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

[Scruffy Bodger]

Great to see you still cracking on with this. That sill section looks much better for capping off and I'm sure the bulkhead will do to. You've got the hard bit out the way now the prep is done.

[Christine]

Nope,  the hard bit is the subframe mounting point panel under the back seat.... and then trying to crowbar the subframe back in . Is the subframe sound ?

[SiC]

Nope, the hard bit is the subframe mounting point panel under the back seat.... and then trying to crowbar the subframe back in . Is the subframe sound ?

No idea on the back one. Front looks generally alright.

 

Rear subframe mount?

Well there is a hole big enough to fit my fist in!

 

I'll do this once I've turned the car round and done the sill on the passenger side. I can't do the sill to floor cover until that hole is fixed and any other repairs done to the rear subframe mount.

 

I'll drop the rear subframe at this point too so I do the repair from the underside. Not looking forward to it. A fight to get the suspension pipes undone and then subframe off. Then a rusty car above my head that'll be supported by a pair of stands.

[Christine]

Yes the vertical panel  . If you can still get the captive nut panel that goes right the way across the width of the car ,it'll be easier . The distance between the nuts is critical . If you can only get the end bits with the captive nuts , get the gap right between the nuts. A few mm out and the bolts wont go in !  

[SiC]

There was a stripped down and acid dipped 1100 on a trade stand at the NEC. I took a few photos of the rear subframe mounting area.

 

 

 

As a side note, the shell that they had on show was generally in better condition than my 1100.

[Christine]

That's it !    Christ , I'd forgotten how much they do like to rot .. Make a simple jig up from the subframe bolt dimensions ,bolt your repair parts to it ,  weld it in , both ends ,   and then remove the jig.    It's double skinned there too innit ?

[Mally]

As another side note, your welding is now generally better than theirs.

 

Welding trolley, hammer it straight, and bolt a plate on each side. two bolts each side of the bend

[Christine]

Casting my mind back 35 years , isn't there several shims that go in there too ? (To get the geometry of the back axle line correct ?  )  If it's wrong the car crabs ..

[SiC]

The ADO16 at the British motor museum at Gaydon.

 

Yes even that has rot holes and surface rust underneath it.

 

This hole in the sill on the right. I guess this is one of the factory drain holes that was talked about a few posts ago?

[Christine]

You'll need a thin spanner  to undo those bolts ,that's not a very big gap is it ?      They'll shear off anyway , or the captive nut will !!

 

 Ah,  I remember , you have to take the subframe out,  to be able to unbolt the mountings from the body . It's a pig of a job !     

[Remspoor]

I always liked the light-ish green used on Austin-Healey engines.

 

 

Phil

That is too much metallic or an original colour?

But what the hell this is not a 100% concourse restoration.

[richardthestag]

The ADO16 at the British motor museum at Gaydon.

 

Yes even that has rot holes and surface rust underneath it.

 

This hole in the sill on the right. I guess this is one of the factory drain holes that was talked about a few posts ago?

 

this and shell at car show = perfect approach 

 

loving this thread

[SiC]

I am quite partial to looking underneath at the frilly bits of any ADO16 I find around.

 

Here is a MG flavoured ADO16 I saw at a Haynes Breakfast meet a couple of months ago.

 

And of course underneath pics...

[SiC]

Peeing it down, so I did a bit of painting today.

 

I actually quite like the unpainted aluminium look. Shame it won't stay that way for long at all.

Etch primer

 

Third coat I got to generous with the spray can. Once this goes hard I'm going to sand it down and repaint this section. Will put some enamel paint over the top of this etch primer too.

 

Spent a good hour sanding down the timing chain cover and gave a zinc primer coat.

 

Sorry for the boring update today. Painting and waiting for it to dry isn't quite as interesting as body work or engine bits.

[anonymous user]

The engine cover is/was gold at some point!

 

 

Hmm ... Maybe a gold rocker cover with a black block might look quite nice?

I think I may have a chrome A series rocker cover if you fancy that go faster look

[SiC]

I think I may have a chrome A series rocker cover if you fancy that go faster look

Ooo bling. I definitely would be interested!

[SiC]

Engine colour - current thoughts:

• Clutch housing and end cover - silver/aluminium coloured enamel
• Block - Green
• Gearbox - Natural aluminimum
• Head - Black
• Rocker Cover - Goldseal Gold (Unless I get a shiny chrome one from AU above!)
• Tinware - Black

Why? Well I can't decide which to go for, so I'll paint each bit a different colour. As the car is such a mismash of parts anyway, it seems right?

 

Errr ... it seems right in my head right this moment but I'm not sure if it will once I actually have painted it...

[anonymous user]

I'll have a look for the rocker cover tomorrow, I think I know where it is, unless the poltergeist has moved it.

[Zelandeth]

Surely given the history of the car, the best colour for the engine is Cadbury Purple with white ancillary components, just to make the purists twitch at shows and as a nod to the car's story?

[PhilA]

That is too much metallic or an original colour?

But what the hell this is not a 100% concourse restoration.

Light metallic from the factory yes. Has the slightly oily finish like you get with Hammerite.

 

Austin Healey had all the parts green apart from the pulleys, which were black.

 

(But only on the week they had black paint at the factory. Then Frank found some other color in the back stores that wasn't too gone off, mixed it with some turps and they then had a slightly different green, and when Frank went on holiday to Skegness for the week, young Bert didn't bother with the black and had to cut Frank's new green with some blue from the paint shop because they were running low).

 

Paint it whatever bloody color you want to, that's what BMC did.

 

Phil

[anonymous user]

I have found it, it was where I thought for once (in a box with my "filing" from 2014). Chrome isn't too bad, the top has a bit of parcel tape residue which I could clean off if I wasn't lazy. If you'd like it pm me your address and I'll stick it in the post.

[Christine]

   Vanden Plas item ?  Have they got scene tax yet ?  

[SiC]

Thanks for this Anonymous User. Will be especially useful as the current rocker cover suffered in getting rather dented and bent. It happened when I first fixed the mounting lugs on the rocker studs as I was trying to get the engine out. Oops. Saves me trying to beat that back into shape with a hammer.

[SiC]

In other news, my wife A4 was in for a service today at my local friendly garage. I got chatting to one of the guys there about engine rebuild and in particular crank grinding.

 

Apparently there used to be over ten placed in Bristol that could do such machining. Now there is zero. However I was recommended these guys as really good engine builders who could help and sort me out. It's one of those places you can easily miss but all the trade use apparently.

https://goo.gl/maps/oKnkxEcXzuz

 

So popped down and paid them a visit. Was a proper old fashioned place staffed with two men in boiler suits surrounded in old, rebuilt and new engine blocks, heads and assorted bits. I even spotted a 1275cc on the floor (apparently all done & paid for but been sat there for 3 years not collected) and a B-series head (unleaded conversion done - £180).

 

They can no longer grind on site and they'll send it off if it needs doing. Polishing they can do on site though. For a full regrind of the journals they charge 90 quid and then shells on top. They can also fix/replace the buggered bushes on my primary gear. Block wash and paint it'd be 35 quid.

 

To start I'll get them the crank and they'll measure it up on the micrometer. Can tell me then first if the crank is shot or if it can be sorted. Then go from there.

 

Really tempted though to throw the whole lot their way and tell them to sort it all. Especially getting them to set the end floats and such like.

[PhilA]

They should attach a generator to Brunel's casket, he'd be spinning in his grave so fast around about now they could power the entire city.

 

All the machine shops closed up? Shame.

 

 

Phil

[dozeydustman]

I'd punt them an offer on the 1275 if it's a mini-type. I know not original to car but spare engine and all that.

 

Sad to see these old engineering shops disappearing. A lot of people aren't interested unless they can get things done 20 minutes ago.

[Remspoor]

Shame about the closures. but engines these days are unfortunately throw away. Plus imaging all the H&S and environmental regulations that would go with this sort of work.

[SiC]

The guy was saying that modern engines need to be much closer tolerances and more complex. So the equipment to do that is very expensive and you need to be doing a lot of them to justify the expenditure.

 

Did some more sanding and painting again last night. Redid the mess up on the clutch cover. Also started on the pushrod chest covers.

 

After a good 2 hours sanding it pretty much was ready for paint.

 

Painting in the cold isn't the best of things. I accelerated the drying process with a little fan heater I have.

 

Started on the other cover. This one is more complicated as it has a big carbuncle stuck on the side.

 

I know it's for emissions, but I can't actually remember what the outlet attached to. Will have to do some googling.

 

Unfortunately while sanding I found/made a hole in a rusty bit.

 

Will have to try putting a few welds on that and hopefully can repair it.

[PhilA]

Crankcase ventilation. That's the flame trap, pipe runs from that up to the big disc pressure valve off the top of the intake manifold on the 1.1

 

Phil

[somewhatfoolish]

Can that not be binned and a hose run off the rocker cover? Looks like it will be a pain to patch up.