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I'm starting to feel a bit guilty about the van. I've not touched it since last year apart from starting it once a couple of months ago. I've decided next Saturday, weather permitting, I'm going to sort the lights. I only need to drill the headlamp bowls to fit some side lights and fit orange bulbs to the new clear indicators. Apart from that it's all road legal. I've not done much to the van. I've pretty much finished removing all the bodges from the loom. I just need to run a wire from the front to the back to power the reverse lamp I've fitted. This will run through the roof so needs to be done before the headlining is fitted. I also need to re-wrap the loom in grey tape. When you use non sticky loom tape, how do you stop it coming loose? I've dug the front and rear screens out of the shed so I need to get them cleaned ready to fit.    Today I cleaned up the front sidelight/ indicator units. I forgot to take a before photo but I've wire wheeled the aluminium cases, cleaned the lenses with a tooth brush and also given them a good Tcut to remove the scratches. There not like new, but good enough.   A few things that aren't good enough I are the grille and the headlamp surrounds. These are aluminium with chrome anodise on them. The surrounds are pretty straight and dent free, but are quite badly scratched. The grille has a bow in one side that will hopefully straighten out if the metal hasn't stretched. To sort the shiney bits I think I've going to have to strip the anodising in caustic solution, remove the scratches with wet and dry and then repolish. The grille is going to be mostly satin black like the Lotus/1600E, so that's no big issue if it straightens ok.  I'm off to Cortina Day in Monmouth tomorrow to pick up a load of bits that will see a big leap forward and the front struts are due back from GAZ this week to. Hopefully all the new bits for this won't stop me sorting the van |
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glenanderson
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,354
Club RR Member Number: 64
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Non-sticky loom tape either gets tucked back into itself with a couple of half hitches if you want to be able to get back in there, or with a short length of heat shrink if you don’t. Personally, I always use an inch or two of heat shrink, but you do need to be careful not to melt the loom tape.
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My worst worry about dying is my wife selling my stuff for what I told her it cost...
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Thanks Glen. I didn't think of either of those options.
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Today was Cortina Day in Monmouth. A car show for all Cortinas from mk1 to mk5. I didn't take any photos of the cars. I wasn't there for that. Although Jonsey Junior (the younger) and myself did have a quick look at the cars, our reason for attending was to pick up a load of parts for the GT from the owners club spares sec Rod. The man is a hero. He's well into his 70's and has won awards for his efforts for keeping spares available for the mk2 Cortina. We also had a mooch around the auto jumble which for once was bloody good. One of the stall holders who lives about 20 miles from me has a replacement ignition switch for my Escort for £15. Bargain. I shall pick it up next weekend (encroaching on the van time!). I also bought a load of small bits for the Cortina from the Lotus Outlaws (they build some stunning mk1 and mk2 Lotus Cortinas). Some had to get bits for £22. So after a cheeseburger each and Junior having some pic&mix (£7.50😳), we left and were home by 3pm and I was straight out the garage. The journey home was enlightening. Now last night Junior (the younger) who is only 8 yrs old said he had a bad neck. It was still bad this morning so I gave him some cal ppl before we left. On the way back he let me into a little secret that yesterday he was playing with the 2 boys opposite. He then said do you now the 4 stroke motorbike one of the boys has (this made me proud), yes I replied, well, he said, I had a go on it and fell off. Hence the bad neck. What a badass! I did pretend I was a bit angry as I had told him before not to go on their bikes, but I wasn't really. We won't be telling Mrs Jonsey. Anyway, parts  New headlamps. Nice and doomed like original, not flat, but H4 not sealed beam units   They came with bulbs but I might swap them out for some yellow French ones as I like the look. I then fitted my new handbrake cable, speedo cable grommet, new bushes fitted to the leaf springs and fitted the springs to the car    I then thought I'd fit the axle. It's bare at the moment so quite light so it's the best time to fit it. I'm also fitting 2" lowering blocks. This is where things went wrong. Mk2 Cortinas came in series 1 and 2 guise. The car is an S1.The axle I have is an S2 model. The S1 has no rubber isolator pads between the spring and axle so the hole in the spring pad on the axle is small, about 12mm. The S2 has the isolator so the hole in the axle spring pat is about 25mm or so. If the bits don't match the axle will move around on the spring. I did contemplate buying the pads(about £25 plus postage) but thought sod it I'll convert the axle to S1   I had a couple of 3mm thick washers that were ideal the ID matched the pin and the OD matched the big hole in the axle.  Weldy weldy, grindy grindy, bit of rattle can satin black and voila, S1 axle.    I then put the axle back in, but the tramp bar no longer lines up with the axle bracket because of the lowering blocks  When you fit tramp bar axle brackets you should weld them on with the car at ride height so you don't preload the springs or cause the axle to bind up as it moves. If I fit the bar then locate the axle I can get it nearly there and the U bolts will pull it up tight. I'll see how this goes but I may cut the brackets off and reweld   I dug out the S1 lower plates. They look like they came out of the see, but they need to be changed so the bolts sit tighter to the spring without the isolator pads and other bits fitted.   Until next time. |
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Jun 10, 2019 12:46:33 GMT
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The Cortina is coming along! I didn't think that the lowering blocks would make that much of a difference to the anti tramp bars, was it difficult to relocate?
I'm impressed with Jones Junior's exploits! I was explicitly told by my parents not to go anywhere near a motorbike which is why I used to ride pillion on a mates and never mention it - problem solved! That was until said "mate" dropped me in it during his best mans speech! it took an awful lot of wine to make my parents forget that part of the speech!
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1966 Ford Cortina GT
2018 Ford Fiesta ST
Full time engineer, part time waffler on Youtube - see Jim_Builds
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Jun 10, 2019 18:05:35 GMT
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The Cortina is coming along! I didn't think that the lowering blocks would make that much of a difference to the anti tramp bars, was it difficult to relocate? I'm impressed with Jones Junior's exploits! I was explicitly told by my parents not to go anywhere near a motorbike which is why I used to ride pillion on a mates and never mention it - problem solved! That was until said "mate" dropped me in it during his best mans speech! it took an awful lot of wine to make my parents forget that part of the speech! We were never allowed motor bikes as my Father had them and new how dangerous that could be. He once came home from work early with a broken leg and my mother thought they could claim compensation from the company until he said it happened pulling wheeelies on his mates bike in the company car park. My younger brother bought a crosser and hid it in a field but he was about 15. Jonsey Junior (the younger) is streets ahead of him. I've not moved the tramp bar bracket yet. It will just be a case of cutting it off as gingerly as possible so that I don't destroy it (as new ones are £30), and welding it back on with the car at ride height once the engine box and interior are back in. |
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Jun 10, 2019 18:21:02 GMT
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I've just been out the garage to take a look at the axle situation.  The u bolts will easily pull that tight. My concern is the distance between where the tramp bar is and where it wants to be.  It's about 15mm out. I'm going to have to bolt the axle up and jack it under the axle. Then with some weight in the car (I'll get the family to climb in) see how it sits then. My gut feeling is cut them off and reweld though. I was hoping to get the crusty spring plates blasted today as my brother was having a new blaster guy come round to blast the Healey engine bay. He should have been there by 9am but turned up around 3pm as he'd accidentally dropped a dinner plate on his toe??? The guy seemed to be a complete idiot so my brother told him not to bother. My crusty spring plates are now soaking in some Bilt Hamber Geox gel in an old takeaway container to derust them instead.   You don't want to eat his takeaway. |
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Jun 10, 2019 18:31:33 GMT
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Slot the lowering blocks in the bottom and allow it to slide back then it should fit, also fit the prop to make sure that is long enough?
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Jun 10, 2019 18:45:09 GMT
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Slot the lowering blocks in the bottom and allow it to slide back then it should fit, also fit the prop to make sure that is long enough? I could move the axle back but would have to weld and redrill the block. I have done this before to move the axle back on the Escort years ago as I had the wheels rubbing the outer arch as the wheels were wider and and I'd welded the arch to far forward. In the end I cut the arches off and redid them and had the axle narrowed. A few mk1 Cortina owners move they axle back with offset blocks/plates so the wheel sits now central in the arch. As standard they are really biased to the front of the arch. A slot is no good because the axle will move if you drive with any vigour and the car will end up crabbing. |
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Jun 10, 2019 18:49:50 GMT
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Are they the original springs and did the car have the tramp bars before you started?
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Jun 10, 2019 19:12:53 GMT
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Are they the original springs and did the car have the tramp bars before you started? Yes original springs, no it didn't have tramp bars originally but the body brackets are off a 1600E and can only fit in one place as there is a hole in the chassis leg for the bolt tube to go through. They are definitely in the right place, it's just the issues you get when fitting lowering blocks to a car with tramp bars. If Ford had designed it better, the tramp bar body brackets would be next to the leaf spring bolt so they would move up and down together. You'd still get a bit of axle twist as the leaf spring extends and shortens as it compresses. But Ford mounted the body brackets miles away from the ideal point so you have to fit the axle bracket at laden ride height to make the most of a bad job. The way they've set it up, the bar fits easily at full droop so as the spring compresses and the axle moves up it tries to twist the bottom of the axle backwards. Bad design. |
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Last Edit: Jun 10, 2019 19:21:04 GMT by jonsey
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Jun 10, 2019 19:41:24 GMT
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I'm not sure about the Cortina but as far as I know for the Corsair's that had the tramp bars fitted there are two lengths of tramp bars dependent on the engine/power size, I suspect the same is for the Cortina and you have the the long ones for the axle you have.
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Jun 10, 2019 20:57:34 GMT
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I'm not sure about the Cortina but as far as I know for the Corsair's that had the tramp bars fitted there are two lengths of tramp bars dependent on the engine/power size, I suspect the same is for the Cortina and you have the the long ones for the axle you have. All the Cortina bars are the same length Pete. The blocks have just changed the geometry. You may have heard of Lotus Cortina folk fitting tapered wedges under the springs when they are lowered to correct pinion angle as it causes propshaft vibration . It's because of this phenomenon. The bracket just needs relocating. |
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Jun 10, 2019 21:12:24 GMT
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Ok that's good then.
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Jun 13, 2019 18:19:06 GMT
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Yesterday I got a text form DPD to hail the much anticipated return of my rebuilt front struts from GAZ. It reported that Daniel was going to deliver them today. If I wasn't going to be there I could text them a "safe place" to leave them. I did this and asked them to leave them in our coal bunker. This is a large wooden ex MoD crate that once housed a Rolls Royce straight 8 engine. I've cut it down by half to make it useable. This is what I was greeted by when I got home today.  Daniel must be really young and has no concept of what a coal bunker could possibly look like. He has in fact put it on the coal bunker and put our cat's, Trevor and Sparkplug, house on top of the parcel. Just to explain, last summer next door's cat had kittens. I didn't want one but I was emotionally blackmailed into having one under the condition that I get to name it. So one of our cars is called Sparkplug. Everyone else calls him sparky. Anyway, I went straight out the garage to open them. I've had them made with the pistons the correct length for the free length of the lowering springs I'm using. They also have the tops machined to fit Escort Group4 rubber roller top mounts with a spherical bearing to make the steering lighter.  I had to drill the top spring cup out to 20mm to fit the new rods  These got scratched to fu.. in the vice so they got a coat of satin black, along with the top mounts as they are not new, that used to be on the rally car  The steering arm bolts to the bottom of the strut and they are machined surfaces so when I had the arms painted I painted some copper grease on the mating surface so the paint wouldn't stick. A minute with a razor blade and all the paint was off  It's opposite mating surface on the bottom of the strut, I forgot to put the copper grease on so I will have to scrape/ sand that off😩. Hopefully I'll do that tomorrow morning before work. I'd like to get it back on it's wheels next week so the car can go over my brothers to be flatted and buffed as that still hasn't been done. |
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Last Edit: Jun 13, 2019 18:51:21 GMT by jonsey
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Jun 15, 2019 15:05:56 GMT
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Well for the first time since 20th October 2018 (I actually looked back through the thread to check), I have actual progress to report on the van! We left off at the point when I had just made the new front indicator pods out of a couple of MAP gas bottles. I had rattle canned them satin black just to seal them from the elements. Well over the last 8 months of the van sitting in his little home with the front of it open, they've not faired to well.  I ran them on the bench wire wheel and only got them as good as this.  I then cleaned them up with the power file but forgot to take a photo. I etch primed them, dropping one in the curse word on the floor in the process  And then sprayed them satin black (also forgetting to take a photo) The side light was to be moved from its original position in the indicator/side light housing, up to the headlamp. This needed a 12 mm hole drilling in it to locate the new side light bulb holder  I then extended the side light wires up to the headlamp. I put a female spade on the extension so it just plugs into the original harness incase it ever need to go back to standard. I did the same with the indicator feed as it needed a Lucas bullet connector to fit the holder. Again I forgot to take any photos of this until I'd fitted it lol back up  I only had 1 orange bulb so I jumped in Gweek (the van) and drove it to the petrol station to buy another where I got ripped off for £3.75 for 2 bulbs. Scandalous. I was going to take a photo at the petrol station but I was distracted by a crowd of people there riding exercise bikes? and promptly forgot. When I got back, to celebrate driving approximately 2 miles without breaking down, I drive the van up onto the field for an impromptu photo shoot.     I fitted the other orange indicator bulb after filing one of the pins off so it would fit, and took umpteen photos of it flashing until I caught it right.  So van use is officially back on! So on to the Cortina. Last weekend I put the corroded leaf spring plates into some Geox gel. Fair play to it, this stuff does work.   After a quick was on the bench wire wheel they looked like this  There is a little bit of rust left in the heavy pitted areas so I've put them back in for a few days, but this is being really fussy. I also fitted one of the struts to the car but can't bolt the bottom up as the steering arm bolts to the tca first and I'm waiting for some new nyloc nuts to turn up   I'm on call tomorrow so depending on workload, I might get something done. |
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Last Edit: Jun 15, 2019 15:09:34 GMT by jonsey
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glenanderson
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,354
Club RR Member Number: 64
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Jun 15, 2019 15:22:49 GMT
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Nice to see the van get some love. 👍
Remind me; is there an engine swap/upgrade in the future plans?
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My worst worry about dying is my wife selling my stuff for what I told her it cost...
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Jun 15, 2019 15:48:21 GMT
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Nice to see the van get some love. 👍 Remind me; is there an engine swap/upgrade in the future plans? I had planned to fit a PD engine and trans from an Audi A4, but I've canned that idea now. I've bought a Volvo 340 1.4 engine for it to give it some more power. I'd love to fit a new final drive as 60mph really is both the limit and deafening. They are however about £1500 which is an extortionate amount considering and ratio to fit a Ford is £275, but I suppose the demand isn't there to knock the price down. They apparently do 75mph easily with the new gear when matched with the Volvo engine, which would make it a lot more useable. |
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glenanderson
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,354
Club RR Member Number: 64
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Jun 15, 2019 16:10:00 GMT
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Ah yes, it’s all coming back to me now. 😃
I might have already said, but my mum had a couple of 1.4 engined Volvos back in the 80s, and I drove one of them a lot after passing my test. It was a willing and revvy unit. I’d think investing in a new CROWNwheel and pinion would be well worth it, once the initial financial shock has worn off.
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My worst worry about dying is my wife selling my stuff for what I told her it cost...
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Jun 15, 2019 18:17:05 GMT
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i assume the van came from gweek , hence the name? i remember you said it came from helston , so i suppose that's close enough. good job you didn't get it from warleggan!  real sign too , not a photoshop!! |
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'80 s1 924 turbo..hibernating
'80 golf gli cabriolet...doing impression of a skip
'97 pug 106 commuter...continuing cheapness making me smile!
firm believer in the k.i.s.s and f.i.s.h principles.
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