MadaboutKitcars

Me too Chris, me too!

I went to the build tent and decided to do the drivers inner wheel arch outside in the sun, I replaced the wheel, started the car, put it in gear and went to pull away, - nothing!

The clutch is gone! I can hear the gearbox trying ,but no forward movement.

I am both devastated and stumped, what could have gone wrong? it drove into the tent fine a few days ago.

I slink off to the house dragging my chin and knuckles on the
ground to ring a friend. I need serious support and help now.

The friend is not in, so back out to the car, what do I do now?

I notice the car has a mean stance, arse up nose down, then, slowly, I realise why, the bloody thing is still on jacks at the rear end!

Halleluyah! praise be to the lowered!

No wonder the bastard would not move forward!

With the revving I was doing, had it fell off the jacks, I would've ended up in next doors garden.

I bet a lot of people have done that some time or other.

I drive it out, and left the engine running, eventually the fan kicked in and the cooling system seemed to work fine after my
plumbing exercise, so it must have been successful.

Now to do the inner wheel arch.............

Nice one Paul! I did feel a bit of a twit with an "A"!

Well. I got the car out and carried on with work on it.

When I built the number plate plinth, I never drilled the hole through so the wires could go through to the light, so I did that.

The main thing was to get the rear wheel arch bonded in and waterproofed up, which eventually I did.

Having run out of bonding paste half-way through as it happens,
(Bloody hell! I'm starting to sound like Jimmy Savile)

Heaven fordbid!

By the time I had gone and bought the stuff, put it on and under sealed in black, the day had gone.

But its another big step done.

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

Thanks for the support AOVTim !

Nesting Falcon



[SIZE="4"]I know this is primarily a car forum, but also know that a lot of people are interested in the countryside nature etc, so Decided to post this picture of a nesting Falcon. I have never seen any thing like it before.......[/SIZE]





[IMG][/IMG]

Nice one Froggy! All in nature mode now!

Any other birds anyone?

Brilliant!

He must have some neck muscles to balance that lot on his head!!

Trust you!!

Sunday

Having finished the arch-bonding at the rear, I went to the front today.

Way back when I had to cut the footwells back to get front wheel turning clearance, after the welding, I was aware of some tiny pinholes which I promised myself to do one day, well, that day was today.

I fibre-pasted them all in, to make it waterproof, also strengthened the passengers front wheel arch rear, which had cracked at some point and needed sorting.

When I bolted the body on the front cross member, I never got round to doing either side, so that also was done today.

Same as the main front spacer, the two side ones were made with well seasoned solid oak blocks, bolted in with stainless bolts and nuts.

If it was good enough for the Mary Rose, it will be good enough for my car,

and should last longer than the timbers in the Mary Rose, as I have no immediate plans to park my car under-water for 400 years.

Only a small job you may think, but the oak was difficult to cut and shape being so rock solid. I hate to think how the Mary Rose builders managed!

Anyhow the job took the bulk of the day to do, but is now complete.

One very small step for mankind, but a much bigger step for me.

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

As I said once before, those spacers I have put in there, are one of the reasons, I managed to get the body so low on the Spit chassis.

The body normally would have been bolted directly to the front cross member, and consequently been 3 inches or so higher up.

Doing this has caused all sorts of other problems, some of which
I have sorted, and others I will get round to, but that's another story............

Monday morning

When I did the micky-mouse plumbing, I attached it to the heater valve with the only bit of pipe I had at the time, which was only cold-water rated, and made of plastic.

I had intended to change it at a later date, today was that date, as it blew off while the engine was running , spewing hot coolant out.

Also, another little job was to fit two small brackets, one either side of the radiator frame, in order to support the bonnet edges, which flexed slightly if leaned on too much.

I did that, and now it is stiffer and better supported.

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

Tuesday

Thanks Paul, well I carried on with the "list" today.

I had other things to do in the morning, but during the afternoon,
managed to get the passengers wheel arch all sealed up and glassed in.

Did not enjoy the work, as I am right handed, and was working in a left handed
environment, so the drivers side aught to be more fun!

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG]http://[/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

Today

Today I wanted to go to a classic car auction to see if my friend's MGB
would go under the hammer, ( I think he's asking too much).

But, I was determined to put in half a days work first.

Half a days work is the target I have set for myself each day now, and that is a minimum, sometimes I work longer.

So I started at 0800 hrs, and have just finished now.

Right now its shower time, and off to the auction, I will post a report and pics a bit later today, stay tuned................

Wednesday PM

Well I'm back from the auction and had the satisfaction of being right about
my friend asking too much for his car, he had a reserve of 7k on it and it fizzled out at 5.4k, well short of what he expected. At least I was there to give him the necessary support! He was of course - gutted.

So, this morning early I started on the drivers wheel arch bonding to body process.

I thought as ever, that it would be an easy job, easier than the other side which I did yesterday.

And, as ever I was wrong about that too!

The passengers side turned out to be easier because there is nothing under the bonnet that side which requires future access.

The drivers side is very different, things that may need future access are: the windscreen wiper motor, and both the clutch and brake master cylinders to name but a few.

Which is the main reason I went to so much trouble to cut an access panel out at the start of the build.

And I am so glad I did, as without it I think I would have been bollo*ed

so, unlike the passengers side, when I boxed the drivers side in, I had to think a lot about access, and leave as much space in that area as It would be possible to do.

I continued the top of the bulkhead laterally across to the body shell, in
order to give more spanner-room, if I ever needed to change any of the gubbins in that area.

Very awkward to work in such a confined space, (how many times have I used that sentence in this thread!!!)

Anyhow, it is done, and I think the results are as good as they can be, given the confines.

So that is the front bulkhead completely bonded to the XKSS body shell, I will still have to put in place some sort of inner wheel arch, as I do not want the same problem the Towed had with his battery box becoming flooded!

(Although mine still has a nice drain pipe on it)


The pictures tell the story

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

Well after all the good intentions, today I have not been able to do any work at all on the car.

Normal life really got in the way, hedges to trim,

the roof to repair (have to do it in this weather before the thunderstorms hit!)

Shopping, laundry etc all boring stuff, but all has to be done.

I also managed the second road bike ride this week, only 10 or so miles, but The doctor gave me a six month lay-off, which is now past, so I am starting in a small way as per instructions.

Seeing as I have no car pictures, here is one of my best bike.
(The one I rode today)

It's a titanium framed Litespeed, complete with Dura ace gearset
and Ksyrium wheels, and is a joy to ride.


[IMG][/IMG]

bending pipes

In the pursuit of pipe bending in order to make my own bumpers, I spent most of yesterday, either going round more engineering places in Hereford, or trying to bend pipes myself, both avenues ending in total failure!

I had a "pipe bender" lent to me for the job, but in all honesty, I cannot see absolutely any use for this machine at all, (the bloke that lent it to me agrees with me, and does not use it either!)

Bend pipes it does NOT, completely f*****g up pipes it really excels at.

But, on the positive side, I now know I need to find an engineer in my area that can do mandrel pipe bending. (Did not find any yesterday)

Also in order to make my own bumpers, I need 2 inch ss pipe, not 1.5 inch pipe.

So I have advanced a little bit.

Having seen perfect bends done on You tube by two cousins from over the water, by filling the pipe with sand first, I had a go.

It did not work for me, BUT I did not heat the pipe first in a furnace.

I have not given up though, I have two options open to me, build a furnace and do the job properly, or find someone who can do the mandrel bending with my pipe.

here are the pics of the miserable results:

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[SIZE="6"]And this was the miserable result[/SIZE]

[IMG][/IMG]

That may be another possiblity, redratbike, but I don't really want
a 45 degree bend, I want a continuous curve. I have looked at stuff like that here in Hereford and the bend is too acute and sharp, and would not look right.
I may be forced to accept some like that in the end though.

I'll try that Landmannn, thanks!

I even thought of sneaking out at night with a hacksaw, looking at handrails, but none of them are stainless steel!!