project 1980 Austin Princess

[vulgalour]

Fuel pump is pumping, carb float is floating, Easy Start used only as part of the diagnosing process.  Ignition timing not at fault, points in good order, no symptoms of failed condenser or coil.

 

It seems most likely to be knackered fuel or a blockage in the carb I haven't yet found, though where it's hiding I have no idea.

[oman5]

Apparently modern fuels do go off very quickly. I'd try running it on fresh fuel from a can first.

[vulgalour]

The fuel decanted smelled mostly of ethanol, no real petrol smell anymore.  I think we found our problem.

[vulgalour]

What: Princess 40th Celebration

Where: Cowley, Oxford

When: 26th of March 2015

 

 

No pressure then.   I really want the car back on the road by this date and sorted enough for it to make the trek.  Mechanically that shouldn't be an issue but I'm concerned I won't be able to sort my welding abilities out in time or raise sufficient funds to pay someone else in time.  There needs to be a shambolic Princess at this event to make all the shiny ones look that much better so I really have to attend.

 

Of course, if all else fails I should have my trailer license, a tow bar on the Xantia and access to a car trailer so I'll do it that way.  But that way is the boring way.

[320touring]

What: Princess 40th Celebration

Where: Cowley, Oxford

When: 26th of March 2015

 

 

No pressure then. I really want the car back on the road by this date and sorted enough for it to make the trek. Mechanically that shouldn't be an issue but I'm concerned I won't be able to sort my welding abilities out in time or raise sufficient funds to pay someone else in time. There needs to be a shambolic Princess at this event to make all the shiny ones look that much better so I really have to attend.

 

Of course, if all else fails I should have my trailer license, a tow bar on the Xantia and access to a car trailer so I'll do it that way. But that way is the boring way.

Speak nicely to mike knight, provide tea and biscuits and they will come.

 

Erect (fnar) a gazebo,and they shall stay!

 

Surely a band of shiterists coukd be formed to raise the mighty beast?

 

One condiiton though-it needs to be a harlequin of shyte 70/80s Leyland colours!

[fordperv]

Speak nicely to mike knight, provide tea and biscuits and they will come.

 

Erect (fnar) a gazebo,and they shall stay!

 

Surely a band of shiterists coukd be formed to raise the mighty beast?

 

One condiiton though-it needs to be a harlequin of shyte 70/80s Leyland colours!

That's a spot on idea, I'm sure the promise of bacon butties/ biscuits and plenty of tea to drink would tempt the masses.

[vulgalour]

I spoke to a pro welder friend, he cut through my confusion with the welder so I'm a bit more confident about getting that set up.  I think I'd read too much info and bamboozled myself.

 

Refreshments can be provided should any shiter wish to pop in for a natter by appointment.  If I get really stuck I'm more than happy to offer food and hot drinks, I could even be persuaded to obtain some vile/brilliant (opinions may vary) lorne sausage should some real northerners wish to attend.

 

I will shout if I get stuck and begin to panic.  I'm only mildly concerned at present, but given that I've done pretty much nothing to the Princess for a month I know how easy it will be to continue to do nothing if I'm not careful about free time management.

[beko1987]

That's quite local to me! Shifters day out? Hope they've stopped digging up every road in Oxford by then, oh wait, they wont...

[vulgalour]

I'm not entirely sure if it's one of those open-to-all dos or if it's a Princess-only affair.  I'm hoping it's a do to celebrate the Princess but other people can come along and have an oggle.  I'll be sure to post more info as and when.

[purplebargeken]

We could have roving bands of shiters, armed with tools, weldering stuff and cable ties. These roving bands could descend on shiters in need and communally sort out things. Maybe. 

[beko1987]

I'd just turn up and look at princesses, never seen one in the flesh before, apart from in pictures on here!

[vulgalour]

We could have roving bands of shiters, armed with tools, weldering stuff and cable ties. These roving bands could descend on shiters in need and communally completely ruin already broken cars before buggering off muttering tissue thin excuses.

 

FTFY

[Inspector Morose]

You've been to a Midlands Massiv fix it day have you?

[fordperv]

We could have roving bands of shiters, armed with tools, weldering stuff and cable ties. These roving bands could descend on shiters in need and communally sort out things. Maybe.

The beige team, maybe they can turn up in a Bedford cf

[320touring]

" DAH DAR RA DAH,cant fix that.

 

DAH DAR RA DAH, fuck dat shit"

 

*blast off into the horison in a cloud of 15w40*

 

 

Seriously though, 5 or 6 chaps working on focused areas could get pretfy much owt motable over 2/3 days.

[Inspector Morose]

"In 2014 a crack shite fixing unit was sent to prison by a VOSA for bodgery they didn't commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security testing station to the Glasgow underground. Today, still wanted by the highways Agency, they survive as mechanics of fortune. If you have a shite car, if no one else fix it, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire the B-Team."

[320touring]

"In 2014 a crack shite fixing unit was sent to prison by a VOSA for bodgery they didn't commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security testing station to the Glasgow underground. Today, still wanted by the highways Agency, they survive as mechanics of fortune. If you have a shite car, if no one else fix it, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire the B-Team."

" I aint gettin on no train, fool!"

[rml2345]

I'm a mechanical idiot but would quite happily show up at a Princess fettle-a-thon as general labour/dogsbody. Can also bring true Scottish lorne.

[320touring]

I'm a mechanical idiot but would quite happily show up at a Princess fettle-a-thon as general labour/dogsbody. Can also bring true Scottish lorne.

I imwgine some stornoway black pud can be sourced too..

[vulgalour]

See now black pudding I can understand, fantastic stuff!  Just waiting for Mike to get up so I can get over to the unit and try and get this welding underway and find out just how badly I can cock everything up before giving the B-Team a shout.

[vulgalour]

Courage got, information acquired I made it my business to get to the unit and get on with this repair.  First job was to tidy up the old work.  The inner sill repair is quite secure, but could do with another bit of good weld laying to tidy it up.  The floor patch, on the other hand, wasn't good enough so I removed it which took rather more effort than I'd expected.

 

The problem with the welder I was facing before was an irregular gas supply, after some information from a professional welder friend I finally understood how things should be set up, especially the previously absent flow regulator.  Now I have lovely predictable welds.

 

I decided to start again with the floor patch and cut out considerably more metal than I had before to try and get rid of the thinner areas I was having issues with.  This got rather out of hand.  Before I show you how big the patch has got here's a picture that, I believe, demonstrates some decent weld penetration.  Certainly the new patch feels and behaves much more securely on the edge that is tacked in.

 

Here is the new patch.  It has doubled in size which is not terribly satisfying, but at least I should have eliminated the rot from this area as a result.  It was also considerably easier to make as I've not fannied about with putting the ribs and shapes in this time around.

 

 

So it's progress, that's something, but it's not as much as I wanted to achieve.  I had a bizarrely short temper today so this was not a good job to be tackling with that mindset.

[vulgalour]

Minor update.  Only got a couple of hours in on the welding today as the auto-dim mask ran out of power and the other mask is too dark.  On the upside, I got some decent progress made today when I changed the wire from .8 to .6, making predictable welds a lot easier to achieve.  Just a shame I didn't make the change before I'd been fighting with the thicker wire for quite so long because I reckon that prevented me from finishing this patch off today.

 

My welding still isn't brilliant, but it's much better than it was and dresses back tidily enough.

 

The patch is almost completely welded in.  I tried out the overlapping stitch technique which I've found very difficult to get on with and reverted to stitches and seams to join them.  Trouble with the overlapping stitch technique is that I seem to end up with a selection of tidy welds that have a lot of very small holes in between them which I then find virtually impossible to accurately plug.

 

 

So yeah, it's progress.  Princess needs to get out of the unit in a few weeks as the space is needed for other cars and work.  With that in mind now that I have the welder operating reliably, I'm going to try and squeeze in a couple of hours most days to at least get this corner sorted, once this big patch is in that should be the worst of the job done.  I'm going to inspect the underside and do more welding if required, tricky to do with this all being around the jacking point, I'm sure I'll figure it out.

[plasticvandan]

Keep chipping away,better sometimes to do a bit each night than rushing trying to do it all in one stint

[AnthonyG]

What's that two tone tray coupe in the corner Vulg? A 1960s Lancia?

[vulgalour]

1964 Lancia Flavia coupe.  Long term resident and patiently waiting it's turn for interior, a little bit of welding, brake overhaul and paint blending on some of the edges.  Lovely old thing it is too, even in the current condition, should be glorious when finished.

[fordperv]

Your welding will get there with practice fella, good effort

[M'coli]

Indeed, practice helps. That piece a few frames up looks slightly cool, a little more current will help it flow. You'll blow through at first too, but you'll soon get the hang of it.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

I can't weld for shit, so you're already a winner in my book.

[xtriple]

I've always wanted a go with a TIG welder,looks cracking fun.

 

MIG is dead easy, it's just confidence. Practice on your own with scrap, blow holes, lay pigeon shit, and then experiment with settings/technique and it'll suddenly come to you. I taught my son when he was about 6 (he wanted to make a gun like he'd seen in the computer game 'Doom') and he got it really easy. Granted, he forgot again and had to be re-taught about 18 years later...

 

For fun though, it has to be gas welding. I just think it's brilliant fun, shame the gear is so expensive/hard to keep.

[vulgalour]

Indeed, practice helps. That piece a few frames up looks slightly cool, a little more current will help it flow. You'll blow through at first too, but you'll soon get the hang of it.

 

Power dial could do with being progressive rather than clicky, I could do with it sitting just one side or the other of what it's at.  As I was working I fiddled with the wire speed and gas flow and got better results, I can certainly see what's an older weld and what's a newer one.  I also found I was working a bit close but it's a fine line between the right distance and too far away.  In fact, the whole art of welding is just that, it's not very easy to master and you have to figure it out by feel, something that's complicated by metal that isn't all brand spanking new and regular.

 

Must have been improving though.  Where I had blown through in a couple of spots I went back after some time spent and found I could build the blow throw up with new weld and clean back to a smooth piece of metal so the settings and my ability must have been improved to some degree.  I had planned to do more on this today, but I have the ill.