nas80
Part of things
Posts: 363
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Dec 23, 2015 22:01:34 GMT
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That car deserves a scotch pad and clear laquer.
How's the Porsche going anyway?
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Nice spot with electrics. Is the pin in the junction box ok too?
Hope your mate Toby will be starting a thread... If not you may have to become "Official Project Scribe".
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stevek
Yorkshire and The Humber
Posts: 728
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Dec 24, 2015 10:36:54 GMT
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Link to Toby's thread - 1959 MGA Roadster RestorationI have had the 'Shonky' out a couple of times and it's been OK so far and no smoke from the fuse box. But the electric windows have packed up now and there is something still rattling under the back. -Steve- |
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duncanmartin
Club Retro Rides Member
Out of retro ownership
Posts: 1,320
Club RR Member Number: 70
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Dec 26, 2015 14:44:57 GMT
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Glad you got it working properly.  For the headlight, it's worth checking the wiring that runs to the light. My left front light was dim and got worse because the cables running to it were being frayed by the headlamp lifting mechanism each time it went up and down... Maybe it was the electric windows that you nicked the pin from... Cheers Duncan |
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Dec 26, 2015 15:48:06 GMT
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Very rewarding to actually FIND the problem...and a good solid fix too....well done
JP
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I know its spelled Norman Luxury Yacht, but its pronounced Throat Wobbler Mangrove!
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stevek
Yorkshire and The Humber
Posts: 728
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Dec 31, 2015 14:55:37 GMT
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There hasn't been much car activity over Christmas but just sneaking in at the end of 2015 are a couple of new purchases... A roof!..  And some strut tops...  Those should give me something to think about in the new year. -Steve- |
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stevek
Yorkshire and The Humber
Posts: 728
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Jan 28, 2016 16:03:34 GMT
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January is always a slow month but its nearly over, so what did I manage to get done? By no means the least important thing was actually driving it for a bit, and it didn't break for a change! Well until the troublesome indicators gave up the ghost that is. Driving without indicators makes me really uncomfortable, I don't know how all those Audi and BMW drivers manage it. So that brings me on to the first fix... Most people would just go and buy a new indicator relay if it broke, so that is what I did. I ordered a FEBI 11574 from eBay for £4, sorted. Except I wanted to go out and drive it NOW. So I whipped it out and pulled it apart...  Half the contact arm fell out so I could easily see why it had failed. And turning it over the three contact 'legs' had cracked solder joints so that would explain why it was intermittent before it failed completely...  So I thought 'Maybe I can fix it, then I can go for a drive again'. I scratched the contact area up and tinned both parts...  Stuck it on...  And tried it (Video on PhotoBucket)...  Cool!, I went for a nice little blast to get the wheels muddy!  |
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Last Edit: Jan 28, 2016 18:19:48 GMT by stevek
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stevek
Yorkshire and The Humber
Posts: 728
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Jan 28, 2016 16:08:31 GMT
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I was keen to get the car out for that last run because it will be out of action for some time while I tackle the roof. Last weekend Toby helped me remove the windscreen. Here he is fitting one of the pull handles...  We ended up trying 3 types of wire...  We started with bottom one which came with the handles, It worked really well but kept breaking. We ran out of that wire. Next we tried the top one which is a square section wire also specifically for windscreen removal. This stuff was vicious! You could hear it grating and scratching into the edge of the glass. It was quite painful to the ear and I was sure we were about to break the screen. We aborted using this wire. We were out of proper windscreen wire so we had to improvise. I have no idea why but I had some braided picture hanging wire (middle in picture, about 1.2mm) which looked about right. Despite being lots thicker than the first wire it still cut OK and was MUCH less violent than the square section stuff. We cut the other half of the screen out without snapping this wire once. Anyway we got it out just before it went dark...  And amazingly we didn't crack it which is why we are grinning like goons...  It's now safely stored away in the back of the old 309 which is now quite literally a shed!  -Steve- |
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Last Edit: Feb 4, 2016 21:52:52 GMT by stevek
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bstardchild
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,937
Club RR Member Number: 71
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Jan 28, 2016 16:47:33 GMT
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Less stress in the glass when stored upright but I guess you shed isn't big enough for that
Congrats on getting a bonded screen out - it's a tough old job with limited tools
I had a screen replaced on a car last year by Autoglass and they had a lovely bit of kit that uses kevlar string and carries no risk to external paintwork in the way it works
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stevek
Yorkshire and The Humber
Posts: 728
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Jan 28, 2016 17:44:55 GMT
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Yeah upright may be better, but at least its safe from getting knocked over or bashed in there. I put a larger bundle of sheets under the middle to help support it. I saw a YouTube video of one of those drill operated cutting wires, they look ace but have a matching price tag! YouTube Video |
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stevek
Yorkshire and The Humber
Posts: 728
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The headlining on the replacement roof is in really good condition...  I might not use it but I have carefully removed it for safe keeping...  So what I should be doing now is drilling out the spot welds on this...  But I'm being a chicken at the moment. -Steve- |
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Last Edit: Feb 4, 2016 22:07:02 GMT by stevek
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bstardchild
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,937
Club RR Member Number: 71
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So what I should be doing now is drilling out the spot welds on this... But I'm being a chicken at the moment. -Steve- You just using the skin? I had to do the same with a mini - I ended up grinding the inner side off so that I didn't have to drill out the spots - took a little longer but I ended up putting the "new" roof skin on with a electric spot welder - 170 spot welds later and I never want to do another roof skin again....... Well actually I have another one to do but it's a while away so I'm hoping I'll have forgotten by then |
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stevek
Yorkshire and The Humber
Posts: 728
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Yeah just changing the skin. I'm undecided whether to plug weld with the MIG or borrow the spot welder I have been offered.
Both seem acceptable to me but I don't know which would be easier. I have never used a spot welder but I imagine that it would be easier than plug welding it. I think I counted about 130 spots. I don't know if that would balance out the added difficulty of de-skinning the 'new' skin undrilled vs just drlling straight through all the spots.
I have never tried either so its hard for me to decide but I'm more towards the 'drill out and plug' option at the moment.
-Steve-
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bstardchild
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,937
Club RR Member Number: 71
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If you have access to borrow a proper spot welder I'd go that route.
No grinding down the tops of the puddle welds to get it back to flat surface again is one very big advantage
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stevek
Yorkshire and The Humber
Posts: 728
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I have a spot welder on offer so I guess that will be fun to have a go with, but first I need to get the skins separated. I have bought a couple of 8mm spot weld drill bits. They are a similar profile to wood a drill bit but less pronounced. They have a shallow leading tip in the center but the main cutting edge starts at the outside edge working inwards. The very flat design is important so as to leave the second skin of the spot weld intact. The outside edge being the leading edge apparently helps stop the thin sheet snagging and being twisted by the drill bit. I read that the center tip tends to blunt first and that drilling a small shallow pilot hole first helps longevity. Regardless it also helps to define the center mark which is useful.  I gave them a little test run on a scrap section first...   They were pretty easy to do and have give me some confidence to continue for real. -Steve- |
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stevek
Yorkshire and The Humber
Posts: 728
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I just looked back at that post and though "what have I posted that for, I haven't really done anything"!
The thing is I'm not very good at getting on with stuff when I'm not sure what I'm doing, I tend to stall. In fact I'm pretty much my own torturer! I 'like' taking stuff like this on to learn how to do it, but then get stressed when I don't know what I'm doing because I'm scared I'm going to screw it up. I know it's stupid but hey ho it's what I seem to do.
Anyway I have been too scared to touch the roof(s) for weeks now but I'm hoping those two little test holes will get my confidence back on track.
-Steve-
Ps, Someone just light a rocket up my @ r$e!
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Last Edit: Feb 10, 2016 1:03:49 GMT by stevek
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bstardchild
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,937
Club RR Member Number: 71
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It's gonna be a long slow job whatever direction you go
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spot welder all the way, i swapped roof skins on my mk1 golf
last year, the actual welding was the least difficult bit.
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bstardchild
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,937
Club RR Member Number: 71
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Feb 10, 2016 12:18:40 GMT
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spot welder all the way, i swapped roof skins on my mk1 golf last year, the actual welding was the least difficult bit. But did you drill out all the original spot welds or grind off the excess to leave just the skin if you used a second hand roof? |
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Feb 10, 2016 18:18:23 GMT
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drilled out along the top of the windscreen and inside the tailgate on both cars, slim cutting disc inside the gutter on the one i'm keeping, ground the gutter off the donor roof, cut through the A-pillar, sleeved and butt welded A-pillar, spot welded the windscreen top and tailgate, tiger seal to the gutters, welded inside to the bracing and from sunroof cassette to windscreen frame... i think |
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