project 1980 Austin Princess

[Split_Pin]

I'm actually getting excited about the MOT for you. Well done for getting this car looking remarkably straight again.

[vulgalour]

Just got back in from burning myself on the headlights. One of the adjusters on the driver's side is screwed so I can't get it to sit quite as high as I'd like, but it's no worse than when I picked it up with a full MoT and the passenger side is still fully adjustable. So that's what I'll likely fail on I think, a locking washer (which I don't have) would likely fix the issue for me.

[vulgalour]

Had to move the Princess to load it up with car stuff that's been in the kitchen at my Mum's behest... well she is currently putting a roof over my head so it's the least I could do. Unfortunately, it would seem that while the Princess reliably started on the first attempt, as she always does, the handbrake is worse and the thrust bearing seems to have gone in the clutch. I'm not terribly surprised at the worsening of the brakes or the thrust bearing, the former is likely to happen when a car is left unused and the latter has been grumbling since I got the car and on my to-do list post MoT.

 

Happily, water isn't getting into the car anymore and on Sunday I shall be collecting some Useful Stuff so I can see some progress being made soon. Unhappily, having a limited income and two cars wanting love is not a great combination, nobody likes to prioritise between their children (at least, not the ones they like).

[blackbart]

Had to move the Princess to load it up with car stuff that's been in the kitchen at my Mum's behest... well she is currently putting a roof over my head so it's the least I could do. Unfortunately, it would seem that while the Princess reliably started on the first attempt, as she always does, the handbrake is worse and the thrust bearing seems to have gone in the clutch. I'm not terribly surprised at the worsening of the brakes or the thrust bearing, the former is likely to happen when a car is left unused and the latter has been grumbling since I got the car and on my to-do list post MoT.

 

Happily, water isn't getting into the car anymore and on Sunday I shall be collecting some Useful Stuff so I can see some progress being made soon. Unhappily, having a limited income and two cars wanting love is not a great combination, nobody likes to prioritise between their children (at least, not the ones they like).

 

 

WHAT A THREAD @VOLKSANGYL... after decideing to take yesterday off work with a touch of man flu??? i thought i would have a little catch up on AS. i stumbled upon this thread at around 9 am, and after several lemsips, a thousand cups of tea and a few forty winks i was suddenly into the early hours of saturday morning loL.

i can say hand on heart, it has been better than reading a best seller, all the ups and downs, tears and sadness and also a bit of banter and laughter, if someone had told me this story so far i would have struggled to believe them.

all i can say is well done, i think if i was in your postion, then the lump hammer may have come out sooner rather than later, and ethel would now be in the big bl cemetery in the sky lol.

i have never seen the attraction of a wedge before, but after reading this i find myself attracted to them like a moth to a light, and will probably be on the lookout for one now.

i even dreamt i had one last night that was mint. it was also in that bright orange that bl did with a black vinyl roof and lots of chrome. i dont know if they ever did that colour combination, but i looked the dogs.

keep it up, im sure there is lots more to come, and hopefully your luck is turning mate.

all the best gary.(blackbart)

[HillmanImp]

Good work.

 

I wish you the best of luck. Not on the MOT, I am sure that will be fine. I just hope you make it there this time.

[purplebargeken]

Fanbloodytastic progress!

[vulgalour]

Crumbs, it's been a while since I updated here. Nothing doing with the old girl, sadly, since everything went to crap lately. HOWEVER, there's always little things that happen to move a project along, even if it's not by my own doing. Since the vandalism last year when my original aerial got snapped I've been after a replacement and while the comedy flower was okay, that too finally fell apart leaving me without an aerial. That meant I was after either an electric aerial which is faff to fit but would be cool, or something a little more period. You know how I like tasteless period accessories, so what better day to fit one than the first of April?

 

Courtesy of one of my Mum's friends, she found this now rare item in her wardrobe

 

I then modified it in the time honoured fashion, I think I'm going to be going the tried and tested 90s Council Estate look before we get to the coolness of all purple paint, lotus alloys and shag pile & ivory velour interiors.

 

 

Council Estate chic, innit.

[PhilA]

Ha, awesome. I have lots of wire hangers, they are still popular here for shirts. Sign of the times.

 

--Phil

[Shep Shepherd]

Coat hanger aerials were de rigeur in Kent in the 1980s; Father Shepherd had one on his Metro for years

[vulgalour]

With the angry yellow face in a pale blue thing I'm told is the sky, I decided to get out and do something on the Princess in readiness for getting her back on the road next month. First job was a wash which see needed badly, then to try and figure out just why she wasn't happy going up the drive. I put down the reluctance to being low on fuel as a jerry can of fresh petrol saw her perk up no end and run quietly and smoothly.

 

Brakes feel scarily inadequate after driving the BX for so long and the accelerator pedal feels scarily sensitive for much the same reason, but she still feels as good as she did when laid up. Brakes can't be too bad as I managed to lock them up on the driveway just to check I could and some rolling back and forth and applying of the brakes seems to have tightened things up.

 

Frustratingly, the wind that kept scything through the drive and whistling around the house meant that I couldn't get anything done with the seats so I've not been able to get the better items I collected from Boycie fitted. Additionally, the mechanical fuel pump that had sealed is now weeping oil from the same joint yet again, so I'm on the hunt for some cork gasket, I'm not prepared to give up on this one yet because the mechanical pump is a much better bit of kit than the electrical and the issue I'm having is likely related to the mating surfaces of the block and the pump.

 

For the MoT I have the following I know I need to resolve:

> 2 tyres - one needs resealing to the rim again, the other has a perished sidewall

> Outer driver's side headlight alignment - broken adjuster, should be straightforward to fix.

 

...and that's it. I can't check brake efficiency/balance or emissions beyond using one and smelling the other, I know the car runs quite lean from the fuel consumption side of things and the smell out the back. There's no rust that I can see that looks like it'll fail and all the things that should work, currently do. Once my replacement bonnet arrives I'll get that fitted before going to the MoT station as it'll just make things that bit more presentable and we'll have to suck it and see. As before, there's still a very good chance I'll pass but an equally good chance that something will come up that I cannot find at home. If I do fail I expect it to be on headlight alignment, emissions and brake efficiency with an outside chance of rust I haven't found.

 

Oh, and the only other thing I'm aware needs doing is the tracking because this wasn't done after the new TREs were fitted just before the last MoT attempt and I didn't have opportunity to do it afterwards.

[shedvan]

As you say you shouldn't be too alarmed by the comparative weakness of brakes on the Princess, they don't compare well to modern kit and certainly feel gradual compared to Citroen brakes of the hydro-swoopy nature.

 

As for the cork gasket it struck me (if you are having trouble sourcing the real thing) that a trip down to IKEA or a home-store type place might be in order, I had some success fabricating cork gaskets for my Metro from cork place mats! Bit Heath Robinson but might be worth a spin!

[vulgalour]

I've not started looking for cork alternatives yet, but that's a good suggestion, I may even be able to find something suitable as a donor in the house or local charity shops. I also found out that the cost of sorting out the tyres on the car is the same as getting sleeve bolts to fit the Lotus alloys with the better tyres on than what are presently fitted, I just need to make extra sure the tyres on the alloys are okay to use, they're certainly a better brand and have more tread and match, unlike what's currently on the car. Most annoying thing is that the road tax and insurance are big sums of money, but actually getting it ready for the MoT and even the MoT itself seems to be quite small sums.

[shedvan]

Hmm could be that the age of the tyres on the alloys lets you down more than their actual condition? Its hard to get a straight answer on them you may end up having to give it a whirl to find out, that being the case (for vanity alone!) I would go for trying to make those Lotus wheels work, other wise you will probably end up having to sort out the Princess steels, then buy wobble bolts, then buy rubber for the ultimately preferred alloys, imo makes sense to remove one step from the process for simplicity and economy? But then I don't know how much the Lotus wheels would cost to have shod, any ideas?

[vulgalour]

Happily, Lotus and Princess are identical PCD so I just need to put different nuts on the bolts to make them fit and be all secure and whatnot. Even wider track due to offset and even wider wheels should make those non-PAS car park manoeuvres interesting. The tyres on the alloys aren't particularly hard or misshapen and while they'll likely put my speedo out a bit, it won't be by a lot. If it doesn't work out I can always drop back onto the steelies no problem. Insurance doesn't seem too bothered by me fitting alloys either, which is nice. I'd be surprised if the tyres are any older on the alloys than what's on the car at the moment too but I'll extra check before committing any funds to the final decision.

[Guest]

A Princess with Lotus wheels? I think that I have died and gone to Shite heaven.

 

Also, Lotus wheels add 10 BHP a corner, and make the car more grippy than Grippy Jack McGrip, as any fule kno.

[vulgalour]

I believe I can also gain an extra 2.256 bhp per corner with the use of a white lettering pen, particularly if I can make my tyre letters read Avon or General Grabber convincingly. Duckttail spoiler, rear window louvre, deep chin spoiler, bonnet scoop, bullet mirrors, spotlights and a personalised sunstrip all give me extra bhp too, according to Halford's 1982 catalogue.

[Guest]

Well, it's got me convinced.

[RichardMoss]

Unless the MOT rules have changed, a perished sidewall is not a failure item, believe it or not. cuts, bulges etc are but not perishing and cracking.

[fordperv]

i have love for the 90s council estate look

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

As for the cork gasket it struck me (if you are having trouble sourcing the real thing) that a trip down to IKEA or a home-store type place might be in order, I had some success fabricating cork gaskets for my Metro from cork place mats! Bit Heath Robinson but might be worth a spin!

 

When I fixed my fuel gauge sender I needed a cork gasket, and I needed it NOW. The sender was on the top of the tank so I figured it was only sealing fumes, and cork's cork, so...

 

 

Worked fine.

[vulgalour]

I think I'm taking the cover off and taking it to a person/garage with a tap and dye or helicoil kit to get the hole recut to accept a bolt. It's quite likely that the partially stripped thread means that the bolt can't tighten the pump housing to the cover enough to seal it fully. Additional gaskets may be added anyway.

[vulgalour]

My replacement bonnet arrived for the Princess today. I'd got it into my head that it was white, but upon unwrapping the parcel I discovered it's actually more likely Oyster Metallic and it's from a late Princess due to the lack of bonnet badge. I'll salvage the badge off my old bonnet because it's one of the little details I like on the Princess. Now, I'm full of some sort of sinus infection man flu thing that's been doing the rounds, so really I should've left this job for another day, but instead I roped in a helper to be a second pair of hands so I can hoik the old bonnet off and fit the new one which is nice and straight, if a little scruffy.

 

On the initial trial fit, I didn't bolt anything together. I wanted to see just how straight the hole for the bonnet was before I committed to bolting things on and, happily, I found that it's very close to how it was when I bought the car. Confident about that element, I got bolting things up, namely the four bolts holding the bonnet to the hinges and the two screws that hold the knackered bonnet rams on. A little bit of tweaking with bolt locations and bump stops saw the new bonnet sitting as well as could be expected for a non-crash damaged Princess, so to get it this good given the crude nature of my repairs was something of a pleasant surprise.

 

Of course, it didn't go entirely smoothly. The new bonnet highlighted what I already suspected from the slight cant of the radiator and the fact that the grille area isn't perfectly aligned which is that the slam panel is still about an eighth to a quarter of an inch too far back still. I don't particularly want to try and pull this forward any more, I got it about as far as it wanted to go with the Maestro and my plan was always to book in at a body shop to get the nose properly repaired when I have all the panel work. Instead, I removed the striker plates off both bonnets so I had use of the best one (which was from the new bonnet) and will slot the bolt holes so that I can adjust this accordingly. The release lever still catches and releases the bonnet without problem, but I don't think I could safely drive it like this. A job for another day in the near future, need a clearer head to make a good job of it.

 

So, without the striker unit holding the bonnet up I could make some fine adjustments to the panel alignment. Best thing about the colour of the replacement bonnet is that it just looks mucky, rather than a mismatched panel... I mean, it is mucky, obviously, but it's a less glaring replacement than, say, a white bonnet would be.

 

Wing gaps are about the same as they were when new, and they're fairly even side to side, which I'm happy about. The crashed side does need more adjustment as the wing is still slightly down at the nose and pushed out a little, but at a quick glance you'd only notice the bashed wing and forgive it that. Not perfect, but certainly a vast improvement on where we were with it.

 

 

Now that my bonnet doesn't have a V in the front of it, you can see how close to being right that wing profile is. I could probably correct this further with fine tuning of the bump stops and hinge bolts, but I'm delighted that it's turned out as well as this. I certainly feel a lot more confident about the way it will be received at the MoT garage than with the old bonnet.

 

Another step in the right direction at least, and my thanks go to Rovamota from the Princess forum for supplying the bonnet. Left to do are the new front seats to fit that bolt thread for the fuel pump and the Lotus alloys... which I've just remembered I didn't measure. I'll measure the bolt holes tomorrow, I cannot be doing with rummaging through the stores at the moment, I'd rather just sit here and enjoy my cup of tea.

[vulgalour]

Today, Sam paid me a surprise visit which was very welcome indeed. If there's one thing that can help a project along - apart from parts and funds, of course - it's the support of likeminded people and Sam is definitely that. His Montego is not only stunning, but a big motivation for me to get the Princess back into shape and a half day spent in Sam's company is enough to get me really enthused about moving things along properly. It's also a great opportunity to get more pictures of our old Austins together.

 

It was getting on a bit so there wasn't a lot I could get up to, but after going for a spin in Sam's Montego it did encourage me to at least have a go at tackling the bonnet with my favourite cleaning product and a Scotchbrite/green scouring pad to see just how close to the beige it would go. I think the lacquer is probably shot on this bonnet and the paint is very thin in places, but that's no big deal since I'll be repainting it anyway. For now, I just wanted it to look tidier, which it does. I'll get the clay bar and other cleaning products on it now the bulk of the dirt has been removed and give it a protective coat of wax and/or polish just to seal it against the elements until I get the fresh paint applied.

 

I was surprised with this shot. Before, Dad's car was in the way but since he was out I could get a shot of the front properly and it actually looks really very straight. Tweaks are needed here and there, but overall I think this is pretty good.

 

I might have another go at pulling that slam panel forwards before adjusting the striker plate, I'd be happier if it were just a bit further forwards, it doesn't need much to correct it fully. Really though, you'd be hard pressed to see what has shifted with the new bonnet in place. Makes me feel very positive about the car's future.

 

Sam's Montego has had some work on the same corner as the Princess, though more involved, but clearly there must be something about these cars for us to spend so much attention on them. Either that or we're both completely mad.

 

I'm always surprised when I realise there's only about 7 years separating these two cars.

 

While Sam and I were shooting the breeze about all things car, a proper plan formulated for the Princess' eventual direction. I want it to be much more ostentatiously 70s, after all Sam keeps referring to me as Jason King when I'm behind the wheel, so an ivory interior and purple exterior with those Lotus alloys are the firmly set initial plan. Then ideas wandered off into other mods and eventually I'd like to put a FWD Lotus engine in this car and turn it into a 70s Lotus Princess (a thing that never was) and rebadge accordingly. It will push the car firmly into toy territory and it's a target that I'm aiming to achieve years down the line, but it'll be something with a good turn of speed, improved brakes and super plush interior that nobody will be able to miss. It will be the most ridiculous Princess ever conceived.

[Guest]

Plan!

[Skizzer]

an ivory interior and purple exterior with those Lotus alloys are the firmly set initial plan. Then ideas wandered off into other mods and eventually I'd like to put a FWD Lotus engine in this car and turn it into a 70s Lotus Princess

Either that or we're both completely mad.

 

Think you might have answered your own question there!

 

Great work - with a bit of your usual painting skills on the bonnet and a refitted bumper that'll look 95% there. Top stuff!

[Captain Slow]

It was getting on a bit so there wasn't a lot I could get up to, but after going for a spin in Sam's Montego it did encourage me to at least have a go at tackling the bonnet with my favourite cleaning product and a Scotchbrite/green scouring pad to see just how close to the beige it would go. I think the lacquer is probably shot on this bonnet and the paint is very thin in places, but that's no big deal since I'll be repainting it anyway. For now, I just wanted it to look tidier, which it does. I'll get the clay bar and other cleaning products on it now the bulk of the dirt has been removed and give it a protective coat of wax and/or polish just to seal it against the elements until I get the fresh paint applied.

 

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. Angyl, I don't think there was any lacquer LEFT on that bonnet with how it felt. But it's come up far better than I thought it would.

[eddyramrod]

If there's one thing that can help a project along - apart from parts and funds, of course - it's the support of likeminded people ... we're both completely mad.

 

I want it to be much more ostentatiously 70s, ivory interior and purple exterior with those Lotus alloys ... eventually I'd like to put a FWD Lotus engine in this car and turn it into a 70s Lotus Princess

 

Agreed, agreed, and OHHHHHHHHHHHHH YES! I'm right with you there, that's such a cool idea!

[oman5]

Lotus Princess? you HAVE to do this. could look seriously cool.

[vulgalour]

 

Making some headlight louvres out of the damaged grille and headlight surrounds I kept hold of 'just in case', I both get rid of some rubbish and do something interesting with the front of the Princess. Should cost nothing to make since I've got files and sandpaper and knifes and glue and loads of time. It'll also be a fun little project.

 

Rather than going for a plain straight across flat grille, I'll make use of the step built in to the grille and extent the steppiness into the louvres.

 

They'll probably only be show/daytime use, I'm not sure how much they'd restrict light output, but since it's only a case of undoing four screws to swap out the louvres for the regular trims I see no reason why I shouldn't give it a whirl.

[Spiny Norman]

Be really cool if you could make them swing away when the lights came on, a la Dodge Charger.

Good to see the progress being made, keep up the good work.