Project The Austin 2dr 1100 story - Part IV - Now in sharleys hands

[purplebargeken]

Si, do you want my vice mounted metal folder. If we can Shitely it over to you then make use of it as I am highly unlikely to now.

[vulgalour]

If you've got an old rug, thick sheet, or piece of linoleum put the subframe on that and use it to drag it around.  It's easier and you'll not risk damaging the subframe or your surface you're dragging across.  If you use the linoleum upside-down it slides lots easier and the slight cushion of the back helps keep hold of the heavy thing sat on it.  Makes moving heavy things surprisingly easy.

[SiC]

Nearly finished the drivers side mount area today. Just a patch to go on near the middle.

 

Fresh metal is quite hard to take a photo of, but I'm quite happy how this has turned out.

 

View of bottom

 

I was staring at the passenger side for a fair while earlier. Mentally figuring out what needs doing and how.

 

Pretty sure I'll have to chop all this mess out on the mounting area and put new pieces in. I may have to cut right back into the top bit before I can find good metal. At least this mounting area is a nice flat piece. Hopefully again avoiding needing to cut up that rare heel board panel.

[SiC]

Just throwing this out there....why not finish and keep this and sell the Oxford fastback? You've only done about 3 miles in it,and the level of work you have put into this so far would suggest to me a lot of emotional attachment,even if not immediately apparent.Also,once done,your not going to have all the worries and fears of the mgb because you will know it inside out and that its all A1. Just a thought...

The MGB to me feels too much like unfinished business. I need to give it another good go, otherwise I'll just end up with another one later on.

 

I've probably got less emotional attachment to the 1100 really. Apart from all the hard graft I've put into it. But then I'm still kinda enjoying working on it.

 

The car I wanted I think is going to sell in the next day or so as it's had a lot of interest. I'd never been able to get rid of the MGB that quickly anyway.

 

Si, do you want my vice mounted metal folder. If we can Shitely it over to you then make use of it as I am highly unlikely to now.

That would be great! I probably should have got one ages ago. However the ones on eBay don't get very good reviews. Anything else other than that are pretty darn expensive.

 

 

If you've got an old rug, thick sheet, or piece of linoleum put the subframe on that and use it to drag it around. It's easier and you'll not risk damaging the subframe or your surface you're dragging across. If you use the linoleum upside-down it slides lots easier and the slight cushion of the back helps keep hold of the heavy thing sat on it. Makes moving heavy things surprisingly easy.

I tried that today but unfortunately the tarmac drive is pretty beat up and the lino seems to just want to bite in. If you drag harder it just tore all up.

 

Debating if I want to pull apart the subframe or even just clean it up. Might just give it a good pressure wash and then slap some paint on it. I want to kinda avoid trying to restore every part. If I don't I'll never get this finished!

[vulgalour]

Tough break on the tarmac.  If the subframe is solid and functional, just clean it and put it back in.  You can always get another one later to restore if you want to.  No point making more work for yourself, you're not exactly short of it on this one.  Did you repair the access holes for the bolts on the driver's side?  I seem to remember both had been hacked out by a previous owner.

[MikeKnight]

Echoing the above, if the subframe is solid just wire brush it (on a drill to make it quicker) and throw some paint on that bad boy then slap it back in.

[3VOM]

After a mini break I got on with some more stuff. First off I tried removing the displacer canisters. Looking at the hoses, they're split at the base. So will need rehosing. Expensive job usually, but I hope I can figure out something a bit cheaper instead.

 

However I could not just get them out. No matter how much pushing, prying and whacking, I can't figure how to remove them at the moment.

Is there a raised edge or lip on them such that they need a quarter turn to come out? It's over 40 years since I did one so I might be wrong.

[SiC]

Not that I could see. Reading online it looks like the best approach is to push it down hard and then whack it out sideways with a mallet. Problem is, it bends the hydrolastic fluid pipe quite a bit. As there is already a split in the top layer, I think I might leave them as is. Otherwise they'll need an expensive rehose.

[schonker]

What's the other car that you are so keen on.You are doing a fantastic job on this by the way

[SiC]

What's the other car that you are so keen on.You are doing a fantastic job on this by the way

This:

https://forum.triumphdolomite.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=34878

 

Unfortunately doesn't look like I'll get a chance. Not least the 1100 on the drive but also our house chain almost completely fallen apart and finished. So I may need as much money as I can get to find another house.

[Remspoor]

I have had an MGB, a roaster, well two. And every one one has one of those. An ADO16  like this is never going to be so common place. B's are easily to find spares for. ADO apart for mechanicals are harder.

I liked both Bs great to drive the latter chrome bumper I had was tuned and surprised many at just how much torque it had and how fast it could go. But I sold that and purchased a Westminster. I much prefer this underdog. i would hope that you may feel the same about that underdog in your collection.

[Tamworthbay]

Much as I love this thread, I wouldn’t swap an MGB for this. I still miss my GT, they were common for a reason - they are bloody good fun. The Dolly looks good fun as well. Hot dolly and MGB? The perfect BL duo.

[purplebargeken]

Looks like the Dolly has been purchased.

[alf892]

Looked like a well written advert for a car in very average condition

[SiC]

Another good session under the car of despair.

 

Got on with the nearside (passenger) mounts. This is how it started.

 

Looks solidish. Until I started prying the piece on the bottom. I cut the floor section near it too to speed up removal.

 

Also cut a hole in the passenger compartment to give me a bit more access.

 

After a lot of prying to pop the welds off, there was a little bit in the middle that was actually stuck on with welds. Wizzed along this bit with a fresh cutting disc and off it came.

 

Now for reconstruction work. First off making the floor long enough to fit the mounting area. I also ran a bead (badly) along the old repair patch on the floor back. I didn't really want to cut this patch out to replace as I already had cut quite a bit off on this corner and I'm sitting under it! Plus the patch is still solid metal.

 

Then my grinder lost its rear bearing for the motor shaft and died. Probably could replace the bearing at the back if I could be bothered but I've repaired the flex on this twice already. It was only a 20 quid The Range job anyway. Done well given the abuse I've given it. I might upgrade to a Makita mains job next. Hopefully they'll be a bit quieter when running.

 

Next up was making repair patches for the mounting area. I was incredibly tempted to chop all the old mount out and use a section of the proper repair panel piece I've got. However I can't but help think that panel is a bit too good for repairing this car! Like it's a waste of a good panel...

 

Welded that in, then welded in the second section. I didn't get this dead flat when running a bead over the top. I think that's ok?

 

 

Again this certainly isn't my best work. I'm not even waiting long enough for the metal to cool between weld runs. It's thick metal so it doesn't seem to be bowing too much, if at all.

 

I ran out of time to weld the bottom of that panel on. I need to put a very small slit on the floor panel so I can bend it up and weld it. It was a measured up and straight when I put it together, however I think I simply got too much heat into the floor panel and it bowed. It was getting late at this point so I didn't want to run the grinder. One of the disadvantages of working on your drive outside.

 

Just hoping that the fresh metal won't rust too quickly before I can finish it off. There is still bit of a gap if I do need to get a grinder back in there though.

 

Finally I sploshed paint all over the drivers side mount now it's finished.

 

 

I quite like this Aldi metal paint.

It's cheap (less than a fiver), adheres well and you get a good amount in the tin (like a litre). Shame you can't get it all the time. I did manage to pick up two cans (a white and a green) the other day though. Might do the engine bay area green and the interior with the white.

 

One last thing for the 1100 experts. The front mounts for the rear subframe, are these supposed to be rubber bonded? It looks thick enough to be, but there is some rubbish looking welds in the middle. Just wondering if the rubber failed and someone bodged it together by welding it?

[purplebargeken]

I don't actually think I have seen a car requiring so many patches. 

 

Kudos for persevering mate.

[SiC]

I don't actually think I have seen a car requiring so many patches.

 

Kudos for persevering mate.

Probably should replace it with full panels. However I don't have the time, inclination and nor source of panels to do that. If I had the tools and skills I could recreate new panels. But I don't. Plus I don't have the patience on this car for it either.

 

It's kinda put me off ever considering having another ADO16. The Dolomite/Toledo owners don't know how lucky they are with a ready supply of good panels available for cheap!

[somewhatfoolish]

Given their propensity to dissolve did BMH ever consider knocking out repro ADO16 shells like with the Mini and Sherpa floppytop?

[LightBulbFun]

Given their propensity to dissolve did BMH ever consider knocking out repro ADO16 shells like with the Mini and Sherpa floppytop?

 

I dont think the demand is there to justify it sadly

 

from what iv seen the ADO16 just dosent have the popularity of the Mini/MGB

 

(I do wonder, do the original presses/dies still exist?)

 

top work on the welding BTW happy to see work is continuing

[Pete-M]

Back in the depths of time (1972), my mum had an 1100. My abiding memory of the thing was that the nearside rear inner door skin had rotted away all along the top edge. A rusty chasm right along the inner door skin I'd guess at 6"x2". By '73 the front wings had dissolved and the sills were on the way out. I don't think it made it to 74.

 

I've got a soft spot for the old 1100 because of that old one.

[adw1977]

^ In fairness, parking it on a beach probably didn't help!

[Pete-M]

^ In fairness, parking it on a beach probably didn't help!

Quite probably not. It was parked on a beach once. The photo above caused mayhem in the family as my dad - who was a motor trader and large garage owner - saw the pic and went utterly postal at my mum "WTF are you doing driving onto a beach? Beaches destroy cars!"

 

The 1100 was already crusty beforehand.

[Six-cylinder]

My father's was brand new in 1963, no rust I remember then!

[SiC]

Looks to be some coming through on that front wheel arch though!

 

Weren't these cars supposed to have had the rotodip process applied to them? Maybe the machine wasn't switched on some days.

[purplebargeken]

All of the days...

[SiC]

All of the days...

I dunno, mine has managed 47 years of decline. At least 10 of those years it has been sitting outside unprotected!

 

Quite a remarkable survivor is this one.

[Pete-M]

Something I consider incredibly BL is they made the ADO16 which people generally loved and barely rust protected it, then replaced it with the Allegro which people generally despised and went mental trying to stop it rusting.

 

So for years there were bugger all ADO16s and loads of Allegros.

[richardthestag]

I quite liked the Allegro Estate.

 

The saloon though looked like a baked potato with coleslaw filling. err no fanks mate

[vulgalour]

Ah, that explains my attraction to the Allegro then, I love a baked potato.

[Felly Magic]

I'm surprised the likes of ExPressed in Keighley haven't done a few ADO16 panels, I know their Ford parts are arserapingly expensive