vulgalour
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 7,266
Club RR Member Number: 146
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Oct 12, 2018 16:32:18 GMT
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Today, Mike finished off the wiring needed and got that recalcitrant high level indicator working. The reverse light checks out at the bulb, holder, and associated wiring so we're pretty sure that's a switch problem now. Since we also know the fuel guage plug at the tank needs fettling, both these issues can hopefully be resolved together when we get the car up on the lift. They're not vital for the time being. The other item of note was that the hazards stopped working, then started working, and after some investigation it turns out the telltale bulb seems to be the culprit since it likes to not quite sit in the holder properly, a little bit of aluminium tape on the bottom of the bulb should fix it since this is a problem I've had with other bulbs in the dash, at least it's an easy one to get to. There was a minor mishap when Mike had one of the high level indicator lenses break, in his words, "in my hand". He bought some glass glue so it could be stuck back together and now I'm shopping for a Lucas 513 glass lens to replace it, have a few complete units on my eBay watch list and hoping for something that's not going to cost me £15 just for a lens since that seems excessive. The reglued lens shows orange perfectly fine, it'll do for now.  20181012-01 by Angyl Roper, on Flickr With the wiring now done, we could faff about fitting the light units to the car. This was a little awkward, some minor alignment issues that needed a bit of hand filing here and there to get a good snug fit. I might revisit this in the future and fettle further to get a really nice fit. Changing bulbs is now quite difficult too.  20181012-02 by Angyl Roper, on Flickr The new wiring looks very nice and tidy. Happily we didn't need to undo what was already there, it was a case of rerouting a few wires, removing some extraneous bits, and fitting new connectors. It still has the original plugs on the original loom so if I really had to go back to factory for some reason, I still can.  20181012-03 by Angyl Roper, on Flickr My favourite boot addition is the new boot lights, which just makes use of the running lights shining into the boot space. This is actually more effective than the factory offering! It's incredibly tempting to make some flying plughole stencils for the lights that shine on the inner wings.  20181012-04 by Angyl Roper, on Flickr Finally we're at a point where I could put the tool tray lid, floor mat, fuel filler neck cover, and spare wheel back in the boot. Once I get the new boot trim boards made this will look really smart.  20181012-05 by Angyl Roper, on Flickr I'm amazed at how well the back end looks. I had this vision in my head that I didn't think I'd ever realise. I'm actually proud of myself for plugging away at this and getting it done, despite my own doubts and the doubts of others at times. Of course there's further minor tweaks to be done, the boot lid lock and badges really need smoothing off eventually, and I do have a remote boot and fuel door release mechanism salvaged from a Rover 200 which I may use since I trust mechanical systems more than I do electronic ones.  20181012-06 by Angyl Roper, on Flickr Also remembered I should probably get the number plate back on the car. Not enough time to refit the rear window today, that's really the last thing to sort before the car can be driven home, hopefully have that sorted over the weekend.  20181012-07 by Angyl Roper, on Flickr I also took a really poor quality video, much worse than usual, so you can see the lights in action. Potatocam ACTIVATE. |
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Oct 12, 2018 18:25:56 GMT
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that looks bonkers/badass i love it.
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Oct 12, 2018 18:36:46 GMT
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Nice.
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vulgalour
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 7,266
Club RR Member Number: 146
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Oct 15, 2018 17:58:34 GMT
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Today Mike helped me fit the rear screen. It went moderately well. Arbomast non-setting sealant on the surround then plenty of soap and some strong string in the rubber seal followed by quite a bit of swearing and effort. Surprisingly the corners went very easily, normally I find non-round corners like these quite difficult. After that it was a case of massaging the stainless trims as close to perfect as I could before fitting those. Turns out if you push the big bit of the channel insert in first, you can then work your way around with a screwdriver to ease the small side of the channel over the trim where needed. It still took far too long and was incredibly frustrating, I can see why they switched to the plastic inserts later in production. However, I do think the earlier stainless trim looks a world better than the skinny plastic one ever did. After that the heated rear screen and high level brake were plugged back in and the C pillar interior trims reinstalled. The glass was given a clean, but nothing else at this point, I just wanted to get home and I can clean the car better at home anyway... which is where it now is!  20181015-01 by Angyl Roper, on Flickr I did a best guess on the headlights and alignment is better for me but I suspect may be dazzling oncoming traffic a little so I'll reset those properly when I can next park in front of the garage door. Behaved itself on the handful of miles home, which was a relief after having disturbed quite so much stuff.  20181015-02 by Angyl Roper, on Flickr  20181015-03 by Angyl Roper, on Flickr Happily, we're now down to normal car maintenance and fettling. Unless it throws something at me, there are no major jobs to do and that's a huge relief. Probably won't put many miles on now with the roads starting to be salted already and the Rover being easier to live with when it's really cold, so I can happily take things a bit easier now and not worry about getting every single item finished. |
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Oct 15, 2018 18:35:04 GMT
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Fair play, that looks pretty cool!
To think, I was in two minds about whether this would ever see the road again after your little bump to the front. Not only is it back, but it's better than ever. Top stuff.
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Oct 15, 2018 20:21:15 GMT
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No-one is going to miss those lights!
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eurogranada
Europe
To tinker or not to tinker, that is the question...
Posts: 2,555
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I really like the result you achieved. I also like the fact you dared do it and saw it through! Still this conversion was lingering in my head as there was something about it I just couldn't put my finger on. Just now seeing your post again with the lights on bright it hit me: I'm "missing" the chrome/stainless look of the recess that the lights are in on the original Ford. Or maybe I should say the stainless/chrome surrounding trim rings that create that illusion. They help set the lights apart from the body, especially given the lenses are red and your bottom half is also red. As your lower rear body area has some curvature going on I think adding trim rings is somewhat difficult though. I was wondering if maybe painting the recesses a silvery colour (to mimick the original stainless/chrome appearance) would set them off even nicer? As always, it's your car and it's fine as it is, it's just a thought that hit me. |
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vulgalour
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 7,266
Club RR Member Number: 146
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Oct 16, 2018 11:49:08 GMT
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Normally the lights do sit in a shiny bucket and you're right, it's the curves of the panel that meant I didn't keep them. I couldn't see a good way to seal everything if I just cut the buckets down to act as inserts, nor a way to stop the very thin metal from being sharp on the edge. I did consider painting the recess in beige or chrome/silver if the lights needed the extra reflection from that but, as you can see, they're plenty bright enough without. I also like how the lenses blend into the bodywork rather than being highlighted, I don't think it's what I would have chosen since when the panel was purple I liked that for the contrast it offered, but I do like it now. My one concern with putting a contrast colour in the recesses is that it will make the back end look too fussy, it feels just about nicely balanced to my eye (especially in person) now, I feel like I can leave it alone.
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Oct 16, 2018 14:11:26 GMT
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underline them with a chrome 1/4 bumper ?
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vulgalour
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 7,266
Club RR Member Number: 146
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Oct 16, 2018 16:08:47 GMT
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That just adds fuss. I like how it is now.
Fun new discovery, when I hit the brakes people back off very quickly as if I've done an emergency stop. I guess they're fairly effective!
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Oct 16, 2018 16:12:45 GMT
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Do you still have two red reflectors on the back as that's an MOT requirement even if you have on MOT exempt?
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vulgalour
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 7,266
Club RR Member Number: 146
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Oct 16, 2018 16:15:58 GMT
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There's four reflectors on the back, the outer ring of the light lenses are actually reflectors and work quite well in person, not so much with the camera.
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Oct 16, 2018 16:46:23 GMT
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Wahey! The Princess rocket ship.
Those lit up shots are great; no wonder folk back off, they think you just lit up the afterburners. 😀
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Oct 16, 2018 19:28:23 GMT
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Thunderbirds are GO!!
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vulgalour
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 7,266
Club RR Member Number: 146
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Oct 18, 2018 18:03:52 GMT
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Been trundling about a lot today and I think I've figured out the reluctant first start thing. When the Princess was in the unit, out of the weather, nice and dry, every start was easy peasy even when it was cold. Since she's been out of the unit and living at home on the drive, she's been decidedly reluctant so I sit there like many an 80s Dad making a Dad Face while waiting for it to catch. After the first start, no bother at all for the rest of the day. It's not fuel delivery issue, because if you persist too much it will flood. It's not a spark issue, that's nice and healthy.
My theory, given that this only happens when the car is parked outside and used less frequently (daily outings make the problem go away completely) is that it's just condensation on some part of the ignition stuff, probably the points, and it just needs a bit of persistence to burn it off on the first start of the day. If it's very cold but dry, the problem isn't there, it's much more of an issue when it's a damp cold day.
There are two solutions: ignore it and just accept it as part of the character building exercise that is running old rammel OR fit electronic ignition.
I shall likely go with option 1 because it's not anything inherently wrong with the car and I can solve by just using it more which suits me fine.
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Rich
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 6,320 
Club RR Member Number: 160
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Oct 18, 2018 18:10:15 GMT
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You should still consider fitting EI at some point, cheap and maintenance free.. They were so cheap that I ended up buying a second unit to put in the toolbox in the MGB I had because of all the whingy old farts that said 'points were easy to swap at the side of the road when THEY went wrong'. This was easier to swap than points. Not that I ever needed to change it..
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Oct 18, 2018 19:14:50 GMT
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Yep as above, fit & forget. Fatter spark will give a better burn so better fuel consumption as well.
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Oct 18, 2018 19:26:38 GMT
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is it possible to get a long exposure photo to make it look like a rocket ship ? like this but from the derrière  |
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vulgalour
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 7,266
Club RR Member Number: 146
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Oct 18, 2018 23:32:33 GMT
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EI will likely happen in a year or two, when I feel I can start spending frivolously again, and it does feel like a frivolous expense when the car runs well except for that first start of the day when it's damp. Fuel consumption definitely has room for improvement though I doubt EI would give me more than one or two extra ems to the gee. It's an underpowered old boat so round town is low 20s, on a run you can do high 30s if you're careful. It lags a good 10mpg behind the Rover in most situations. The EI's appeal isn't the fuel saving, it's the efficiency and reliability *if* I can get a good system. It seems to be a bit of a cr... duckshoot as to what you get, regardless of what you pay, and I don't have a lot of luck with buying reliable tech so I'm loathe to invest in something that may break when what I've got is, for the most part, working fine. For now the plan is to make sure it gets regular excercise alongside the Rover and to be kind to it by not taking it out if there's lots of salt or water about the place. I'm at a point where I want to let it go into semi-retirement now. Don't want it to be a show car, or a Sunday car, I want it to be a car I can use, I'm just going to treat it rather more kindly now I'm able. I'd REALLY like to treat it to a new windscreen, having a new screen in the Rover has highlighted just how worn out the one in the Princess is, I just don't have the £450 needed to order a new one and second-hand ones are hard to come by and rarely better than what I have fitted. Nobody seems to have any NOS Princess or Ambassador screens lying around, unsurprisingly. In Rover news, I've booked my space for brake and suspension fettling tomorrow and I'll be having another look at the headlight adjusters to see if I can get those to behave. If not I'll have to see about salvaging bits off my spare pair or buying a new passenger side one (driver's side adjustment is fine). I'm still on the lookout for the correct type approved catalytic converter for the Rover and I'm having no joy. At this point, I'm considering getting a generic known good cat fitted into my existing, or a custom stainless, exhaust system to do away with the problem for the life of the car. darrenh: I'd like to, I just don't know how to with my camera, it doesn't seem to like the dark. |
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Pertronix are good Ei suppliers. Windscreen, £75 excess on your insurance policy if it 'accidentally' gets broken by a stonechip  Does not affect your no claims bonus. |
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Does not affect your no claims bonus.