Burnside

The car has always seemed very low at the back - in fact the MOT man made comment on the springs looking very decambered.
With a full tank its sat about 1/2" off the bump stops and with a passenger in the car the stops are just touching.
 
Its low: (note matching rear lights!)

 
 
 
Everyone I spoke to about springs said to get a set of single leaves from a 2.8 as un "upgrade" but this view seems to have pushed eBay prices up to over £100 for a used pair of 30 year old springs which I'd still need to get different u-bolt clamps and rubbers to attach to my multi leaf axle.
 
So I shelled out £250 for a set of new multi leaf springs from Kilen (quality british made springs were available but were more than twice the price) They seem to look ok although are lacking the nylon wear plates of the originals:
 

 
 
First problem was getting out the NS front hanger bolt as the hanger had been overplated in the process covering up both access holes so I had to crack out the hole saw:
 

 
 
After waiting for the water to stop pouring out i managed to dig out enough foamex to get a socket on and get the bolt out, all the other fixings came undone with the exception of the U-bolts which all snapped even with heat.
 
With both springs of it became apparent why it sat so low, almost all the leaves of both springs are cracked and so much rust has blown them apart that somebody has rewelded the straps around the springs to hold them together
 

 
 
Now this is the point where I should have just bolted the new springs in place and driven off,
but I had to have a poke at that overplating...
 

 
 
With a lot of seam sealer and underseal removed:
 

 
 
Looking forward from the wheel arch with the spring hanger on the right:
 

 
 
There were also a couple of scabby bits on the NS front floorpan which had been coved in body filler and underseal:
 

 

 
 
So I decided I'd order some handmade replacement spring hanger panels from a bloke in france and do a proper job of it...
 
 
Plate off:

 
 
Foamex out of the void which the sunroof drain also ends up in:

 
 
Rear corner of floorpan:

 
 
Beneath the rear seat:

 
 
Front floorpan/bulkhead joint:

 
 
Inner sill:

 
 
Test fitting new sections:
 

 

 

 
 
Thats about where it is now - I'm waiting to get some zintec to start welding up the floor and front lower edge of the inner wheel arch before putting the new plates in around the spring hanger.
Then my intention is to stick the springs back on and drop it back onto its wheels and probably rip the wing and outer sill off so I can repair the inner sill.
I've ordered a pair of full outer sills along with lower A post repair sections and a N/S front chassis skid section as thats also been badly plated over in the past and if i'm going to repair the floor above it and replace the outrigger I'd rather do a proper job...
 
Have ordered a load of new tips for .6 wire and upgraded my old black and decker powerfile to a fancy makita one which should hopefully make weld finishing easier.
 
I'm wanting to achieve invisible repairs with a factory fresh look - I do expect to possibly lower my expectations once I start though...
 
Dave

Well predictably the whole "spend the minimum and just use it" plan has gone to sh*t almost immediately!
 
Money was spent on centre caps and correct nuts for the four spoke wheels:
 

 
 
After the peak district trip I removed the dash in order to get the non functioning heater out,
At the same time I sorted out some lash up wiring and fitted a replacement electric aerial wired as per factory.
 
I then realised my mint replacement dash was black rather than grey and given the rareness of undamaged ones ended up spraying it in vinylcote which came out pretty well.
 
Sorted out a non functioning ammeter and replaced a lot of missing trim clips while it was all apart.
Fan motor turned out to have seized and melted one of the brush holders - I managed to unstable the motor body and get the bearing out and freed up and its back together and working now but only has a few mm of brush left on the damaged holder.
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
I managed to pick up a 2ltr rocker cover from eBay with the correct captive nuts for the weber air filter but its a narrow rim cover rather than the wider type so I drilled them off and have mig'ed them to my existing rocker cover:
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
Also fitted a new sunroof seal from the capri club which turns out to be a different construction to original (flocked rubber as opposed to velvet fabric on a silicone core) and a bit crap for the £40 it cost - Apparently the £80 seal from a mk2 golf is actually the correct type and still available from the OE supplier to ford, in hindsight I should have gone for that instead.
 
I have popped out the headlining carrier while there and am waiting for our cover maker to stitch up a new panel to fit to it:
 

 
 
Next post is where it really starts to get out of control...
 
Dave

Taunus TC2 2-door Ghia 2.0 V6.
 

 

That one on eBay is tempting, it's just round the corner and is mot/tax exempt hhmm

Today's toy fair results:
 

 
Corgi Cortina complete with tailgate wood and window, a Tesla model S, and five more Minis.
 
Also a cat.

My Dad had around the same time a similar experience with his Mk4 Cortina. I was only barely a year old then so I have no memories of it and my Dad never took any pictures. It was a 77/78 Red 4dr 1.6 base/L spec possibly. He only had it less than a year. The rust was pretty bad at around 7/8 years old. Sills were already welded and every panel bar the roof was rusty.
 
Highlights of ownership included a split floorpan along the gearbox tunnel that had to be welded up as was letting water in. Bootlid had to be replaced with a brown one from the local breakers after the bootlock fell through due to rust. Passenger front door fell off one night due to a rotton door post so had to be tied on till it was welded. Rear windows had to be propped up with wood due to rust.
 
But the worst thing was one Friday night my Dad was on his way home and stopped off to fill the tank up. Brimmed up he set off home and halfway back he heard a thud an scrapping noise. He pulled over thinking it was the exhaust that had fell off only to find it was the fully brimmed tank that had parted company due to the straps failing!
 
After getting that fixed my Dad decided he had enough and traded it in for a 3yr old Vauxhall Chevette Estate. He hammed the crap out the Cortina the day he drove it back down the A5 to trade it in and was barely running on fumes when he got there. Thinking he seen the last of it as he drove away he was surprised a week later to find a neighbour up the street had brought it.
 
The neighbour then brought four doors in Metallic Blue to replace the rotten one's and then had the car resprayed Red and fitted a Black vinyl roof.
 
It was also stolen regular by persons unknown before being dumped back home sometimes with more Petrol than it left with.
 
Despite all that my Dad said it was a great car to drive and although it nearly bbq my Dad I wouldn't mind one myself if I had the chance.

WWow, time really does fly.
 
It has come so far though especially when you think that a year ago it was languishing in a damp field.
Well done that man for resurrecting this fascinating little oddball

Crikey, has it really been a year?! I remember watching that first video and thinking that you were quite mad and, I confess, didn't really "get it" at the time. I'm quite ashamed to admit that now, particularly having been glued to the endeavour ever since.
 
One of my definite favourite videos was part 3, where not only did TWC effect ingress into the garage but also ran for the first time. Brilliant!

DW earlier on today 

Blimey. One year since I met TWC the Invacar! What a day that was.

 
A week today, I will be at the NEC with this ridiculous, scruffy little invalid carriage. That pleases me enormously. Last year, I was there wondering how on Earth I'd get them home.

Hah cool
 
DW had tweeted it on twitter a couple days ago but I was just brushing up on the news and it actually made it to the "front page" its interesting to note the sudden awareness jump in regards to invacars... I wonder how much DW has to do with that 
 

Filmed out of sequence...
 
Anyway, here's a rather more professional look at the Invacar.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p06p6drv?fbclid=IwAR33HxHh83cDpmprJo7ko2OSIiMgKVvRAWQ9ahyYv8eqNT-HD__Mg9inudA 

Yeah, I'm not great at talking engineering. My understanding is your understanding, so you're still adjusting the resting tension. It was a bit loose, so there would be a jerk while that initial tension was taken up. I've adjusted it and it's now much better.
 
Anyway, DETAILING* YO.

 
* May not be detailing.

Cars I didn’t need
 
There was also a 1976 Affetta 1.6 in red during this period that I can not find a picture of. Single round headlight and giffer owned with countless off shade touch ups.
 

I took in a beautiful 1984 Vauxhall Carlton at work and wanted to take it home with me so did. My boss even helped me get it home.
 

A friend asked me how much an MGB was worth! I asked questions about year, type and condition and over a few weeks we established it was a rubber bumper GT for restoration and needed moving immediately so I suggested he offer scrap value. My friend said would you buy it for that, I said yes and he repeated would YOU buy it for that, he had lost interest and I had a MGB GT that needed a quick uplift. The company recover truck was useful.
 
While it was a project all was not lost because it had a solid shell but was too much work for me so I advertised it. I had a call from Mrs6C at work asking what she should take for it as somebody was coming round. I called her back later and was told my price was too low and the man would not offer more. When I got home I asked for the buyers tel number, Mrs6C asked what do you want that for because I sold it for full asking price this afternoon to somebody else!
 

As noted Mrs6C and myself both like Heralds and when a worn out but MOTed 948cc came up for sale in the TSSC magazine it was irresistible, we bought it and went straight onto the M25 with our untested 34 bhp Herald to go to a south of England show.
 

Following turning up at my friends with the 1974 280CE a year later I got a call to say his bother-in-law's white 280CE was for sale did I want it? It was a non runner and had rusty front wings and other odd spots. As my plan was to leave the motor trade buying and preparing this car for when I handed back my company car made sense. The non runner was the fuel pump and I booked it in with the guy who sold me my E Type for a no hurry respray.
 

This drive shot was summer 1995 and the Herald love was still strongest, the one hidden is Mrs6C’s 13/60 convertible.
 

I took a red 2CV Special in part exchange at work and as it was a good one wanted it, no problem as it fell outside the Citroen used car scheme I bought it. A friend from Scotland visited and found we had it and before long asked to buy it for his sister-in-law, she was a community projects leader all over UK including Northern Ireland and the car had years of adventures.
 

The same friend who alerted me to the white 280CE alerted me to his work landlord having a Rover 3500 P6 for sale and it was too good to miss. I knew it was juicy but I ran out of petrol 17 miles from home having been working on conservative 15mpg, then I found the leak!

Plenty more to come but not much ready, just 3 for now.
 

Our next purchase was a 1968 Morris 1000 Traveller wood and all. Owned by an older gent who added all those little touches like a 2 pin 12 v socket and homemade load deck extension. Mrs6C used it as a station car, after a while the gearbox went and we could not get 2 or 3 but still moved house using it to carry large stuff. 
 

Between jobs in summer 1994, I did not have a company car for a while so I bought a very smart, well at least it was after my young son spent a day polishing it, 1974 Mercedes 280CE in black. I loved it but unfortunately it was going to need a fair bit for its next MOT so I passed it on.
 

The lure of the Vitesse was still calling and I bought a pale yellow MK2 convertible to use daily. It was also great to take Mrs6C on a business trip to Scotland and we made a holiday out of it. At the end of the year I had a company car again but we kept that Vitesse for 11 years. 

I have owned this CX for 12 years, been to Europe, Scotland and used it as a daily.

Ebay or any argicultural merchants/ tractor spares place, goes on well with a brush or spraygun

Horsebollox update AND Lightbulbfun trivia?  With this update we really are being spoiled!

Where did you get that paint from and how well does it go on? I'm just starting to look at paint for my 1100 and trying to decide which way to go.

Thanks for the offer but I dont drink, I do however live off of drink an alarming amount of hot chocolate , like any true council estate resident I have one of those Over sized sports direct mugs, which is what I make it in, if only dollywobbler sold invacar mugs of that size id buy one in an instant 
 
as for the Europa sadly Derby is a bit far for me, but If I do happen to be down there I will take you up on the offer (as rarity aside im actually looking for a 6ft-8ft Fitting to install over my second "workbench") (you can fit an 8ft fluorescent fitting into an invacar right?  ) I am curious is your GEC Europa of the switch start type or the Starterless type? on that note, I noticed Dollywobbler has a Twin tube Crompton/Philips Streamlite (thats right Badge engineering even extends to lightbulbs and fittings) lighting his garage that I also wonder what type of gear its running (it always pleases me to see old reliable proper fittings still in use after 40+ years)
 
(Switch start are the type that Blink on and off a few times when you turn them on, starterless ones will just quickly fade in over about a second)
 
but cheers 
 

 

Can second that.
 

 

 

 
That was done with a brush, before flatting back and polishing.  I miss that stupid little car.

Yo lightbulb, I would like to buy you a pint in celebration of your classic lightbulb knowledge, it always cheers me right up and cancels out a little my general disdain for humans. If you want my GEC Europa it's yours!!!

I reckon the first 5 minutes of my time when I get to the yard to work on my 508 are spent looking at it thinking "oh crap, when will it ever end!"
Then after a cup of tea and the generator is running, I'm in the zone and ready to do battle.
Bit at a time man. It'll get there.

Alright gang, hows it going? I'm not on here much now as I am finding myself less and less inclined to interact with other humans generally, but I have been doing the odd bit on the truck now and then. Its sat on the drive looking friggin awful, but seeing as its the winter and I'm working 11-12 hour days I only actually see it in daylight 2 days a week so its tolerable for me.
 
Built a big table in my garage, converting it from a too-small-really garage into an indoor workshop for cleaning/repairing/making/fettling horsebox bits:
 

 
I'm basically just trying to work through the cab and get it into some sort of condition that will see it through an MOT and sufficiently well out of 'fucked' territory. Al Bundy did loads of welding on it, but his work really needs painting and sealing properly or its just gonna rot out again and be even worse than it was before. A lot of it is quite inaccessible so I have been dismantling a lot so I can access it and clean/seal paint it all semi-properly.
 

 
Heres the view out my garage door at the moment. Nice eh? I have basically just been removing stuff to access other stuff, which inevitably involves rusty bolts (mix of metric and imperial!!!) snapping off and removing stuff you really dont want to get involved in. I've removed the bumper, grille, radiator, headlights, screenwash bottle, bumper support beam, blower motor and some other bits. Its surprisingly difficult to dismantle, for example you are suposed to remove the brake servo to get the heater blower out - I got it out byy dismantling it in situ and removing the bits, snapping various bolts along the way.
 

 
Heres the RH inner wheelarch seen from the engine bay. Its all new metal so needed painting, ive cleaned it up as best I can, treated it all with jenolite and done 2 coats of red oxide primer as well.
 

 
Looks a bit better eh.
 
Bought a big tin of 'Oxford Blue' Tekaloid enamel, i plan to paint the whole thing with this eventually. Seems somehow very exciting to open the tin and see thie bright shiney blueness:
 

 

 
While I was on I tarted up the tin shields each side of the radiator:
 

 

 
Not even started on the other side yet:
 

 
Theres also a hole here that needs sorting out:
 

 
Thats gonna be fun for access, I'm not sure how best to tackle it but I am gonna get some parts reattached before i chop owt else off!
 
I'm quite excited about this big-ass hoo flung dung Ford Galaxie radiator which I am gonna use as a replacement for the tired original. Cost £90 off eBay which seems like a mega bargain to me but I need to whizz it away up the street to the guy with the tig welding skills to have an extra pipe stub attached and modify the mounting points a little
 

 
I've been buying loads of nuts and bolts off eBay to replace the knackered ones I'm removing, its not supposed to be a nut & bolt resto but I dont want to invest lots of money and time in the box bit till I'm satisfied the cab is decent so i am probably going a bit further than is absolutely necessary.
 
Even though this is a big ugly bastard I have to admit to really liking it still. I cant wait for it to pass an MOT and for me to be able to drive it with a bit of confidence that I'm actually gonna complete my journey! (Thats not happened yet, the few journeys I've made I've been shitting myself that its going to knacker up) I think once i've finished mucking about with the metalwork, fitted a new rad and fanbelt, fettled all the lights, greased the kingpins and undersealed the inner arches I should have enough karma with it that I'll be up for taking it out for a spin just for fun.
 
Theres still a load of rot in the scuttle but I will get round to that eventually, I might need to take a week off work and blitz it (screen/dashboard out job) but that can wait till we're through an MOT and feeling a bit more optimistic about the future!