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Hi all, after a fun few months (change of job, wife starting new job, family matters etc etc, yawn) I have been able to get back in the garage. State of play is:
Lifted body, and hung it on my garage roof (over my wife's side :smile so now have full access to the chassis and frame. I have purchased three A-frame stands so will strip down, lift, then rebuild up to "pre wheels" stage, before lowering again to refit the body.
Engine stripped off and taken out (no hoist yet so easier to remove ancillaries etc) - this weekend's job is to build teh engine stand and get the engine up on it. With the body off I now have room at the front and rear of the chassis to work on bits. The engine is all new ( I built it up using all new components 30 years ago, never run, so just stripping down, clean (rust free thankfully), lubricate and build up again. Partly for my own peace of mind, partly to let my son learn some spanner skills (I have started him off - he helped the stripdown - 17, leaning to drive, so about time he learnt how to hold a spanner).
Once engine is back together (which will need a new gasket set only officially, but will replace filter, refurb, repaint etc) it will be "strip down the chassis" time. I have a load of new goodies to go on, so will be good fun.
For anyone who is interested (and I only realised nobody knew when I read another thread), I am based in Billericay, Essex, so happy to receive visitors. I will be going to Stoneleigh this bank holiday so happy to meet up with any fellow builders.
I have gained an iphone, so should be able to post photos - is there a "how to" somewhere, as I would like to share the progress of what will no doubt be a slow and painful process
Note:
This forum feature only went live in 2014, so was not available at the time the other thread started.
( But it is mentioned at the end of the first thread. )
Cheers Paul - I will create an album and see how it goes. I am hoping to streamline the photo stage so i can just click on teh phone and make it appear, so will experiment further.
And if I read right, Mike has stopped making kits now has he? Shame, and hope I can get a receipt off him to register it. Will keep trying him...
Hi Carib. This weekend I stripped the engine for a clean and rebuild after it sat around for 30 years. Just ordering the parts from paddocks now.
As to the body, I believe it is 9" shorter. Sadly, however, my understanding is that Mike is no longer selling kits, so I may end up the only Spit based Miglia. Sorry
No photos yet - not sure how interesting a workbench full of Spit engine bits would be to anybody. But glad I took it out, as I noticed the cam bearings were not installed in line with the oilways, so will need to get those pushed out and refitted. Wish I had checked more carefdully 30 years ago...
Cheeky! But as there is no rest for the wicked I will do that tonight.
Otherwise, plan for coming weekend is to get the suspension off so the chassis can go up on stands. When that happens I will put some more photos up. After all, it is supposed to be a build thread, not a dismantling one...
Cheers all. It is quite encouraging knowing that others are watching, keeping me honest.
After all, it is supposed to be a build thread, not a dismantling one...
Not so sure about that... I think there can be a lot of value in seeing things as they were at the start. I stupidly forgot to record the dismantling on my Berlinetta, to my cost. There were several things from two years ago when I stripped the car which I really needed to check back on but I had no photographs to look at. Which way brackets or panels were attached, which bracket went where and stuff like that.
I think one of the great values of a forum like this is to keep us on our toes so to speak. If somebody see something wrong they will usually speak up. A bit of praise and encouragement goes a long way too!
Wise words. Sadly, my original donor was stripped down 30 years ago pre digital, so I now have the joys pf making sense of things like the wiring loom etc. Digital cameras have made everything easier these days.
But, really enjoying this and excited by the car, which is all good. I felt again, up at Stoneleigh, how boring the kit car world is in danger of becoming with factory build Cobra's and 7's, so coming back to the garage to my pile of bits and pieces felt satisfying.
I am sure this is going to be a great build for many to watch. The bench would put many kitchens to shame. Now pile it with bits and bobs and get it dirty!! Lol.
I now have the joys of making sense of things like the wiring loom.
As for the wiring, if it's an old Lucas loom then it's fairly easy because the coulour codes are reliable.
Check out the CBS (Car Builders Solutions) catalogue, they have a list at the back of their catalogue with Lucas colour codes and what they do. Once learnt, you don't even need a wiring diagram. It's really very logical and makes a lot of sense.
Being REALY cheeky now, here's a screen shot of the chart... Taken from the CBS PDF catalogue which has a lot of really useful info in it.
Marc,
You might want to consider using a new loom, I got one from Langys Rod Shop and it was a dream to fit and cheaper than messing with exisitng 30 year old wiring that was suspect to begin with. http://www.langysrodshop.co.uk/wiring_kits.htm
Mac, that sounds interesting. I am aiming for as much reliability as possible, so every little helps. When youused them, did you order a "Triumph" loom, or do you give them specs of exactly what you want and they custom build it? If so, how do you sort out lengths etc? Sounds interesting though - I will wander over to the site at some point.
Initially though my target is to get the engine started, as a major morale booster. So my initial "loom" will be the starter and coil, which I will jury rig up (as I have not decided where I want the battery yet).
Thanks.
And Ed, that is a great wiring guide - great find.
Marc.
Its a standard loom which is way loner all round than you would need so you just trim back to suite. Basically decide where you want to bolt the fuse box and then run wires from there. One big advantage is that every wire has its use printed on it about every 12" so its very easy to figure out what needs to go where. I fitted mine and had most circuits up and running in a couple of days. Being of American production its all very simple and a bit over engineered but I when you compare that to the nightmare of dealing with an old loom for me it was a no brainer. They do several types just pic the one with enough circuits for what you need.
Marc I can vouch for the Langys loom as i fitted one to my build, very easy and simple to install plus as Mac point's out all brand new so future proof compared to messing about with the old loom.
One thing though is the flasher relay keep falling out of the fuse board so i'm looking at ways to stop this, one guy has dremmeled the lugs on the relay to push further into the plug on the fuse board.
Ok, some more sideways pictures - I guess the photo format is pushing the long side sideways, so I will have to remember to take the picture sideways to start with.
Anyway - the engine on stand
And the bits
Toying with getting a later oil pump with angled pick up, but more expense...
And to explain - the engine was rebuilt 30 years ago when I was a kid, but never run. So all the machining is fresh. When we dragged it out of the garage, it turned freely, and when the head came off there was no rust - so I was lucky. All the shells etc had a film of oil on them still, so apart from some slight polishing marks ("witness marks" per my Stag friend) I will just give it a thorough clean and rebuild - this time with cam lube and graphogen paste to assist. I had a moment of panic with the cam as it looked like the bearings' oil holes were not aligned with the oilways, but last night with the aid of an inspection mirror I could see that the oilways from the main bearings were ok - not sure why two holes in bearing, but at least one is aligned so some oil will get to the cam. I had in my worry spoke to the machine shop thinking they could press out and realign, but they said it would wreck the shell so it would have meant new bearings.
And the Paddock bill is high as I am buying gaskets etc, along with new big end bolts, head studs and nuts, new tappet buckets (which I need to check as I thought I had replaced those 30 yars ago - need to look at the bills) etc, and the bill soon mounts up. But I have abandoned the idea of the rocker oil feed kit following a perusal of the web chatter, so that is £30 saved.
As to the loom, I am in two minds.A joy of kits is trying to recycle the donor as far as possible, against which nice and new and shiny is very appealing. I did not get a chance (yet) to browse that site, but that may help me make up my mind. This month is going to be expensive - Paddock's bill looks like £300, and Aldon ignition is heading that way as well. Gulp...
I wouldn't bother with an Aldon dizzy at this stage, you don't NEED it, especially with a four pot engine. In fact I have dumped the SD1 V8 electronic in favour of old fashioned points. At least if they give you a problem you can usually fix it by the roadside. If at a later date when funds recover and you really WANT an Aldon dizzy it's a simple two minute job to swap it out.
To check the cam followers put two with their 'flat' faces together, they should be very slightly convex, provided they are and aren't pitted, put them back, preferably in the same positions they came from. They will probably be better than the new ones you get today.
Keep up the good work, concentrate on getting the foundations right, the cosmetics can be adjusted later.
so now have full access to the chassis and frame. I have purchased three A-frame stands so will strip down, lift, then rebuild up to "pre wheels" stage, before lowering again to refit the body.
