Chris_Collins Posted February 10, 2017 Author Share Posted February 10, 2017 Chris had sorted the best of the front and rear tow bars and supporting brackets. A little straightening and they are ready for sandblasting. Attached Thumbnails Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Collins Posted February 10, 2017 Author Share Posted February 10, 2017 I looked at the rear inner guard boxes as they will be ready for use soon. These had been blasted and primed but on closer inspection there is a few too many areas that will need patching and a lot of shape to put back in. I think new ones are in order. I will take the box from this rusty old side and disassemble it as a pattern. Attached Thumbnails Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Collins Posted February 10, 2017 Author Share Posted February 10, 2017 I completed another patch to go in the chasis where the battery had rusted a hole in the firewall. I cut out the damaged section and formed up a patch. It needs a curved rib formed in the centre so first I did two folds. I don't have a folder but I find you can do a lot with angle iron and G clamps. Attached Thumbnails Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Collins Posted February 10, 2017 Author Share Posted February 10, 2017 I needed a way of pressing in the curve and co-incidentally this arrived today. A small folding tool. Just the right size to put a piece of round bar in the V section. Just had to move it along and press it slowly. Once that was done I dressed the edges with a bolster and hammer. Attached Thumbnails Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Collins Posted February 10, 2017 Author Share Posted February 10, 2017 Folded the edges and then recessed the ends to slip under and level with the existing panel. Attached Thumbnails Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Collins Posted February 10, 2017 Author Share Posted February 10, 2017 Should come up OK. Attached Thumbnails Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpsmit Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 That is impressive! thanks for showing us the process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Collins Posted February 17, 2017 Author Share Posted February 17, 2017 Finally got a few more pieces back together. Battery shelf patch welded in and filler added. Replacement pieces added to the side footwells. I first added small tags to help align them and give something to weld to and drilled some holes to plug weld. Attached Thumbnails Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Collins Posted February 17, 2017 Author Share Posted February 17, 2017 These went in quite well. My photo is a bit dull though. Attached Thumbnails Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Collins Posted February 17, 2017 Author Share Posted February 17, 2017 In the meantime Chris dissassembled his many windscreens until he had enough good condition frames, glass and various screws and brackets to put two good windscreens together. Attached Thumbnails Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Collins Posted February 17, 2017 Author Share Posted February 17, 2017 Oops! Second photo above not correct. I also got the reinforcing panel around the handbrake added in. There was a dent in the hump I couldn't get out. By placing the panel in position and bolting the handbrake down it pulled the dent up and held it in place while I plug welded the drilled holes. A bit of clamping and tipping th body side to side to get a better welding position. Attached Thumbnails Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Collins Posted February 17, 2017 Author Share Posted February 17, 2017 While I had the body lifted on my gantry I took the opportunity to install new shackle bushes in the front. It took every bit of pressure I could wring out of this G clamp to get them to push in. After that it was time to wipe a bit more filler around and tidy up some of the welds and other imperfections. Attached Thumbnails Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Collins Posted April 4, 2017 Author Share Posted April 4, 2017 More news from Jack Neville "got all the filler rubbed back before I took off for Corowa for the week. I gave the body a thorough going over with fishoil and sealed all the seams with butyl mastic. The week in Corowa gave it a chance to dry out so it was ready to paint when I got home." Attached Thumbnails Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Collins Posted April 4, 2017 Author Share Posted April 4, 2017 First a coat of body deadener underneath and on the floor and other areas to help hide a few minor imperfections. Attached Thumbnails Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Collins Posted April 4, 2017 Author Share Posted April 4, 2017 I bolted a piece of scrap to the bumper brackets and to where the tow bar attaches, (which has also been fitted). By hoisting it on a chain at the back and using the block and tackle at the front I fashion a temporary rotiserie for painting. Attached Thumbnails Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Collins Posted April 4, 2017 Author Share Posted April 4, 2017 The firewall panel and dash panel and pedals have gone for sand blasting. The pedal pivot bolts and bushes are all flogged out so I got some bushes from a bearing supplier that will fit and bought some bolts which I turned down on the lathe to suit. Attached Thumbnails Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Collins Posted April 4, 2017 Author Share Posted April 4, 2017 Now that the body is painted the previously rebuilt axles, springs, dampers and steering gear can go straight on. The front torsion bar was really hard to align and required the use of a porta power to push the axle mount forward and the chainblock to pull the axle up. To stop the whole front end lifting I had to put a piece of timber under my gantry cross beam to work against the chainblock. My gantry spans the width of my shed and travels on rollers the full length of the shed. It is made from railway line and other scrap. It enables me to pick up anything and move it to anywhere in the shed. The railway line is supported on steel posts which also double as the support posts of the shelving when I built the shed. Makes life very easy. Attached Thumbnails Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Collins Posted May 5, 2017 Author Share Posted May 5, 2017 (edited) Heres some more news from the House of Neville skunkworks! PS if anyone has leads on getting a Solex 30 HBFDO Carbie, I'd be very interested "Chris has got the roofs painted while I repaired a second set of seat bases. We had one complete set and the other only had the bottom parts. They are only made from 1" angle iron so it was pretty straight forward to cut and drill and rivet the top section. Attached Thumbnails " Edited May 5, 2017 by Chris_Collins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Collins Posted May 5, 2017 Author Share Posted May 5, 2017 I've digressed a bit to have a look at the fuel tanks I have to work with. This is a Tilly tank. Filler on top and about 150 mm longer than a car tank. Attached Thumbnails Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Collins Posted May 5, 2017 Author Share Posted May 5, 2017 The Tilly tank has a big hole in the bottom and I suspect a very untidy interior. They share the same stamped end and flanges for filler necks and guages. So I opened up the car tank and removed one end and baffle. Looking at the end I am contemplating getting some steel plates lazar cut and pressing some new end pieces in the same pattern. However before I try that I sweated that one end apart. It looks solid and might be able to be cleaned up and re-zinced. If I can recover all four ends and the baffles and recondition them I will just have to fold up the body of the tank and solder all the parts back together. Attached Thumbnails Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Collins Posted May 5, 2017 Author Share Posted May 5, 2017 Both ends and baffles have been removed and they will clean up quite well. There is no rust to worry about so I melted off all the solder and removed the drain plug fitting, and the fuel line pick up and fuel gauge float. The flanges for them were sweated off and cleaned up. I will get a piece of galvanized iron and shape up for the replacement body and solder it back together. If needed maybe some POR 15 fuel tank sealer to cover the ends. Attached Thumbnails Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Collins Posted May 5, 2017 Author Share Posted May 5, 2017 I got some galvanized iron cut to the exact size required and dressed both ends to form a lap joint for the main body of the tank. Another job for my hi-tech folding equipment. Attached Thumbnails Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Collins Posted May 5, 2017 Author Share Posted May 5, 2017 The tanks are 865mm long and I had to work out a way of folding the curves in to follow the seams in the end flanges. A bit of scrap steel and pipe and the old G clamps into action again. I used a piece of 100 mm heavy steel channel and a piece of 50mm pipe and welded some scrap in the inside of the channel to centre the pipe. The four locking pliers help centre the sheet where I want it to be without moving until there is some load on the sheet. Attached Thumbnails Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Collins Posted May 5, 2017 Author Share Posted May 5, 2017 The first fold with that pipe came out a little too tight so I opened it up a little and pressed it again with a larger pipe. Instead of altering the press I slid the larger pipe over the thinner one. This came out exactly as I needed. Attached Thumbnails Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Collins Posted May 5, 2017 Author Share Posted May 5, 2017 I checked each fold in the end flange as I went. It was a little bit of guesswork as to exactly where the next fold was to be positioned but I managed to get it pretty close. Once the four folds were done the lap joint was closed up. To keep the joint nice and tight I forced a couple of pieces of timber inside. Attached Thumbnails Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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