Time for an update. Last weekend we were finally able to get back on with this Sabre. I hadn't seen it since December, but I put some batteries on it and connected up a jerry can to the fuel pump and it fired straight away. We did have a small problem of a wasps nest to deal with first. We needed to move this one back home as we can work on it much easier when we have electricity and water.
Ready to leave for home
Back at the house and on with the cleaning
The first job was to start preparing it for some paint. We had already removed the old exhaust heat shield material as it was mostly falling off anyway. I used a wire brush on an angle grinder to clean up the glue, then finished off the new material we started making a while ago.
I found some very good high temperature contact adhesive for sticking the new material back on, it seems to have worked a treat. I am planning to use this to stick the interior padding and hatch pads back on.
I went round the rest of the hull and removed the surface rust and the last few bits of paint the sand blaster missed with a needle gun and wire brush. Then on with some primer. I am going to do this in 4 stages, first the hull, then the turret, remove the wheels etc and do the running gear, and finally the front decks once I've finished walking up and down them all day.
With the primer on, it was time for some top coat. Sadly most of this paint will be covered up by bins etc once it's assembled, but at least now it's green we can start to put the bins back on.
Here's the finished and painted heat shield material.
The last job for today was to sort out some new headlamp guards and front bins. This vehicle seems to have been convered in a hurry, the headlamp guards were only held on by 2 bolts each so we had to line up and drill a few more holes. I put some new halogen lamp units in at the same time.
Next weekend I'll do the turret. Eventually I have a new exhaust to put on, but it actually sounds very quiet with this old one on for the time being.
That's all for now!