Must get on with my build blog !
 

Finally got the rear end all put back together and the swap of the hub adaptors worked out fine. Apart from service items and bolts, everything is all old stuff cleaned down and repainted.
Borrowed a mates lifting beam and block and tackle (starting to look like a proper garage now?
Removed the engine today and stripped down the front suspension....back to clean down and repaint.:target:
Quite glad I decided to renew all the nuts and bolts as it seems that any old bolt about the right fit (and not so right) has been used at various stages...Good old Canleys its better than a workshop manual.
Going to strip the rest of the chassis tomorrow and that should be most of the messy stuff out of the way......oh forgot! fill sand fill sand fill sand.....:blah:
http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0691.jpghttp://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0690.jpghttp://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0689.jpghttp://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0692.jpghttp://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0693.jpg

Whats the hourly rate...
 

With the wire wheels, it looks like an old garage! excellent work Nick, i enjo looking at the pics. Maybe in a couple of months I might be at that stage...:eusa_clap:

Is that Mercedes logos in the middle of the spinners? :)

yep, they are Mercedes logos...they came with the hub adaptors and came off a Hawk kitcar I understand...you may recall my ebay cockup as they were sold as dual drilled to fit either ford or triumph...I didnt check the pcr until recently and found they were ford or MG midget/sprite...put them back on ebay and someone emailed me with triumph ones and wanted ford ones so we did a swap...my spinners were better so kept them....not sure about keeping them on or not? might add some nice confusion.

Thanks Gary....I am sure you will catch me up once you have completed your welding...beers will be going in the fridge for our post christmas get together

Not sure why my previous post did not list?

Today stripped the front chassis back and cut down a spare set of springs....then decided to break down the front and couldn`t fit my spring compressors so just unbolted anyway....nearly blew the bloody doors off!http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0695.jpghttp://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0694.jpg

Yep, those front springs are under a heck of a lot of tension. I managed to get my spring compressors on one side with some difficulty due to the restricted access, but then couldn't get them off due to one of them bending under the strain and allowing the spring to curve out of shape and block access to the ends of the spring compressor shafts. :icon_confused:

After much head scratching I resorted to standing well back and knocking the compressors off with a lump hammer. This fired the shock absorber out of the end of the spring like a panzerfaust and led me to take a slightly different tack with the second side, only partially compressing the spring before taking the bolts out of the wishbones to relieve the rest of the tension.

I'm hoping they'll go back in a lot easier now they're so much shorter.

Anyway, looks like you're at roughly the same stage as me so good luck with your progress and keep up the good work. :becky:

It's good to hear that I'm not the only one to bend his spring compressors (no double entendre intended!) I thought I'd bought a dud set.

Too cold
 

Just realized how little I have done since Christmas :icon_cry: Well at least I have managed to clean a few bits up.http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0719.jpghttp://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0720.jpg

Well, that's a lot more than I've got done. :icon_sad:

This cheered me up a bit though:

http://www.rathergood.com/punk_kittens

Looks good Nick. Love the black'n'red theme!

Coming along nicely there Nick to cold in my garage at the mo didn't bother me in the snow last year but the buggers thinned me blood down and now I don't like the cold, Pat

Ooh, I feel for you Pat.

I was on Warfarin for six months in the winter five years ago after an injury I picked up at work left me with a DVT. In addition to making me feel cold all the time it also magnified the effects of alcohol, getting me drunk after two pints and then giving me the world's worst hangover when I finally sobered up the following afternoon. Still, made me a cheap date...

Still plodding
 

Well I am still here and plodding ahead....must admit it has been a bit slow of late but have now managed to get the front back together so I have just about got a rolling chassis. Have got a few days off over Easter and with lighter nights hope to make better progress.http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0724.jpghttp://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0725.jpg

it's coming together Nick.

Once you get the bulkhead in and floorboards in, it starts to look like a car... and you get a second wind!

I think my bulkhead was a collander in a previous life!
 

Well still plodding but at least I have got the rolling chassis done
http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0731.jpg
http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0730.jpg

Once I got through the layers of underseal and filler I was a bit surprised with the condition seeing I got away with the chassis.
http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0732.jpghttp://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0733.jpg

I also thought I had better look at the wheel tyre bulkhead conflict....looks like I might have to review the tyre choice...its not too bad but a bit close for comfort on full lock...I am going to de-seam to give me anothe half inch and a few clouts with the enforcer to re-shape a bit.http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0728.jpghttp://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0727.jpghttp://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0726.jpghttp://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0729.jpg

Think I might be getting a bit carried away...I have managed to spray a sample strip of the Aston Dubonnet red and have had it scanned and have now got a litre of red to paint the underside of the floor (15mm marine ply) I am toying with primer, undercoat and gloss to the bulkhead floor and lower section...would appreciate any comments on this...rubbed down I can`t see a problem with this?....So with any luck I might be going for rear tub weekend after next:flypig:

If you are not going to put it on mirrors in the car park so everyone can see underneath, then it is a lot of effort to go to just for the MOT man!

The trouble is that you will risk it looking crap unless it is prepped properly! I like a gloss back chassis paint myself as it looks nice, it extra thick and fills all the weld and grind marks!

Chassis paint
 

Sir, methinks you have been round to my "gaff" and been spying on my chassis. I was unsure between black or red, but went for good old black. Like you say, if you are not the worlds greatest welder, then black is more forgiving. That's why ladies choose it! Oooooooh, good job the other half isn't reading this.

I understand what you are saying with the prep-work but I am only going to paint the ply floors on the underside with body colour but in u/c and gloss, then probably finish with some hard varnish....I am not too keen on using jollops of underseal on the bulkhead pan floors as you end up with what has happened to mine....it rots from the inside! I obviously need to protect the ply and certainly the edges having seen enough de-laminating plywood in the construction industry in the last 35odd years.
I thought I would apply the same principle to the bulkhead floor pans and paint with a decent rust inhibiting primer and undercoat and gloss to match......I suppose the proof is in the pudding so I will carry on and let others be the judge.....as long as it doesnt look like a bodge up I will be happy.

Underseal
 

Nick,
I completely agree with you. It's all very well, but when I was younger we always slapped on a hefty coat of underseal, and that was that. Trouble was it was only as good as the prep underneath, and as it was usually trowelled on it looked solid and adhering from outside, but actually was rotting like mad between the lifting underseal and the metal panel especially once the damp crept in. Suddenly two or three years down the line you find you have a paper thin chassis. With all the modern materials available it is possible to do a strong, long lasting job at reasonable money. As to the level of finish, no one can judge another person's car, as they would be judging by their criteria and not that of the builder. That is the beauty of the Sammio, we are all building to our own tastes, budgets and requirements. As for the "mirror under the car brigade" I used to restore Jaguars years ago, and was on the area commitee of the Herts, Beds and Bucks Jaguar Drivers Club. Wehad some people like that there, and to be fair we all took the mickey, but that was their pride and joy, and fair play to them. After all what is wrong with someone wanting their car to look the best, and be proud of it. Like you say, we've all seen botched up cars, drives, houses etc. so who really has the right to judge another? (A Judge I suppose!)

Lighter note, I am finally going to finish painting my chassis this week end, and apart from popping round to see AshJ and beat him into starting his Cordite build, "I know where you live!!!" will hopefully have some photos to put on here.

Keep on at it lads,

The Rocker