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

[SiC]

I'm surprised the likes of ExPressed in Keighley haven't done a few ADO16 panels, I know their Ford parts are arserapingly expensive

They do but like you said, they are not cheap! Think £302 per half floor for a panel.

 

Supposed to be excellent quality though.

[sloth]

my old man bought a 71 1300 new from his local dealer, resplendant in shite brown. it lasted to 1979 when it went for mot and the front subframe was described as "non existantt and falling out." dad had already welded up the floors and sills. 8 years. imagine a 2011 golf doing that....

 

rip wat737j

[lesapandre]

my old man bought a 71 1300 new from his local dealer, resplendant in shite brown. it lasted to 1979 when it went for mot and the front subframe was described as "non existantt and falling out." dad had already welded up the floors and sills. 8 years. imagine a 2011 golf doing that....

 

rip wat737j

We had a 72  Austin 1100 new. Rust round the headlights by '75 - traded in in 77 while it was still in one piece! It was that kind of thing that drove buyers away from BL product.

[SiC]

I had a spare two hours today to finish off the passenger side mount. Took a bit of fettling to get the floor high enough to meet the mount area. It had bowed a bit after welding it together. Cut a couple slits in which allowed me to bend/bash the necessary bits back up.

 

Loads of clamps as that's all that is holding it together.

 

Then welded and grinded.

 

Just needs some paint to finish up now. Also a quick plate on the top bit as it's all a bit thin there now.

 

Hopefully the subframe will fit back in the right place again when coming to fit. I did try measuring it and attempt to get things in the correct place. However it's not an easy thing to do on your back and by light. Proof of the pudding will be the remounting.

 

Before I can do that, I need to get the rear mounts on the boot floor done.

 

Driver's side looks like this

 

While the passenger side looks like this

 

Passenger side mount is not the correct shape or size at all. Causing the passenger side to sit too low. Driver's side mount is very crusty indeed.

 

Plan is to cut the drivers side off and use that as a reference template. Then make two replacement ones of them on the bench and then weld them back on. While trying to get them back in exactly the correct location.

[Anglevan]

Doing a grand job, always felt guilty for scrapping my 1300 years ago. Glad you're saving one....

[purplebargeken]

Bloody good work mate, going above and beyond.

[sharley17194]

Well done! Thats cracking work!!! 

[SiC]

On Friday I will have owned this heap of shit for a year would you believe. A full year of it cluttering up my drive. Also happens to be the same day as the start of summer this year. Not sure anyone can believe that given how crap the weather is.

I remember when MikeKnight delivered this and he made the remark that it'll take at least a year to finish. I secretly hoped it'd be done much before that and be ready for this summer. Unfortunately with the house purchase problems, I lost a lot of time idling waiting to move. Incidentally that still is being a absolute nightmare. Three houses in the last two week we've managed to loose out on. Part of the reason why Vulgalore got rid of the car was because he was supposed to move - all of which fell through. Maybe the car is cursed?

Now the MGB is (currently) behaving itself, I need to dedicate more time back on this. Metal work is still the number one priority. Literally zero work has been done on the car since my last post here and this one.

So today I went out while it was still dribbling with rain to start on these rear, rear subframe mounts. Drivers side is present and correct, but very weak. Passenger side has a bit of steel roughly welded in the right place that is completely the wrong shape.

Plan of action today was spend an hour or so in trying to remove the drivers side mount. This will be used as a template to fabricate two new ones.

Pretty crusty as you can see.


The otherside of the boot floor has been welded up by Vulgalore. It appears that he did a very good job and it's very watertight. Shame the water ended up on the wrong side!


5 minutes with the wet vac later gives you an idea of this area. As the mount is double thickness on the floor, I didn't want to cut the boot floor out too.


This bit of cleaning and cutting gave me a chance to use my new toy.


Being typical Makita it's a lovely piece of kit. Biggest difference to my 20quid mains grinders is that it's so much quieter and there is far less vibration through the handle. Still noisy, but a much less harsh noise. Apparently sounds like cutting wood according to Mrs SiC inside. Hopefully less offensive to the neighbours too! (Had no complaints about the metal work as of yet though)

I wizzed over with the wire brush to clean off the underseal and rust, so I could see what I was working with.



Then attacked a side plate. Unsurprisingly (on this car) the plate is over a section that has rotted through. No real concern on this though, as the rest of the boot is solid.



After a bit of cutting, I got the rest of the spot welds/puddle welds off by using a wood chisel and a hammer. Brutal on the chisel but effective in cutting through the steel.


The mount in all its glory.




The mounting area doesn't look too bad to be honest. After going over with a flap disc, this will look alright. However I need to mark down where the subframe bolt locations are, otherwise it will be futile trying to get the subframe back on again.



Still a shite load of work left to do but one step closer. I really ought to invest in a metal folder so I can properly fabricate these brackets. Not sure my old workbench can take too much more hammer and metal bending abuse.

[Amishtat]

Good on you for keeping on keeping on though. Doesn't a year fly by? 

[vulgalour]

There might be more than my repairs on that corner, I can't recall if I took out a plate there, or joined up to it or if that was the other side.  Like with other bits, it doesn't look so scary once it's all apart.  A year on, my house move is happening now, just not in the way it should have been and not into a bought house, so the curse still lingers.

[purplebargeken]

The offer of my metal folder is still on the table but it is just getting it to you mate.

 

[crapcarcollector]

Fantastic update


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

[SiC]

The offer of my metal folder is still on the table but it is just getting it to you mate. 

I do really need to get a folder! Which one is yours?

I was looking at them in Machine Mart, but didn't decide in the end and now the VAT free voucher has expired. Tempted with their metal working machine thing as looks very handy while being compact. Still don't really have room for something like that though.

This thing: https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/clarke-sbr305-3-in-1-universal-305mm-sheet-me/

[SiC]

Got on with making some new brackets today.

Started out by making rough templates of the original. Then transferred them to metal and cut them out.

I forgot to take pictures of the intermediate steps, but it's me basically cutting the bits out and then using my work bench top as a metal working dolly.

After an hour or so of faff I ended up with this lot. Still need to fettle them into a final shape and weld them together.

This is the sort of thing that I need a proper metal folder. Something like the Machine Mart metal working machine would have helped allow me make a much better job of this job. As it stands, I have a pair of brackets that are proper amateur hour.

Also you may notice that I have two identical brackets. What I will tell you is that I did them identical as one was a practice. It wasn't at all that I realised I should have done a mirror copy of one as I took that photo...

I'll just try bending the one that isn't as accurate the other way instead. Ideal for making those corners nice and hard from the work hardening of the metal!

[purplebargeken]

It's Machine Mart I think, had it a while, it's vice mounted.

[SiC]

Got these brackets finished tonight.

Cut a new top piece out to fix my mistake and made a mirror version of the bracket this time. The other side I chose the one that came out better.


Then got on with welding it together. Haven't picked the torch up for a good few months now and it shows.


Also burnt my cheapy workbench. Did it straight on there at first and the inevitable happened. Then put a fire blanket down and worked off that. The fire blanket fused itself to the back and also burnt. So ended up having the corners I working on off the end of the bench...

Pre grind


Post grind. One came out better than the other.


Also note that one hole is slightly on the piss. Oops. Hopefully shouldn't be a problem and if it is, I'll just die grind it as a slit. It's how the factory one is anyway...


At least I got reasonable penetration through though


I give myself a 4/10 for these pieces. Functional, but not terribly accurate or pretty. It's on the bottom of the car, so not a massive deal. I just need to up my game when I need to finish the top side body work bits like the arch repair panels and bits of the door skin.

Or do as best as I can, then plaster on the magic filler to cover the warped panels and messy welds ...

[purplebargeken]

Strong over pretty any day when it comes to this stuff mate.

[stuboy]

On 6/18/2019 at 10:38 PM, SiC said:

Not sure my old workbench can take too much more hammer and metal bending abuse.

i had a 10 bomb proof door step that was great, so long u did hit urself in the foot

[SiC]

Fixed up the final bit on the mount area today

Cleaned up with the grinder


Made a piece to fit




Welded in and painted


Poured too much paint, so ended up finding more things to paint


Needed holes putting in the new piece so the subframe can be bolted on.


I drilled a hole with the expectation of using my die grinder to finish off. Unfortunately the die grinder bit was wearing out quicker than it was cutting through.

Instead I used my finger sander and quite a few belts to cut through. Worked much better than I expected. Backup plan if this didn't work was to whack the welder power up and blow holes around the metal.


Debating whether to put welds around the holes or just throw paint down and be done with it. Still need to put a patch back in where I cut an access hole anyway.

By this point it was around 1pm and 30c outside. It was getting a bit too much to be fully PPE'd up and working under a car. So packed up for the day.

Tomorrow I plan to bolt the rear mounts to the subframe and then try to line it all up. Hopefully it'll be roughly in the right place. If so, I'll then weld the rear mounts on. I don't think it will work if I weld the mounts on first as pretty sure I'll struggle to get it in the right position. Also need to make sure it's straight. Get this wrong and I'll have a wonky mounted subframe ... and end up crabbing along the road.

[MikeKnight]

Awesome progress mate. Genuinely mean that. I wouldn't have the patience.

I'm surprised you got anything done today, I've spent this mini-heatwave laying in my bedroom trying not to die from a combination of heat and sneezing my brains out through my nose.

[spartacus]

Yeah, full marks for being out with all the clobber on for grinding and welding. I was mowing the lawn in my boxers and I was roasting!

I think you're doing an ace job, each time I see the title I worry you've had enough and want to move it on but then I remember the thread is a continuation. It'll be worth it, I don't know about financially because I don't know what these are worth, but it's such a pretty car, the first time you drive it when it's done I reckon you'll smile for a week.

[SiC]

26 minutes ago, spartacus said:

each time I see the title I worry you've had enough and want to move it on 

I haven't changed the title as I would love to move it on! My patience and enthusiasm for this is wearing very thin now. If anyone wanted to take it off my hands for sweet feck all and could promise they'll continue working on it (rather than using the engine for a Mini), I'd be over the moon.

I'd much rather have the MGB in its place and working on that to get the last bits sorted on it. Also several much easier & more interesting projects have come and gone that I've seen for sale, which I have missed out on as I don't have the room for anything else. Stuff like Spitfires (with GT6 engines), Jenson Healeys, Dolly Sprints, etc. Just seeing them come up and me knowing I can't go for them makes me hate this car.

In fact there is a Dolly Sprint I've spotted for sale that has my name all over it and I would have snapped it up. Just there is zero room or storage that I have available for it. Not least that there is relistically another 3 to 6 months of work left to do on this. 

I was looking at it today and think there is still a fair amount of work to be done. In an effort to get it finished and get an MOT (end target) I intend to keep the work to the minimum while making it safe. E.g. the wheel arches I won't put the replacement panel on yet, I'll clean up and join the two halves together instead. The front wings I won't replace, I'll tack the bits hanging off back on instead. 

Once I get the rear subframe back on, there are a few bits left on the body. Off the top of my head: Rear arch to sill piece, lower front wings attach to body, a few patches on the floor and sill to floor closing panels.

After body it's going to start involving a lot of spending. Stuff needing buying: engine rebuild, wiring, brake pipes, brake master, front caliper rebuild, displacer hose replacement (hoping that the rears are still good), windscreen rubber + replacement (from grinding dust), headlights (a sealed beam unit has blown), etc.

 

TL;DR still loads still to do, money still to be spent and I hate the sight of this car. Please someone take it off my hands and finish it!

[spartacus]

Ah...

Well, it says even more for your resolve that even bearing in mind the missed projects that you're still soldiering on with it. You have my respect!

[sharley17194]

I keep wanting to take this back on. But I'm rammed to the rafters with the damn, things. It's like a retirement home for old 1100s here. 

 

You should keep going tho you've done a, cracking job so far and it would seem a shame for it to not be finished! 

[sharley17194]

when i first picked her up!

[SiC]

24 minutes ago, sharley17194 said:

when i first picked her up!

You could repeat this scene once again if you wanted to have her back!

What happened to the rear screen heater? You can still see where it was on the rear screen. 

[sharley17194]

I'd love to have this back. 

[SiC]

Looks like there will be a Part V. 

Not quite sure how to feel. Very sad and disappointed that I am not the one getting it on the road. However I'm happy that it's going to somewhere that has the highest probability of being finished. 

Hopefully I've done enough work now for it to be justified to survive for a good while longer.  

[LightBulbFun]

7 minutes ago, SiC said:

Looks like there will be a Part V. 

Not quite sure how to feel. Very sad and disappointed that I am not the one getting it on the road. However I'm happy that it's going to somewhere that has the highest probability of being finished. 

Hopefully I've done enough work now for it to be justified to survive for a good while longer.  

im sad to see this era come to end

but you did a fantastic job at it and well done on saving it when most others would not, im happy to see another old car saved from the scrap heap  

what do you think is left to get it road legal/through a MOT do you think?

I hope its staying in the fold

[purplebargeken]

You have indeed done a shed load of work and have become a competent welder due to this car.

I am sure whoever has it will carry on the great work.