Dutton Dementia

[Mick O'Malley]

Next visit to the repeatedly stifling cave involved kneeling pad, hacksaw, angle grinder, both cutting and grinding discs, and a flapwheel. Cutting one end of the engine mountings from the frame, and using work hardening to break off the other end, resulted in unsightly holes in the frame as the welds proved much stronger than TDW's tubes. Patching will be required.



The gearbox mounting offered little resistance and was off in no time.



I then ground and flapped off the worst of the jagged stubs and called it a day.

Regards, Mick

[Mick O'Malley]

Wanting an Old Skool look, I'd been scanning Ebay for wide steel wheels. I came across an ad. for six Mk1 Escort ones at 100 quid. As soon as I 'watched' them the vendor offered them for 75. Making sure from the pictures that they were 13" (very early Escorts had 12") I bought and paid for them. Having collected them from Aylesbury I ordered five 165 80 13s from my ever helpful supplier, who removed the old rubber so I could refurbish them. One was scrap, one was borderline, so OK for a spare, and four were pretty reasonable, given their age. Countless hours with flap wheels, cup brushes and rust converter had the main four top-coat ready, so I offered one up to check the look. Oops, they're 100E with a 4.5" PCD. My tyre man was ready with my new rubber so I broke the habit of a lifetime, put my hand in my pocket, and bought five new 5.5J ones from John Brown Wheels with free next day delivery and a small but welcome 'end of line' discount. With the new rubber on the Phaeton's value doubled overnight!

Apparently wide 100E steels are a fave of hot rodders so, with luck, I might get my money back!

Regards, Mick

[Lucky@LeMans]

Hi Mick,

If you want to save "countless " hours prepping old wheels ready to paint, you can't beat having them shot blasted and powder coated . So many companies are doing it now, I bet there are several in Gloucester.

[Mick O'Malley]

I'll be painting the rims silver and the nave plates in the main body colour, which will be a very dark green. If I can find my source picture I'll post it.

Regards, Mick

Here we go, I'll plump for a darker green, maybe BL Connaught Green, and flare the gold out around the nose .

[Mick O'Malley]

Today, whilst pondering next steps and waiting for goodies from postie (no luck ), I decided to bite the bullet and remove the rear body. First job was to drill out the ten 4mm pop rivets securing the moulding. Attempting to lift it resulted in zero movement - examination beneath revealed blacksmith style tank supports similar to the rear lower seat belt mounting one. To get the necessary access I jacked the back end high enough to get axle stands on their top setting in place, left the jack just touching the diff. and put a ratchet strap under the roll bar and over a roof beam for full belt and braces effect.



After a realistic effort at dislodging it, I felt comfortable with worming underneath armed with my decades old angle grinder. The ends of one support, which looped under the tank, were fairly easily cut through (one side's biscuit strength weld to the frame parted under gravity), but the ends the of second, which ran across the tank's back, and was glassed and welded to it, were all but inaccessible. Persistence, and only one shattered cutting disc, eventually paid off . With assistance the moulding, c/w tank, was carried to join its GRP fellows tucked behind my front garden fence. The supports were then removed and the now completely skeletal rolling frame put to bed.



I think I'll now go the whole hog and take off the ally sides for my next small step.

Regards, Mick