So I've received the seat belts, carpets and misc other bits and bobs. Sadly I have spent a few weeks just staring at them as it was too cold, wet, and windy to make a start.
I did do a bit of browsing regarding the colour though. I'm undecided on which shade of green
.
The garden pea green is more traditional, but a little boring. Still, it looks very much like I want mine to look, especially with the recessed grille and without the overriders.
Below is a more modern take on the Ford Mustang Highland green metallic ala Steve McQueens Bullit car. I think I'm favouring this colour though.
Or even this.
One point of note is the seatbelts. Mine has a sensor on the receiver end which turns off the seatbelt warning light when inserted with ignition on. The new ones don't. I knew this when I ordered them but thought....... " I bet I can modify them to work".....guess what, I was can't. They a quite a different design. I could use the original stalk and base but that wouldn't look right and I can't be bothered. I still have to weld the handbrake sensor mount, but that's after fitting the new handbrake cable.Which incidentally I forgot to order when ordering about seventyfive quidsworth of stuff !!!
So the warning light for the belts will have its bulb removed as per the advice from the MGOC.
" They all do that Sir ". Guffaw.
The carpets look great though. Great quality and very well finished and excellent quality for only £140. I probably pondered the carpets more than anything, what with the vast price range, quality range, descriptions and postage charges from all online vendors. They did dwell in the conservatory for a few days together with the rear seats now recovered. Wifey got a bit fed up of having them take up so much room so made me move them. I loosely positioned them in the car and even literally thrown in makes a great difference to how the car looks now. Sadly I forgot to photograph them as I was in a rush to tidy up then had to mow the lawn as promised to wifey.
About ten days ago we had a rare sunny afternoon so I fitted the seat covers then set about trying to fit the front bumper. The bumper Irons are held in position with a large steel block inside the frame rail via two M8 bolts and washers. Since I drilled the holes many moons ago there is not much room for adjustment and, this was a big and, the irons are at slightly different angles so this made getting the alignment even more difficult. I managed to get the irons more even but still struggled to get them centralised and looking concentric to the front lower apron rim, where the valance attaches.
I spent about three hours faffing and swearing, still not perfect, so I left them as it was getting cold and dark. They are held roughly in position with two mole grips and that's how they will stay till I get all/ most of the other stuff fitted.
Middle
Today saw me busy all day. Fitted the new vaccuum hose, brake booster to manifold.
Hunted for in shed and found - bonnet mechanisms, all nicely painted Matt Black some time ago. The large spring loaded latch operated by a Bowden cable from inside had the three bolts attached.
Sadly the bonnet mounted ones did not. Neither could I find matching bolts, nuts and washers for the Bowden cable routing down the wing and front slam panel. I must have spent hours walking up and down to the shed and back trying to find anything that would suffice but no joy, well a little joy, I found one set sort of, enough for the latch to work after some judicious lubrication. Aligning up the latch mechanism was a different matter altogether.
What a major Faffffff !!!!!!!
I lined it up very centrally, tightened the three bolts and gingerly pushed down the bonnet.
I heard a nice thunk/click of the spring pushing the cone under the latch, the bonnet aligned perfectly, then came the crunch moment ..............would it unlatch when pulling the handle from inside the car !!!
No it would not !
That's where the major faff started. The only way to get the cone back past the sliding latch was to undo the three bolts. They were under the bonnet on the slam panel. The bonnet would only lift about one inch allowing awkward access to the bolts, about three inches into the slam panel.
It took about 75 minutes to get the three bolts out......phewww.
I had another go, guess what, I got exactly the same result. @*&#"8%+.u*=/,0@!!
''Twas then I noticed something big, black and cone shaped in the box of painted hinge parts.
I'd forgot the top guide thing !!!!. Just as a precaution though I ran a 1/4 unf tap down the slam panel captive bolts, lined up again and tentatively tried again knowing full well if it didn't work I was off down the shop for a big bottle of whisky.
It did though with great relief. Look
I still couldn't find a nut for the bonnet stay bracket which is in turn mounted to a wing attachment bolt so I bit the bullet, went online and ordered 35 quids worth of nuts bolts and washers UNF type. This will speed up the restoration greatly and save the 75 trips too and fro to the shed every time I embark on each little 10 minute job.
I'm still fretting over the passenger door gap and the fact the car now won't start. As I was packing up for the day I suddenly realised why it won't start...........,,,,there is no fuel in the tank!!!!!!!
That's enough for now, next up is making new internal panels to replace the shoddy and worn ones and then fit the carpet. Oh, and order a handbrake cable.
