View single post by vnavaret
 Posted: 09-09-2024 01:08 am
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vnavaret



Joined: 04-07-2022
Location: Oregon USA
Posts: 52
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Lads:

Another update on Rusty the car.

I decided to guild the lily and had the valve covers powder coated in wrinkle Blue to match the car. I then used my belt sander to highlight the logo on the covers. Didn't turn out too bad, although given what the powder coating cost, I was more than a little nervous about botching the whole thing. Anyway, photo attached for your amusement.

Brand new Automec brake lines installed, but not without a minor hiccup. The right hand drive cars do not have the PDWA assembly, and Automec shipped me a LHD set based on a measurements I sent them. Everything worked except when I tried to connect to the PDWA. Three fittings were 7/16" while the pipe set used 3/8" pipe nuts - correct for a RHD car, but not a LHD car. I scrounged some 7/16" fittings from a wrecked MGB at my local British car shop and used those with no issues. I also sent a detailed note to Automec so the next pipe set they ship will have the correct fittings. The new servo and master cylinder are also in place.

While installing the brake pipes, I discovered that the front wheels were not clearing the front suspension. A little research showed that I had installed the upper control arms upside down. Doh! =:-o It turned out to be a nit, as flipping the arms over with the suspension in the car was easily done. Much easier when everything is clean and the fasteners are not rusted in place. Didn't even need a spring compressor as the spring is firmly held in place when the suspension is at full droop.

The parking brake is back in the car, and it actually works. I have also installed the dash (facia) after many test fittings. The original fasteners for the section adjacent to the windscreen were long gone, so the dash was pretty floppy when I removed it. I tack welded some short bolts to small pieces of sheet metal, and glued them in place. After a couple of tries, I got everything lined up and it is now installed. Woo Hoo!

Picked up a working clock on eBay. The 1980s Jaguars (among others) used a clock with an identical form factor, and the movements were quartz so they keep excellent time. The original clock said "Jensen" on the face but used an electro-mechanical movement that probably kept time miserably. So except that the face says "Quartz", you would never know the difference. Score!

That's it for this episode of "The adventures of Rusty the car". Tune in next week, same time, same channel!

Vance

Attachment: Valve Covers.JPG (Downloaded 17 times)

Last edited on 09-09-2024 01:13 am by vnavaret