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Dutton Dementia
Having abandoned and sold (to a top bloke - he drove up from Crediton to Gloucester just to hand over the cash in advance of collection) the scarcely started Marlin Madness project (thread next door). I'm now going to focus on the Phaeton II. I moved it into the now vacated cave a couple of days ago ready to start the action.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...227e5204_b.jpg First job will be removing the huge flip front with its integral wings and headlamps and sawing off same as I'll be fitting clam shell wings. I'll then remove the rest of the bodywork to facilitate refurbishing the chassis prior to offering up the 'Climax' engine and gearbox. With any luck some more pictures will appear soon :). Regards, Mick |
A bit of a start :)
This morning, flushed with enthusiasm for my new project, I went down to the already scorching cave and pitched in. First job was to remove the huge, and to my eyes ugly, front. It's a beast!
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0489196a_b.jpg Next, out with the sumptuously upholstered seats :rolleyes:. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8398fb6d_b.jpg Then the rear end gubbins. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...25f14904_b.jpg Followed by the attack of the panel saw - very satisfying :) - halfway there... https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b8e1257c_b.jpg Once the other ghastly bloated front wing/headlamp was excised, I popped on the now svelte bonnet to admire her new open wheeler look. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0d847fee_b.jpg I stowed all the bits removed in my own shed and called it a day in the blistering heat. A decent start. Regards, Mick |
looks better already
good start |
Nibbling away
Today I decided to attack the scuttle/dash/steering column/heater area.
I'd removed the windscreen and wipers yesterday and, as the column went through the dash, I attacked it first. Pretty straightforward, but time consuming and fiddly, as the builder had wisely fitted a second support, bolted to the substantial pedal box, for the outer column. This home made bracket included a single bolt attachment for the Mk1 Mini heater which otherwise simply sat on the transmission tunnel. I'd fitted one of these in my first Phaeton, blanking off the passenger side outlets so that all the heat went to my feet, or on start up with the flap closed, to the sole screen demister vent I'd fitted to my side. It worked a treat. As access to the back of the dash was seriously limited, even when I performed my upside down in the footwell contortions, I next drilled out the scuttle's pop rivets, which gave just enough access to wangle out the heater and disconnect and remove the clocks and switches. The wiper rack fought me for a while but blacksmith methods saw it yield. After stowing these bits away I sat on a cross member in the engine bay and began removing the loom and solenoids, feeding the former back through the bulkhead into the footwell. There seems to be an awful lot of wiring for such a simple car? I'll remove it all carefully, even though I'll be fabricating a replacement a la Monaco from a Spitfire loom I have in the shed. I love wiring! Today's contortions having taken their toll on my ageing body I called it a day. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...02ff53b1_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e5c05785_b.jpg Regards, Mick |
More nibbling...
Time was at a premium today, so I only managed a couple of hours. Starting in the engine bay, I unclipped all the sections of the loom in front of the bulkhead and fed them through to the footwell. Before I could go any further I had to tear out the carpet, not that easy in places where it was attached with King Kong double sided tape :frusty:. I then attacked the boot area, removing the lamp units etc. I decided to not cut the front to rear portion which runs under the seat bucket, but leave it in place for continuity testing - it might be good for re-use. The builder and/or subsequent owners certainly liked their reel of blue cable and the length of yellow/green domestic for earth!
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...4bb76ee3_b.jpg I'm unsure whether to remove the seat bucket as I could well be making a rod for my own back. I'll have a good crawl about underneath tomorrow before deciding. Regards, Mick |
Watching with interest as it is bringing back memories of my build over 40 years ago.
As I remember the seat tub was extremely flimsy. You may want to check yours with a possible view to reinforcement! The other thing etched into my memory, in addition to the poor steering column support, is that the handbrake mechanism on the top of the rear axle used to hit the underside of the boot floor. In the end I just cut a hole and covered it with carpet. Sigh.... those were the days. Cheers Robin |
Aching all over
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The guy picking up the Marlin was due this morning at 1000 but was over an hour late due to heavy traffic, so the morning was a write off. Good fun loading up, he had a cracking anecdote about a Spartan he went to collect which was crammed with bits and full of water which he couldn't drain. His description of the sloshing activity on the motorway viewed in his mirror was hilarious. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c3c45170_b.jpg This afternoon I jacked up the near side high enough to worm underneath and spray the prop to axle, handbrake mounting, and seat belt attachment bolts with dismantling liquid. I then removed the high-tech side exhaust mounting bracket (drilled for lightness!) which I'm sure would otherwise sooner or later have scalped me. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...57009f20_b.jpg Whilst waiting for the penetrating liquid to do its job, I drilled out the seriously overkill number of rivets attaching the seat tub to the frame and gently levered it away from the surrounding body panels. Now, only the handbrake and belt mountings stood in the way of tub removal. Worming back underneath I found the the prop would have to come off for handbrake mounting bolt clearance. The lack of room for leverage on these defeated me, despite profanity and skinned knuckles, so I called it a day, reasonably satisfied with progress. I'm definitely not getting any younger! Regards, Mick |
Tub torture.
Following yesterday's abortive prop. bolt attempt, I today jacked her up from the rear to increase the gap so that I could improve leverage. With a meaty screwdriver through the yoke to prevent rotation, I succeeded.
Now that I could see the handbrake mounting bolts more clearly, my brain suddenly clicked into gear and I realised that disconnecting the cable at the lever end would do just as well. I had to cut the inner at the axle end and lever off the hose clip locating the outer inside the tub. Job done. Examining the seat belt mountings more closely revealed that they were rusted solid onto a convoluted bar welded to the frame each side. OK, if I cut it just outside the outer belt mounting each side it could come out with the tub. Off with the back wheels and, unsurprisingly, there was barely room to get the angle grinder in a suitable position. A combination of cuts, cold chiselling, parting of digestive biscuit strength welds, and work hardening with the ends Mole Gripped finally achieved the necessary clearance. A few minutes wrestling had the tub free at last. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...4a93b4d7_b.jpg The bar can be seen looping around the inside of the tunnel. I can't remember how Tim Dutton expected builders to anchor the lower mounts, clearly the rather flimsy tub wouldn't be man enough. I'll dig out the photo' of my 80s solution and post it. Regards, Mick |
Low tech, picture of prints!
I found the picture mentioned above, as well as the one I took at TDW's place. In the background can be seen a completed Sierra, a Melos and another Phaeton, both awaiting pick-up.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6e340db6_b.jpg This is the bolt on frame I fabricated to locate the bottom seat belt mountings. It was 1.5" steel angle welded together. The LH holes (as you look at it) coincided with the gearbox mounting, the centre ones bolted to a cross member, and the RH four are for the belts. I'll definitely do the same again. Regards, Mick |
D'Oh!
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https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7a4480dd_b.jpg I'm glad I didn't use them as intended, although I doubt any reasonably diligent MOT tester would OK them... Regards, Mick |
Hi Mick,
Following your updates with interest. It is fascinating to see how flimsy these early kit cars were. I guess they were built for lightness and low cost. By comparison my Sabre has 4 inch square chassis rails and is built like a battleship but there again John Barlow only sold about 150 kits partly, I suspect, due to the cost of the kit. Looking forward to the rebuild. Cheers, Peter |
Panel saw to the rescue
Thanks for your interest Robin and Peter, most welcome!
Today I set about taking out the footwell/front bulkhead moulding. A combination of drilling rivets and chiselling off the less accessible heads soon had it free of the frame, apart from the easily released hydraulic pipe to master cylinder nuts. Despite about 20 minutes of wrestling and head scratching, I couldn't manoeuvre it to a position where it looked even likely to come out, the inward taper of the front of the frame defeating me. I think it must have been put in with KY Jelly and a couple of biffers jumping on it. OK, so out with the trusty go-to panel saw and the job was done :). https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e0162af1_b.jpg I can now bolt the engine and gearbox together, dangle them from the crane and work out mountings. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...24b0a836_b.jpg I'm still undecided whether it's worth taking off the back body. The frame is very sound, and as long as the fuel tank doesn't leak I think leaving well alone is the better option. It looks as though the tank is the third to be fitted, the hole in the back panel looking very Mk1 or 2 Cortina (as TDW intended). https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c0bc888c_b.jpg The glassed in opening next to the nearside wing hints at Mini Van/Traveller or maybe estate versions of the above. Who knows? My original Phaeton had the saloon tank with a stub welded on top to have the cap in the Spitfire position. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...9177d9d2_b.jpg Regards, Mick |
This morning's sortie down to the sunlit cave saw me wheeling the skeletal Phaeton out of the way, dragging the gearbox from the shed, erecting the crane, and releasing the engine from its home of late - my sack truck.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...902530bd_b.jpg I put a block under the rear of the sump so that the engine sloped slightly down, roped the 'box to the crane and offered it up. It was reluctant to slide the last few centimetres home, despite rotating the output shaft, so I removed the cover and driven plates so that only the first motion shaft needed to engage. That did the trick. Once the connecting bolts were tight I roped the unit to the crane and parked it to one side, allowing me to wheel the skeleton back. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6a9bc67f_b.jpg Happy with completing another small step, and wishing to quit while I was ahead, I decided to leave the offering up for another day. Regards, Mick |
A tiny step...
There's a glut of family birthdays at this time of year, so I've only had one quick session in the cave since last posting. I decided to determine the engine mounting position without dangling it in the frame. I laid a plank across the transverse rails, and another to replicate the angle of the seat back, and sat in with a batten across the top rails in front of me. This enabled me to work out where the gear stick would fall to hand without hitting the dash in 1st and 3rd. Carefully worming out I marked the side rails with tape.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c287b7b3_b.jpg Rolling the chassis back until my marks aligned perfectly with the gearstick, I then used the batten to mark the centres of the engine mounting points on the engine bay rails. Rubbish photo' alert - the blue felt tip lines are barely visible... https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b12ec3c7_b.jpg My first project related purchase is pictured here - repro. rubber plinths for the Lucas L516 sidelights which will grace the flared front wings :). https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c352e9c8_b.jpg Regards, Mick |
Engine leveller
Hi Mick,
I highly recommend you put one of these on your birthday list. (The load leveller, not the engine :icon_wink: ) https://live.staticflickr.com/851/43...64a1b102_z.jpgEngine fitting by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr It makes it a doddle to position the engine and gearbox at exactly the right angle and as it uses chains it it so much safer than ropes, particularly if you are working on your own. Mine was a really good investment. |
When I dismantled an Escort 1100 to build a dutton, many, many years ago I suspended the engine on some string from the sides of the engine bay (must have been about 3mm thick string) ....... Mind you- I wouldn't have put any body parts underneath it, but it supported the engine until I cut it with a handy pair of scissors.:dance:
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Talking of dangerously suspending engines, in the 60s, a schoolfriend had a 105E for which he'd bought a 1500 GT Cortina lump. For the swap we opened wide his dad's wooden garage doors, wedged underneath them and rested a bit of 4x2 across their tops to take the Haltrac. It just about did the job, but the creaks and groans from the warping doors were very worrying. Happy Days :).
Back to the Phaeton. The guy from whom I'd bought the engine gave me a stack of associated bits and pieces including the front cross member from the donor. It had the rack and anti-roll bar attached - a clever piece of engineering. They didn't offer much resistance to being removed and I could then rest the remains across the frame rails in the engine bay. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...46d103a0_b.jpg I'm fairly certain that, once the existing mountings have been excised (I'll enjoy that!) I can suitably modify the cross member (after cutting off the redundant brackets) and get it welded to the frame. Regards, Mick |
Internet Woes
I posted a couple of times about three weeks ago - or so I thought - but they never appeared, despite being fine when previewed. Anyway, in the interim both my landline and internet (which comes down it) went intermittent and then non existent. Badgering my provider has resulted in free 'phone calls but thus far frustratingly slow internet. I'm told it may take up to a fortnight to get up to speed so I'll not try to post properly until then.
Progress has been made! Regards, Mick |
Many thanks Mick, I also built a Phaeton(s3) many moons ago, so many memories coming back, I remember looking front on and seeing the front wheels a 2 different cambers, on checking there was almost an inch difference from one top mounting to the other, a chassis rail that had to be cut and moved as the propshaft 'ran through' and seat floorpans and a pedalbox bulkhead that had to be reinforced to stop them buckling and cracking- But it was a great fun car and eventually moved to Germany.
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On the level - just!
Four weeks ago - pre internet disaster - I took peterux's advice and invested in an engine leveller, my umpteenth purchase from Machine Mart. Its first job was to hold up the engine/box combo for separation. I believe the gearbox is shared with other heftier Rootes models so, despite having an alloy casing, the leveller was at one extreme before balance was achieved. I had to put a ratchet strap around it from a roof beam for support but my struggles were successful - eventually.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...fb41a0949a.jpg I then craned the engine up to yet another MM purchase, bolted it to same, folded the crane, put the 'box in the shed and turned back to the frame. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2105b86df9.jpg That was it for that now far off day. Regards, Mick |
Bye Bye Old Mountings.
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.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...9a42e19da0.jpg The gearbox mounting offered little resistance and was off in no time. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7f74b7bdd7.jpg I then ground and flapped off the worst of the jagged stubs and called it a day. Regards, Mick |
Wide Steel Wheel Woes
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 |
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. |
Sneak Peek
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a8303693_c.jpg
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 :). https://live.staticflickr.com/1799/4...2f69d936_b.jpg |
Bullet Bitten
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 to the frame. Attempting to lift it off 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.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e3febeaa_c.jpg After a realistic effort at dislodging it, I felt comfortable with worming underneath armed with my decades old B&D 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 of the 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. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...21cc5257_c.jpg I think I'll now go the whole hog and take off the ally sides for my next small step. Regards, Mick |
Internet Woes Over - Fingers Crossed!
The super-helpful BT Openreach guy (who saw the Phaeton bodywork and told of his building a Melos in the 80s!) has just departed having fixed the strangled connection problem. Hurrah!.
So, in the last few days, since returning from my long weekend volunteering at the Adventure Travel Film Festival, I've been busy with drill and cold chisel attacking the myriad pop rivets attaching the ally sides to the frame. She's now a true skeleton :) . https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e682370e_b.jpg I have quite a shopping list of bits and pieces so will be hitting Ebay next after my enforced absence. Regards, Mick |
This and that...
Yesterday, the first of my Phaeton related Ebay purchases arrived. The bushes are for the front ends of the leaf springs. The vendor listed them as Mk1 Escort but luckily included the dimensions which match Mk1/2 Cortina. I decided to go for round 7" headlamps rather than my preferred rectangular 2CV as multiple searches for the mounting bar proved fruitless.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f71f130a_b.jpg The postman interrupted my fettling the Monaco in preparation for Saturday's Gloucester Goes Retro. The weather forecast is good so the turnout of cars should match that of previous years. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0433f078_b.jpg Postie has just delivered the bushes for the back end of the leaf springs so tomorrow I can get my hands dirty :). Regards, Mick |
Just found you. I have been away a while. It's great to see your progress. Long covid is still slowing me down. Early specials were a bit iffy, Dexion was quite useful for structural things. and domestic wire often used.
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Mick what will you do with all the rivet holes ??
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This and that...
Hi Dpaz, didn't realise you'd been laid low, best wishes for a full and speedy recovery! Hi redratbike, when I tow the frame over to my welder for engine mountings, I'll ask him to put a blob in each side panel rivet hole as I'll be fitting new ally. I'll keep the GRP body mounting holes, drill them slightly oversize and use my lazy tongs for appropriately sized rivets. After the Gloucester Goes Retro shenanigans, I had another camping weekend at The Overland Event near Oxford, so progress has been limited to cutting up my 1 1/2" angle for the seat belt mounting gismo and rivetting it together prior to welding - I need to do it this way as it has to fit very precisely between the frame cross members. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6e340db6_b.jpg I got back from The Beaulieu Autojumble at about 2000 yesterday bearing my spoils, including, unusually, some car parts amongst the Biggles books and old magazines which I normally snag. I bought a pair of rear Armstrongs, new in their boxes for sixty quid, and a 3 x 2" instrument under dash mounting bracket - the twin of that I fitted to my original Phaeton (nostalgia rules!) for just three :). My internet woes were finally (hopefully) over this morning when I fitted my new fibre-friendly server, filter, and cable: it all seems lightning fast now! Regards, Mick |
I love the smell of Fertan in the morning...
After nine days of displacement activity, which included buying a Mk II Cortina fuel tank (as recommended by TD-W), I yesterday opened a can of motivation and buckled down to some rear end suspension work. I gently jacked up the nearside of the frame until I judged the tension had been taken out of the spring, and set to removing the drop links. They provided nil resistance as I'd long since given all foreseeable fixings a good dousing in dismantling liquid. I drifted out the old bushes then thoroughly wire brushed the eyes and drop links and gave them a coat of Fertan. I'd always used Kurust until I learned that Classic Land Rover owners swore by the former. Nuff said!
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...3f586bf6_b.jpg It can immediately be seen that the front eye then provided much stiffer resistance... The eye bolt came out easily - its nut is captive to the frame - but the bush's location is masked both ends by it. OK, I'll have to axle stand either the frame or the axle and jack the other until access to the bush is achieved. However, the shock absorber scuppered this plan so I set to removing same. The top was easy but the limited bottom clearance prevented a decent swing of the hammer onto the bolt end. OK, off with the wheel, spacer, shoes etc, then the back plate and half shaft. The bottom bolt steadfastly refused to budge despite blacksmith blows from my lump hammer so I decided to cut off the shocker at its bottom neck, then disc through the bolt. Hurrah, off at last! https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a36b15f1_b.jpg I then fashioned a puller from threaded rod, nuts, washers and my biggest socket, purchased forty odd years ago for Mini top swivels, which succeeded in dragging out the metal centre of the bush. By this time the cave was like an oven so I called it a day. I'm sure the other side will prove much easier with the experience gained! Regards, Mick |
Lazy people take the most pains...
With 'only' the remains of the front bush to remove, I began the day with hopes of good progress. Wrong! I decided to remove the rubber portion by drilling some big holes then levering out the remains. However the bit tore straight in and rolled itself around against the metal sleeve, tearing the rubber away in seconds. I decided to cut a slit in the sleeve with my smallest cold chisel (yet another Machine Mart purchase). Even with the spring clamped to the frame I could barely get the cut started due to its awkward location. I resorted to what I now know I should have done in the first place - remove the spring :rolleyes: . With it lying on the concrete slab it proved simple to chop through, bend the edges and knock it out.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...3346dee0_b.jpg Neglected domestic tasks dictated a swift tidy up and a halt to proceedings. Regards, Mick |
Quick update.
After a busy Friday, I returned to the cave and tackled the remaining doable L rear suspension tasks. The jumbo socket proved the perfect drift for knocking in the front bush, and likewise my home made puller for the rear ones. I ran a die down the U bolt threads before refitting the spring to the axle. It was a bit of a fiddle as they had spread a little and needed to be compressed parallel for fitting the spring's baseplate. I used my water pump pliers in one hand whilst slipping on the baseplate with the other - fiddly but effective. Back on with the half shaft etc. and that side was done, bar the shock absorber, for whose bottom eye I'll need a new bolt.
Learning from my nearside stupidity, I jacked up the offside and whipped off the spring in no time :rolleyes: ready for today's efforts. With impeccable timing the nice man then appeared with my Ebay purchased three point harnesses, which look absolutely mint and a snip at fifty quid the pair inc. postage. Result! https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...96be4f6e_b.jpg The positioning of the nuts welded on as four point top fixings is suspect, unless both he (she?) and prospective passengers were of bizarre morphology. I'll chisel or disc them off for repositioning of the two now required. Regards, Mick |
Whingeing, despair, and a question.
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https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...9c93a85a_b.jpg The axle, rather than being the Mk 1/2 Cortina item I imagined, turns out to be from a RWD Escort. OK, I'll ask if Escort shocks will fit a Mk 2 Phaeton in a post on the Dutton Group on FB. I got a good few unhelpful replies, none of which answered the question :rolleyes:. OK, I'll post again in words of one syllable to see if any other members can read English. No further replies were forthcoming :( . So, bottom line is does any of you knowledgeable chaps know if RWD Escort rear shocks are of similar length to Mk1/2 Cortina ones? Regards, Mick |
Prop and diff.
Quick p.s. In the interim I've managed to source a Hillman Avenger prop. shaft (it shares its gearbox with the Talbot Sunbeam 930) for 30 quid to be collected from Leics, a nice drive up the Fosseway in the offing :). Also, a 4.1 diff (same ratio as that fitted to the 930) for 200, collection from Daventry, an OK distance.
Once my rear suspension woes are resolved, I'm looking forward to fettling the uber familiar small chassis Triumph front end :). Regards, Mick |
Why wait?
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Next job was to fit the tow bar to my Honda Jazz so I could deliver the frame to my go-to guy of 40 years at Woodchester for all the welding jobs. This was fiddly and time consuming but I knocked it off in half a day. Here's a picture of my famous 'Dutton Towing Gismo' strapped to the frame ready for action. Primitive though it is, I've used it to rescue a good half dozen Phaetons/B Types back in the 80s and 90s when I was mad keen - my longest tow being 125 miles from Brighton. Happy Days. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b2214db1_b.jpg Anyone dismayed at the ratchet strap attachment will be reassured that this is a first, on all previous occasions I used sundry bits of blue nylon rope... I'm off to Porthcurno for a week on Tuesday so no updates for a while. Regards Mick |
What a diff-erence a day makes.
Yesterday, after a few abortive attempts at finding a mutually acceptable pick up venue and date, I motored through the sunny Autumnal countryside to Daventry, about 90 miles, and picked up my 4.1 diff. The vendor had some interesting vehicles: a stock car; a Cologne engined S4 Phaeton; and a Moggie pick-up. After chatting cars for a good while the diff. (in a kindly supplied bin) was loaded into the front footwell whereupon I pootled home well pleased with this vital purchase :).
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...69612516_b.jpg If next week's prop. shaft collection from Leicester goes half as well I'll be delighted. Regards, Mick |
I had a diff failure on my Rickman about 4 years ago. I slowed for a speed hump on a private road, and there was no drive. Car was in gear ..... Hmm... I got out and looked underneath to see the prop turning merrily :icon_question:
After the AA collection I got home and jacked one side - turned the elevated road wheel and the prop turned. repeated with the other side and the same happened. When I removed the prop and diff I half expected there to be a few bits falling out, but it all looked good. With no real load on it the oil stiction must have been enough for things to turn as if normal when I tested it. I scoured the Country unsuccessfully, and then a very helpful Old Ford specialist directed me to a Rally restorer just 2 miles away from me, who I'd never known about. He promised a replacement the next day. Further inspection revealed all 6 ring gear retaining bolts were broken.during which time I'd ascertained the existing one could be fixed with some new (same as flywheel) bolts. I still bought the replacement as it would have been morally wrong to refuse the purchase. The Rally Specialist had never seen such a failure despite the huge BHP they put through their diffs! |
Shocking, in a good way
After spending a good deal of fruitless time on various websites and FB groups I decided I should bite the bullet and buy likely looking rear shock absorbers 'Returns Accepted'. Serendipitously, after a chat with my super helpful independent parts supplier - a Mk1 Capri fan - I ordered a pair for that model and they fitted perfectly. Bingo! Excuse the wobbly low light picture, the best I could do at dusk.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7096af4f_b.jpg In a fit of enthusiasm I also lashed out 124 quid on brushing enamel: 2.5l of Goodwood Green and 1L of Bahama Gold. I plumped for this thoroughly retro option as I also brush painted my first Phaeton - Retro Rules! 'The Look'. https://live.staticflickr.com/1799/4...2f69d936_b.jpg Regards, Mick |
Bingo!
These rather uninspiring bits of decades old metal lurking on my workbench in the late Autumn sunshine are, in fact, the holy grail! They're the engine mounting brackets which bolt to the sides of the Imp derived engine, and to which the rubbers are attached.
My search for these elusive items began with enquiry of the Hillman Avenger Talbot Sunbeam HATS cars FB group, which drew a blank, but threw up a link to the FB Talbot Sunbeam and Avengers parts group. A little lateral thinking by a member brought the suggestion that I should try the FB Hillman Imp group, as the Sunbeam engines lend themselves to conversion back to their parent, and someone might have a pair of now redundant brackets high on a dusty garage shelf. This proved to be the case and a super helpful chap in N. Ireland not only dug them out, but posted them to me 1st Class for a very reasonable sum. Result! https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e3235d0e_b.jpg With only the prop. shaft (for hybridising) left to collect next week, and a compatible speedo, which I'm tracking on Ebay, major parts sourcing difficulties should be largely over - famous last words! I'm off to the Classic Car Show at the NEC on Friday where I can touch base with possible helpful contacts. Regards, Mick |
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