operation clean carbs

Still not got my act together and bought a welder yet so my idle hands, in tandem with my idle brain, decided it would be a good time to remove the carburettors. I never managed to get the car to idle perfectly now matter how much i tweaked and twiddled the adjusting screws, couldn't get them balanced properly either, so off they jolly well came.

A couple of the securing bolts looked a little bit tricky to get to...

and not so much better even with the air filters removed.

they needed a good clean any way.

lots of swearing and grazed knuckles later they on the operating table.
I bought repair kits for them a while ago but now realised that i also needed some extra bit and bobs, hopefully my trusty parts mule will have them over here for me in January.

and here beginneth....

the problems?
Time to change to winter tyres, well not usually quite this early for me but Silje will be in London next week, and by the time she gets back it will be november and by then you have to have your winter tyres on. So a jolly pain in the backside evening was spent changing them over. The first one came off and then me being me I decided to dismantle a few bits and pieces to see and clean 9 years worth of dirt. Hmmm OCD.

Anyhow, first wheel changed, car taken apart and put together again time for wheel nr. 2....
only to find this...
grease on the inside of the wheel, pretty classis sign, on a front wheel drive car anyway, of

this....
arrrrrrrg, a split CV joint gaiter letting all the grease spew out and more seriously the dirt and grit get in.

a job i could probably quite easily manage myself but no time this week, on my own with the kids next week and the longer it's left the more chance of the joint being ruined by dirt so i've booked it in to get it changed next week. Just hope it isn't too late for the joint.

grrrrrrrr

new stuff and old stuff

Went to the local autojumble last saturday with some birthday money in my pocket... and i didn't come away empty handed, wey hey new tools, going to come in handy when i eventually get round to welding stuff together.

 

Here are the cardboard templates for the sill / wheel arch repair..

 

and transferred, to sheet metal, and roughly bent to shape.

 

I then got to use this, hmmm, power tools, angle grinders are scary things but absolutely great fun at the same time, one stupid slip and this thing will be attempting to sever digits.

 

chop chop

as you can see the area to be chopped was expertly and very accurately marked out, yeah yeah get on with the cutting.

 

voila...

 

the repair piece needed some more 'expert' trimming to get it to sort of line up

 

hmmmm, getting the curve to match the wheel arch is going to be tricky, i should really shrink the metal to for the curve, but i don't have time to get myself a lifetimes worth of panel beating experience in a couple of hours play time so out came the tin snips again.

 

rust, no no

started the evening by whipping the number plate off the pasta wagon again to finish what i'd started a couple of weeks ago, quick lick of paint, left to dry whilst i chopped the austin. Managed to find some grommets in my pile of bits and pieces too, just to finish the job.

 

snip snip

attacked using the snips to enable me to form the curve, all will be welded up again later (if i ever get around to buying a welder)

 

all in all i must say that i'm pretty pleased with my first attempt at body work so far, but i'm a loooong way from done yet, plenty of opportunity for spectacular and catastrophic error yet.

 

 

started the evening by whipping the number plate off the pasta wagon again to finish what i'd started a couple of weeks ago, quick lick of paint, left to dry whilst i chopped the austin. Managed to find some grommets in my pile of bits and pieces too, just to finish the job.

 

the forgotten project

Been a barren year for the Austin, not one drive out this year at all. Never got round to getting its MOT renewed summer one year ago when i had other things to be worrying about, this year was full of many false starts and i eventually decided in August that i just wasn't going to get it back on the road this year. So out came the axle stands and angle grinder so i could finally get to grips with what little rust there is. I took a welding course earlier this year but could do with getting myself an actual welder so i can get started properly.

Still as you all know already, preparation is almost important as the actual fix, right?

Many hours spent scraping off the old underseal, which has done a wonderful job it has to be said, revealed the lots of nice shiny metal and a few bits of grot, and once you start there is no turning back, keep cutting until all the rust is gone, it's the only way.

Don't build them like they used to thats for sure, lots of lovely mud traps in old cars like this. But they did actually have some idea. Here is what may be described as the forerunner to a plastic wheel arch liner. A steel plate tack welded over the end of the sill stopping the worst of 45 years worth or road muck getting where it shouldn't be....anyway, it needed to come off so i could reach the real rust.

voila!

revealing the end of the sill and what needed to be cut out.

and this is what i'm left with.
I have made cardboard templates to fill the gaps and have cut out the patterns from sheet steel and started forming the bits i need, pics to follow, just got to remember to charge the camera up, doh.