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This is the final incarnation of the red Phaeton in the photo' above, Rover 3.5 V8 with an SD1 five speed gearbox.
I was only gently short-shifting (the owner told me I wasn't to take it on the track, just display it - he was on holiday), but it still easily attained 125mph on Farm Straight at the 1992 Castle Combe Kit Car Day. I thought I'd got away with it but the orange dot on the windscreen from the previous year prompted the photographer and a set of contact prints was on his mat when he returned. He forgave me (sort of) and let me order this
The Lotus colours were inspired by my own new scheme above, Marlboro Mclaren was a bit old hat by then.
The vendor arrived bang on time at 1000 with the chassis on his trailer. We transferred two wheels from the other chassis and wheeled it to its new home. It comes complete with the factory chassis plates, is tax free and is eligible for black and silver number plates. He registered it in my name and address on line on his hand held device on the spot. Cool!
He was on his way up to Coventry to pick up an almost complete Herald based Moss Midge for £200! Not a bad day's business for either of us!
This morning I put on two boiler suits, woolly hat, fingerless gloves and went out to shift the two chassis around into position for the engine swap over. With only two wheels on each this was a bit of a hernia special .
My neighbour was yet to dig out my crane so I set-to and began removing the starter motor, gearbox rubbers and bell-housing bolts as I always like to ensure a clutch is free whilst it's nice and accessible. Nothing put up much resistance, especially the gearbox cross-member which wasn't attached at all, apart from a couple of loose bolts dropped through. I jacked the engine up a little with a small plank under the sump, pulled off the gearbox and stowed it in my shed.
I was delighted to see a pristine pressure plate which, when removed, revealed an equally pristine driven plate which wasn't stuck to the flywheel - excellent news. These were also stowed safely away in the dry just as it began to rain, so the covers had to go on again.
I'd just got cleaned up and sat down when my neighbour tapped on the window to announce the crane's return, so it was back outside to lash it to the soil pipe with an old motor bike cover over it as it wouldn't fit past the chassis.
Double boiler suits again. Out at 0900. After lifting the engine just clear of the chassis which came with the body, I had to manoeuvre the new chassis on its two wheels backwards to enable the crane plus engine to fit in front of it. More hernia special!
Once this was achieved it was easy peasy to drop the engine in, remembering to have the exhaust manifold and down pipe loosely between the chassis rail and sump as it can't be inserted later - too big!
As the original chassis will now be stripped before disposal I tranferred the wheels from it to the new one. Much easier to move now, even with no steering column . All done before noon.
Next job is to swap the swing spring with leaves removed onto the red chassis, which has a standard six bolt spring.
After a very late breakfast I dived back out and set to removing the complete swing spring rear suspension. The diff. drive flanges are bigger, the drive shafts are longer and the final drive ratio is lower, so it makes sense to swap the lot.
I disconnected the top shock absorber eyes, the front tie bar mountings, and the two nuts and the long bolt that locate the diff, having first supported it loosely with the crane. It wouldn't quite come out as the inner drive shaft flanges fouled on the handbrake cable guides. I separated the flanges and it was then possible to rotate the whole thing and manoeuvre it clear.
There was just time to cover everything over before the heavens opened so I think that'll have to be it for today.
Mice one Mick I always licked the Monaco very similar to a super two which I once owned, A ford side valve E93a based special unfortunately I cant find a photo of it at the moment!
Nice one Mick, I always liked the Monaco, very similar to a Super Two which I once owned, A Ford side valve E93a based special, unfortunately I can't find a photo of it at the moment!
My future brother-in-law had one in the 60s when he was courting my sister, it prompted me to buy a Lotus VI, also 1172 side-valve powered. I don't have a picture of that Super Two to hand, although I know there's a monochrome Kodak Brownie 127 snap taken by my late mother somewhere.
However, I do have these taken at The Specials Day (not a punk re-union) which is held on the second Sunday of August each year at The Cotswold Wildlife Park in Burford, Oxfordshire. The green one turned up at The Kit Car Show a few years ago on Spitfire underpinnings and on 15" MGF 'Minilites' which, coincidentally, I bought yesterday for the Monaco!
I have quite a bit of Les Montgomery (the father of the Super Two) memorabilia which I've collected over the years. His shop, Super Accessories in Catford, was on my doorstep and I bought an Aquaplane aluminium flywheel and valve chest cover from him for the Lotus VI. In a further coincidence, last week, when selecting a gear knob for the Monaco so that the gear stick didn't hole the cover, I chose the ally one sporting the arms of the city of Monza that I also bought there in the 60s for 7/6. Synchronicity!
The Super Two's claim to fame was that it retailed at £99, although the floor was an extra! The body was a 'Hamblin Cadet' from the firm of that name in Dorset.
I took the rear drive and suspension off the 'new' chassis yesterday but the rain started again at a natural break in proceedings so this is where I've got to.
Pitched in again this morning and managed to fit the final drive and rear suspension from the original chassis into the new one without much difficulty.
I now have a swing spring with fewer leaves, wider track and lower final drive ratio. The next jobs in that area are to fit the M12 Range Rover studs to suit my MGF 'Minilite' 15" wheels (which just arrived whilst I'm typing ), transfer the brake cylinders, shoes, springs, drums etc. and connect the hydraulic lines and handbrake cable. I will need to transfer the larger rear drive flange from one prop. shaft to the other to suit the diff. flange.
Also, the radius arms will need to be considerably lengthened and located onto the centre outriggers, as Micky1Mo has done.
found it my super two many years ago at the Cotswold wild life park (Fairthorpe club meet) The most exciting car I have driven without braking the speed limit (30)
I finally got the chance to lay out and photograph the other bits and pieces that came with the project as previously promised.
Just as I finished taking pictures the nice man from TNT delivered my double duck tonneau cover fabric.
I carefully removed the black plastic in which it was wrapped and was delighted to find that it was the end of a roll, and I'd been sent 170cm when I'd only paid for 1m. Result! It's 72" wide and a quick check with the tape measure confirmed that I (or rather my seamstress friend) can make two tonneau covers from it, one of which will be offered to another Monaco owner.
I also found time to photograph the spare chassis, rear suspension, diff. etc. and list them on Ebay. Time to reduce the clutter!
Regards, Mick
p.s. Deggsy, did you see my Super Two post on the previous page?
After re-stowing all the so far unused bits for the Monaco, I turned my attention to my MGF 15" wheels. The other day I'd browsed the interweb for professional wheel refurbishment and powder coating factors. Having seen the prices I decided to spruce them up myself.
I found a handy guide on a forum that Goggle threw up. The stages were: 1) A good clean with hot water and washing up liquid; 2) A light rub down with emery paper to remove any nasty areas; 3) Spray with primer and 4) Top coat.
As the sun was shining I set to with the banister brush and removed the accumulated crud, rinsed with the watering can and left them to dry.
They're a bit grotty but I'm sure that with some elbow grease they'll come up fine. I've decided on black wheels and grille as that Alfa in the picture on page one looks so good .
I'm still waiting for the two C clips that I ordered on line for the rear O/S wheel cylinder on the A352. Their absence was the reason for the brake imbalance which was one of the reasons she failed her test. The other, corrosion within 30cm of a seat belt mounting, has been addressed. I decided to take the clips off the Monaco chassis and use them so that I could get her MOT ready. This I did.
Today, weather permitting, I'll fit the new pads to the front of the A352 once I've popped the pistons a little and cleaned them with strips of emery paper. Key learning point: make sure the piston you're not working on is securely clamped as you gently prod the brake pedal with a long stick to expose the other one. Otherwise, disaster awaits.
I put the spare chassis & V5C, front and rear suspension etc. on five day auction last Monday. They were all won by the same bidder who came and collected them with a car trailer yesterday. I threw in a spare Spitfire gearbox for good measure.
He's using them in a MkI Marlin Roadster, an example of which I sold only a few weeks ago. More synchronicity!
Pitched in again this morning and managed to fit the final drive and rear suspension from the original chassis into the new one without much difficulty.
I now have a swing spring with fewer leaves, wider track and lower final drive ratio.
Regards, Mick
When this diff. and suspension were on the other chassis frame, it all rolled perfectly. Now, it's locked. Jacked up, one wheel turns in the opposite direction when the other is rotated. The input flange doesn't move. There's a tiny amount of movement when I twist the input flange, but the wheels don't even twitch.
Is it possible that inverting the diff as I was swapping it over has affected it internally? I certainly wouldn't have thought so, but I'm willing to be corrected.
Do any of you mechanical gurus out there have any ideas please?
sounds to me that something has got in between the crown wheel +pinion gears when it was inverted it wouldnt take much debris to lock it up i take it its not a lsd by the fact you say the wheels turn in opposite directions when input flange is turned might be worth removing the cover for a look inside regards mick
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I decided to spruce them up myself.