happy days, the parts (bushes, bolts + shocks) i ordered from rimmer on monday arrived on my desk this morning (sydney time). Good work Bro's.

will post some picks when my chassis is blasted and powdercoated. anyone recommend any further treatment over that?

To use the vernacular I expect 'She'll be right' in the Aussie climate. With hindsight I wish I'd had my chassis and bulkhead galvanised over here though.

If galvanising is as cheap over there as it was for me over there then i would definitely consider it, just be aware of the pitfalls, galv filled threads etc

I'll look into the gal. The blast and powdercoat includes a zinc prime, and given the outstanding state of preservation it is already in over the last 50 years, it will last another 50 no worries, I reckon. i am thinking of a clear coat, or something to give added protection from stone strikes etc under there.

thanks for all the ongoing support guys.

You could also consider the bed liner stuff i used for the interior, i reckon it would be excellent for chassis protection, see my build thread here
Macs Build Thread

Mac

The bed liner bit starts on page 15
Mac

No worries. Must drop in and take a look at your progress if I happen to be passing... :flock:

you planning a trip down under, mr t? :icon_cool:

Erm, no, sorry Tim it was meant to be a sort of joke.

Wife's sister and her family emigrated to Aus last September but they haven't decided where to settle yet, so no trip planned at the mo.

I did have a weekend break in Melbourne a few years back though, after popping to New Zealand to look round for a couple of hours...

Ok, can anyone tell me how I can get the rear diff mount bushes into the hole or have I somehow got the wrong size metal ringed bushes? ( I got the old ones out with a hacksaw and strength)

Like I always say, if you can't get it in the hole you either don't have enough lubrication or you are not using enough force!

Yep brute force wins the day! Try giving the hole in the diff case a good clean using a small flap wheel, then drag them in using some thread bar, washers and a couple of nuts. And then thank The Lord they don't need doing too often!

The diff bushes was the task that nearly beat me. I tried all of the above and had to resort to a press.

all the above is failing me at present. When i get a good tension on the long threaded rod the bush jerks off centre rather than going in evenly. hammer does not help any harder and i'll damage the bush (more). As a last resort I will try smoothing and extending the small taper on the diff housing. Oxford what kind of press? Did you take it to a workshop?

Take a look at the tools on the web type in bush press kit garage tools and you will see whats required, a make shift tool is a socket out of a socket set, length of stud similar in diameter to the hole through the bush, a couple of nuts and thick washers, small amount of lube. Make sure the bore is clean.
If you know some body with a lathe they can make a top hat type washer which helps to keep things square and aligned.

Wot he said!^^^^^

Biggest problem I recall having was snapping cheap thread rod, got some good quality steel bar and threaded it myself, just make sure your all lubed up, couple of turns at a time and I found that just tapping around the perimeter of the bush with a small hammer helped get it started.
HTH

Mac

Thanks guys. I will persevere.

Well, with an improvised lathe (a drill in a vice) i put a 1mm shallow taper on the end of each bush to help them in, and success! At least partially. The threaded rod i bought for this purpose keeps stripping, and i have each bush part way in. I will be picking up a high tensile bolt this week and some matching big washers (one i initially used stacked 4 high ended up like cones) to get them the rest of the way in.

Thanks guys for your suggestions. When i have the chassis painted I will post up some picks of it and the assembly. Then I have to get in touch with mike about the kit!

Tim

here is the result of the first attempts, note stripped thread rod, and partially in place mounts..
something funny has happened to photobucket on my phone. had to get this via friendface.
http://i1332.photobucket.com/albums/...pssmstku2v.jpg

diff mounts almost in. just about 6mm to go and snapped 2 high tensile bolts. it seems not only the bolts the issue but the washers as well. will need some more wd600071's as ruined 4.