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Nov 24, 2021 20:30:57 GMT
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What is it with fibreglass cars and gold painted parts? When I took the Midas to bits all the front and rear suspension parts had been brush painted Hammerite gold. I blew up an angle grinder cleaning it all off with a wire brush. Much better without it though! Beware sorting fibreglass bodywork. What started off as a "few cracks" became a 1 1/2 year nightmare of grinding, Dremeling and undoing previous bodges. It becomes very wearing very quickly. PS I am in! You are bookmarked  For the time being I am viewing the cracks as patina, fortunately they are very localised as much of the body is aluminium. The mad underside paint on this is bright red, except for the bits that have been missed. I surmise that it was done with the car on the ground, wheels on, without cleaning anything, reaching under with a brush, or possibly even a stick dipped in the paint.😎 |
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Nov 25, 2021 17:14:38 GMT
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Before dropping it on the ground to remove the roll hoop, I took a couple of shots of the class underside paintwork
to remind myself how not to do things.
The reciprocating saw originally bought to remove redundant steel pipework from the house, made short work of the hoop, which seems to have been made from scaffold tubing
and is surprisingly heavy; an instant and free improvement of power / weight ratio.
It looks better too, imo.
I have only driven the car a few miles, and although it seems safe, and to function well enough, I plan to comprehensively restore it when I finally get my workshop built (probably this time next year). Much of the car has been built / modified to a high standard, but other aspects are truly lacking. In the meantime, the plan is to strip the remainder of the carpets out for cleaning or replacement, reassemble the seats and seatbelts so that I can use it a little more, and make a snagging list to deal with at restoration time. If that makes it sound as if I am disappointed with my purchase, that isn't my intention, I am really pleased with it; all the important things are good, and I can make a nice car out of it for not too much money.
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Last Edit: Nov 25, 2021 17:17:15 GMT by etypephil
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Nov 25, 2021 17:40:38 GMT
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I loved removing that monstrous cage from the Rezin Rockit
You must feel good too.
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Last Edit: Nov 25, 2021 17:41:30 GMT by grizz
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bricol
Part of things
Posts: 290 
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Nov 26, 2021 11:25:58 GMT
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I'd hesitate before using a low without a proper roll-over bar (ie not a scaffold tube one!) on the road - it also protects you a touch from people who haven't noticed the funny car in-front is slowing down or stopped.
I think they just aren't looking low enough to see your tail lights.
Never mind the ones who simply pull out to overtake, not noticing you are alongside, or even coming head on towards you . . .
Felt very glad of my Caterham one when a bloke in a Ford Focus failed to notice the bright yellow car with its lights on, stopped, in front of him . . .
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Nov 26, 2021 12:14:38 GMT
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I'd hesitate before using a low without a proper roll-over bar (ie not a scaffold tube one!) on the road - it also protects you a touch from people who haven't noticed the funny car in-front is slowing down or stopped. I think they just aren't looking low enough to see your tail lights. Never mind the ones who simply pull out to overtake, not noticing you are alongside, or even coming head on towards you . . . Felt very glad of my Caterham one when a bloke in a Ford Focus failed to notice the bright yellow car with its lights on, stopped, in front of him . . . I do take your point, but only gave up big sports bikes in my sixties, having survived a forty six year career on them, so reason that someone / something out there is looking after me.😎 Conventional rollover protection looks right on a Caterham, but not on pseudo 1930s style cars. The Marlin screen frame is sufficiently substantial to serve as a roll hoop, and it has a 10swg box section ladder chassis, rather than a lightweight space frame like the Caterham. Life is a risky business, and while accidents happen, I spend 10 times the hours and miles in the Jeep and Jag, than in the Marlin, so consider the risk minimal. |
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bricol
Part of things
Posts: 290
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Nov 26, 2021 14:39:42 GMT
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Mate thought that a few years ago - spent hours as a driving instructor in a nice safe modern car. Turning right into a side road, in a line of people turning right, driving an AH Sprite, a bloke on a big bike, overtaking the queue of turning traffic, ploughed through them . . . mate died in hospital, mate in the passenger seat had broken jaw etc. Lot of strength in a Caterham chassis - not so much in that Marlin rear body. One rolled on a trial a few years ago, with fatal results. But of course, if all risk was banned, our daft cars would be too - just keep eyes open  |
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was8v
Part of things
Posts: 46
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Nov 26, 2021 19:14:11 GMT
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These can be beautiful. I'd go for the largest narrow steels you can find painted black   I used to have a cabrio |
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logicaluk
Posted a lot
Every days a school day round here
Posts: 1,373
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Nov 26, 2021 19:46:11 GMT
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I'd take the saw to the running boards too and go with some small trailer arches and narrow steels
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Last Edit: Nov 26, 2021 19:48:07 GMT by logicaluk
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Nov 26, 2021 20:27:57 GMT
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These can be beautiful. I'd go for the largest narrow steels you can find painted black I used to have a cabrio That does look good, painting the screen surround silver or black certainly makes a big difference to. |
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Nov 26, 2021 23:21:46 GMT
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These can be beautiful. I'd go for the largest narrow steels you can find painted black I used to have a cabrio That looks superb; an inspiration.👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 |
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PHUQ
Part of things
Posts: 864
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Nov 27, 2021 19:50:34 GMT
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Excellent news on the engine- if I'd read the thread properly I'd have remembered you mentioning the TC donor before, the badge threw me off.
Looks much better without the ironwork in the back; and I suspect that would have only served to make it more dangerous in an impact anyway.
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Nov 30, 2021 21:00:36 GMT
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Last Edit: Nov 30, 2021 21:13:14 GMT by etypephil
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Treasures got delivered today etypephil  Great colour match. |
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Treasures got delivered today etypephil Great colour match. Wow! And so tasteful.😇 |
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Dec 21, 2021 17:44:17 GMT
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Today and tomorrow I have allocated as "skiving off from house stuff to play with cars, specifically the Marlin". I ground off the last remains of roll hoop from the cockpit, and having decided, at least for the time being, to have a very simple interior, without carpet or sound deadening, but with a gloss black and polished aluminium finish, thoroughly cleaned everything, and applied a first coat to te floors and exposed chassis and other ferrous surfaces.
The plan for tomorrow is a second coat, if necessary, then make the upper seat belt mountings, fit the belts and seats,and maybe take it for a suitably attired drive.
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Looks tidier already.
Is that the standard centre set belt buckle? If so it looks a death trap, the seat belt wants to sit low down pulling across your lap such that in an accident your hips take the load rather than all your squashy bits in the abdomen, if there is some sort of structure at the base of the tunnel I would look at replacing them with a couple of stalks.
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Looks tidier already. Is that the standard centre set belt buckle? If so it looks a death trap, the seat belt wants to sit low down pulling across your lap such that in an accident your hips take the load rather than all your squashy bits in the abdomen, if there is some sort of structure at the base of the tunnel I would look at replacing them with a couple of stalks. Thanks. 👍🏻👍🏻 A good point; I will see how much space is available when I refit the seats. The original belt arrangement is not well considered. I have welding gear, so given adequate space, I can add to the structure if necessary. |
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Yesterday did not go according to plan. It has been so cold here that the interior paint was still slightly tacky, preventing anything else from happening in there. Trying to think of constructive things to do, which didn't involve frozen hands, I failed and started re fitting the six de Geralded anti slip trims to the running boards. Each is secured by three small countersunk screws, washers and nuts, some very inaccessible above the silencer mountings, gloves not being an option, my fingers froze and kept the pace down. The rubber inserts, being rock hard, were impossible to fit until my brain defrosted and I put them in a bucket of hot water to soften. Using eBay sourced trim tools bought for about £2 years ago, they then almost fell into position.
Whilst doing the left hand side, three things about the exhaust offended me;-
1) It takes a tortuous route from the engine, under the chassis then curves upwards to join the silencer, despite there being what appears to be a blanked off aperture under the wing, but above the chassis, exactly on the natural route. 2) The overspray on the silencer itself. 3) The bizarre angle of the newish stainless steel exhaust trim.
As the Sun made a brief appearance warming me a little, I started to deal with #2 & #3, leaving #1 for later investigation. The crazy angle of the trim was caused by it being attached to the already angled, but scruffy side exit pipe:
Resolved by cutting off the angled section with the ever useful reciprocating saw. Most of the overspray came off with a soft rotary wire brush, revealing a stainless silencer with a nice "this has been hot" patina,
A quick wash to get rid of weeks of accumulated dust as the temperature suddenly fell again.
No seat belt mountings made, neither belts nor seats fitted, hence no drive, but a happy wife as I told her: "It's too bloody cold to do much out there, I'm in for house stuff.".
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Last Edit: Dec 23, 2021 5:33:02 GMT by etypephil
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After more than a week of Christmas and minor house stuff interfering with proceedings, I finally refitted the seatbelts and seats, assisted by my wife:
kevins pointed out that the centre mounted buckles were far too high for safety, and he is quite right, worse, so are the outer lower mountings. I have remade the upper mounts (previously attached to the now removed rear roll hoop) and the installation does comply with the letter of the law, but is completely unsatisfactory from a safety POV. There is insufficient space to remount them appropriately, and so I am thinking of something along the lines of:
Recommendations based on experience are welcomed.
Of course, there was a modest price to pay for the assistance;- given that our daily use cars are black, and had all accumulated a coating of mud like this:
the deal was that I cleaned her car thus:
and mine "because I'll get dirty just getting in it"
and the dog / building material transport, to a somewhat lower standard:
ETA;- A Happy New Year to all enthusiasts.
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Last Edit: Jan 3, 2022 17:55:09 GMT by etypephil
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Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,790
Club RR Member Number: 34
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1974 Marlin RoadsterDez
@dez
Club Retro Rides Member 34
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If your brakes are cr4p, take a look at the pedal assembly. If it’s got the one with the big ally baseplate like a lot of these have, when you shorten the pedals as part of the build to make em fit in the very tight footwell, the ratios become comically awful.
I redid the pedals on one for a local guy after he’d replaced the entire brake system chasing improvements. Turns out the pedal ratio was about 3:1! I made a new baseplate in steel that moved the master cyls up about an inch(I did the clutch too) and managed to get it to 6:1 and It was totally different to drive.
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