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Aug 13, 2022 23:22:53 GMT
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It was a long day, but the goal was to get the junk in the trunk welded in place and off the list of stuff to do. Until you do one of these cars, it is hard to believe how bad both the original and aftermarket build quality is; it is like nailing Jello to a tree. Not a single panel could even remotely be used as delivered and the cost in hours to modify most often exceeded the cost of the actual panel.  |
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Aug 16, 2022 23:03:24 GMT
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I blowed up the healey! IN preparation for getting the tub painted, the tin came off and the suspension has started to come apart. I can not believe what a Rube-Golderg device the steering is on these cars. Complexity and a total disregard for stack-up wear must have been a mandate on the requirements-specification document. A word to the wise: if you sandblast a car, pay attention to where the sand will end up, Because the blaster person wont. In this instance, the rear axle was filled with sand from the vent and the steerin box was filled fron the top of the column cause it is open at the steering wheel end. All six ball joints had sand inside, but they were worn anyways. Tomorrows goal is to get the springs out without killing anyone.  |
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Last Edit: Aug 16, 2022 23:05:21 GMT by bjornagn
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 And if you think the steering looked a mess, the suspension parts are just nuts in their complexity. Not a single part in the above picture gave up without a fight. The lower Kingpin to trunion mechanism is a work of art. That is, if you lean towards Salvador Dali as your artist of choice. |
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Aug 27, 2022 19:51:57 GMT
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In an effort to mitigate the infamous Healey Scuttle Shake that shows up at around 100kpm, I am installing a brace around the gearbox aperture in the scuttle. The goal is to add a bit more structure and tie the scuttle into the frame a bit better. If it does nothing but move the harmonic point up to 125 kph, I will be happy.   |
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Finished and seam sealed. Wonderful place to be welding and grinding. NOT  |
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Sept 7, 2022 23:47:44 GMT
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The Healey is headed out for a coat of black urethane paint. While that is a nice milestone, what caught my attention was the juxtaposition of cars in the frame. Not a sensible vehicle to be found!   |
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Sept 8, 2022 12:04:27 GMT
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Your drive needs weeding  |
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Sept 8, 2022 13:53:03 GMT
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Your drive needs weeding Yeah, you might have noticed that I am more into cars than horticulture. |
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Sept 8, 2022 16:00:32 GMT
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Your drive needs weeding Yeah, you might have noticed that I am more into cars than horticulture. Totally agree, I've always said, concrete the lot, paint it green and if a bird sh*ts on it I'll say it's a daisy !! Nigel |
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BMW E39 525i Sport
BMW E46 320d Sport Touring (now sold on.)
BMW E30 325 Touring (now sold on.)
BMW E30 320 Cabriolet (Project car - currently for sale.)
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Sept 8, 2022 17:41:28 GMT
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Totally agree, I've always said, concrete the lot, paint it green and if a bird sh*ts on it I'll say it's a daisy !! Nigel Never again will I have a house with pavers rather than a concrete driveway. Weeding the drive is a full time job since they took away all of my toxic chemical tools. I have decided that all green things are gods creatures and best to leave them alone! |
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Last Edit: Sept 8, 2022 17:42:03 GMT by bjornagn
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Sept 16, 2022 23:04:29 GMT
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Been a while since I did an update on the Hot Rod. The engine with gearbox is in and wired up to run The brakes and steering are good to go The painting has started. Doing it in stages. First stage is all loose panels up front. Second is all loose panels at the rear. Third is the main tub, It behoves me to get the paint done before the Healey returns from the paint shop at the end of this month. For those wondering, Hot Rods are a colossal PITA to paint because they require a lot of room to paint all the bits. Painting one metallic would be for masochist since metallic does not cater to the piecemeal approach to paint. On a separate note. the engine is ready to fire subject to some software learning. The VATS and other digital nuances need to be tamed and that will only come from an anticipated purchase and some learning time.  |
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Sept 17, 2022 22:36:11 GMT
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Starting to see red in my sleep! The doors, rear fenders and apron are now painted. This leaves the main tube and running boards to finish the paint job. Not unhappy with the results I am getting, but to be more than a 10 footer, someone will need to color sand and buff the paint. That person will not be me. No idea where people find the patience for that activity.   |
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Sept 20, 2022 23:16:13 GMT
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Done. I will never paint another car body.   |
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Sept 21, 2022 17:46:43 GMT
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So as to maybe help clean the mess in the shop, shoved the hot rod out into the sun. Bit of distance gives some perspective as to how silly this car is. More CarToon than Car. I doubt that the finished car is going to weigh more than 2500 lb and with a guestimated power of 400 HP it should be an interesting ride.  |
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Sept 24, 2022 22:25:16 GMT
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 And for no other reason than I really like this view, I am posting this here. |
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Sept 29, 2022 1:53:55 GMT
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And it is back! The Healey has returned sporting a flashy coat of base-clear gray paint. Was a bit of a shock since I was expecting black, but no problem. Not going to see more than a few square inches of this paint once the car is assembled. Unless it runs you over!  This means that both of my garage residents are in the post paint assembly stage. This means that for the fist time in memory I wont be covering everything in grinding dust.  |
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Starting to throw pieces on the chassis. Plan is to get it rolling and then do plumbing and electrical before the drive-train goes in. The good news is that most of those sub-components are already rebuilt and waiting to go in, so this should go together fairly quick.  |
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Drove the MOlvo to one of the last shows still going this year. Was grateful for the nice modern Miata HVAC keeping me warm this morning on the way to the cars and coffee event at the London Auto Modifier's clubhouse. My friend with the unique flying saucer was not so fortunate and was a tad chilled by the time he arrived. Regardless, fall is really some of the best driving times for the classic cars; they just seem happy in the cooler weather.  |
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Oct 10, 2022 17:55:02 GMT
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I'm loving the old Commer(?) van!
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teaboy
Posted a lot
Make tea, not war.
Posts: 2,125
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Oct 10, 2022 22:27:56 GMT
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I'm loving the old Commer(?) van! Is it an Austin J2? |
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