Fighting wind and rain

 Next up on the never ending list was the handbrake lever refurb. Gawd, what an ordeal. It was stiff as hell to move up/ down, very very stiff. I managed to mangle the slightly mangled workmake jaws even more gripping the lever plate and trying to move it. Left it it soak in WD40 for a while and levered some more, not much difference !. So I did what I normally do, ignore it for a while and get on with something else. 

Halfway through, still very stiff. Why I didn't re-attach it to get better leverage I don't know. Old age and senility probably. More of that next post, if I remember !

Some of the chemicals used of late

Namely the cable itself. It came away from the car easily enough, except for the guide under the battery box. That was a swine. A pozidrive screw inserted from the top which was impossible to see. It was only after being 15 minutes on my back under the car, freezing cold and getting all the rusty crap falling onto my face that it dawned on me the nut on the underside was spinning because the screw ( not yet seen) was turning.

The cable itself was also very very stiff, neigh on impossible to move back and forward. Some impromptu invention saw me attach one end to the hosepipe mounting and the other to a bush on the drive the spray with WD40, several times. Still very stiff, then I found out maybe why.

The photos a bit blurry, but, the nylon sheath over the wire had split about halfway along its exposed  end near the handbrake pivot. A little heat from the heat gun cured this "snag" but it needed many more soaks and slides yet. I thought f**k it, leave it to soak vertically for a few days. I took off all the hardware off at the pivot end and noticed the spring had all but rusted away, another little purchase requied then, pfft !

It was actually hung up in the shed with a finger of a rubber glove over the top end full of oil.

So on to something else while waiting oil to seep, small packet to arrive and weather to settle. 

All of this occured over a period of about 12 days waiting for the wind and rain to stop. UK weather is difficult to predict and reports often change between bedtime and breakfast so its a frustrating lottery.

Whilst I had on another subsequent day time, inclination and sunshine I tackled the seat runners which were easy to find as they always fell on my head in the shed when I was rooting out long stored away parts.

They were tightly bound together with very old dry flakey masking tape. The bolts and washers had fallen off the tape and languished behind my MT bike a 1.5 mtr drawing board 3 rolls of carpet in black binliners and other assorted " sizeable" items. That hunt was for another day, on with the wire brushing. 

Since I had made a good job of the seats I debated how far I should go with the runners. After all they won't be seen.

However I found a can of  Halfords nice silver long abandoned due to the nozzle being blocked and long since lost. Found a new nozzle also. Decision made. Result below.

I even found the bolts and spacers pretty quickly too. Well six of the eight spacers, I'm using two nuts which have the same dimensions as the spacers...result.

I even managed to run a tap down the seat bolt holes. 1/4" unf I think,or maybe 5/16".

Another task completed last weekend was the fitting of the under carpet deadening. What a joyous task that was. So great to work with, soft, sticky, easy to cut and pliable.

 Lo

This was acheived at quite a speed as the weather was looking very dark and brooding. Managed it just before the rain and darkness set in. My only criticism is that the covering ( neoprene like rubber) is quite soft and easily damaged but the glue backing remains. Its going to be a swine if ever I have to remove it.

I bought another two metres of similar stuff but with foil backing to finish off the footwells and rear seat/ rear wheel arches. This has not been fitted yet but feels much stiffer and maybe not as sticky. We shall see.

Amidst all this on another sunny day I cleaned the fuel tank ( also done several years ago ) but this time removed the fuel float assy to see the rust inside the tank. I was dreading this as its been out and back on when i first got the car but i never looked inside.

Good gawd.................. it looks good and just about rust free. The float assy looked brand new too !

About time I had some good luck with the project. As well as the small blob of Araldite I applied all that time ago to a small rust hole was solid as a rock. Just light surface rust staining in a few areas and it looks good as new.

The Araldite can be seen just left of centre, gladly painted over with slightly thinned down Hammerite.

The tank fittings had long since dissapeared so I ordered a kit from MG hive together with other missing nuts, bolt and washers. They came the following day, but so did the rain ! As did four days up in the NE of England seeing daughter #1.

The fitting of the tank and attendant tubes, wires and screws is another story, of frustration and weather watching. More soon.

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