Project Rusty Triumphs in Scotland - Fleet functionality = 0% - 06/02/25

[juular]

Having welded an entire car using gasless I can't say I found it more challenging, just a bit different. 

Biggest difference is as @GingerNuttz mentions you have to make allowance for the slag getting buried in the weld pool if you try to keep pushing into it. When you are laying individual tacks in sequence to weld a thin metal panel this doesn't affect you at all, eg:

 

Where I have found differences is when you're trying to focus some heat on an area, such as a plug weld. Using gas I'd normally start the weld in the centre of the plug and start to spiral outwards, but with gasless that all goes to shit as you start pumping slag into the weld.  With gasless I found I had to start at the top of the plug and pull the weld downwards, and it's not neat.  It is however still stronger than some of the factory spot welds I've chiseled apart 😄

The other thing gasless is shit for is welding nuts onto broken bolts to allow you to undo them. Again the slag buildup causes the weld to go to shit before you can get enough heat into the bolt/nut to fuse them properly.  You do have to keep moving with gasless, you can't 'build up' a weld.

At the same time I've found not having to drag the gas bottle around with me utterly liberating, especially when I couldn't be bothered welding in the first place.  As everything I do is outside in the crap Scottish weather, I found that my worst gasless welds were still a thousand times better than the popcorn I was laying with gas every time the slightest little breeze got up. Which was basically the weather every day.

If I had a garage I think I would go back to gas, because it does take a whole aspect of thinking away from it, and the welds are admittedly so much prettier.

[GingerNuttz]

22 hours ago, juular said:

Having welded an entire car using gasless I can't say I found it more challenging, just a bit different. 

Biggest difference is as @GingerNuttz mentions you have to make allowance for the slag getting buried in the weld pool if you try to keep pushing into it. When you are laying individual tacks in sequence to weld a thin metal panel this doesn't affect you at all, eg:

 

Where I have found differences is when you're trying to focus some heat on an area, such as a plug weld. Using gas I'd normally start the weld in the centre of the plug and start to spiral outwards, but with gasless that all goes to shit as you start pumping slag into the weld.  With gasless I found I had to start at the top of the plug and pull the weld downwards, and it's not neat.  It is however still stronger than some of the factory spot welds I've chiseled apart 😄

The other thing gasless is shit for is welding nuts onto broken bolts to allow you to undo them. Again the slag buildup causes the weld to go to shit before you can get enough heat into the bolt/nut to fuse them properly.  You do have to keep moving with gasless, you can't 'build up' a weld.

At the same time I've found not having to drag the gas bottle around with me utterly liberating, especially when I couldn't be bothered welding in the first place.  As everything I do is outside in the crap Scottish weather, I found that my worst gasless welds were still a thousand times better than the popcorn I was laying with gas every time the slightest little breeze got up. Which was basically the weather every day.

If I had a garage I think I would go back to gas, because it does take a whole aspect of thinking away from it, and the welds are admittedly so much prettier.

 

If you tack-tack-tack with no gas it makes the weld porous and weak.

You lay fresh weld on top of a tack that has slag it's already comprimised, no gas is supposed to be ran as beads by dragging so you get 0 slag into the weld.  Only way to stitch with flux core is to clean every tack one by one before you lay the next.

Not saying it's not strong enough for a car panel but if we had our welds xrayed and it had pin holes in the centre it was a complete redo

[GingerNuttz]

Gives me the fear 🤣

[Dyslexic Viking]

2 months since the last posts, how are things going with the Cresta?

[captain_70s]

On 12/01/2025 at 20:32, Dyslexic Viking said:

2 months since the last posts, how are things going with the Cresta?

A cursory glance in the garage reveals....

It's still here!

I probably should swing by the lockup to check it's still full of car and not been emptied and demolished by the council...

All progress on everything has ground to a halt as I've ended up caught in a state of decision paralysis. I took the carbs off the Acclaim to clean them out as the idle circuit was blocked, didn't have any carb cleaner so ordered some more. The following week was a bit busy when the carb cleaner arrived and I never got around to refitting them.

Since then nothing has happened, whenever I think about working on the Cresta I think I SHOULD be reassembling the Acclaim, but that is outside in the dark and rain so I don't want to do that, and then I end up doing nothing at all... As if to agree with me the security light out the front has died a death. A mix of winter blues, long days at work and a busy time over Christmas/New Year eating up my weekends has ground everything to a halt.

I may try to use this post as a reason to force myself back into the right mindset. Even a couple of hours in the evening is better than nothing...

[vulgalour]

It is a shit time of year to be fettling with old wrecks, tbf.  Little and often is the key.  Get some easy wins in, polish a bit of trim, that sort of nonsense.

[somewhatfoolish]

Sit in the Cresta and make vrooming noises. That usually works for me.

[captain_70s]

16 hours ago, somewhatfoolish said:

Sit in the Cresta and make vrooming noises. That usually works for me.

No seat!

I'm sure I saw a post from @Dyslexic Viking about having Shitefest International as a potential goal which I can't find.

I did actually consider this, I do work better with a proper deadline. I think the car could be functional  by then but I think it'd be pretty dubious in terms of reliability and comfort. I also think it may simply be too slow for mingling with modern traffic. 

I won't rule it out though... It would be a mad adventure...

[Dyslexic Viking]

14 minutes ago, captain_70s said:

No seat!

I'm sure I saw a post from @Dyslexic Viking about having Shitefest International as a potential goal which I can't find.

I did actually consider this, I do work better with a proper deadline. I think the car could be functional  by then but I think it'd be pretty dubious in terms of reliability and comfort. I also think it may simply be too slow for mingling with modern traffic. 

I won't rule it out though... It would be a mad adventure...

I deleted that post because I realized that if you struggle with motivation, it might not be the best thing to suggest something like that.

But taking the Cresta to France would be epic. And are there any modifications you can make to it such as a better diff ratio and maybe double carbs to make it more suitable for today's traffic? But According to things I found online, tested in 1956 at 0-60 in 20 seconds and top speed of 82mph so it's not bad. So would assume you should be comfortable following trucks.

[captain_70s]

20 minutes ago, Dyslexic Viking said:

I deleted that post because I realized that if you struggle with motivation, it might not be the best thing to suggest something like that.

But taking the Cresta to France would be epic. And are there any modifications you can make to it such as a better diff ratio and maybe double carbs to make it more suitable for today's traffic? But According to things I found online, tested in 1956 at 0-60 in 20 seconds and top speed of 82mph so it's not bad. So would assume you should be comfortable following trucks.

It's more the 3-speed gearbox that I think will be the issue. It'll probably be quite quick to 30mph but quite sluggish beyond that.

60mph in top gear is 3,260rpm, 18.4mph per 1,000rpm. Actually higher geared than the Dolly, which only manages 15.5mph per 1,000rpm. Making 60mph a busy 3,870rpm! I reckon the Dolly engine is better suited to long periods at high rpm though. I'm not sure what the Vauxhall lumps theoretical redline would be, 4,500rpm at a push?

You could actually get an optional Laycock overdrive, increasing the gearing to a massive 23.8mph per 1,000rpm in top gear. I've only heard of one surviving car with one of these fitted though. At £58 15s to buy and £7 10s fitting on a £760 car I imagine they were quite rare even when new, as high speed cruising wasn't something you could do without visiting mainland Europe in the mid 1950s!

[Dyslexic Viking]

I would guess then that 50mph is comfortable and not damaging to the engine to do all day. And I would also think that around 4500 rpm is max.

I'm guessing your Cresta has column shift so changing to a different gearbox will mean changing to floor shift and the transmission tunnel is also probably small so a 4 speed from a later Cresta would possibly not fit without enlarging the tunnel there will also be a need for a custom propshaft, this is a lot of work.

My Mercedes is 50 mph max as the revs are already high enough then, the brakes aren't the best either, so 50 mph is probably enough, the same can probably apply to the Cresta. So maybe it's just a case of living with the Cresta being like my Mercedes it isn't made for high speeds. So long trips across Europe are possible but fast roads are best avoided and it takes the time it takes to get there.

[Angrydicky]

Looking forward to following the progress on this fit Cresta. Come on Cap’n, we need updates! 😁

[somewhatfoolish]

Jumpers for goalposts seats...

Would a later O/D gearbox fit? Not that they'd be much more available, but being able to use PA/B/C gearboxes would also make 4 speeds feasible even if O/D is unobtainable.

[captain_70s]

A period correct diversion from automotive goings on...

Girlfriend_70's 88 year old Gran is going into a care home.

She's been in and out of hospital for the last couple of years and otherwise been housebound, and Girlfriend_70's mother has been her sole carer as she refused to have anybody in the house. She has done nothing but complain about the quality of said care for the last several years despite being seen daily for at least 5 hours, having all her meals made for her and having the house\garden maintained spotlessly.
As far as I'm concerned a home is the best place for her, as she can be cared for and not have Girlfriend_70's mother run herself into the ground for nothing but 24/7 moaning.

Anyways, we've been helping to clear the house which is to be sold to fund her care, as the Volvo makes a good tip-run vehicle... She moved into it when it was newly built in the early 1960s and has thrown little away since. Naturally I've been looking to rescue any mid century tat that would otherwise be going in the skip...

I was given free reign over the contents of the garden shed which had been largely untouched since Girlfriend_70's Grandad passed away suddenly and unexpectedly around 2008, the day after his wife was given the all clear after undergoing chemo for cancer. We suspect he knew he was ill but hadn't wanted to add to the stress during the whole situation and as he was the only one in the household who could drive for ferrying his wife to/from hospital. He was an electrician by trade, a keen tinkerer and he kept an immaculate garden. He'd come home from work at the local colliery and immediately get scrubbed up and change into a shirt and tie for wearing around the house. That sort of fella.

Unfortunately the shed roof was largely theoretical and held together by the remains of the felt. It was probably wetter in there than outside, and populated by the biggest spiders I've ever seen in the UK. I rescued a few plastic containers who's contents weren't completely destroyed, a Flymo strimmer and a couple of cantilever tool boxes full of... Stuff. Some of it rusted beyond use, some of it still decent but I need to sort through it... Also a couple of powertools that will probably kill me when I try to power them up, including this 1970s Black & Decker jigsaw...

A few interesting things have migrated here from the house/attic...

This Bush MB60 was in the attic, still works. Is an early one from '57/58.

This Singer sewing machine was in the bottom of a cupboard - No idea what sort of era. Has an electric motor and foot pedal. Apparently it used to be on a trestle table back in the day but was reduced in size with a custom build box for practicality.

These folding chairs were found in the attic. Ideal for period correct car show action. They were apparently kept in the boot of the car for roadside picnics.

This mid 1950s Radiaray heat lamp also had to come home with me... Too much Fallout energy to resist...

I've also blagged a massive steamer trunk, but need to go back to collect it...

We also found a load of photos from the 1950s/60s, some from the 1930s of the great grandparents and a few Edwardian examples (including a chap dressed for WW1) who's identities are lost to time...

[N Dentressangle]

For sorting the rusty tools out I can recommend a bath of citric acid. Cheap as chips (£5ish for a kilo on Ebay) and a good soak will have things rust-free in a few days or less with a bit of heat.

Plus it's a weak acid so harmless, and you can chuck it down the drain when you're done.

[somewhatfoolish]

Teh internetz think the sewing machine is a Singer 15 but the serial number will confirm or deny.

[captain_70s]

3 hours ago, somewhatfoolish said:

Teh internetz think the sewing machine is a Singer 15 but the serial number will confirm or deny.

Found the serial no. , you are correct!

It's a 1903 Singer 15K. The "K" signifying it was made in Kilbowie, the factory in Cyldebank just West of Glasgow.

[captain_70s]

Further recoveries.

Girlfriend_70's Dad moved to Scotland from Derbyshire with this trunk in 1980.

A frozen in time toolbox largely devoted to household wiring judging by the contents.

This Ferguson portable telly was too sweet to leave...

A full cutlery set was nabbed. Likely wedding presents from the early 1960s

There were also some wedding present bedsheets etc that'd also never been used. A shame to bin them but they're never going to get used...

We also got a stack of 1950s 78rpm records, as I'm the only person who has a playback device for them!

We'll probably be the last custodians of all this junk, as we don't intend on having kids. 

We were binning loads of old 1930s photos as nothing is labelled and all the people pictured are long dead and forgotten, the industries they worked in long defunct and their homes swept away by redevelopment. We could only identify some of the stuff as Girlfriend_70's mum remembered her grandparents. 

A poignant reminder that realistically in two generations nobody will even know you existed.

[Dyslexic Viking]

Struggling to put it into words but there is something very sad about things like this, people who get forgotten and possessions that are just thrown away.

[MarinaJosh]

Very sad but great that some items are finding a good home rather than ending up in a skip.

The Ferguson TV looks like a Thorn 1590 chassis set. There was a previous version which was hybrid valve/transistor, but the 1590 was all transistor. Can be run from mains or battery so just the thing for ICE in your Dolomite. They are normally very reliable aside from problems with the tuner buttons latching.

The Bush MB60 is a very nice save. I have owned just about every variant of the TR82, but never an MB60, they are quite rare. 

 

 

[dome]

I had the same thing emptying my late cousins house as well as my parents. Lots of pictures from the 1930s onwards, most of which I shredded as no-one alive would know who the people were. I kept some that meant something to me but the vast majority got binned

[Matty]

1 hour ago, Dyslexic Viking said:

Struggling to put it into words but there is something very sad about things like this, people who get forgotten and possessions that are just thrown away.

Sad as it is, it's the natural run of things. Born, do your bit, die. Best to have a bit of a giggle and enjoy yourself in between 👍

[Tenmil Socket]

On 31/01/2025 at 18:52, captain_70s said:

A period correct diversion from automotive goings on...

Girlfriend_70's 88 year old Gran is going into a care home.

She's been in and out of hospital for the last couple of years and otherwise been housebound, and Girlfriend_70's mother has been her sole carer as she refused to have anybody in the house. She has done nothing but complain about the quality of said care for the last several years despite being seen daily for at least 5 hours, having all her meals made for her and having the house\garden maintained spotlessly.
As far as I'm concerned a home is the best place for her, as she can be cared for and not have Girlfriend_70's mother run herself into the ground for nothing but 24/7 moaning.

Anyways, we've been helping to clear the house which is to be sold to fund her care, as the Volvo makes a good tip-run vehicle... She moved into it when it was newly built in the early 1960s and has thrown little away since. Naturally I've been looking to rescue any mid century tat that would otherwise be going in the skip...

I was given free reign over the contents of the garden shed which had been largely untouched since Girlfriend_70's Grandad passed away suddenly and unexpectedly around 2008, the day after his wife was given the all clear after undergoing chemo for cancer. We suspect he knew he was ill but hadn't wanted to add to the stress during the whole situation and as he was the only one in the household who could drive for ferrying his wife to/from hospital. He was an electrician by trade, a keen tinkerer and he kept an immaculate garden. He'd come home from work at the local colliery and immediately get scrubbed up and change into a shirt and tie for wearing around the house. That sort of fella.

Unfortunately the shed roof was largely theoretical and held together by the remains of the felt. It was probably wetter in there than outside, and populated by the biggest spiders I've ever seen in the UK. I rescued a few plastic containers who's contents weren't completely destroyed, a Flymo strimmer and a couple of cantilever tool boxes full of... Stuff. Some of it rusted beyond use, some of it still decent but I need to sort through it... Also a couple of powertools that will probably kill me when I try to power them up, including this 1970s Black & Decker jigsaw...

A few interesting things have migrated here from the house/attic...

This Bush MB60 was in the attic, still works. Is an early one from '57/58.

This Singer sewing machine was in the bottom of a cupboard - No idea what sort of era. Has an electric motor and foot pedal. Apparently it used to be on a trestle table back in the day but was reduced in size with a custom build box for practicality.

These folding chairs were found in the attic. Ideal for period correct car show action. They were apparently kept in the boot of the car for roadside picnics.

This mid 1950s Radiaray heat lamp also had to come home with me... Too much Fallout energy to resist...

I've also blagged a massive steamer trunk, but need to go back to collect it...

We also found a load of photos from the 1950s/60s, some from the 1930s of the great grandparents and a few Edwardian examples (including a chap dressed for WW1) who's identities are lost to time...

Some nice items there. Did you save the model cars?

[captain_70s]

55 minutes ago, Tenmil Socket said:

Some nice items there. Did you save the model cars?

The photos are taken in my house, so any background tat is stuff I've already hoarded!

The cars are 1950s Dinkys, some were my Grandad's, others I've acquired since.

We're at the first point in time that a generation who had the ability to actually take a lot of photos are passing away.  A cursory glance around junk shops finds boxes and boxes of photos and slides.

[High Jetter]

Please don't junk those linens. I'd have them, rather than the bin. 

[captain_70s]

On 02/02/2025 at 22:26, High Jetter said:

Please don't junk those linens. I'd have them, rather than the bin. 

I never removed them from the house, so I suspect they've probably gone. I'll try and find out though!

In other news, now down to 0/4 working cars. A poor ratio even by my standards. 

Here is a round up.

Volvo 740:

Died from lack of electricity last night. First the radio started playing up, then the dash lights got very dim and the rev counter went nuts, finally it started coughing as the fuel pumps started dying. An ideal moment of having to pull off a main road with no indicators and a coughing engine as the last vestiges of power drained away with a car right up my arse blaring the horn.

Had no tools as the car had been emptied of it's usual contents for house clearing duties. Called @juular and @MrsJuular for assistance and they supplied some batteries and a multimeter which confirmed car wasn't charging. Seemingly the charge warning light is also dead. Limped to @320touring and @jaypee's unit and borrowed their battery charger for a while.

Convoyed the 13 miles home using the POWER of 21w sidelights with @juular in front and @blackboilersuit tailing me in case of sudden electrical death. Just managed to make it without having to swap in another battery, the one in the car showing 11.8v.

The alternator is still spinning and connected by the two wires it has, so I assume it has just done a died. Shall do some prodding after work.

The Acclaim is also dead, as it has no carbs. This is likely to be the first car that gets fixed as I reckon I can have it back together this afternoon.

The Dolly drives up and down the driveway but the recored radiator is not fitted - Mainly to allow better access to the timing chain. Shall try and have a nose at this today as well...

I guess having 0 fleet functionality is a pretty good motivator for actually working on stuff to be fair...

[EyesWeldedShut]

14 minutes ago, captain_70s said:

The alternator is still spinning and connected by the two wires it has, so I assume it has just done a died. Shall do some prodding after work.

These are identical symptoms to what my 940 did a while back - it was the alternator on mine. Gave up trying to source the correct repair parts and  went with the Polish company AS-PL's new offering - that worked OK* and I think the battery survived.

*I initially sourced a 'recon' alternator from a UK company and that was DOA.