But having said that I do like the dark Midnight Blue below. Mine even has the large Chrome sill protectors and Rostyles too, plus it would hide any poor panel gaps.
My name is Paul. Recentlv retired Radiographer in the NHS, former toolmaker, draughtsman & Sales engineer. This is a blog of my pastime . I have no garage In which to build my dreams, yet. So follows is my journal of the restoration of a 33 year old MGB-GT .
Sunday, August 02, 2009
What Colour ................tell me what you think
But having said that I do like the dark Midnight Blue below. Mine even has the large Chrome sill protectors and Rostyles too, plus it would hide any poor panel gaps.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
wheel clean
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Admiralty, Enemy, Rival, Fallen & Angel..............
Before we go further........I passed all my exams................Yippee !!
So Arches, or arch to be precise. I've finally finished the patchwork quilt of welding the lip of the arch inner - outer section. It was a swine. The main problem being the wheel hub right in the most awkward place imaginable. Your head needs to be there to see what you are doing and get out of the way of all the falling crud ( and grinding sparks and welding sparks). Its very difficult to get a head covered with welding mask in there and weld. It was managed albeit with some bird poo type welding in parts, lots and lots of stray sparks behind the mask ( it makes you leap around a bit) head wedged and stuck in position, mouths full of 32 year old crud and sparks falling onto your arms and chest. Yes they hurt too.
As proof see the photos below, labelled looking out from the ( left rear) arch.
Bear in mind the camera was easy to position as its small. My head+welding mask is not.
I,m rather proud of this and the composite layout ( done in paint) .
You will see in the centre the view of the tailgate section. Yes it still is a shed/tool storage space since I've long since run out of storage locations.
However, most of it will be spirited away somewhere whilst I work on the floors inside.
Bodywork wise its just about done. There is one 50p piece hole in the top RH corner of the tailgate gutter ??? and a pencil sized hole just under the rear screen rubber at the 5 o'clock position with a little more underlying rust ,so the rear windscreen is coming out soon. The rubber surround is awful anyway, very brittle and scabby. The chrome trim will be cut out, polished up and re-used.
Methinks that with a respray its imperative to have new front/rear rubbers ( fitted after respray, obviously)
AND, to continue the good news a small windfall from the tax man has allowed me some cash for the next stage. What shall be the next stage ?. I guess I must attach the fuel tank, fuel line and work on getting the engine turning over at least. This part worries me as I see it as a potentially frustrating part. Auto electrics, carb balancing, mixture adjustment all will play a part in the life of one happyish student Radiographer over summer.
Since the money is there and not needed for the above work I guess I may buy Poly bushes for the front suspension, and give each side a overhaul and refurb. I have a pair of lower springs bought on e-bay last year (£ 5/pair, if i remember correctly).
So, I must fit for now, the accelerator pedal and cable, but first wire brush the floors and red lead them.
Soon, with a little luck I may be able to drive it under its own power..............oh joy oh joy.
Bad news is wifeys on D.I.Y overdrive with the cash windfall. So far I've painted the bathroom ( twice) and toilet. She's offered to paint the kitchen. This is a sneaky feminine tactic. She's terrible at painting but denies it. However she knows I will offer to do it after making a bo****ks of her first attempt. In fact she visited B&Q.....!! EVERY DAY!! this week for one thing or another ( matchpots x 30,0000, bathmat, wallpaper [ not purchased, painted existing instead, twice] paving [n/p], look at bathroom suites, brushes.........I eventually refused to visit the last time, instead feigning a headache from all the paint fumes........two can play that game !!!!!!!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Big delay in posting. Simple reason really. I've been swatting for my exams. What with that and the recent hot/sunny spell my mind has been elsewhere.
The exams are over and boy were they tough. The hardest part though is the waiting for the results. At least another week yet posted on the Uni website.
After a bit of DIY ( Bathroom painting) the wifey decided the colours wrong. Damn.
I spent the whole of one rather hot and sunny day ( yesterday, my first official day off) getting it done for when she returned. Only to find out she now wants the walls painting since they don't quite match the new paint. I might add at this point we BOTH agreed on the colour, even if we did buy it several months ago.
Of course in my life there has to be some engineered Ying & Yang, so I spent today welding on the MG with a sulky face whenever wifey appeared. I tackled the last inner, outer wing part.
I had started to use an new VW repair section cut up into sections. This is working well, however grinding the inner wheelarch with the wheel hub in the way is a real pain. Still most of it is done now. Only one section to fit in and a couple of patches then done.
Soon I will be fitting the remaining fuel line, tank and throttle cable/pedal. Before this though I will give the floors ( drivers and passengers) a good rotary wire brush and coat with red lead.
The rain has been leaking in a bit and left lots of surface rust.
The comes the big fire up...........................yipeeeeee !!
I have a feeling that the electronic ignition and/or the immobiliser fitted will cause me a few headaches though. Wiring and fault finding/understanding is not one of my strong points.
Ohh......I almost forgot. I did three days as a traffic census officer directly after the exams so I have a little extra cash. Not much though as I have spent some on a new pair of walking boots.
Yes I know its a little sad, but walkings free, it get me healthy and why not use the peak district since I'm/we are only 15 minutes away.
I will post pictures when the above stuff is done and I've given it a celebratory drive up/down the culdesac.
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
More progress
The nice weather and a lull in studying has seen a little progress on the MG.
I deferred getting the engine going till I can afford some special fuel hose and Imperial nuts/bolts for the fuel tank.
The rear LH wheel arch was still needing work (inner wheel arch- outer portion ) .
I had put off attempting this for a long time since, read below.
I did actually buy a repair section from the MG hive last year, £60 , for my birthday, along with several other panels.
However at the time, I'd already cut the rust away and fitted the complete real rear wing over it. But, then I make a complete novice error. I realised I'd bought the WRONG side rear repair section. It was a right outer - inner section, I needed and I had a left. Hay hoe.
So i did use it on the correct arch several months ago, see much earlier post, and remembered it was a swine to do.
Nevertheless, I set to full of determination.
I had no money but some enthusiasm. It was all i could do.
With rear jacked up and head in small confine of wheel arch. I should say that I had to roll the car onto the road, reverse and push back tuther way into drivespace ,so its pointing the other way, again. Thank you Son No 1.
I'll hammer some sections to fit. Three of four pieces curved round, lipped and curved the other way should be simple enough.
I even went green and recycled the old doorskin to use for said patches.
I had a set of the correct hammers and dollies- no guesses where I bought them from !
How hard can it be ?
After at least 2 hours............. simples !.................VERY VERY HARD. I gave up. Almost.
Then I remembered.
In a moment of e-bay purchasing way back when I was employed and in full control of our finances I did buy one VW GOLF ( Rabbit for our colonials ) outer left wheel arch repair,
WHY I hear you ask ?
Well look further down at the lovely Maroon example. It looks fantastic with very subtle flared wheel arches. I contacted the owner and he gave me the details. Mk 3 Golf rear arches are a near perfect fit for all MG arches. So i bought one. £20 from the usual source.
I had a brainwave........not often i get one but a good one at that.
If it is turned arse about face and maybe cut into 3 or 4 sections a new inner arch could be fabricated.
Why not. correct shape with lip. right curve. clean. smooth free and available.
To press I've done two of the four sections and left them there clamped in-situ.
What is horrible is using the wire wheel cup on the grinding machine. Flat on back looking straight up at almost invisible ( since my goggles are rather scratched and contrast of sky and dark wheel arch make it impossible) edge with a fine mist of 33 year old underseal coating my mouth, hair, eyes, nose and teeth. It was about 10 inches from my forehead, so a slip would have really spoilt my day. I'm scared enough of the grinder as it it anyway.
I looked like I'd been down a mine for months, ergghhhh. And there's still more to do, then weld.
Next post will be photo of job done, hopefully.
Once my exams are over I'll crack on and do as much as possible to get the rolling restoration underway. I reckon I need :-
6 rattlecans of primer
Fuel line - tank to sender
Fuel tank nuts/bolts
RH wing bolts
Rear springs - Lowered type
Small drop arms- rear
Complete Poly bush set
Front Brake discs and pads
Rear brake pads
Front chrome windscreen surround
Front windscreen rubber
Rear screen rubber
Door rubbers
Tailgate rubber surrounds.
Seam sealer
The rest I can live without for the now rolling resto. I hate the seventies Orange/brown/white stripes of the seats though.
That all as far as I know........................................!!!
Yes it is quite a lengthy list. But this time 3 years ago it was unthinkable i could even make a list.
So just a small problem of 3 exams to pass, summer job to find and I'll be making real progress.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
It makes you think..............really !!
Watch it and see what you think.......its regarding technology and the pace of life.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL9Wu2kWwSY&feature=player_embedded
Thursday, May 07, 2009
A dull spark can have its moments
I paint a serene and planned scenario.......................................................................not.
I planned to get the water hoses and fuel hoses on last bank holiday week, plus the oil connection pipe/union to the oil pressure gauge. This did not go well. I had to wait for the latter to be posted, it arrived well after the bank holiday. Even worse, when fitting the fuel hose ( Pump unit to manifold ) i found the hose 2" ( 50mm) too short !!
Not to worry, whilst all this was resolved by some telephone calls and waiting I set too ordering a battery ( Wifeys birthday prezzie to me). Gawd almighty It arrived the next day, it cost £33 + £9.99 delivery, it was the correct spec, and a single bank holiday was approaching to co-incide with said birthday.
What a let down. The battery was flat as a fart. Nil pwa. zero volts. even less amps.
Even tried connecting brother in laws battery charger and waiting 10 hours..............nothing
It just had to wait till my exams were over the following week and I could call the vendor.
I had a shock somewhat when I looked up the vendors seller rating ( yes it was E-bay again,and i know I should have done this BEFORE purchasing) but it was pants. Nevertheless, when contacted they sent a replacement and it was received today ( the very next day ).
Connected up and bingo.................no not firing but engine turning and willingly turning.
After a couple of hours convinced there was no spark then the coil was faulty then the silicone leads not showing continuity I eventually summoned assistance. Son No 1 came to help ( yes and without being bribed) I had some unleaded in a plastic container down the shed ( been there for about 2 years ). So pouring some fuel into the plastic see through filter and into the carbs it looked more of a possibility. But still no fire or spark.
Then I thought back to the great Mark Evans, or more precisely the bloke from stoke who sprayed something highly flammable into the carbs. I did the same whilst son turned the key.
Bingo................ firing, smoke, oil pressure, water pumping( somewhere) , alternater turning, son terrified, dad beaming and running round drive giggling & crying.
It died after a few seconds due to the solvent being used up, however it goes to show the fuel was at fault all the time.......not the lack of spark, timing, incorrect assembly of anything, stupid owner or shagged out coil.
So the crappy fuel was poured into the daily driver and the MG tank will be assembled and filled sort of at the weekend for a more measured attempt. I need to buy a proper fuel line though as I ain't replaced the short one yet ( Man a MechSpec did say at the time it might not be long enough)
So things are moving forward at a pace now..................except the cash.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
An update....... and real progress
Where the cable disappears to is the brackett that needed welding. The cable goes into a hard ( but very perished ) shaped foam seal. The rest of the foam seals were on the base and around the inside body to insulate the mini radiator. After lots of cleaning and ages of rooting around the shed, swearing and a pop to ma in laws for wifey's soldering iron ( Don't ask )
So, a fantastic piece of inspiration saw me buy 3 x cleaning sponges for 32p each , one "tuff" sponge for £1.35 and 4 x jubilee clips for 64p total . Grand Total = £ 2.95. Some careful cutting with a very sharp craft knife and the heater was almost sorted. A coat of gloss black on the front face ( used wifey's Black gloss Acrylic spray from one of her thousands of arty stores, .i.e plastic carrier bags, secreted in hiding places around the house)
See the finished attempt below.
This pleased me enormously as I must have saved a fortune in overpriced foam seals from the MGOC. And And. I remember the heater was very very difficult to remove due to the "toughness" of the two pipe special sponge, so it should all go back together much more easily.
Another good piece of progress was the fuel tank. It had been sort of covered up by the side of the shed for a few years and I expected it to be beyond repair and full of pinholes.
No way............It had been undercoated from new and after a good clean up with the electric wire brush it looked almost new. Only one tiny pinhole on the top surface near the filler spout. I remedied this with a good spot of Araldite and a complete coating of red lead plus the remainder of the Black acrylic spray liberated from wifey's store.
Now its stopped raining I'm hoping to fit all this lot in readiness for buying a battery next week. Fill up with the correct oil, add water, connect fuel line and bingo...fun time starts.
Yipee, its my Birthday treat so then I may actually get to fire her up. I think that is where the title of the blog comes from since this part may be the most frustrating.
More soon.
p.s forgot to add I cleaned up bonnet ( top and bottom) and sprayed it and RH doorskin + RH wing ( again) with grey primer
Much to tell.................but later today !! Watch these first whilst I'm busy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Vk4RiEMLY8
.............................................................And the funniest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dpZ4BPsLZI
More very soon
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Hello Strangers
I did manage to send the thermostat housing and other bits back to the MGOC with covering letter for replacement. However, being so busy I've not had time to phone and place my order/pay. Its almost the end of jan and I hope they have not thrown it away.
As soon as the weather improves my intention is to refurb the heater and get it in place, fit aforementioned housing and hoses, fill with oil and water then fire it up. Ohh errr it sounds easy to say, but bet the reality takes a few more months and lots of cursing.
I am looking forward to the break from placement come easter and hopefully I will not be ill this time. Since we are well and truly skint I can put lots of time into the MG doing things I've put off last summer.
Next week is the households official payday ( happens every two months/ don't ask, its to do with bursary payments and child benefit) so i may visit the pub for the first time this year and see feckless mate Chris for a laugh and giggle and swap rude jokes.
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Just for Matt and chums
Cannot say too much as the site is linked to the radiography Blog.
Since I'm now an "Elth proffffffesshunal" my identity must remain annony-mouse. ( Just in case I say/let slip something I should not)
So send me your e-mail address ya dolt, then we may converse properly like.
Regards LostSock
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Some Non news
The MG has not moved or gone any rustier I think. I did spend some time attaching a thick clear polythene to the front window and side windows in preparation for the cold winter.
Normally the two large Blue poly covers are usually enough to keep out the water, however on the last few excursions under the cover I have seen a large puddle of water collecting in one of the many poly boxes storing stuff inside.
It serves me right, I should not have removed the windscreen before I was ready to.
Still, it gave me good exercise since I had done a clear out of the shed and outhouse.
Thus finding Duck tape and thick clear poly sheet.
I have a Job..............................................a butchers dog/gopher
Since the big change in my circumstances, then even bigger shock with good old Tax office ( Don't get me started...................................Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr)
I decided to help our Christmas be less bleak and earn some dosh.
Hopefully some MG type goodies wend their way my way or at least I can afford to save for some suspension bushes.
Hope I get the time to post as I'm going to be rather busy up to the festive period.
p.s comments are welcome as they usually cheer me up !!!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Its getting there, their, they're
Had a good couple of good sessions the last few weeks under the bonnet.
Monday, September 29, 2008
All Change.................slow,slow ,stop.
Yes I bit the bullet and handed in my notice.
Not shared with you on the blog was my restlessness to do something different, to help people and to sleep in my own bed every night.
So three years ago I embarked on an access course at the local college with the aim of applying for a place on a Radiography course. I never thought I would be offered a place. The courses are very over subscribed and its not your usual "student life". Being medical the course is very tough with 3 years academic study and 3 years on placement all crammed into 3 years !!
I thoroughly enjoyed the access course and would reccomend it to anyone, even if its just for fun.
I ended up with the equivalent of 3- 1/2 A levels ( I added extra units to enhance my chances of selection) The people were like me ( older) all had busy lives and jobs and we all had collective whinges, fun and a great sense of camarardarie ( spelling!!)
It was a tough decision to make when I discovered I had been offered a place. It involved all the family and everyone has had to make sacrifices. I must admit this was very tough for the wife as she's the worrying type and was at her wits end over the decision.
However, I will do all I can not to let anyone down over the next three years.
So the restoration will go even slower now. Finances are stretched to breaking point so I may have to resort to begging and borrowing.....................I'm good at this though.
I will miss my friends and associates from work, the company car, laptop ( now replaced with new one with a FULL KEYBOARD- note KL) expense account, mobile phone, whining customers, hours of e-mails ( replaced with hours of essays) motorway traffic jams, M25, A14, M1, A12, A405, Slough , Jedburgh and last but not least all the comfortable little offices I had dotted around the UK ( Motorway service stations to the un-initiated )
I will reallly miss the large Wild bean cafe Latte's that kept me sane.
Another positive note is I've stopped smoking at last, and kept the alcohol units under 15 for most of the last few weeks........................here's to a healthy lifestyle.
Well I could hardly be let loose in hospitals as an Oliver Reed apprentice could I .
So expect in the coming months some restoration fun, a few stories of acadedmic life and other hospital related tales from a student radiographer.
Please note that since I'm now a professional in the health service I'm expected to behave like one. Back to the old lifestyle then ??????? I'll let you know.
Restoration wise I'm afraid I have left a little gap in proceedings.
What is done is as follows :-
All of bodywork, except :- Rear inner wing repair section, sanding of F- RH lower wing repair section, Bonnet clean up, Rear tailgate clean up, chop off front chassis ends to accomodate chrome bumper mounts. Weld in captive nuts.
Engine :- Fit carbs & manifold. Buy two new hoses for cooling system. Fit oil cooler hoses + gauge pipe ( broken when removing former) refurb and fit heater box.
Suspension :- Inspect, clean, rebush, fit lower springs ( got on e-bay) Front & Back
Well you get the picture, its coming along nicely. But so is winter !!!
Any donations gratefully recieved.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Back to Black..........hopefully not
Well, technically black is not a colour, but it is for the purposes of my vehicles previous owner is must have been a very attractive and desirable colour.
I say this because I spent the best part of four hours removing some/most of the stuff liberally covering anything remotely not chrome plated in the engine bay.
Lets start at the beginning of this topic though.
The cylinder head is on and looks, well..............not like it did before.
Before everything in the engine bay was either dark oily greasy black or covered in "horsehair" fluff from the shedding of the under bonnet lid protection.
Actually everything was covered in both. So thats why the cylinder head now looks like a cylinder head. Albeit still has some small corners still holding onto the black paint applied at some stage. The Ally intake manifold was the same. This however could take a lot more aggresion being lighter than the C.H.
The carbs were next on the list for re-furb. They looked awfully dark and "fluffy".
Trouble was meths,white spirit, petrol & thinners didn't touch them.
A trip to the local boy racers heaven ( Motor Factors, full of wheels,graphic equilisers, polish and LED lights ) and a large spray can of "Carb Cleaner" purchased, together with spray on engine de-greaser.
Well they both worked a treat and did exactly what they said on the tin.
The carbs look .................well again almost new. I enjoyed cleaning the carbs. I sat down the drive under the shade of a tree, jacksy parked on nice plastic chair with all stuff laid our before me on old pinic table. What joys !.
I even managed to find an old battery powered toothbrush for the fiddly corners of the carb.
The engine de-greaser was a little scary as it stated rinse off with water.
I'd just covered the entire LH side of the engine and chassis frame.
However, I bit the bullit and sprayed with high powered cold water and guess what, it works. No more smelly, oily, fluffy engine.
To prove a point on the progress here's a before and after .........look up
( for some reason I still can't reposition the photos where i want them...come on Blogger, sort it!!!! )
Lots of the ancillaries have been cleaned too. My point about the black is that at some stage in its early life the car had had a good and thorough ( mild understatement) respray from white to black. This included the inside of all the boot,door, bonnet, sills, engine bay and ancillaries including THE WIRING.
So it took me four hours of back breaking cleaning the wires with thinners to reveal the colour before I could connect up the various ancillaries. Plus the sticky and grimy black electrical tape binding so many wires.
What lets the whole thing down is the area where the large smiths heater sits. It looks a little rusty and still white in parts. I didn't think they would remove this when converting the colour since it took me best part of 2 days to remove.
Next post will reveal what I found hiding in the car from Mr Bodgit & Scarper, or was it Mulder from the X-files ? .................more soon !
Now I've published the post the pictures don't do it justice. I'll try to give a better before and after of the carbs..............promise. And, And ,And what colour should I spray it ?
My feelings say Carmine Red, wifey wants old English white ( Original colour) kids say pearlescent light Blue...........................tell me what you think !!!!!!!!!!!!!!please
Friday, August 01, 2008
...........and a head !!
I had to move it ( stored in a handy large Poly-prop box from work ) several times in and out of the car every time I did things.
However, first job was to remove the thermostat housing. Two of the three nuts came away complete with studs, the third...........No chance. It appeared that the stud was slightly bent.
There was no way that was going anywhere. I did't want to drill it...........how anyway ?
A few gentle taps with the large and heavy Aluminiun faced hammer would certainly help.
Yes they did, the housing cracked from top to bottom. At first I didn't notice, I thought it was made in two separate parts, but no.....good old Fufferfour ruined it.
Still, once I realised this it was easy to remove. It still had the slightly bent stud left though.
This brings me to ask the obvious question.........................Why did motor manufacturers use so many studs ?....................They are horrible, always rust solid, break and are not easy to purchase.
The stud in question is about 35mm long ( 2 3/8" for the unenlightened) with a fine thread on one end ( 5/16 UNF) and coarse the other (5/16 UNC)..................................... FFS.........WHY ?
A simple 3/8" bolt , say BSW ..........or BSF, I don't mind ,would do + washer and hey ho.
Think how logical that would have been for good old BL, use 3/8 bolts all round, surely that would help keep the costs down for our struggling icon of manufacturing. But no, all different, hard to source and not cheap ( well not as cheap as 3/8" BSW/BSF anyway)
Removing the valve springs was a bit of a farce. All the manuals say you need a valve spring compressor. I'd priced them up, cheapest was £40 from Halfords. No way.
Thats almost a new doorskin !! After chopping a stout piece of 1.1/2" x 1.1/2" timber I found I could bear down on the spring cover and make the collet top loose. Trouble was it took both arms and my full weight of 10 stone.........................porky alert............14 stone ( 190 Lbs )
So I had no arms free..............except that wifey just happened to be passing by.
So she was roped into service with a screwdriver poking both halves of the collect out as I pressed down. It was approx 8.30 at night and she was tired. Needless to say she had to say it
" do you actually enjoy struggling without the correct tools,
getting cuts and scrapes on yor fingers and getting oily filthy all
over"
Well us guys all know the answer to that..........................and they don't, ..............obviously !!!!
After the third valve I developed a technique that made wifey redundant, but hurt like hell when the wooded bar slipped. But perseverence paid off and by 4.30 a.m I had them all out.
Only joking, it took about 30 mins of struggle, pain, sweat and swearing.
The valves, collets, caps and springs we all numbered, bagged and stored.
I cleaned the head face with trusty scraper tool.
Ground the inlet/exhaust chambers with drill/bobbly grindstone.
Then lapped valve seats.........................cor blimey, what a farce and faffin abaht !!!!!!
The tool resembles one of those Childs toy arrows sold with cheap seaside bows. In fact one of those might have been better. The idea is to insert the correct valve stem into correct hole, smear mating valve face with grinding paste, stick on rubber sucker end of stick and rub hands back and forth as if trying to light a fire. Simple in theory. I read the technique many times and never gave it a second thought as it sounded so easy.
Now three alarming things that they never tell you -:
a/. The paste does not stay put where you put it
b/. Your hands after about five "rubs" are way down the bottom of the stick.
c/. The rubber sucker gets paste all over it and makes it next to useless
At this rate I would finish one vale per year, its going to be a long resto !!!
So I devised the following plan.
The good old Bosch drill was working perfectly, it even has a lever handily placed, to reverse the rotation. And it does it without fuss and seamlessly.
Mounted stick thing in drill, cleaned sucker with ( don't laugh...........ink cartridge flusher)
drill 15 seconds clockwise, same anticlockwise x 5 and check seat.
I was looking for a nice even band of approx 2 to 3 mm around the valve and mating face.
Some steady back and forth with trusty Bosch and the valves were seated a treat.
Off to the boot ( trunk) of the trusty Toyota for a full soak and clean at the works in Slough next time I visit ( via Swavesy for a new thermostat housing..........next story )
Sorry no Photos..........:-(
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Its got wings
- Money
- Money
- Money
- Money
- Workmate ( B&D type) not a real one, although one with spare cash and a garage is OK
- Patience
- Angle grinder
- jigsaw
- Mig welder
- trimmingtool/screwdriver/scraper/chisel.....Yet it really is one tool, and I have one.
As we speak ( you know what I mean) I only have item 10. but thats jumping ahead again.
From the photo above you see I left the door in place as an aid to alignment. Good move now the wing is in place.
Next on the agenda is the engine bay ( remember the blog is about now 2 months behind "real time")
I may post that tonight, I might not. Depends how I feel and how hot the sunshine gets late on. See how light and fluffy my mood is. Restoring MG's gets you that way. That and having bugger all money, tough job and a penchant for red wine. +++++ for some reason I can't place another photo near the bottom of the blog, only at the top, which would ruin the continuity of the story so far. So thats it for now.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
When tools have "Off Days"
Back to reality
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
Its been so long
Monday, March 24, 2008
More on than off
Above shows the new sill welded in position and a good door gap. Its better than the LH side as then I removed the door ( bad move) However this time i left the door in situ and look, it fits great. I only made one error. A small one at that. I forgot to buy a jacking point when I purchased the sill from MGOC. Not so bad though as I can always weld it on later.
Next job is to repair the Inner wheel arch, replace whole of LH wing, but first make new repair section to rear window base. Its rusted completely through and no new panels are available.
I'm going to bend one at College on their ace bending machine. It comprises of a short vertical piece of say 8mm then the horizontal base with another bend tapering along its length down 90 degrees at say 8mm ( this is where the new wing will attach)
The job thats got to be done that looks a little fiddly is the hole in said window corner. Its a large radius in a 45 degree apex with little or no chance of getting in the scary grinder to dress the welds so I'm thinking I may braze a section in, if only I knew how to braze or had the kit !
I wisely did all this a few weeks before the easter hols, and guess what , ever since its been either snowing, raining, gale force winds or all three so I,m not so frustrated.
The earthquake also put a stop to things for a while.
After hearing what sounded like a dumper truck depositing 3 tons of bricks on the roof and a quick check that we were all ok, a rece showed the chimney stack had reduced in size and came to rest in the conservatory via the tri-ply roof. So my office has been out of bounds for some time till its replaced, the chimney stack has been repaired so we are not living in fear of errant bricks or slates anymore. When the weather is better and money abundant the car bodywork will be virtually done bar a few minor touch ups and cosmetics, then on to the suspension, or engine, or chrome, or carbs.............and on and on.
More soon folks !!
Sunday, February 17, 2008
More off than on !
The great god Mr Mark Evans says its important to repair the inner wing BEFORE removing the outer................................please forgive the petulance and disobediance Mr Mark ,but you're wrong ! Especially since you don't know MY CAR, previously bodged..big time.
Below is a prime example. Look at said wing removed.
This is the removed wing. Its had a repair panel "sort of " welded aroung the wheel arch. I say sort of since the norm is to replace all of the lower half at the seam/swage line, or joddle a new section/s under the damaged/cleaned up wheel arch. This was neither, just lots of filler over the whole area right down to the rear valance and rear light cluster ( including much gauze below the light cluster) The panel was a doddle to remove for 2/3rds of its connection . The final 1/3rd was a right swine, its the part thats nearest the rear door gap. The actual wing fits over some areas of gently bent ( 90 degree bend with lovely radius) and fits under other areas, all making a nice join at the point you notice most when opening the door. I took me ages to discover the tiny spotwelds, some inaccessible, some invisible most impossible. Surely it did not take this long to remove the other side.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,!!!!!!No yer great clot!!!!
You bought the car with no rear left wing, remember, all that time long ago, when you were blissfully ignorant of bleeding knuckles, eyes full of grit, pores full of Duckhams and a shed you could actually walk into. So a few gentle taps with the omni tool ( part chisel/part screwdriver/part upholsery prise bar/part rust basher/scraper) some sardine can like peeling with the water pump pliers after a slicing sesion with trusty grinder ( + slicing disc) and yipee.
Tried to work today ( Saturday 2 pm) but despite the sun shining its bloody cold. Only managed to dress up some rusty edges on wing before my toes and nose said no more please. Spent most of following Sunday catching up with college, its still freezing cold out though.
Next job on the list is to Purchase and fit outer sill. Make and weld small tabs to secure A post to sill.
Then remove rust from wheel arch HERE <
Fit new wheelarch repair panel. Weld to rear of new sill.
Fit new wing and weld then repair base of rear light/pointy thing and join with rear valance.
Should keep me happy for a bit, if it don't rain !