPClPJOgmdVxTi-pvj30p/s400/DSCF0906_2.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXBSRSAOSPYNgr6tHwC2wM1_tnWjLwCB_PDUYiPG6ZugYUetMHgqLcoUDU7pS-GAbVL4Krq0dw5fsZyW6UHUzPQcZZY2vG06c-IN7NCXDYA0BTGMmYiIUlcqEGmaSAOEsp0ph8/s1600/DSCF0907_2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528979188056340658" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXBSRSAOSPYNgr6tHwC2wM1_tnWjLwCB_PDUYiPG6ZugYUetMHgqLcoUDU7pS-GAbVL4Krq0dw5fsZyW6UHUzPQcZZY2vG06c-IN7NCXDYA0BTGMmYiIUlcqEGmaSAOEsp0ph8/s400/DSCF0907_2.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsl6LbjwUGulsq1GJ3tE3Ko97aPqO0k-AICamqYBDsGxNtc9A441IebwbmiuhrDjy23zXa3oRpDojJ2j416A9aEUhXIilWvDGADHNrmm0_o0gyJcEt9QykTFCARv5sB1mGGksa/s1600/DSCF0908_2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528979188444650818" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsl6LbjwUGulsq1GJ3tE3Ko97aPqO0k-AICamqYBDsGxNtc9A441IebwbmiuhrDjy23zXa3oRpDojJ2j416A9aEUhXIilWvDGADHNrmm0_o0gyJcEt9QykTFCARv5sB1mGGksa/s400/DSCF0908_2.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTuQc5Zv5b5BXaZtHZH_10tK-XAwAh_U4PLIQnQi8i85rDr3nsoVroSECd26oht6_Bs1wA3d0v68AZOYXx4FEQzYBq-sMomEPj22RroWB1sO2Ec8zfMve8vJwW1yiR8dH-ABMJ/s1600/DSCF0909_2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528979187330987442" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTuQc5Zv5b5BXaZtHZH_10tK-XAwAh_U4PLIQnQi8i85rDr3nsoVroSECd26oht6_Bs1wA3d0v68AZOYXx4FEQzYBq-sMomEPj22RroWB1sO2Ec8zfMve8vJwW1yiR8dH-ABMJ/s400/DSCF0909_2.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGEvkF6CkocE7A7DFkAPwipqD-RfybDCdS8PSnUe_VqAZ-Cln35gvCPQPFkOE3bGudHyr0ce5l1s7DgIC-6DjeZMnPR8O3m9u4LaxlVJ8CkAXJQJLY_aZyvKZxbOVxU7L4Nfgh/s1600/DSCF0910_2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528979179511832114" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGEvkF6CkocE7A7DFkAPwipqD-RfybDCdS8PSnUe_VqAZ-Cln35gvCPQPFkOE3bGudHyr0ce5l1s7DgIC-6DjeZMnPR8O3m9u4LaxlVJ8CkAXJQJLY_aZyvKZxbOVxU7L4Nfgh/s400/DSCF0910_2.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghmYJ7JqUNcgdd-ifZoF-TUKlf7XT-D0DSTmzmZ0Bx4C4m6LzCGlJCv7rGjSsIo5DuqrbfpColsfnniTLycTNb7zVmLyzB8iEvc-zTMlfPZ-1aWAaK4Y_QZjI0dZE1tIwc9rKF/s1600/DSCF0912_2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528979180821377762" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghmYJ7JqUNcgdd-ifZoF-TUKlf7XT-D0DSTmzmZ0Bx4C4m6LzCGlJCv7rGjSsIo5DuqrbfpColsfnniTLycTNb7zVmLyzB8iEvc-zTMlfPZ-1aWAaK4Y_QZjI0dZE1tIwc9rKF/s400/DSCF0912_2.jpg" /></a> </div><div>And that's it really! The car was flawless all the way around and we didn't have anything to do other than just drive. It was great fun and if you're thinking of doing it then go for it! It really is the ultimate test of man and machine!</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>William Columbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02187558391596397366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8610167.post-62610515754939623742010-09-18T19:22:00.012+00:002010-10-06T22:03:09.586+00:00Headlight RelaysI wrote this blog entry a month or so ago but I was so busy preparing for the Round Britain Reliability Run I never got a chance to post it. So, finally, here it is...<br /><br />I've had a couple of problems in the past few days with the dip / flash stalk on the steering column. My uprated Halogen headlamps seem to have been putting much more strain on the switchgear than the old sealed beam units. Last year I had to take the stalk off and repair it because the full beam terminal seemed to have heated up and melted into the nylon body of the stalk causing it to smoke and spark quite dramatically! After it failed again on the same dark country road as before I decided it was probably time to fit some headlight relays!<br /><br />I'm not the greatest electrical engineer in the world so I decided to do my research first. After a bit of searching I found an excellent thread on the Club Triumph forum. Once I understood what I was doing I made up a circuit diagram.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 273px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518361156307826610" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOzHeh2IVU62SfPr11apE9xCjBgU4GLnEBytFIvL5P1hR4E5as6RoLEX5pOcNnfdeyhJXBOh0rgJ2XbJ-qs_pHdMxodQ5r432g07g7QDLaqQ88IOVn4sobMXDDoCjhJQPswtlb/s400/wiring+relay+diagram.bmp" />Basically, instead of going direct to the lights the wires from the switchgear go to a relay instead. When the light switch is pressed the relay circuit activates the secondary circuit which connects the lights directly to the battery. So that's the theory! You also need to do a bit of maths to make sure the cable can support the current it needs to be carrying. All you really need to know is Power = Current x Voltage. Most headlamp bulbs are 55/60 Watt so the current will be around 5 amps. Because there are 2 headlamps we need cable and relays that can take at least 10 amps. I decided to go a bit bigger on the battery supply cable to give me more capacity for upgrades in the future. The relays required are the common as muck 30A type.<br /><br />I first thought about where I was going to mount the relays themselves. It's easiest if they're up front with the rest of the wiring for the lights. On the CT forum, James mentioned that he'd seen the relays P clipped to the bonnet tubes. Initially I thought this would be a great idea but when I looked into it a bit more I discounted it on the grounds that the cables would eventually get weakened by the movement of repeatedly opening the bonnet. I decided on a custon bracket bolted behind the quater valance. I made this up out of 3mm alloy and test fitted it. Perfect! Now to start the wiring...<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518371184285331426" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4wNhtBOsqhLByddRJyqr1vDlz0ZRcJHOtuutcNg5AuaNV2dl0ThDR-EGq8q7Ze2EH5mZP1xYiUqZRMzr_ENUSH6CwNuLZZM1i7NnUj4rhIhJ4wL6Rjbcd2xxpq1ZpJoN50lT/s400/200909+204.jpg" /><br /><br />I started by fitting the brown relay supply cable. This attaches to the battery positive terminal with a ring terminal and goes straight to an inline fuse holder before joining the rest of the loom running to the front of the car.<br /><br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518371203319731698" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ7AbEDhXy_IYQ6MPR3pW3-2y9r25zqhJ1lYagz9COTCsnVoFQ9qmOtenCZlE0pRP6YubNR9bgYBv_Kka3LXFtmvuGJFAwMUeYZyZWxX8pg7bkg63LnSj1keB7OyzhsdZ7cJkr/s400/200909+205.jpg" /><br /><br /><br />At the front of the car I crimped it into a butt connector along with another two short lenghts to supply both of the relays. The brown wire attaches to the '30' terminal on the relay. On the picture below you can see a left over length of the brown wire is being used to temporarily hold the relays in place!<br /><br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518371196507002034" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGW4CIVT54WZapcAPQDSoS1v4i8xnBiFtiL3gDs864zY6tFt6EgfHOQKsBA3Z7vsP7aDXU5GfThn3TnOCRpZuZLfKSIJVbEA2uNLKQl1ImB-t71i0YF1ZAFvVelCZYQVaiDkRF/s400/200909+206.jpg" /><br /><br />You can then start attaching the other wires. The low and high beam cables can be found by tracing the cabling from the headlamps to the connectors in the centre of the bonnet. There should be a number of 4-way connectors, each with 3 wires connected to it. The low beam is the blue wire with a pink trace. Remove the supply wire from the connector (the others go to the headlamps), shorten it, crimp a terminal and attach it to the relay. Now you just need to repeat that with the high beam wire (blue with white trace) and connect it to the other relay.<br /><br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518371192956529586" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFT1jlWXlPYRpREANNPADogqmlW6PFjreUbOFH8aCtp5l-6aMXWM18_KGhW2zkZI6ceQ-4jHuuRconrW2fKvZ36RoXCidri8pYcLLHfbgAeRk8broKSjYfsiLeECZxRkujKlj_/s400/200909+207.jpg" /><br />All you then need to do is connect up both the '87' terminals on each relay to the connectors by the headlamps. There we go - all done!William Columbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02187558391596397366noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8610167.post-74231927747812001302010-09-01T20:14:00.004+00:002010-09-01T22:12:08.578+00:00Electronic IgnitionI've been meaning to change to electronic ignition for ages. I was hoping to go straight to Megajolt but with the RBRR coming up fast I decided it was time to get something sorted! I've heard good things about the kits sold by 'SimonBBC' so I got one of eBay. BBC stands for 'Best British Classics' in case you're wondering and they have a website (http://www.simonbbc.com) as well as selling on eBay.<br /><br />The kit contains a red module to put in the distributor, special rotor arm, a magnetic 'collar', grease, cable tie and various other bits. The fitting goes a little like this...<br /><br />Firstly, you need to whip off the distributor cap to expose its innards. You no longer need the condenser or the points so they can both be removed by removing the two screws. You need to reuse the screws so keep them safe! There is also a braid connecting the baseplate to the distributor body. It doesn't say anything in the instructions about it but I removed it and it worked so I guess it either needs to be removed or makes no difference!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEWGU0Rt9_BlHvt2R8azomMKuDaPMKWQYu5wPO5ZX086seS7aq-3sDEGNd5vcI6TnmCFlP7aDqzL1jXjqEhYfjttQjLkID5hi7HPDmj-97JdcsfXdVZ5_nDzuxKEy7rJmrRuJl/s1600/200909+197.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512045750495879714" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEWGU0Rt9_BlHvt2R8azomMKuDaPMKWQYu5wPO5ZX086seS7aq-3sDEGNd5vcI6TnmCFlP7aDqzL1jXjqEhYfjttQjLkID5hi7HPDmj-97JdcsfXdVZ5_nDzuxKEy7rJmrRuJl/s400/200909+197.jpg" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYTzdQFesZDA8bEXTMwPZ_kYiHbxExMd99OLDCcUYWHm2qn7kDV4J06A0dgT7yIamRcYqy8LNfjRstQ6FizBzImqsV23dFS9CdjNr8kh6snCAsOJIAk5GsTpak6CAIgY6fHvjb/s1600/200909+199.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512045767910050082" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYTzdQFesZDA8bEXTMwPZ_kYiHbxExMd99OLDCcUYWHm2qn7kDV4J06A0dgT7yIamRcYqy8LNfjRstQ6FizBzImqsV23dFS9CdjNr8kh6snCAsOJIAk5GsTpak6CAIgY6fHvjb/s400/200909+199.jpg" /></a><br />Once you've stripped the guts out you can install the ignition module. This needs to have the base coated in silicon grease before fitting. I think the reasoning behind this is to dissipate heat into the baseplate and prevent overheating. The module has a circle cut out of the bottom that matches up with a lump on the baseplate so the module 'locates' very easily. The instructions tell you to put the screws in loosely so you can adjust the proximity of the module to the collar on the distributor shaft. I actually found that with the locating bump and the two screws there wasn't really any potential for moving it and just did up the screws.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidML_YjkcG711Y39zg6ItEKYtFAUbIMPGIP7ndW7wSfSXEQ_9Zzqr6YMEUV9n2NuZTOTtGTWGL4FdEzLX8Y5BZkBPuzE3jzpPj3ehuXgGnhxc-4Q9oHU645RybNDCjOa56YmaM/s1600/200909+200.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512045774196451698" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidML_YjkcG711Y39zg6ItEKYtFAUbIMPGIP7ndW7wSfSXEQ_9Zzqr6YMEUV9n2NuZTOTtGTWGL4FdEzLX8Y5BZkBPuzE3jzpPj3ehuXgGnhxc-4Q9oHU645RybNDCjOa56YmaM/s400/200909+200.jpg" /></a><br />Now you need to fit the rotor arm and collar. The kit gives you a couple of different ways of doing this. Firstly, you can use the supplied rotor arm which comes with a collar built into the bottom to activate the ignition module or, secondly, you can fit a separate collar and use your own rotor arm. I'd just bought a new top quality 'red' rotor arm so I went with the latter option.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS997P23nCTcwTKfyNHnbKzKxp6NIMPBVotl7yNULHLS_ORE_KjCttGBrKO013ujLgJFJ93A4Y_BfiZ43baRGrly8S0bTgvTJiBRJXjrqSTwoySVECGXN8b8TmZnjuQjCI41Pq/s1600/200909+202.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512045785510260242" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS997P23nCTcwTKfyNHnbKzKxp6NIMPBVotl7yNULHLS_ORE_KjCttGBrKO013ujLgJFJ93A4Y_BfiZ43baRGrly8S0bTgvTJiBRJXjrqSTwoySVECGXN8b8TmZnjuQjCI41Pq/s400/200909+202.jpg" /></a><br />Then all you need to do it pass the wires out through the distributor body and connect the red one to the plus side of the coil and the black one to the negative. It's really important to leave enough free cable inside the distributor to allow the plate to advance and retard. I checked mine by sucking on the vacuum pipe! The cables in the kit were a little strange. One was too long and the other too short! I sorted this with a little spare cable and a few crimp connectors.<br /><br />I then threw it all back together and reconnected the battery. It was time for a test drive! I turned the key and the engine span over but nothing happened. Something was wrong and it wouldn't fire. I suspected my connections at first but everything seemed to be in order when I tested them with my multimeter. There isn't much in this kit that can actually go wrong so my suspicions turned towards the stuff in the diff! I fitted the rotor arm with the built in collar just to see if that made any difference and it did! The engine fired up straight away. Comparing the position of the collar on the rotor arm with it built in and where I had it with my normal rotor arm revealed the problem. Basically, I'd just pushed the collar too far down the shaft for its motion to be picked up by the ignition module. All I did was refit the normal rotor arm and pull the collar up to the bottom of it. Job done!<br /><br />I haven't driven the car since doing it but just at idle it sounds much smoother and I'm sure it's going to make a huge difference to how the engine feels. I'm really glad I did it and I can't believe I didn't do it sooner!William Columbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02187558391596397366noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8610167.post-18987000780384760262010-08-15T19:43:00.007+00:002010-08-15T21:04:00.053+00:00Wiper Issues and Power SocketAs anyone who rebuilds cars will tell you - sometimes things go well and sometimes they don't! I've had a number of things that haven't worked out recently. Firstly, the baffled sump I nearly finished had to be abandoned because it had issues with the screen touching the crank. Then there were issues with the trim I bought for the bottom of the hardtop which I managed to cock up fitting. It looked like a horrific water trap too so I ended up ripping most of it off! To top it all off, I found a puddle of water in the passenger footwell!<br /><br />It was pretty easy to find the source of the water leak. The passenger side windscreen wiper mount was loose and the rubber seal was missing, allowing the recent 'summer weather' to pour in! The wiper and nut came off pretty easily but the chromed pedestal needed a bit of leverage from a screwdriver. I made a new seal from a sheet of silicone.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTEBHGRH7LD-9Bn1vqv2NOuyjpD63asTODYE1A6OmY-CFsWBfZ_DL_FxvlLbh51HFrCBtB_jBC6ZlAdxHa1v5mCPIlpb3DwzrLI4QCmWudEUK3RX0GPtqDRFkN5r5ybnQqggDo/s1600/200909+184.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTEBHGRH7LD-9Bn1vqv2NOuyjpD63asTODYE1A6OmY-CFsWBfZ_DL_FxvlLbh51HFrCBtB_jBC6ZlAdxHa1v5mCPIlpb3DwzrLI4QCmWudEUK3RX0GPtqDRFkN5r5ybnQqggDo/s400/200909+184.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505733870877308882" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEHMeH_O-ERqxNdhUPQ_KCUNyqyvB3lA7VNIi9-S8Inq0RyU6XhzCCtdwLo-VPsQELvLj5JiPjc5YXEjWiHEz1NJPsFQIspgcvP40eY13YhZv4tmjFFJBQnQuQGh7bSPqnl5rZ/s1600/200909+183.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEHMeH_O-ERqxNdhUPQ_KCUNyqyvB3lA7VNIi9-S8Inq0RyU6XhzCCtdwLo-VPsQELvLj5JiPjc5YXEjWiHEz1NJPsFQIspgcvP40eY13YhZv4tmjFFJBQnQuQGh7bSPqnl5rZ/s400/200909+183.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505733854926229282" border="0" /></a>The old seal on the drivers side was literally dust and no use as a pattern so I drew around one of the spindles to make a pattern.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsIIbn-cuG6PIrpV1SQwelgnuVPscKunEW-W6Dm7Fjq3EKCbKEpXSGPAMSlcrWNztrynQyqEVqG_nk7YHzrjUBhFJf8o3nR5v5KtIigyB7SNwp8nAqAbp0EQWzv9_Ld0bunkhi/s1600/200909+181.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsIIbn-cuG6PIrpV1SQwelgnuVPscKunEW-W6Dm7Fjq3EKCbKEpXSGPAMSlcrWNztrynQyqEVqG_nk7YHzrjUBhFJf8o3nR5v5KtIigyB7SNwp8nAqAbp0EQWzv9_Ld0bunkhi/s400/200909+181.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505733860138100770" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn6RhxPgpnGtQJOsxz8oyIv62-CUxGDv_nFTti_aEMU9-JwpANITjuWXKbGcHMCG-DCyayxIUF_TlkCEHN1RcDXMXrFrti5LVhNMCsGjNawgHKdkfAAgHIoyNwt-1cO5lbRDE6/s1600/200909+182.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn6RhxPgpnGtQJOsxz8oyIv62-CUxGDv_nFTti_aEMU9-JwpANITjuWXKbGcHMCG-DCyayxIUF_TlkCEHN1RcDXMXrFrti5LVhNMCsGjNawgHKdkfAAgHIoyNwt-1cO5lbRDE6/s400/200909+182.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505733866452604546" border="0" /></a><br />The only hitch was refitting the passenger side nut. The reason the whole thing was loose in the first place was because someone had overtightened the nut and ruined the thread. Unfortunately the thread looked pretty unusual and, as I'd got no idea what it was, there was no option other than to buy a new wheelbox. Hopefully that'll arrive soon!<br /><br />Over the weekend I also installed a power socket. It's fitted to a metal bracket on the passenger side of the dash. I originally built the bracket for an extinguisher pull handle but never got around to fitting a plumbed in fire extinguisher! With the help of a conical drill bit set from Machine Mart I enlarged the hole enough to take a VW power socket I bought from eBay. I originally finished the bracket by polishing it but this time I sprayed it using wrinkle finish paint. Wiring was simply a case of hooking it up to a purple wire in the 'always on' circuit that I picked up from the hazards relay and earthing the other terminal. Done!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqxesmxkkMBrlZTMwEpjqAjaEVNKTQchP-urwMy2ReI73BaV5QA_FlS9VlRmhkt8BqrO7nlcK1zBy_K3VqhEnopupCmAYBmwMA11OQeNH1a5INMgwDChswAY2ikaAMt71F2Uqt/s1600/200909+178.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqxesmxkkMBrlZTMwEpjqAjaEVNKTQchP-urwMy2ReI73BaV5QA_FlS9VlRmhkt8BqrO7nlcK1zBy_K3VqhEnopupCmAYBmwMA11OQeNH1a5INMgwDChswAY2ikaAMt71F2Uqt/s400/200909+178.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505738609233927714" border="0" /></a>William Columbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02187558391596397366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8610167.post-12926588422667729752010-07-17T21:49:00.004+00:002010-07-17T22:16:15.563+00:00Progress Update!Things have really started coming together over the last few weeks. I've got the back of the engine sorted and the gearbox back in. I chucked in a lightened flywheel I bought of Martin Holmes on the Sideways forum, ARP bolts and a new clutch from Canleys. Everything went quite smoothly apart from a few minor niggles. The first problem was that the holes in the clutch cover for the flywheel dowels were ever so slightly too small and needed drilling out by half a mm. The second problem I had was that the hole in the alloy bellhousing for the engine dowel was clogged up with POR15 and also needed drilling out.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494996716837333010" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipgl1TOpAniEEaoEZR0EmlWFVy9V6jSMU-JlmIlUiWHWXu7RfKuLv_zWKenXA7HYHrHpsbRIPJQPDlmwGpTfuq3VW2U1FAtKnRvnxh_4r-5IJ3osW7PKH_e3e4LSrDFcqg3upt/s400/Feb2010+092.jpg" /> <div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494996727053909746" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKyvd9YSWfFT-OnRVk_Drhe1l5_Dakxs85WgzOTJ7unW4TzpsBmrmd50M-viwgLaiZ1qI3SsN6MwCg6nRX5dNrq4OTdp1rtLDTjyOXVZ-KXqAwhz-9PzeO-umqMo2RsPjWcNz2/s400/Feb2010+105.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494996729003484178" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOZz9AkGjBhcjLSvJLvm6phe4G7Q5fz8Mj-Vac7zGIGsMTdQNGETfTo1zhHj5CFqvcGWXWm7tnxiwt87PuAvICcW6g-yHSgqMm_K1Wo9IMhlu1eaqOw6-mCkdcMeahkeeDtONW/s400/Feb2010+117.jpg" /></div><div>I also took the time to replace the clumsy old exhaust clamps with Mikalor band clamps.</div><div> </div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494996752757384306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRQ0gVpgThFBKiPILtp1lBPWPm8drJWUcb8-0d5B2fTSj0vWzG_GUEKxLjbj2NfOsm4TRCihdCcRXmXAsHhZNVMB9rspTlHBPwEG_EMwxQPgiBYD3ToQq90eaFsHHVoa1LEaUI/s400/Feb2010+119.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494996743865502898" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnKrh04XI-CR-iJS2iXWf00XHrqry6kCUOq-IhNDGQQkqVCtjYLHnypnO-FG8vSbO7CvHwz10vc2UZaPo4wtEesDnJdaRPyWqz4X_y9s4rLU0FV2h9DaEveomZZBVU2VlhY1kA/s400/Feb2010+118.jpg" /></div><div>I decided to make a better effort at sealing the gear tunnel and renewed all the fixings, replaced the sealing foam and also made an aluminium cover for the slave cylinder inspection panel.</div><div> </div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494997562584964754" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhglwYOhyphenhyphenPswv1cQBBm9hN1PIOF0mbxnd2n-EOiyb9wLBTuTHsLcZ0BnQsqDGrgr_wXlo5F6P1BYq0v_NVJeNq9IFwFjaKyjsfNTglMLXJK4RjksxddBm2dWMzSNM_DXGSCXL-A/s400/Feb2010+124.jpg" /></div><div>I shampooed and rinsed the carpets. They're in dreadful condition really and they seem to have been made by someone that has never even seen a Spitfire before but they'll do for now!</div><div> </div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494997576779257298" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNI2aYjl197r8WYFULNOhIyiOJQcU_6S_lyhzhdK0Z4OJpB916iPGrEpAoRrbMab-618YseYXrMLQfJq2r9FU2129NZ6GYXe_Igw6E1jZ2zcACgmMOjHeKA8UyYVkMaDrwhFwx/s400/Feb2010+140.jpg" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4IlG5ceMBmcvGOkLd8YXPm4zg3KG9_FCIepfQD6m0rPHDyviRUu9_VGXFdp76Pl5QVIBzL7qAgsWlyXDZ_KJ_ETa45RPvMGlpMdv5U6q0Z5MOxtPNuhMzrptYY2E9b4l7-XVV/s1600/Feb2010+139.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494997570284359458" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4IlG5ceMBmcvGOkLd8YXPm4zg3KG9_FCIepfQD6m0rPHDyviRUu9_VGXFdp76Pl5QVIBzL7qAgsWlyXDZ_KJ_ETa45RPvMGlpMdv5U6q0Z5MOxtPNuhMzrptYY2E9b4l7-XVV/s400/Feb2010+139.jpg" /></a><br />I also repainted the gear pattern on the gearknob before I refitted it. It looks good! I'm just waiting on the leather seat covers now!</div>William Columbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02187558391596397366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8610167.post-33935360723411385812010-07-05T22:17:00.003+00:002010-07-05T22:47:43.040+00:00Sat NavIn October I'm taking part in Club Triumph's Round Britain Reliability Run. Obviously, this involves having a fully working car and I'm working on it! It also involves doing a lot of driving and navigating! On the Historic Counties Run, one of the most annoying aspects was the Sat Nav. We used a Garmin model with out of date maps and we couldn't plug it in because the car doesn't even have a lighter socket!<br /><div></div><br /><div>This got me thinking about possible navigation solutions. I work in IT and figured that there must be a PC based solution I could use. I've got a tiny Dell 'netbook' and I figured that I could use that with a GPS 'dongle'. I thought it might also allow me to track the car and overlay the track over Google Earth and also maybe allow me to attach a webcam and make a time lapse video. The netbook solution also has the advantage of being very cheap - I already have a netbook, GPS dongles are around £30 and you can download a fully featured time limited demo version of Microsoft Autoroute for free.</div><br /><div></div><div>So far I've tried navigating using the netbook in my VW and it's been great. Not quite as easy out of the box as the Garmin but the tracking works well and the spoken instructions are better because Autoroute actually says the road names. It also seems to have better lane guidance. It is a bit quirky in some ways, though! It took me ages to convince it not to navigate me back to a missed waypoint. I must find some more time to get used to it!</div><div> </div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490554135034168354" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVanOBzH8SINPMxcAkdAz1-rAwa1VLz3h8N0o471Ic6ZAO5lH1UZsT_Wb3ZPsjbfjnu8AeqkKphzjOOlsMAsPUFpm1_bi-GikgOvgTxs3gSM9Q9E6KCrU0X9Diucmz8S9oY6vJ/s400/Feb2010+120.jpg" /></div>William Columbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02187558391596397366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8610167.post-27481500079196715642010-06-13T22:03:00.003+00:002010-06-13T22:43:46.264+00:00Sump Baffling<div align="justify">It's always surprised me that you can't buy a baffled sump off the peg. It's also surprisingly difficult to find info about the best way to baffle a Spitfire sump. A lot of the 'tuning know how' books tell you that you need one but all of them seem to fall down when it comes to providing specific details...</div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify">Luckily the Internet provided a few answers with threads on the Club Triumph and Sideways Technologies forums providing some good nuggets of information from those that have done this before.</div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify">For me, the first thing to do was to get a spare sump from EBay. When this arrived I was surprised to see it came with a mesh screen over the deep part of the sump. After asking around I discovered that the early models were fitted with mesh like this to stop bits of metal being ingested by the oil pump. Later models have an oil strainer attached directly to the pump.</div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify">I decided to keep this mesh screen - a lot of aftermarket windage trays use a similar arrangement. This meant modifying it to fit my fatter (later) oil pump. I drilled a series of holes and used a small chisel knock out the metal I didn't need. This worked surprisingly well and the finished result, after filing, is very neat.</div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482383151798321074" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqx_oPRLrUhow_o2bx6fwVgm1Q6VPGi-gtjy-S0ifLhi6t48b-XwfLkNMdaHjLyey_-utnlX1AJ-VkchSyqwilrjmZVO3UnB67KFxGoeZ4-iRIA2GNcssMt_7WcT5ljeV29dAZ/s400/Feb2010+112.jpg" /></div><div align="justify">Next it was time to make a cardboard template. I decided to go for a flat plate to control front / rear movement, with a vertical piece running from front to back to control sideways movement. When I was happy with the templates I transferred the design to aluminium.</div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify">With the flat plate made up in alloy I realised I was going to have a problem getting it past the windage tray! I solved this by cutting it in two and drilling both halves for rivets. I then made the vertical baffle from a piece of L shaped alloy and drilled it so I could attach it to the horizontal plate - using it to neatly combine the two halves!</div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482383157263977730" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ0qCvNJ4YCBuoBUQBPK7VipCl-HGI8pG4zF2vOGSE_tZlblUZmGiJb5Kf85iIjonhn-bnVOVXSKCBw-l86aBN7-FOMlP9JNkdSAx3UouzjH012fPT7CWjYoteFEq1Ngv4zJMG/s400/Feb2010+113.jpg" /></div><div align="justify">I then started thinking about how I should attach it to the sump. I didn't like the idea of bolts through the side of the sump so I decided to make some C shaped brackets and attach it to the windage tray. I decided to use rivets at the bottom and cap head bolts at the top. With the baffle now able to be attached, I riveted it up so I could test the baffle with a sump full of water.</div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify">It seemed to be pretty effective so I'm pretty happy with the design. All I need to do now is add the holes in the baffle for the oil pump and the dipstick and I'm done!</div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482383172674686114" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDzch5DjUtGsG3XNMvhdhUBQX-0N469ssrLCk-7cWWmuvVszt3TqtK6_thHjm0SI0KlhqVeBGhy7VI1_YKo2IUMVSKvpZyKYOGLXo7veQraB1KGnUMXb5oWnAiyFF9lt_ucZOm/s400/Feb2010+114.jpg" /></div><div align="justify"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482383180387603378" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyTXFl2FtSu5Hk1A5BAmWyborsm7L_WKO_zpxj25pq97whOQB8eDIRfdw28ITzc6sA6Ro9UTFh1dc-7Bwqc0W32nT-EddQQgez8bXS3ePHSVOqirqYW8Y8tadMgk-5e4cZdm1k/s400/Feb2010+115.jpg" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFXBcKPKrMwgkHA1TkIlbIHgsS65pxNDP-QWHKzJKCj4WZLFLBPRkWo7fHrDNri1BfFTrDHNNzCzJ4pPw2Wja_40FoB4oxgpee5bQtHkAwE4XS0uMOl97V_Bl_TUCU9xUcYhI1/s1600/Feb2010+116.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482383184989052594" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFXBcKPKrMwgkHA1TkIlbIHgsS65pxNDP-QWHKzJKCj4WZLFLBPRkWo7fHrDNri1BfFTrDHNNzCzJ4pPw2Wja_40FoB4oxgpee5bQtHkAwE4XS0uMOl97V_Bl_TUCU9xUcYhI1/s400/Feb2010+116.jpg" /></a> </div>William Columbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02187558391596397366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8610167.post-16681020706608353772010-05-12T19:30:00.006+00:002010-05-12T21:22:00.120+00:00Helicoils How To... (And How Not To!)<div style="text-align: justify;">I got home today to find my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Helicoil</span> kit waiting on the doorstep. I threaded the alloy rear oil seal housing at the weekend and decided it'd be a better idea to repair it rather than buy a new one and risk threading that too! It's cost efficient too, a new housing would've been £20 <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">whereas</span> the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Helicoil</span> kit was £15! I got my kit from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Chronos</span> Engineering because they sell kits that contain everything you need so you don't have to spend ages searching for obscure size drill bits.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The kits are specific to a certain bolt size and contain around 25 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Helicoils</span>, a drill bit, a tap, an <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">allen</span> key, an insertion tool and a small drift all in a nice blue case!<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS2Zk3TyH0TK8u4Zk0mndTvXNde19p0IQvV8kM__ZzayZ1nAVTy79vd3s3xgMUq5mhsP3YS7U7uXJ8-68eFjtfdiI7D9MdvtfC_LcqG4nMQ7IZ9qEJkWpVUJ97fKJ3ckZGWKtY/s1600/200909+146.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS2Zk3TyH0TK8u4Zk0mndTvXNde19p0IQvV8kM__ZzayZ1nAVTy79vd3s3xgMUq5mhsP3YS7U7uXJ8-68eFjtfdiI7D9MdvtfC_LcqG4nMQ7IZ9qEJkWpVUJ97fKJ3ckZGWKtY/s400/200909+146.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470469331673339090" border="0" /></a>So here's the problem. Basically a classic case of Triumph using the wrong <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">fastener</span> in the wrong place. The alloy is really very soft and it would have been better if Triumph had used a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">UNC</span> thread like they did on some other alloy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">parts</span> such as the intake manifold. Instead they used a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">UNF</span> thread on both this and on the engine front sealing block.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjuF6hLXfioP-4V3pEEvSRNvpc_yZGMQfZJITgNW169EsF0YtYTGdm7XTzKSva4gAtddBHnZzJAbxZJEo6ZsKelKkSAQLuGetTodBI6r0fvKJfiGtWkrDo3lT__TNHtqQBvz1U/s1600/200909+148.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjuF6hLXfioP-4V3pEEvSRNvpc_yZGMQfZJITgNW169EsF0YtYTGdm7XTzKSva4gAtddBHnZzJAbxZJEo6ZsKelKkSAQLuGetTodBI6r0fvKJfiGtWkrDo3lT__TNHtqQBvz1U/s400/200909+148.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470469327875030226" border="0" /></a>First thing to do was to drill the threads out. I checked the depth of the holes and wrapped a bit of tape round the drill bit from the kit so I didn't go too deep! The alloy was very soft and drilled nice and easily.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The next stage of the process is to thread the hole for the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Helicoil</span> insert. The kit comes with the tap but you'll need a tap wrench if you haven't already got one. I borrowed a tap holder from my Clarke Imperial tap and die kit and that worked a treat. With tapping it's always best to take it slow and keep the tap well oiled but when the metal is as soft as this, you can go pretty rapidly!<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghfXTcSy-LFA004WnmyX8cd28J8Emn3jOmy9_dpMAezWaF57R3BkU6nkNEow0A9kKxyMa9P5DX9XUM6N51k19ohywV8TRFYH9FktqCz0b0gIUD8tEy_M_R-yqnvEZGjWMr7J3Q/s1600/200909+149.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghfXTcSy-LFA004WnmyX8cd28J8Emn3jOmy9_dpMAezWaF57R3BkU6nkNEow0A9kKxyMa9P5DX9XUM6N51k19ohywV8TRFYH9FktqCz0b0gIUD8tEy_M_R-yqnvEZGjWMr7J3Q/s400/200909+149.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470469317615710738" border="0" /></a>Once the hole is tapped to the bottom you can remove the tap and run it through a few times. I cleaned the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">swarf</span> out with light oil from an aerosol to clear it.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Inserting the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Helicoil</span> is very straightforward. It's basically a spiral of metal that has a small 'tang' sticking into the middle at the bottom. To fit it you use an insertion tool that is basically a drift with a slot in the end which <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">engages</span> with the tang on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Helicoil</span>. The one in my kit has a depth stop so you can sink the coil down to a set depth. This is secured using a grub screw and the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">allen</span> key from the kit.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrJZ8adHB3Q-xH1vbHBxl_Xu7EaxkTRomEgX7nY96h8bvemmcD9Xpfsot4vdVuZAyCau4GVfClHtRloownf78RvUF9nloaveg-owoXuDzHTk2tzczicJIA73FhQNKvo7Fab2Ee/s1600/200909+150.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrJZ8adHB3Q-xH1vbHBxl_Xu7EaxkTRomEgX7nY96h8bvemmcD9Xpfsot4vdVuZAyCau4GVfClHtRloownf78RvUF9nloaveg-owoXuDzHTk2tzczicJIA73FhQNKvo7Fab2Ee/s400/200909+150.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470469308052721522" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij9BEerOV1D8wNO22D7k1BH0tF-gGAfY162dQ98Xy9hm3saM2ewi3NP8u4pJkz57Ntss3qoDNVUvs_SvmiC6MSNcFdXdyzoTgBs0VFRHkkjX8ka9J5FfIIleiM3PraUK4ET2aV/s1600/200909+151.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij9BEerOV1D8wNO22D7k1BH0tF-gGAfY162dQ98Xy9hm3saM2ewi3NP8u4pJkz57Ntss3qoDNVUvs_SvmiC6MSNcFdXdyzoTgBs0VFRHkkjX8ka9J5FfIIleiM3PraUK4ET2aV/s400/200909+151.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470469302273706066" border="0" /></a>With the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Helicoil</span> in place, all you need to do is knock the tang off. The tang is weakened and should knock off pretty easily using the drift from the kit.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmaqhQ_S8KhIiynrn94VRbKxsLuQWwY6wRDfQklB9Ka82mg4zUMgGz_KC3F7d98ZGK0raqYpxpVXFeskDQzmcM5WhrjrPFy8urPWVu80Xmbf3EIIenOKRhQRnd1z6iVjGqwurX/s1600/200909+152.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmaqhQ_S8KhIiynrn94VRbKxsLuQWwY6wRDfQklB9Ka82mg4zUMgGz_KC3F7d98ZGK0raqYpxpVXFeskDQzmcM5WhrjrPFy8urPWVu80Xmbf3EIIenOKRhQRnd1z6iVjGqwurX/s400/200909+152.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470470222337667490" border="0" /></a>This worked well for me on one of the holes but not on the other! On the one hole the drift didn't seem to knock the tang of very cleanly. The last thread ended up sticking out slightly and when I screwed in a bolt it seemed to push the thread down underneath the bolt. This meant that the bolt wouldn't screw fully home and left the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Helicoil</span> in a right mess! I had to get it out!<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvEi6J5tH43ECcbmCWtvo8YrYyXJyEqvwtaewLA3J-OVR0V9TNpaCzJbakUeeI0MdnuXKpl3JxyC9tO25gM8e2fIKtnABPZcQw1xnXTHIL0A_Fm75tunHMUwRRIRbIKA3ujFR5/s1600/200909+156.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvEi6J5tH43ECcbmCWtvo8YrYyXJyEqvwtaewLA3J-OVR0V9TNpaCzJbakUeeI0MdnuXKpl3JxyC9tO25gM8e2fIKtnABPZcQw1xnXTHIL0A_Fm75tunHMUwRRIRbIKA3ujFR5/s400/200909+156.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470470228636101106" border="0" /></a>I thought this would be near impossible but it was actually fairly straightforward. You've just got to bend out the top thread until you can get a pair of pliers on it and then the whole thing will unscrew just as easily as it went in. Once the mangled <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Helicoil</span> was out, I cleaned up the threads again and fitted a new <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Helicoil</span>. This time I snapped the tang off by gently wiggling the insertion tool forwards and backwards. This worked a treat and after running the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Helicoil</span> through with a tap I was happy that the job was done!<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUg6CqGtQD9HTXGOx2ugd2koovC-3tRaLeHFwQUFguCVLP9IAn9cIOEJ7MrxxC0lT0YPqeFJcg4rDcakrtf_nD-JUf82b-Or18Hud70MXhMMaE-Im08UHqeuDd3AvGSiq9Ouz2/s1600/200909+153.jpg"><br /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia1Sukn5V6UiRzKHxi5XIAayz88J2ySbRztRek43pHnaa96Mupq2gMl1zMPOMsdFKKWcqK-mFCAsnVQE-HqzAa4LG2inHOCKWP9SSvgihavF3HfO4SHu7fUHMB4UzIQrzmp92f/s1600/200909+155.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia1Sukn5V6UiRzKHxi5XIAayz88J2ySbRztRek43pHnaa96Mupq2gMl1zMPOMsdFKKWcqK-mFCAsnVQE-HqzAa4LG2inHOCKWP9SSvgihavF3HfO4SHu7fUHMB4UzIQrzmp92f/s400/200909+155.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470470206427011330" border="0" /></a>William Columbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02187558391596397366noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8610167.post-64047353102212308592010-05-09T17:16:00.011+00:002010-05-09T22:06:45.330+00:00Clutch Stuff<div align="justify">I might as well rename my blog 'Will's POR15 blog'! I've been using huge amounts of the stuff over the last month! Firstly there was my alloy bellhousing which I painted inside and out, then there was the clutch release lever and then finally the gearbox casing which I painted up to match. The grey doesn't seem to go on quite as well as the black but the finish is very good all the same.<br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469321068382580178" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLt2Wj4jXLt-SkkT8stHHiF7uiBnMDDMs2q3520pkXq7EW1Lkfl3l1Rya5sTH7t8dSMw_qna7uLvuMFWpCQjyRHvMaT6ey82PNI2kNXBAh9bOGIZxyGSIB_3Snu1GhrIMOW786/s400/Feb2010+043.jpg" /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469321078021093362" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSvtJfYyhmU2MTrUy8sx76o6ysGYArQvYXhqaSCDUdrp5GpMy6J84-pzovjI_dIf2rTD3oLmeY9u0j9e4WWtSlcg5l-sRb0-UNLF-0Clm2gC88Atv6PQQpqgs4rxqitDEPx10H/s400/Feb2010+050.jpg" /> <p align="justify"></span><br />Once the bellhousing was painted I refitted the steel insert that the release bearing carrier slides on. After doing this I realised that something wasn't quite right. Canley Classics website describes the insert as 'Part 122566 - Bellhousing Centre Her/Spit (Scroll Type)' but when I took it off there wasn't any kind of oil seal on there! Fortunately the situation was easy to solve with a later type bellhousing centre that takes an oil seal.<br /><br />While I was there I thought I'd renew the slave cylinder pushrod and the pin that holds it in the release arm. Incredibly, there was more than 2mm of wear in these two parts! The new pushrod was a bit fat and needed the attention of a bench grinder but was otherwise easy to fit. Once I'd done that I tried to fit the release lever into the bellhousing and ran into another problem!<br /><br />Basically, the clutch release lever just wouldn't move smoothly over the bellhousing centre. This seemed to be due to the inside of the bellhousing being slightly cast wrongly. I have to say that the general quality of the alloy bellhousing is pretty poor and I suspected when I first saw it that it might need some 'altering'. In the end though, I decided to just grind a bit off the bottom of the release arm instead. This gave the necessary clearance and the throwout sleeve on the arm now slides smoothly like it should!<br /><br />While I was in a painting frame of mind I painted the engine back plate and the drivers side floor in POR15. The drivers side floor is a mess and has a couple of plates welded on and a few tiny holes. I'm aiming to replace this in the near future but for the time being I just want to stop it getting worse so painting is the answer!<br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /></p><span style="font-family:arial;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469321086850224994" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcX8uzsp72FPQPKlfJDaZ5XbZ5tnKRZ7vLjW7D-unG0Sx_4mu-TUN78QjJ0TDNC2dBnmIWK-Ca5ZHN5dncYRviY-x3IYI33WWA7y_bQOTEjRpesyp9JT3l30ArPRcnh-nXI9Bs/s400/Feb2010+049.jpg" /> <p align="justify"></span>I did actually buy an alloy engine backplate but I don't think I'm going to use it. I've heard tales of the alloy ones cracking around the bottom bolt holes and I sure as hell can't be bothered to sort that out in the future so I'll be sticking with steel!<br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /></p><span style="font-family:arial;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469321080949577474" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_g6_ZA2z53IU7z3HFIzB8En5Ak8IhyERGwvMolcMHCaq8Ddjucg8ilNurzg9wNAsQMXOVil7yWjVu5gEPu0e-a8ssk0-214tMdORmonLsxQ05l-mJccBqRS3ULKZaLGjNANno/s400/Feb2010+048.jpg" /> <p align="justify"></span><br />I've had one slight hitch with the engine this week. I was just fitting the renewed rear oil seal to the back of the sump when I stripped the threads in the alloy housing. This was a right pain because my brother came to visit this weekend and I had hoped to have the gearbox and engine ready to go back together. It'll have to wait now until I've helicoiled the threads. I've not done this before but it looks straightforward enough. I've ordered a kit from the eBay shop of Chronos Engineering. Hopefully that'll arrive in the week and I'll be back on track next weekend!<br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT7ePN46iwgVzRfqmIz4BbSp2d-2o8PxwfZ60MSUYGJ2oq6_ONuoLX8Rr8YnQWvq1gS3oSXJDZAkWxme7ZnHaMyeXFuQr5R6uoW-3nyMlr84PdUjriL8bWCE6n5FjUE7iX7hvR/s1600/Feb2010+047.jpg"><span style="font-family:arial;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469321094144468226" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT7ePN46iwgVzRfqmIz4BbSp2d-2o8PxwfZ60MSUYGJ2oq6_ONuoLX8Rr8YnQWvq1gS3oSXJDZAkWxme7ZnHaMyeXFuQr5R6uoW-3nyMlr84PdUjriL8bWCE6n5FjUE7iX7hvR/s400/Feb2010+047.jpg" /></span></a>William Columbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02187558391596397366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8610167.post-90860648810028953422010-03-26T22:05:00.005+00:002010-03-30T16:10:32.476+00:00Gearbox out!This week has been a busy one! I started the week by fitting one of those 'Stant' lever radiator caps. This is straightforward enough but, if you're thinking of fitting one, you need to get a few things right. Firstly, the pressure rating has to be right (13lbs) and, secondly, it has to fit under the bonnet! I checked this very carefully before dropping the bonnet down for the first time!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6gVtFaX4VzI4vfzd2-_2OeStwRLjcJUehC_aMGY18d3l96IZKIQe_s5tHZhzGlg9doCjQpOPSeC5mM_nRIc1sS6QQkDm3-2YRkqt7P5SpUEjsOnyBAIKap8rMGP6D_3epNVv7/s1600/200909+120.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453067903611983410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6gVtFaX4VzI4vfzd2-_2OeStwRLjcJUehC_aMGY18d3l96IZKIQe_s5tHZhzGlg9doCjQpOPSeC5mM_nRIc1sS6QQkDm3-2YRkqt7P5SpUEjsOnyBAIKap8rMGP6D_3epNVv7/s400/200909+120.jpg" /></a>The next job was a big one! The gearbox needed to come out so I could replace the engine's rear oil seal. I won't bore you to death with the details of how I got the gearbox out but it did involve a hell of a lot of brute force, wood and jacks. Believe it or not, I did it all on my own too!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilyYCgHxlVDnSH2FH-kM-1JiHgaGgFcmCL_A1G8pOvn0gK3kqcOsYK7jHeKW5HEPPZfmtC6yQNq-kzxyCBRNU5SlT2Mqrggx0OA5OSvwc8dOhLERlsV1o7vdWxXQKs-jC1z-hB/s1600/200909+121.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453067920385859634" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilyYCgHxlVDnSH2FH-kM-1JiHgaGgFcmCL_A1G8pOvn0gK3kqcOsYK7jHeKW5HEPPZfmtC6yQNq-kzxyCBRNU5SlT2Mqrggx0OA5OSvwc8dOhLERlsV1o7vdWxXQKs-jC1z-hB/s400/200909+121.jpg" /></a>The oil leak had made one hell of a mess. The inside of the bellhousing, bottom of the gearbox and the underside of the car were absolutely caked in oil and dirt!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHVWHo6yPUNgGD_SfVqNemo3_SEJ5fnL56CTO9LuUFR-7EaFbKL_S096N8ZeZ56fD6f9n2RopZHoPTqK3nJ-PHYBHoazCYR5hqn0mPCGpzHZ9xqRdvYTarVcDc5f0RItEc622/s1600/200909+125.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453067925689640866" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHVWHo6yPUNgGD_SfVqNemo3_SEJ5fnL56CTO9LuUFR-7EaFbKL_S096N8ZeZ56fD6f9n2RopZHoPTqK3nJ-PHYBHoazCYR5hqn0mPCGpzHZ9xqRdvYTarVcDc5f0RItEc622/s400/200909+125.jpg" /></a>The standard cast iron bellhousing weighs nearly as much as a chest freezer! I bought an alloy replacement from Moss last year and started preparing it to fit. It's not the best casting I've ever seen but I think it'll do. I've painted it inside and out and I've gone for grey POR15 this time to show up any oil leaks! It's a very similar colour to my workshop floor!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWDmWX5ezapV0wWXc6FXPgor7nigOv4tio9jOoDJ1rVRoBBVkWxZSqAKxQLTrXC23fEWs_GI5ZvWQEKy8_s9kld5IFjKSGfJFyEKBcuJbd1MzeytGB-3NYr19UQ5Zl3AhVtuXH/s1600/200909+119.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453067894712819714" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWDmWX5ezapV0wWXc6FXPgor7nigOv4tio9jOoDJ1rVRoBBVkWxZSqAKxQLTrXC23fEWs_GI5ZvWQEKy8_s9kld5IFjKSGfJFyEKBcuJbd1MzeytGB-3NYr19UQ5Zl3AhVtuXH/s400/200909+119.jpg" /></a>The seats are looking good. I've bought another seat foam set from Owen at Park Lane Classics. I haven't had time to do any more work on them though. I'm waiting till the gearbox is out of the way and my workshop is less dirty before I start work on them again!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhisz1uqzpGzIalve0yF1kfOEafC_OJ0IPPDS_pMKaJxghV-kF5dHs1TS3PrEUjRW23vaTKFPT6eouGU7IwZ7I9XK2mc0cpENxV-22i978T90YFGte5fOIANZ4l3lAkZlzL_k2i/s1600/200909+126.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453067943147683986" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhisz1uqzpGzIalve0yF1kfOEafC_OJ0IPPDS_pMKaJxghV-kF5dHs1TS3PrEUjRW23vaTKFPT6eouGU7IwZ7I9XK2mc0cpENxV-22i978T90YFGte5fOIANZ4l3lAkZlzL_k2i/s400/200909+126.jpg" /></a>William Columbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02187558391596397366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8610167.post-5795668776949490192010-03-11T19:32:00.009+00:002010-03-30T16:13:38.118+00:00Progress In The Last 6 Days...<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify">I've been working far too hard at work this year! I can't carry more that 5 days over to the next financial year so I've<span style="FONT-STYLE: italic"> </span>had to take four days off this week! It's been nice spending some time on the car and I've got a good number of the little jobs done.<br /><br />On Saturday I had 'fun' with the water pump. I fitted this last week but I thought I'd better tighten up the nuts properly. You can't get a socket on these because of the pulley so I used one of my ratchet spanners. This was going well right up until I did up the last nut. I felt the nut tighten and then suddenly slip. I was gutted! My first thought was that I'd stripped the thread in the alloy water pump housing. Fortunately, I was lucky and it was just the stud! I couldn't get the stud off in situ so I had to remove the water pump.<br /><br />I got a new stud in and made myself a new gasket. If you've never made a gasket you should try it! It's really easy and it saves loads of time. You can use card from a cornflake packet if you're desperate but the pukka stuff, which I use, is 'Flexoid' paper. It's really cheap on eBay and it can really get you out of a jam! All you need to do is trace around an existing gasket or place the paper over the flange and rub it over with a dirty finger to highlight the edges and then cut it out. You can make the holes by hammering a bolt into the paper. Easy!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlBg8XUGBZQhQ3kq4khrrd_ZHafw3DF7mu68sO1tlJoBBPK7XgTpSwryJEs2kxBNkHZSjtttPOf6ymYtf8mb6EcmKHH3_1W1UYEtjrrukQqt9M2e_B0nuwEDngfRt6MFKsfDOR/s1600-h/200909+106.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447490020549189410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlBg8XUGBZQhQ3kq4khrrd_ZHafw3DF7mu68sO1tlJoBBPK7XgTpSwryJEs2kxBNkHZSjtttPOf6ymYtf8mb6EcmKHH3_1W1UYEtjrrukQqt9M2e_B0nuwEDngfRt6MFKsfDOR/s400/200909+106.jpg" /></a><br />Anyway, once I'd smeared a bit of Loctite 5926 gasket sealant on the faces I started bolting the water pump back in. This was all going well right up to the point where something threaded again! I couldn't believe it! This time it was the nut! I got a replacement and gave that a go. This time the stud threaded!<br /><br />Something was definitely going on here! Once I looked into it, it was obvious what the problem was - the studs were too short! There weren't enough threads of the stud in the nut to take the torque of tightening. Once I'd realised that (and made another new gasket and found some longer studs) I was back in business. Sorted!<br /><br />On Sunday I went to Stoneleigh. It was a brief visit again for me this year but I saw a few familiar faces and met a few new ones. There was loads of stuff for sale and I saw quite a few bargains. I really, really, wanted the mint bonnet that was for sale at £180 but I just couldn't have got it home in the back of my Golf! Instead I settled for picking up a few useful nuts and bolts!<br /><br />On Monday I got my Nippon Denso alternator fitted. I'm still figuring out how the hell I'm going to wire this up but at least it's physically fitted in the car. I used a Canleys fitting kit. It was good but I'm going to replace the adjusting plate with a couple of rod ends in the near future.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRa-rrqUCUYIelynVgm6S3AXal7AyJ4EMpZHSvSEts5P-VRd6-EP8t_wuY5OL7rO8OcEr0f_eIoHaTV2B_mXIzbfbbnfJ7os_yuuoa3cAfsMAnxL25693GO1YjIoJqAR5a3_Pi/s1600-h/200909+104.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447490011329505666" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRa-rrqUCUYIelynVgm6S3AXal7AyJ4EMpZHSvSEts5P-VRd6-EP8t_wuY5OL7rO8OcEr0f_eIoHaTV2B_mXIzbfbbnfJ7os_yuuoa3cAfsMAnxL25693GO1YjIoJqAR5a3_Pi/s400/200909+104.jpg" /></a><br />On Tuesday I spent the day fixing the brakes on my Golf. The pads had seriously worn down with all the miles I'd been doing for work. In one case the friction material was down to 1.38mm! I decided to replace both the discs and pads as the discs had a massive groove around the edge because they seemed to be slightly oversize. I ordered replacement parts from Euro Car Parts and set about doing the job. It was all going swimmingly until I realised that the drivers side caliper wasn't sliding properly. Unfortunately the metal sleeve that the caliper slides on was seized solid on the caliper bolt and I had to destroy it to separate the two. Amazingly, my local VW dealers had the part in stock and I managed to get it back together on Wednesday morning!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkAbhikxt0FOqsHGovjbLXDeKcX0tnxU_aph6_2JBFy1eYg6PQYETA2UdeHWq8A2merqkqSAj-cZyfVAtBjLA0Cn_tGN-5_iVHMagajoHU4CZZ5NgAK1UC-2tef8wtUoIPpxQZ/s1600-h/200909+107.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447493981625200850" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkAbhikxt0FOqsHGovjbLXDeKcX0tnxU_aph6_2JBFy1eYg6PQYETA2UdeHWq8A2merqkqSAj-cZyfVAtBjLA0Cn_tGN-5_iVHMagajoHU4CZZ5NgAK1UC-2tef8wtUoIPpxQZ/s400/200909+107.jpg" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYwSK3MClplm8cgsVAOYghPCHF69Ra_2eO1hBk-5fBb-KLKqXM2NSya1gHYivjprlXnUwZfH66AruAlsCHRwX6SzEHbE93dqbX6u8WndWr0f_ODHEhyphenhyphenscZsFnX1miZqYrmSGLD/s1600-h/200909+109.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447490040548259938" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYwSK3MClplm8cgsVAOYghPCHF69Ra_2eO1hBk-5fBb-KLKqXM2NSya1gHYivjprlXnUwZfH66AruAlsCHRwX6SzEHbE93dqbX6u8WndWr0f_ODHEhyphenhyphenscZsFnX1miZqYrmSGLD/s400/200909+109.jpg" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQoNK3lzKEGjqQbxEfU8t08hcmXGQmGYtUYNPe0ewfpQIk0I8YyHZ_y8u7-8e2heML1ET4342u2eXsmq_jQWS2WUjaifzyILrvFcX8r-6FPg1b10lGDAXA6ZPVFNNsr68uVVoj/s1600-h/200909+110.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447490049538745650" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQoNK3lzKEGjqQbxEfU8t08hcmXGQmGYtUYNPe0ewfpQIk0I8YyHZ_y8u7-8e2heML1ET4342u2eXsmq_jQWS2WUjaifzyILrvFcX8r-6FPg1b10lGDAXA6ZPVFNNsr68uVVoj/s400/200909+110.jpg" /></a><br />On Wednesday afternoon I decided to finish off my anti roll bar links. I made my own out of rod ends from McGills Motorsport. There was a bit of work needed to get them fitted. I needed to drill out a sleeve to make a spacer and source some longer bolts for the wishbone end. Drilling out the sleeves was easy thanks to an 11mm cobalt drill bit from Namrick! Sourcing the longer bolts was tricky though. I couldn't find any online and eventually I had to get out the Yellow Pages. This worked out nicely and I turned some up at Nutters Fastenings in Nechells, Birmingham, which is just a few miles from where I work.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6e8GHcx93vGsQQZqehx2BlzzQboDobrTbdHjqSy9JqnptyvtK0Ii-5FkJ13X69yVSjgvbyym4PePy02MAitKcx_XM2XzuYLQJKgVvDnIhnBteHZI-FF7qsqtguDdT-7cDoSAp/s1600-h/200909+114.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447490431841400818" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6e8GHcx93vGsQQZqehx2BlzzQboDobrTbdHjqSy9JqnptyvtK0Ii-5FkJ13X69yVSjgvbyym4PePy02MAitKcx_XM2XzuYLQJKgVvDnIhnBteHZI-FF7qsqtguDdT-7cDoSAp/s400/200909+114.jpg" /></a><br />This morning I got another nice new part in the post. This time it was an alloy pulley from Rimmers. I'd heard bad things about alloy pulleys in the past. Apparently they used to be all alloy, which resulted in the keyway wearing out because of the softer material. The Rimmers one has a steel sleeve in the middle bolted to an alloy outer. Another bonus is that the bolts look like they might be handy for mounting a timing wheel if I ever want to move to a Megajolt set up in the future!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwklSN4UV1ZcScOu5vKED6IrrJop8VaQBs6xk8BZW8AZ81RPRqQaNAcDYaSjO0Wd5hwHQxvKowXyuUjyyDY5kLlv8eTfjAaxrIQYV4gfyqvV9hfWp0KHyPg4W_8TaXbgtePeG2/s1600-h/200909+112.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447490422311489730" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwklSN4UV1ZcScOu5vKED6IrrJop8VaQBs6xk8BZW8AZ81RPRqQaNAcDYaSjO0Wd5hwHQxvKowXyuUjyyDY5kLlv8eTfjAaxrIQYV4gfyqvV9hfWp0KHyPg4W_8TaXbgtePeG2/s400/200909+112.jpg" /></a><br /></div>William Columbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02187558391596397366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8610167.post-50421552756654380092010-02-14T23:02:00.003+00:002010-03-30T16:15:23.349+00:00Engine Valances - Finished!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeb52oKTT79H_ur4b1ImUxAY2sJHMChYBDf5KtKtiAX5ZPhBdMI2kAEFPG4W9Erzr1rh-sgMsHjqKgKZoRDhn5wrvL-ZLxNaGw1UuO0-f8qrTOAnxi3bv0PhsN5SkLdy8LM9_-/s1600-h/Feb2010+018.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438238808602994258" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeb52oKTT79H_ur4b1ImUxAY2sJHMChYBDf5KtKtiAX5ZPhBdMI2kAEFPG4W9Erzr1rh-sgMsHjqKgKZoRDhn5wrvL-ZLxNaGw1UuO0-f8qrTOAnxi3bv0PhsN5SkLdy8LM9_-/s400/Feb2010+018.jpg" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ddT1X1-wvuhWIDIOhasecIgR7zqKsiOarZl0nynLxiH41lgYIbnGWSpK7U77mPs6JG6B_ihm223_j0rl16n58x1-K0yf7q7-ceMUd7DQaCDxkQWb5IbwZPF21rV0752aSPzp/s1600-h/200909+100.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445513766959213410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ddT1X1-wvuhWIDIOhasecIgR7zqKsiOarZl0nynLxiH41lgYIbnGWSpK7U77mPs6JG6B_ihm223_j0rl16n58x1-K0yf7q7-ceMUd7DQaCDxkQWb5IbwZPF21rV0752aSPzp/s400/200909+100.jpg" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9lpBAebFzzATzDQUjZhhI8L98xnU59G29A7u0G5v7u7i2vcMDLxRNNM03zGMXJOGeaDnTwqGjT6WOqHT_rdebmit8iClDhX67dllI5gIRhpkXCpJEIMAq9iRt3A4xEuj-Dq07/s1600-h/200909+101.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445513776090235970" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9lpBAebFzzATzDQUjZhhI8L98xnU59G29A7u0G5v7u7i2vcMDLxRNNM03zGMXJOGeaDnTwqGjT6WOqHT_rdebmit8iClDhX67dllI5gIRhpkXCpJEIMAq9iRt3A4xEuj-Dq07/s400/200909+101.jpg" /></a> <div></div>William Columbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02187558391596397366noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8610167.post-13303398248161371442010-02-09T23:15:00.005+00:002010-03-30T16:17:53.634+00:00Fun with POR15!POR15 is a really tough finish paint that is a great way to finish off loads of underbonnet parts. It leaves a very glossy and durable finish but requires a bit of care to apply. This is my quick guide to using POR15 and getting the best results!<br /><div><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436387427920439250" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZG4oz4Xr7rHaR4d5DiXo34hWuuti1WPLnPLUpPwBtd-LTm3zmzkg8lcp2mKtFquDnLFtxcVaZ3qQ-dgDHD55ys-sM9xGvDz0oZn0YulZd1twDO4mnOI70eS3KZdEUzHvNIHvx/s400/Feb2010+002.jpg" /></div><div>Firstly, if you're painting something really smooth (like these aluminium radiator valances), you're going to have to rough the surface up a bit. I used a fairly fine sanding block which just took the shine off the metal without leaving any deep scratches. Once that's done you need to degrease using POR15's own degreaser. This is called 'Marine Clean' and is a vaguely greenish liquid that you dilute with water and coat the part with. This normally comes in a screw top bottle but I have prediluted mine and decanted it into an old spray bottle. After leaving to soak for a while, wash off the part with plain water.</div><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436387429362796866" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjLfgitgsV8Ky-H-pgF3MzCbLHsLht_OU5OCtmaoCDsuGWIThMF-buktCwoEYuqATQ0i4ena7LQfs43j4Ea6BV52MD_4dvOj_-WAblNIOTvSH6yb2UpbhE515_h6_BTggJRfj1/s400/Feb2010+003.jpg" /></div><br /><div>The next stage of the process requires the use of 'Metal Ready'. This is another POR15 product and is basically a blue liquid that seems to etch the metal slightly. I guess that this contains phosphoric acid but I don't know for sure! You need to keep the surface of the part wet for a minimum of 15 minutes. Again, I have decanted mine into a spray bottle to make this easier. After 15 minutes or so you need to wash the piece again to clean off any residue.</div><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436387435058710210" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaG8MtgKq7mLr5OaDQowIxUKChUIoFO6QuEoOAqiXZ6ZBKHvXTMr1WAJnoBa7IDW988n4w4EO3wVSrYoGCte6DLVUs76LZDJnFS9nEJdZjQNfaGiI4FKsTFaot4DyJi_2FjNoX/s400/Feb2010+004.jpg" /></div><br /><div>The etched surface is slightly grey and sometimes a bit 'powdery'. This is OK! You are now ready to move on to the next stage...</div><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436387440907855730" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqRxffonwf75OghztlmvW53zeH0UPEmOwsopMCNrF5KXtRooOla2hUhJvzi9aq5P1pB00uCX7hG2KevynQpBS0Ok6edHSZZLCxyGXa2Rq3Z9zt4O_3G6nIsfdSo1F1GRJvwlhe/s400/Feb2010+005.jpg" /></div><br /><div>You now need to be quite organised to avoid making a mess. I'd advise you to use plenty of newspaper over your workbench as it's going to be near impossible to clean up if it all goes wrong when you're pouring it! Get your brushes ready and also have some cling film and a jam jar ready. It's also wise to wear gloves because this stuff is pretty difficult to get off!</div><br /><div>So, what you need to do is to open the tin of POR15 very carefully and either pour it or use a coffee scoop to transfer it into the jam jar. It is VERY important that you cover the tin with the cling film before you put the lid back on. If you don't you'll have to use water pump pliers to rip the lid off - trust me on this! Now you're ready to paint.</div><br /><div>I strongly recommend using a foam brush. The POR15 starter kit comes with one or you can buy a pack of 20 for £5 off eBay. This will help minimise brushstrokes and will look neater. It goes on pretty easily. Don't stress too much if it looks a bit 'brushstrokey' as it seems to level really nicely after about 15-20 minutes. If you have paint left over in the jam jar you can seal it with cling film and use it later. Stored like this it seems be usable for a few days before it drys out.</div><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436387445235583826" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdiqB2qOO4UVkJBdXgUpBOzx2dktyF_96HWTEbuNbhOW8G3mojI4Dc58d_Qf1S0ZomrnEtrA5UjDnjW-SxYpmzkreoBBq-zr5QnTwQGpwuXSzi1cYNBQ7G47EiqTWIXLiuCzwx/s400/Feb2010+008.jpg" /> And there we go! It should be touch dry in around an hour. Unfortunately one of the disadvantages of POR15 is that it's not UV resistant. Apparently it discolours and turns brown with prolonged exposure to sunlight but won't actually fail. In order to prevent discolouration you can use another POR15 product which is resistant to UV, such as 'Blackcote', which is what I have used here. </div><div></div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436388537743153554" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo8LNKRfqhGQoVyx5vb5h-Lxpf2WKxwCHOAhHHqauggx-TJHt6GhmeOfhtN2BxiPxuoYkJZR2GI38gVBmnK-d_DpDXyP1tN7vpasaOEjiXvYC7FplaTSgzgj1naW4cj7_UBdG1/s400/Feb2010+006.jpg" /></div><br /><div>And that's it! You're done! One of the common misconceptions about POR15 is that you can't get it off anything. They actually do sell a thinner that you can use to clean brushes etc but it's quite pricey at around £20. That seems pretty expensive when you consider that the starter packs cost around £15 and contain 'Marine Clean'. 'Metal Ready', paint and two brushes! When I get it on my hands I find it comes off easily enough if I wash them straight away. If it dries then it takes a few days to wear off!</div></div>William Columbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02187558391596397366noreply@blogger.com0