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Ditto here. Thank you for providing this. I’m finding this informative and enjoyable. And I especially like your skills.
Besides I love the pictures of the car pornography.
Got the car on a rotisserie now and you would not believe how much easier it is to work on. Today I removed half of the O/S spring hanger boxes and a section of the chassis rail. I cannot imagine how difficult that would have been working under the car. So many thanks indeed for the loan from my mate Jon, to whom I am deeply indebted. The downside of course, is that it's now perfectly clear how much needs to be done! I have the new rails which can be seen in shot and will soon order the new hanger boxes (upper & lower), panhard rod bracket and the spring mounts etc. I haven't yet measured the springs to see if they still fall within tolerance, but they rarely suffer so badly that they're unusable. Last week I cut out the rotten floor on the O/S (usual place, above the jacking point) tacked in a repair panel, and also started to fabricate a replacement inner sill. The old one is rotten below the floor but fine above. Given that you need to cut out the door posts to properly replace the full inner sill (which is a real PITA job) I decided to simply replace the lower half. I started with a piece to attach the new floor panel to, and soon a couple more sections should complete the O/S. Prior to that, I also fabricated a replacement lower grille section. Needs a tweak to straighten in, but it's nice and solid once more.
This weekend it's back to the Mini. We have a new flywheel puller now, so we can swap out the gearbox, pop in a new clutch and hopefully start putting the engine/box back in the car.
Thats looking great, one observation, be careful having it on the rotisserie when the chassis rail section is missing in case it bends. Practical classics did something similar and ended up having to force the shell back into shape as the doors no longer fitted.
David & Guy, Thanks for your interest. There are quite a few of other excellent restoration blogs on here too. So if you've not already found them, they're worth searching for, some are lengthy so make sure you set aside some time because they're very engrossing. Indeed, these (along with some Facebook blogs) are the inspiration for my efforts. I'll keep posting pictures as I make my way though, because despite there being far better restorations available, sometimes it takes an image from a different angle or someone's different approach that can help you put things straight in your head. I know it took me ages and many photos before I really understood how the rear spring boxes were assembled. You ask if I knew how rusty it was beforehand David, well, truth be told, the answer is NO. I knew it was rusty, but until you actually start pulling things apart, you never really know. Some parts which I thought were toast, actually turned out to be not so bad, then other areas I had considered to be solid, simply crumbled away in my hand and it was only the underseal holding them together! So you never know. Still wouldn't change it though, I'm really enjoying the work, and when I'm not working on the car, I'm reading or watching YouTube videos, it really has taken over my life (and my wallet!)
Homer, yes, thanks for the reminder. I was mindful of this only because I saw you had mentioned it somewhere in your blog, so I made a mental note at the time. When the car is (near) vertical as it is now, I don't think there's too much stress, but when I need to return to horizontal to drill out the floor spot welds on the top of the rails, I'll be particularly careful and ensure it's fully supported in addition to the rotisserie at the ends. Cheers.
So, the O/S chassis rail is off and the underside of the floor, well most of it, has been cleaned up. The spot welds were drilled out and I only missed a couple which were easily fractured apart. I welded in some of the floor repair panel which had previously been tacked in, but it's hard work because it kept blowing through and needed building up/filling in as I went along, as well as lots of grinding! The existing floor is quite thin along the join, but I didn't want to extend the repair panel even further just yet. I only welded the section I needed to above the rail and I will return to do the rest when I have more enthusiasm for welding again. The new rails were far longer than required, which gave me some handy pieces on which to practice the chassis bend. Some quick calculations using complicated stuff like degrees and millimetres and then the spare chassis piece was cut as a test. It fitted better than expected. I just need to replicate that now on the real chassis rail. I also need to flare the opposite end where it locates into the spring hanger box, but I'll wait until that arrives later in the week to ensure a perfect fit. The old boxes had spread a little because of the rust, so it's difficult to measure the gap accurately. I also need to fabricate a filler section at the front of the footwell. Not sure if I will weld that in before or after the chassis rail, I need to consider the best option.
Last edited by Voucher Boy; 03-09-2020 at 03:35 PM.
Thanks for the latest up date and photos. the photos put into perspective what you have a head of you.My health issues have curtailed what I am able to do on the car.I did manage to fit a retro styled radio which cost all of $A 40.00. The car came with a HMV radio that did not work . A PO owner had converted the car to neg earth and surprise surprise it works ( the new one )
You will be an excellent MIG welder when the project is complete. As a matter of interest where are you getting your repair panels from?
Regards,
David Bruce.
Hey David, sorry to hear you're unable to do as much as you'd like, but at least you're still able to enjoy driving your Jag eh! Well done on the radio, I'm also considering changing to Neg Earth to enable me to run a decent audio system, and because the car's electrics are so rudimentary I thinks it's straightforward enough. The panels (floor, spring boxes, crossmember, crows feet etc) I've bought are from Martin Robey, which aren't cheap unfortunately. The chassis rails I had made up by a friend of a friend, they were cheap! The rest is fabricated from sheet steel. I've managed to get a little bit done over the last few days, between work. I have a few days off next week, so hoping to get even more done. Although, after fitting the replacement parts I already have, it's going to be a while before I'm able to continue as I've spent as much as I'm able to for now.
Last edited by Voucher Boy; 03-12-2020 at 03:04 PM.
Hey David, sorry to hear you're unable to do as much as you'd like, but at least you're still able to enjoy driving your Jag eh! Well done on the radio, I'm also considering changing to Neg Earth to enable me to run a decent audio system, and because the car's electrics are so rudimentary I thinks it's straightforward enough. The panels (floor, spring boxes, crossmember, crows feet etc) I've bought are from Martin Robey, which aren't cheap unfortunately. The chassis rails I had made up by a friend of a friend, they were cheap! The rest is fabricated from sheet steel. I've managed to get a little bit done over the last few days, between work. I have a few days off next week, so hoping to get even more done. Although, after fitting the replacement parts I already have, it's going to be a while before I'm able to continue as I've spent as much as I'm able to for now.
Thats looking really good now, excellent work.
If you haven't already removed the spring hanger box you can make some plates to match the mounting holes for the springs and then weld a bar across these to the outer sill which gives you an easy reference to get the spring hanger in the right place (or at least back where it was before!).
It's still worth using a string to check the alignment is right as well.
Cheers Homer, that's praise indeed coming from you, thanks. I've not yet fully removed the spring hangers. I know I've got to get the new ones in exactly the right (same) place, so I've kind of put them on the back-burner for now whilst I tackle the other jobs. I have, however, made copious measurements, but trying to map a 3 dimensional space in mid air is harder than it looks. I think you're right, and some sort of fabricated temporary bracket will, despite the extra effort, be worth doing because the consequences of getting it wrong are both costly and time consuming. I try not to think about it yet, else I'll not get any sleep! No Jag work completed this weekend, spent my time on my lads cars. Crankshaft sensor on No1's BMW, and finished rebuilding the engine of No 2's classic Mini.
The floor above the rear jacking point and suspension box was as badly rusted as the front. The rear however, is not a simple, inexpensive repair panel, and a complete reconstruction of the complex floor was required. It involved stitching together multiple sections, each fabricated and welded into position to replace the rotten metalwork. After this was completed, I was then able to attach the new suspension hanger box.
The more observant of you will see that I’ve also started to construct a replacement front jacking point. The base is in, but I’m unsure whether to add a box section to retain the original specification (which I’m unlikely to use as I have no intention of using a 1960’s jack), or to replace with a modern stub for my trolley jack to locate onto. I will give that some further consideration before committing to metal.
The hanger is now fitted on the O/S, All welded and (hopefully!) in exactly the correct position. Quite pleased with my welding, it’s improving, if not yet perfect. Not shown is that the Panhard rod eye has also been welded in, pictures soon. I started to clean the rest of the underside and was very pleased to find that the N/S chassis rail is solid. A hammer test had it ringing for the whole length, not a single thud! Great news indeed, it will save me a whole load of time and effort with not having to replace.
There are just two places that require a small patch, one adjacent to the front jacking point (no surprise there!) and the other close to the rear spring hanger (below).
Talking of the hanger, it’s in quite good condition, certainly a massive improvement on th eO/S, but I’m unsure if it’s in good enough condition to keep just yet. It has a little corrosion on the side of the upper box, but I’m unable to see the condition of the lower box until I remove the leaf spring. No plans to do that just yet until I’ve completed the O/S just in case I need to take measurements to cross reference. I'm in work next week, but then have two weeks off work. Obviously can't go on our planned holiday, so maybe get some more Jag work done. Only thing is that I'm almost out of gas and not too much 1mm sheet left either. Hope I can get some more!
Regarding the jacking point, I would remake it as original and you can then add to it for a trolley jack if you want. The jacking point is an important part of the cars strength tieing the sill to the chassis rail.
Cheers Homer, I pay £23 locally for 1 x 1.5m, so £28.50 delivered to your door for a 1 x 2m piece is a great price. I've saved the seller for future use too.
Yeah, I may have to keep the JP original specification as you say, if only for strength. The base section I've already fitted is strong, but that extra bit may make a difference. I'm also looking at ways to make my own rear JP. This may be a little more difficult though, especially as it's far harder working with thicker metal. I'll see if it's possible when I get to that bit. But, as I'm on a very tight budget, if I can save ~£250 for all 4 then that's a real help for me.
Cheers Homer, I pay £23 locally for 1 x 1.5m, so £28.50 delivered to your door for a 1 x 2m piece is a great price. I've saved the seller for future use too.
Yeah, I may have to keep the JP original specification as you say, if only for strength. The base section I've already fitted is strong, but that extra bit may make a difference. I'm also looking at ways to make my own rear JP. This may be a little more difficult though, especially as it's far harder working with thicker metal. I'll see if it's possible when I get to that bit. But, as I'm on a very tight budget, if I can save ~£250 for all 4 then that's a real help for me.
When I did my first Jag (1966 3.8 S-Type), I made my own jacking points, however, as you say its a lot of work using thicker metal.
I bought mine new from David Manners at the Jaguar Spares day a year ago and they were £38 each as a show price. It might be worth keeping an eye on e-bay to see what comes up.
Hmmm, I just looked at this as I was curious what the +VAT +delivery price would be. Turns out that the price isinc VAT and inc delivery. That's a fair bit cheaper than Martin Robey. I've a privilege card with them, so they tend to be my default now, but even with my discount the part is £47 +VAT, +whatever they decide for postage. (That's one thing I don't like about Robey, is that you don't know how much the postage will be until you submit your order for approval) I have found Robey to be cheaper for certain things when I've checked previously, but obviously not on this occasion. So, it pays to shop around and check prices for every part/order.
Anyhow, the upshot is that I've ordered a RH Rear JP from Manners now (Cheers Homer). I'll continue with making the front ones as they are straight forward enough, but I suppose I can stretch to £48 this month to save the effort of making the rear. And it will allow me to make further progress with other things on my two weeks off work.
HI,
Again I am impressed with what you are doing. The amount of rust you are repairing is mid blowing. I have taken some photos of my car but at the moment can;t work how to post them on here, I have them on my Ipad but there is a glitch some where.
Please keep the post coming.
David Bruce Australia.
OK, so what have I been up to in the last few weeks? I've completed the inner sill now, and also welded in the rear jacking point. Upon reflection, I'm glad that Homer twisted my arm to buy the rear Jacking Point. It's a tricky one to make. I will be fabricating the N/S front myself, but the rears are, I agree, best purchased. So, that went well, and the outer sill was next on the list. I fabricated this in sections, because it's curved from top to bottom, and also from front to rear. That's far too difficult (for me anyway) to fabricate in one. So this will be made in 4 sections. Two main sections, and then both ends. I made the centre sections and welded them on, initially only to what remained of the old sill, leaving the plug welds onto the inner sill just in case things went pear shaped and I needed to remove my handy-work. That would have left a real mess on the inners. Fortunately, it went to plan, and I was pleased enough with the result that I bit the bullet and welded them onto the inner sills. Next is to do the ends. The rear bit is complicated by the fact it needs to align with the wheel tub and spat (which will be a cut down version and welded in rather than a removable one with a gap) and the front needs to marry up with the front wing repair panel (which I can't afford this month!)
Domain58 - Thanks for the PM pictures of your car, it's a really nice example, and I definitely prefer the aged look to the upholstery (I think a 50 year old car should look like a 50 year old car, and I simply love the character of your old leather) . I hope you continue to enjoy driving it for many years, it should help with the power steering. I look forward to the day that I can also enjoy mine!
Last edited by Voucher Boy; 04-09-2020 at 05:01 PM.
Before I could start on the rear spat, I had to make a couple of repairs to the inner wheel arch (tub) whilst the access was still easy. This is overlapped and welded from the factory, but the moisture inevitably gets in and rusts as a result. I cut out the overlap and butt welded in a couple of repairs.
The rear end of the sill and the inner wheel arch section was completed and finally boxed in. Deciding to go for the sportier narrow spat, mine was a cut down from a full sized original. I used a length of electrical conduit to create the wheel arch which I formed around a wooden template. It proved to be very difficult to shape exactly, but I got there in the end.
The front wing was badly corroded along the line of inner spray panel thing. There were two areas which I decided to tackle separately because the last thing I wanted was for the wing to become mis-shapen due to lack of strength. Both patches were butt welded in and angle iron used to maintain the position of the wing whilst welding. Now all that remains is for the arch repair panel to be fitted to pretty much complete the O/S front end.
Last edited by Voucher Boy; 04-17-2020 at 04:03 PM.
I seem to recall that the rear arches on the coombes cars were made from a piece of copper pipe, probably a lot easier to bend than conduit and I assume they must had leaded them into the car. It does look nice like you have done.
The repair to the front wing is very similar to the one I had to do and on mine it was due to the baffle panel behind it rotting out, whats this like on your car? These are horrenously expensive for what they are (around £200). I have looked at making them in the past but they are a very complciated panel and even though not seen everything I made just looked awful.
Homer, a copper pipe would have been so much easier, but I've not done any lead work so it didn't even cross my mind. The conduit was initially easy to form into the correct shape using the wooden template I made, but small adjustments afterwards are very difficult because I don't have the leverage, and the pipe, despite only being 1mm wall, is surprisingly strong. I'm dreading doing the other side!
Yes, my baffle panel was shot too, and also the reason for my wing to suffer. The N/S baffle was quite good (but not good enough to keep in place), and I carefully removed it to use as a template, but as you say, a complex shape to replicate, and £200 per side....seriously? In the end I decided that I'd ditch the template idea and tackle the panel myself, but in two parts. Yes, I know that's far from ideal in such a vulnerable area, but I made that decision for a few reasons. 1. It's easier. 2. I don't have the arch/sill repair panel yet, so I've no idea exactly where the baffle will fit. 3. It's easier.
Anyhow, tut and shake your heads if you like, but that's how I'm doing it. Still undecided how to join them yet, butt or seam. Seam could leak and rust between the overlap. I'll give that one some thought.
Before I started, I rust converted, primered and painted the inside area behind the baffle panel, fortunately it was in extremely good shape. That done I made the top section of the new baffle panel and tacked it into place. I'll finish it off later but need to be careful not to distort my new wing sections when final welding. The only thing that causes me concern is that there's a section half way down where the flange that held the old baffle has rusted away. What remains behind it is solid enough, but I have nothing to weld the new baffle to in that area. I guess a big blob will have to suffice.
Today I also started on the bonnet hinge mounting point. One of the three captive nuts has rusted through. I'm having more trouble with this than the baffle! Again I tried to solve with a two part patch, but it's not going well and I'm tempted to start again.
It's a glorious day here, and I've called in early for a BBQ and a few beers in the sun. Problem for another day.
Thats looking good, the challenge with the baffle is the odd shape as it goes down towards the wheel arch and end of the sill, I will be interested to see your results. It might inspire me to have another go at making one.
03-07-2020 | 07:58 AM
