yes, a spare tire Clamp or Holdown restored, took me 4 days. Complete with friction bottom and handle washer to prevent metal-to-metal rubbing. Improved!!

Sometimes it's the small things that make a difference. It is a gem now. Came off a 1966 S type.

picture 1 is the clamp as found, a total disaster if you ask me. The other 3 pics after restoring it. I need a Presentation Designer Box for it, don't want it to
get scratched. Anybody got any ideas?

 

Cool Jose, you should post more pictures of your car

 

Primaz, can't compete with your car!

 

I have to say, if you can make that, then a presentation box should be a no brainer. That is remarkable.

 

Jerry, thanks, found a nice box, a small Priority Mail box that opens like a presentation box, surrounded the clamp with a foam strip. Put it away for posterity

 

I was thinking about a block of Styrofoam with the shape carved out then covered with velour... Similar to a musical instrument case... Then maybe the box made of mahogany to match the interior with chromed fittings.... not that I would do that. I wouldn't.

 

Burled mahogany. It has to be presentable.

 

Very fancy Jose, I have been doing a little bit of odd restoration too on some old SU's I had kicking around


How they started off

Rebuilt

 

TilleyJon they look awesome, did you replace the bronze bushings on each side of the throttle linkage? they tend to leak air there and create vacuum problems.

I have never finished the aluminium nacelles, ran out of ways to polish them.

 

That is a quality bit of work! Kudo's to you. I can't quite make out what you've done to the crosspiece however. Is that flatstock with a plastic beam section atop it? or just the shine? I'm assuming that is not the original U-channel? Will you elaborate?

 

GT6Steve, all the parts are the original parts except for that blue hard washer under the handle base, and the black plastic piece on the crosspiece beam which makes contact with the wheel center hub and tightens the spare tire to the floor.

Originally, from the factory, they had a stick-on rubbery foam piece glued to the bottom of the crosspiece beam to prevent metal to metal contact. But a few times tightening and loosening the clamp, the rubber foam is scored and gone.

I have a sheet of thin plastic with one glossy side and one textured side and cut it to fit the crosspiece. Added a layer of Gorilla double-sided 30-pound-strength tape to the bottom of the crosspiece and applied the glossy side of the plastic over it. Had it clamped / weighted overnight with a concrete block over it to make it stick good and forever. The plastic will have a long life of tightenings and loosenings. Unfortunately it is too pretty to put in service!! Maybe for a show car.

 

Thanks Jose, there are no bronze bushes, the spindles run in the aluminium housing then a cork seal, compression washer, spring and then retaining cup, SU now do an upgraded seal to replace the cork seal and spring with a nylon retainer.
As long as the spindles are not worn and the aluminium housing is not worn then new seals are all that are required. If the spindle is worn, new spindle and if the housing is worn, then you have to line ream the housing out at 9.5mm and fit new bushings which I think are Delron, (but I would have to check that to be sure) these are supplied by SU (Burlen) and they also sell a fitting tool for the bushes which is a simple drift with a shoulder to tap the bushes in.

How far did you get with the Nacelles ? Were you going for mirror finish ?

 

yes TilleyJon, mirror finish. But I became worn out with the polishing and took a break !!

 

You need to get yourself a buffing wheel.

 

yes, and a Blasting cabinet, tired of sanding parts by hand.

 

got my kettle at harbor frieght. did the suburban parts sans body with it and a 45 gallon sears compressor. used up half a roll of teflon tape to seal the fittings! great machining on those HF tools.

 

Stu, I purchased a 100 psi compressor from HF 5 years ago and it still works !! Some of their stuff doesn't last, but other stuff does. The good news? they are cheap! I'm waiting for a really low price for a blasting cabinet.