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WCA - Build thread 3

21 Dec 2013, 9:31pm
Great to see you on Friday. It's really good to see people using and abusing their cars. It seems a shame to paint it, the patina is coming on nicely. Keep wearing those rear tyres out!!
2 Jan 2014, 3:16pm
A couple of little bits done today. The boot lock cover was easy, the gear gaitor not much harder. I like days like today.

A small sprung chroime keyhole cover and a pusher upper mounted inside. I like the neat result.





Start with a black plastic auto box


Prize out the gear surround


The gear knob just needs a 'gentle tug' to remove it. One of the sets of wires goes to the sports gear select switch. I am not sure what the other wire went to as it 'fell off' but everything still seems to work


I will need to resite the sports select button when I fit the gaitor so lets make a nice tape template and cut it out from underneath so I know exactly how bit the hole has to be



Carefully position it so the switch will be on the side of the drive tunnel near the drivers knee. Carefully cut out the hole for the switch using the template you so carefully prepared. Slide the switch into the perfectly sized hole and discover a metal strut blocking the position. Swear profusely


Make the hole a bit wider so the switch misses the hole, fit the switch and pretend that no-one will ever look there anyway so it doesn't matter


Fit the leather gaiter over the original plastic. Repeat half a dozen times as it keeps popping off at the corners and then fit in place


Smile at the finished job when you see the switch doesn;t really show too much but frown a bit at how stretched the gaiter looks when the stick is in Park. Need to get a better looking knob as well (insert your own joke here)
2 Jan 2014, 3:38pm
You've made a good job of that WCA looks like a manual now!
Much more in keeping with the period :-)
2 Jan 2014, 3:39pm
Forgot to ask, where did you get the pusher thing?
2 Jan 2014, 6:01pm
I had a 'popper' kit that was meant to pull the door opening mechanism and then the popper pushed the door open. They a popular with the custom car boys who want to remove external door handles.

It is just a bolt it a tube with a rubber tip and a spring at the bottom of the tube pushing it up. Shut the boot and the spring is compressed but held there by the boot catch. Release the catch and the boot lid pops up enough to get your fingers under. Quite neat I thought compared to a t-handle or similar.
2 Jan 2014, 7:40pm
That gaitor looks good. Nice job.
4 Jan 2014, 6:12pm
Picked up the new side repeaters from Hendy Ford. Apparently they had had then for a few days but didn't bother to contact me as they knew I would turn up for them sooner or later. Top customer (dis)service.

Anyway, first place the new units


Then drill a hole to take the push fit units. Does anyone know how I managed to drill a triangular hole?


Make sure the units are a tight fit as there are no clips holding them in place. The BMW units had little metal spring clips but it appears Ford don't bother.
Beneath the black tape is a piece of packing tape reversed to give a smooth surface over the hole left by the old light unit.


Fill the hile behind the tape with body filler and some metal gauze


And when you remove the tape the body filler is almost flush with the outside surface ready for sanding


Quick whizz over witht he electric mini sander and it is all as smooth as you like


Used a bit of spare metal gauze and filler to replace the broken tab on the front wing where it bolts to the car. Not sure this will last but it is better than the 'nothing' that was there before and easier than getting all glassed up for such a small thing.


No pictures of the wings fitted as it is dark and raining but I think they look better than the first lot I fitted. Nice and small. Funily enough I was walking out of the Ford garage when I spotted that Fiat 500 has even smaller and slightly oval clear side repeaters.
18 Jan 2014, 6:47pm
Today I got the car back from Tribute after gettin the door handles changed, side sills put on and brake cooling ducts put in the front. Thanks Chris for the great work again.

My plan for tomorrow is concrete in the remaining three fence posts and then play car.

I am getting some 5" semi riding aluminium ducting to feed cool air from the front of the car to blow over the front discs. It would be a lot easier if the bonnet, with the holes in, didn't lift up at the front. As it is I will need to have one bit of ducting connected to the bonnet and another piece pointing at the brakes and some amazing luck to ensure they line up when the bonnet is closed.

The other good news is that after getting rid of the sauna from the garage there is now room to park the car inside with both doors open and walk around it. I couldn't believe the luxury of sitting on some dense foam matting in the dry with the electric patio heater keeping me warm while I fiddled with the front wing to get all the bolts correctly attached.

I also managed to rescue my chrome filler cap which appeared to react really badly to uk weather by developing both pitting and crusty layers. A short whole with a polishing wheel fitted to the Dremel and a bit of chrome cleaner sorted that out.

I didn't get much else done today as I turned the 1 hour journey back from Chris into a 3 hour maximum attack, roof down, traction control off session of pure enjoyment. Wet roads and no one around is great. Drifting the car at legal speeds with clear visibility. What fun!

Anyway, relaxing in a bath with a couple of Old Crafty Hen (beer not women) and thinking about the Tribute Owners Club.
18 Jan 2014, 8:37pm
Sounds like a GOOD DAY. :thumb:
19 Jan 2014, 7:56pm
Nick, I can't believe you haven't posted any pictures of your car yet! Or have you put them on different tread? Did you get any paint on today?





19 Jan 2014, 8:49pm
Love the changes made here, especially the sills.
19 Jan 2014, 9:36pm
No paint, too much time enjoying it!

Handles make me smile each time I open the door.

Refitted the door cards today but wasn't able to do the brake vents as I couldn't get any aluminium ducting in 5 inch. B&Q reckon they should have some in mid week.

Need to see what the money fairy brings me at the end of the month before I decide whether to paint it up myself. I have one pressing debug to pay before I. Other with paint and powder coated wheels.

Hopefully it will be a birthday present for me in February.
19 Jan 2014, 10:48pm
Hey seanick. Was wondering if you are able to make frames for a front lift bonnet like on your kit looked great. Would be nice to have easy access to the engine bay. Only thing the front end on the mxamz project. isn't finished. I'd be interested to know how much it would cost to make one for it.
regards zag
20 Jan 2014, 8:13am
Door Handles

cant see, but how do those handles fit and work, they look sensational! I take it they could be done to any car (amz?)
20 Jan 2014, 12:15pm
Not sure how thety fit as I got Chris to do that.

They do look amazing, taken from a Fiat Barchetta. Your thumb presses the button and the metal bar pops out for you to pull on.

The metal bar is a lovely shaped and rounded piece of aluminium that is a tactile pleasure to touch. Makes me smile when I open the door each time.
20 Jan 2014, 5:08pm
I popped into Chris's place whilst he was fitting those.
They are cool little handles / really neat setup.
The cills are a major improvement as well . I like the holes in those panels but not on this car !
20 Jan 2014, 10:17pm
Agree about the sills. They looked like a great idea when we first saw then but they just don't work.

Glad you like the handles too
21 Jan 2014, 3:58pm
Are you sick and tired of Scottie's carefully presented threads with detailed photographs of how to tackle any task and complete it with a first class engineering solution?

Me neither but here is a thread that is almost the complete opposite of Scottie's threads. It shows how I painted my car after the latest changes Chris has made.

First you need to gather all of the tools and materials required:
Masking tape - for taping plastic bags
Plastic bags - for masking the bodywork
Scalpel - For cutting up the bags
Heat Gun - For heating up the tape so it would unroll and stick - It was very cold in the garage
Axe - Well, it is always handy to have an axe there



Start taping the car up to cover anything you don't want to go red. Decide to turn on the patio heater - I mentioned it was cold. Always make sure you are painting in a proper well ventelated booth with no sources for dust or dirt.



It is important that all bright work is protected such as the beautiful new handles and the petrol filler cap. Paper plates are about the same size as fuel fillers.


The ambient temperature affects the paint characteristics so ensure your paint is warm, or at least liquid, before you start. I told you it was cold.


Before you start any of this make sure the entire car has been properly cleaned. Do not just plonk it in the garage after driving back from Dorchester on wet and muddy roads. You did read this step before you started didn't you? No? Oh well, you can either untape it all, take it outside and wash it properly or run a couple of baby wipes over it.


Here is the fully masked off car ready for painting. Please don't look where the side repeater used to be. Definitely nothing to look at there. We can always look at that bit later.


Mixing paint is a fine art requiring the exact proportions of paint and thinners. Remember that paint stored in nearly empty tins can evaporate slightly and that the ambient temperatures will affect the mix.


Adjusting for ambient temperature that looks about right for 'Bastard cold'


Stir well with an old hacksaw blade taking care not to spill it over the edge of the glass and all over your hands.


The first coat doesn't need to be thick but you should try for an even coverage. Well I tried... Notice the garage door is open now. I thought the 'Red Mist' meant getting angry, not getting painted. I can still taste the thinners now


You know that bit we didn't look at earlier? Perhaps we should have, it looks like someone forgot to spray it with any primer. Do you really need primer?


Yes


And here is the finished article. I will wait for the paint to bake under the patio heater for a bit and try to get some 'on the road' pictures tomorrow or Thursday depending on weather and work
21 Jan 2014, 6:16pm
WorldClassAccident wrote:
...It was very cold in the garage...

Cold in the garage?! :rant: :rant: :rant:

Jokes aside, the paint makes a big difference. :cool:

Look forward to some more photos taken outside (if it isn't too cold for you :icon_wink:).

Good luck, Paul. :)
21 Jan 2014, 6:20pm
I think I better point out that I plan to get the car sprayed properly soon otherwise I might have taken more care...

...might
21 Jan 2014, 7:27pm
WorldClassAccident wrote:
Are you sick and tired of Scottie's carefully presented threads with detailed photographs of how to tackle any task and complete it with a first class engineering solution?



Erm, no actually.

I'm quite enjoying Scotties' build thread. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished article too.
21 Jan 2014, 8:43pm
Yet another quality write up from the master of diy. I do enjoy these.

Noticing that the (aforementioned) axe appearing in serveral shots did not seem to serve a purpose. Could you elaborate?
21 Jan 2014, 8:50pm
Mr Towed - I know you are a policeman but please try to quote the whole statement ;-)

Are you sick and tired of Scottie's carefully presented threads with detailed photographs of how to tackle any task and complete it with a first class engineering solution?

Me neither
21 Jan 2014, 9:01pm
Here's a top tip - don't have open paint cans, thinner cans, or fuel tanks protected by paper plates anywhere near open flames, especially patio heaters. The combination rarely ends well.
Loved the use of a dirty saw blade and baby wipes. Good lateral thinking there.