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Mick - Good to see this all coming together nicely.
Thanks Paul. Not got down the cave much lately due to being full of cold and the depressingly interminable rain. Yesterday was the first in a good while when I felt half way decent and there was good weather. Typically, it was the day I'd arranged to go to the NEC for the bike show . My dream of having her on the road for an Xmas day blat is starting to evaporate .
A New Hope (with apologies to Star Wars afficionados).
Mick O'Malley wrote:
Not got down the cave much lately due to being full of cold and the depressingly interminable rain.
Regards, Mick
This has been the state of play more or less for the last four weeks. I discovered in that time that I have the wrong upper steering shaft, I think I may have given the correct one to the guy who bought my S4 Seven project - D'Oh! Anyway, I rang 'Spitfire Steve' on Thursday to order another and he told me that on Wednesday he had delivered an engine to a guy with a red Triumph based Monaco just up the road (well, 50 odd miles scenic route) in Leominster. Result! I spoke on the 'phone to this gentleman and we agreed that I'd show him mine, if he showed me his. Next weekend's looking likely so I may post with pictures Xmas week. I'm hoping that my visit will result in a fresh burst of enthusiasm, something lacking for a good long while.
I've mentioned before that the French are mad for these cars. It seems there's a Prime Suspect, of whom I'm not a little jealous: There was an enquiry on my Moss Owners FB page regarding the worth of a Monaco which the poster was considering buying. Here's my new hero's reply - bear in mind that English is not his first language...
i owned 11 Monacos....no one was the same price...depends a lot of the finish, and wish engine is inside...
also, the prices aee different in UK or France, Germany...ect...because they re difficult to register...when it s not impossible...
but i can say without reach a fortune, price are going higher...but it s the same for many kit cars...
few years ago...you baught a monaco to the builder...who was an enthusiast, just selling the price of the parts, to build a new car...
now you buy a kit car to the guy who baught the kit car to the enthusiast...
My 11 Duttons, out of many thousands, seems a puny total compared with 11 Monacos out of 88. His FB name is 'Lucky ******'.
I don't seem to have got a lot done this last week, although I've spent quite a bit of time in the cave. The depressing weather doesn't help, neither does my being full of cold. The dash is now in place and the front loom installed. Everything bar the lights and indicators is connected.
Today's forecast is once again for rain so I'll concentrate on refitting the scuttle brace and steering column. I offered up the former yesterday to find that the car seems to have changed shape as the brace doesn't fit as it did on fabrication. Weird!
I also had a close look at the so say 'refurbished' callipers yesterday. The nipples are seized and the pad pins have their ends painted over. The pads are new. I don't hold out much hope for them so would one of you knowledgeable chaps tell me what their type number is please as new ones will likely be required?
Regards, Mick
The type 12 caliper is held together with 2 bolts. The type 14 with 4. So it looks like yours are type 14.
Yesterday, after what I see has been a three month break, I managed a little work on the Monaco. I'd been busy in the garden for the first dry days having previously been busy making and mounting two more double swift nesting boxes.
I had to remove the earthenware house martin nest (which was a gift, but in my near quarter century here I've never seen one in this part of town) to make space. I remounted it as it contained bat droppings, so obviously a handy summer roost .
I'd sat in the car to try out the seats and seating position late last year, and was dismayed to find that the gear stick, bent back to clear the dash, hit the steering wheel in the 3rd and 4th plane. Aaaaaaaaaargh! I first considered cutting an access hole in the side of the tunnel, a lá A352, but then hit on the idea of extending the top tunnel hole backwards.
Suitably masked and suited, I drilled two 8mm corner holes and padsawed out a square. Utilising my advanced gynaecology skills I was able to remove the lever, clamp it in the vice, and bend the top third or so to the left using a 4' length of 1" box with an old wheel nut protecting the thread. Reassembly was straightforward, and a suitable gaiter will cover the hole.
With a few more dry days forecast, and my enthusiasm rekindled, I'll crack on, with the re-scheduled kit car show my completion target date.
On Friday I decided to finish off the wiring to the front lights. I decided that the 1mm ally indicator brackets were too flimsy so re-made them in 3mm using the old ones as templates to ensure the rivet holes in the frame could be re-used. I 4mm pop-riveted the indicator bodies to the brackets, tested the bulbs, and mounted them. I thought about bending the brackets forwards like the old ones but realised that, as they were, they'd double as side repeaters.
I then crimped the side and head light bulb holders to the loom and mounted the lights in their pods. Job done apart from the indicator wiring which I'll complete when I rivet on the escutchions I made - see below.
Yesterday I turned my attention to the wiring for the rear lights. I dug out the rear wings, their brackets, and the lights/indicators/reflectors. I realised that the rear escutchions would be much more difficult to fit with the wings in situ so decided to fit them first. These are cosmetic to hide the holes chopped by both myself and previous owners to clear differing rear suspensions. Tin snipping; bending; offering up; drilling and riveting ensued. These five minute jobs always take ages and I called it a day having finished one side.
Sun's been out our way but a few minutes and fingers are too cold for delicate work, like re-routing the rear brake pipe. Lying underneath trying to form a swage on a pipe. Too cold. wait for Summer!
Having finished the escutcheon, I decided to fit the wing and lamps. The Lucas L691 stop/tail lamps are meant to be attached using the two stubby studs on the back. These are too short for the GRP. They came (second hand) without any of the fixings for the lenses either. A bit of head scratching and I hit on the idea of long M4 bolts going through the lens holes, the lamp body, the rubbers and the wing. These I've ordered on line. I cut off the stubs and carefully opened up the holes in the lenses, only the merest amount of plastic being removed. The Lucas L488 indicators I bought new, these I'll fix to the wings with hose clips, a technique I used successfully on my Lotus S2/3 styled Westie. I bolted the wing to its bracket, and fitted both front and rear braces: it's now very rigid. I popped the lights in and was very pleased with the appearance. Finishing off the wiring will wait until both sides are ready.
It was so cold in the windy cave that I went in for a warm up and a sarnie. Suitably refreshed I returned and started on the driver's side, but after fitting the escutchion I called it a day.
Taking advantage of the dry weather, I fitted the driver's side rear wing and connected the front indicator wiring, after riveting on the escutchions. These needed quite a bit of fettling to get them to sit nicely, and I treated the wires to some grommets. Excuse rubbish end-of-day photo'.
I then dug out my grille, wire brushed off the rust, and gave it a coat of Hammerite primer. If the sun comes out today I'll spray it with black stonechip and fit it. In the meantime I'll fit the front wings.
After three more days beavering away in the cave, I have something approaching a car. Having fitted the newly painted grille and number plate, and finished attaching and wiring the rear lights and indicators, I decided to charge and fit the battery and test my reconstituted loom. I dug out the pedal operated stop lamp switch, the only electrical item not fitted, and wired it in. Having successfully reconstituted looms for my Marlin; A352; and Lomax I was confident that all would be well from the off. Engaging the isolator switch, the dash warning lights all came on. WTF? I turned it off and had a think, suddenly realising that the dash itself, which had everything it held earthed to it, was not itself earthed. D'Oh! I jury rigged a lead straight to the -ve battery terminal and tried again. The voltmeter swung; the sidelights worked; but the indicators; horn; and headlights didn't? More head scratching and I realised that in line fuse holders and relays work so much better with fuses in them. Bingo. It all now worked as it should.
Yesterday I set to with fitting the front wings. Once the brackets were bolted through the body I balanced the wings in place, adjusting them until they appeared symmetrical. I marked one bracket bolt hole each side from beneath with Snopake. Removing them to the bench, I drilled 3mm pilot holes from the undersides, and opened them to 6mm from the other. Bolting them on and again adjusting for symmetry, I could accurately mark the other three holes each side. Once they were fitted, I felt I was now getting on the last lap, so I mounted the aero screens, rested the DCD on its manifold, and popped in the seat back for a photo' call.
Feeling mighty pleased I called it a day. However, once night fell, I went back to the cave to play with the lights in the dark - very satisfying.
Brake and clutch hydraulics are next on the to-do list.
With a bit of luck the lock down will be eased by the middle of summer. We are only just into April remember so by July perhaps ? There are still events later in the year that haven't been cancelled, fingers crossed !
. My dream of having her on the road for an Xmas day blat is starting to evaporate 
.
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