New Project

[Phillip]

Hey Colin,

My Senior glass seems to have been put in with something resembling window glass putty and appears to be original, although that is just an observation, not a confirmed fact.

Hope that helps!

Cheers,
Phillip

[ColinB]

Thanks Phillip - yes I'm pretty sure its putty and I will experiment with adding pigment to it to match the deep blue of the upper body. I used black mastic on my Junior screen and that has worked really well so that is another option. My real concern is the fit. I think I will order the glass with a small gap all round both to allow for some errors in my template and to permit a bit of body flex.

[ColinB]

I'm replacing floor edges with new aluminium. I have made the front two using a cheap bender I got off eBay. It only does up to 90 degrees but it is easy to hammer the top flange over to the correct angle on the car. I have clamped them into position prior to pinning them and giving them a coat of primer.

[ColinB]

All edge plates completed subject to a bit of fine tuning. I haven't got small enough nails in the workshop to fix them with but they can just sit there held loosely with the clamps until I have a chance to go shopping. The mitre at the rear wheel arch is only supposed to go half way across before dropping vertically but the original arch covering was damaged in this area so I have extended the mitre the whole way to take advantage of what was left. I did the same on the other side.

Crude window templates made which fit OK. As the scrap hardboard I have used is slightly flexible I plan to make these up in 5mm plywood, which will not be at all forgiving, to make absolutely certain they fit properly before ordering the glass.

[ColinB]

I have devised a repair plan for the shredded lower parts of the inner wheel arches. This consists of new steel that will double up against the good part and will be bent to fit under the rear woodwork as the original originally did. I only had 18 gauge steel which I knew was probably too heavy for the job but thought I would give it a try to prove the concept. Although the steel was too thick for my puny bender as it needs a crisp bend not a sloppy radius I'm pretty sure this concept will work. I have ordered some 22 gauge steel which I know my bender can handle. It wasn't a waste of time to make the failed part as the bulk of the work was thinking and making the template which won't need to be done again.

sloppy radius!

[ColinB]

Inner arch repair on one side is more of less completed in 22 gauge steel other than for applying the stonechip. I realised that it was more reliable to reattach the old arches, make the cover piece to match and then separately attach it to the original part. Both parts were given a thick coat of paint on the mating faces before they were finally introduced to each other.

The only drawback is that I have had to use pop rivets as it would have been very difficult to use solid ones as I did on the bonnet repair, due to problems accessing both sides at once on these parts. So its a bit more kit car than vintage but under a forgiving coat of stonechip it should hardly notice. The major holes have all been covered by this and I'll finish with some filler on the inside, largely to smooth it all off for the upholstery.

[ColinB]

I also went to Whitmores yesterday to take the distributor to them so they can set up the timing. The engine is more or less assembled so I should get it back soon. It turns over very smoothly without any of the notchy moments I had previously noticed. They told me that there were incorrectly machined surfaces in the valve gear, much of which was new (in 1980!), which they have corrected. They also sourced a new timing chain so the bill is creeping up towards £1700, which I still think is great value.

[ColinB]

No engine yet and the garden has required a lot of work as spring is definitely hitting the Fens. I have not ignored the Six however, and have painted the front doors in that same excruciating blue undercoat which I plan to use as a guide coat when sanding the real undercoats later. I have also moved her with the jack so I can back my Land Rover into the shed when the engine is finally ready to make it easier to unload.

I have got an acceptable fit on all doors although I had to add 1/4" packing between the chassis and the body near the scuttle to get the front ones to line up with the locks. Unfortunately as I was not present when the body was first removed I have no idea whether this packing was always there or whether I am just responding to distortion introduced during earlier parts of this old girl's life.

Now the doors fit I plan to rub down and prime the exposed woodwork before priming her body in the correct primers for her two tone finish.

[telco.2]

She's looking really good Colin! I haven't been idle either despite not posting for some time. The wiring is finished apart from final touches to the charging circuit once the engine is running. It fired up briefly, but then the starter motor died!! Should have had it checked over professionally; it was running fine off load but as soon as it had to work against new compression the tell-tale wisps of smoke and a strong electrical smell gave the game away
It's being attended to now and should be back within the next week all being well as it's a fairly standard Lucas item apparently.
Keep at it folks
Bill

[ColinB]

Good news Bill - will you be taking her out on Drive it Day?

[Danish]

On the subject of starter motors...mine needs a rebuilt too but I wondered whether anyone knows if a later and generic M35G starter can be made to work if fitted with an original mounting plate; naturally 10 teeth and CCW? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lucas-type-I ... SwjiZaKStu

[telco.2]

The guy who is doing mine is an older bloke (5 years younger than me!!!!) who seems to know his stuff as he has been rebuilding starters for years. Apparently the one fitted to my 14 hp engine was also used on XK 120's, Austin A 90's ,early Healeys and so on, but Lucas gave them all different part numbers! The one that came with the engine & was also fitted to my 2 litre is an XK120 unit. M418G
His can be contacted at Phoenix Marine Electrics
128followersphoenix-marine-electrics(9615) 100.0% He has a list of M418G starters on sale now ebay number 223297723019
any problems ...don't phone me
regards
Bill

[ColinB]

I get the engine back tomorrow....

[ColinB]

Engine back; too wet here to run over the grass to unload it today so it can stay in the back of the Land Rover overnight. Work done is as follows:
degrease and clean engine; hone bores; polish crankshaft; trial fit con rods and camshaft and sort hard spot; clean pistons, fit and gap new rings; replace valves and seats and grind valves in; supply and fit new timing chain; modify head with new water holes; repair old hole in block; reassemble. Bill £1,603.00 including £267 VAT.

The head and clutch have come back separately so I have a bit of work to do, but I'm very happy with the job and the bill. The clutch is new to me - it consists of a conventional spring plate to disengage the clutch with the driving plate sandwiched between two separate friction discs. As I didn't take it apart I don't have any idea, but Whitmores put some string through it to keep it all in order. Its not quite clear at the moment how the friction plates are kept in the right place although they may be a close fit inside the flywheel recess. I'll probably find out tomorrow!

Whitmores have made a very good job of replacing the crude patch on the block. You would hardly know it had been damaged.

Patched engine

[Peter McKercher]

Nice to see it properly patched. A bolt on repair is always a red flag for prospective buyers.