Project Sharleys Random project thread - Reliant reliance

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Good man for taking it on. Don't break it though!

[Tommyboy12]

Stick a (second hand) piston in it. It's the AS thing to do!

[sharley17194]

There are some on eBay pretty cheap too!

[sharley17194]

Weather was pretty shocking over the weekend so i finally got round to welding my mums MG 1100, its a bit of a slow burner project but i need to get it out of the way so i can get on with my own stuff, id quite like to repaint kermit if i can. I will introduce another finacial mistake later in the week but for now its cars you already know lol:

This was before it got shipped off to ADO Restorations, they did alot of work but my mum pulled the plug opting for me to complete the work as im well, cheaper. Not knocking Ed id sooner the car staying with him he was doing an awesome job.

i cut the rusty metal out:

and welded in new:

Next job, rear arch

Here is the youtube video, please do subscribe, i really want to hit 1000...

 

[SiC]

I do need another ADO16 in my life.

[sharley17194]

There's a fair few out there still, i'm always surprised! I might sell my black tulip car if i can dig it out, i just don't see me doing it. I'd sooner do DPN 90K next

 

2 minutes ago, SiC said:

I do need another ADO16 in my life.

 

[SiC]

Yeah there is always some barn/garage find cropping out the woodwork. It sometimes feels like a never ending supply. I know they made loads of the things but so many were scrapped decades ago. 

If I get one, it needs to be at least usable or a weekends work to make it so. I need to sell my MGB to make room and I have the problem of too many big bodywork projects with my Midget and Dolomite Sprint. 

[sharley17194]

i know what you mean, i swore id never do another big project but here we are!

3 minutes ago, SiC said:

Yeah there is always some barn/garage find cropping out the woodwork. It sometimes feels like a never ending supply. I know they made loads of the things but so many were scrapped decades ago. 

If I get one, it needs to be at least usable or a weekends work to make it so. I need to sell my MGB to make room and I have the problem of too many big bodywork projects with my Midget and Dolomite Sprint. 

 

[sharley17194]

Think I'm long over due a Kermit post. This should be a really long post, sorry!

My tails of woe all started back with this picture and a really messy time, as you might or might not know i went through a particularly rough time when i lost my unit, one last push and the last car to come out of my unit was a revamped Kermit, he was cobbled together after the fire and dragged to Wales on the then annual Aug BH Welsh trip. Tasking it down onto black rock sands @Tommyboy12 got some cracking pictures and videos of the minis playing in the sea. This turned out to be both exciting and expensive:

On my way home i noticed the clutch starting to get heavier, at no point did i think to wash it, life just got in the way and eventually kermit got dumped into the tent:

Here it sat for a year until Tom and I decided to do NC500 in minis, i knew kermit needed some love so rebuild the brakes as they were rusty lumps due to sea salt and i replaced the clutch due to the same.

Engine seemed to run out, so i took it to work and the fly wheel dethatched from the crank running the crank. Annoyed by not deterred, i swapped the crank hastily for the one on the shelf using a mix and match of used bearings. Everything spun over ok but once in the car the engine locked solid. Annoyance set in and i just gave up, i ended up taking the escort which was super fun but i missed the mini adventure. Maybe not changing a h/g in a carpark but....you know

Fast forward to the back end of last year and Kermit has been out for nearly 3 years, Tom persuaded me that i realllly wanted to take Kermit to IMM Germany, i knew i needed a new engine and i'd an idea on the back burner for a few years ago. The Maestro block is basically a mini block and the auto minis use the same crank as a manual mini, so i decided to transplant the insides from the auto engine into a maestro block, fitting a manual mini gearbox. For those in the mini know that 1300 engines are insanely expensive but using my method above i could theoretically build a 1300 engine for peanuts. 

At the time Ian Mackenzie just happened to list an auto engine...

So taking the two i started to make an engine in my living room:

Spec was simple but should be effective. 

I couldn't get it to run right so Tom helped

But its certainly not looking its best so i gave it a wash:

 

That didn't quite do it so i gave it a quick drive way blow over...

Its rear arch had been missing since it fell off on the aforementioned Welsh trip, but i think you agree its looking much better!

Today was a major milestone, i had it rolling roaded at Sleaford Mini Centre and it made a healthy 76hp. 

And thats the story of how i got to where i am now and the next steps will be to drive to Germany!

[sharley17194]

oooo i missed I revamped the dash..simple but effective.

[sharley17194]

Today I secured the future of the AutoShite bike of choice, it all starts with a metro...

To answer FAQ -

Yes, this is financial mistake number 4

No, I will never learn

No, I've not told the wife

 

[sharley17194]

Replacement engine for the Rover25 arrived yesterday

[sharley17194]

In a weird twist of fate, I've been looking for a bottom end for the rover for weeks, one turned up 7 miles from my house for £40, so now i have two options for fixing the rover.

 

[sharley17194]

Took a run down to Mountsorrel from Nottingham to visit an evening car meet, it didn't end as i hoped!

I leave for Germany first thing Wed Morning, leaving just 1 day for fixes....

 

[Tommyboy12]

We will definitely make Germany!

[sharley17194]

Today I got all my metros in a line.....

 

..

[Noel Tidybeard]

is the silver metro some kind of prototype?🤣

[sharley17194]

hahaha its an imposter! 

It's also broken...if anyone wants a mk1 Partner. 

I had a really expensive day yesterday, popped to Leeds to buy the 4th magenta in my ownership. On the way back the partner developed a really noisey gearbox. Quick search on ebay and i've upgraded to a Berlingo....

[loserone]

Long test.  Where is the M49 and what engine is it? Turbo xud?

[Tommyboy12]

DW8 on that model. Which is just an XUD in drag

[sharley17194]

1 hour ago, loserone said:

Long test.  Where is the M49 and what engine is it? Turbo xud?

MOT was done last Thursday with no advisories, its the DW8 so non td 1.9. New one is 2.0 HDI....as tom says the DW8 is basically the XUD a gearbox should be easy to get

I'm in Nottingham...

[sharley17194]

Finally got a clear schedule, I have moved jobs and started my own company… randomly is anyone in need of a highly skilled IT project manager?  
 

I finally got into the autoshite bike of choice, @Tommyboy12 raffle win r25gti, turns out he burnt a lovely hole in number 4 pistons. Kudos to him on that one! 
 

lucky I pre ordered a new replacement bottom end…hoping it have it running again this week

[Tommyboy12]

In my defence. I wasn't banging it off the limiter *that* much 😅

[sharley17194]

Well you put a hole in the piston....

[comfortablynumb]

Bit of JB weld & it'll be reet.....

Maybe 🤣

[sharley17194]

As some of you might have guessed, if @Tommyboy12 purchases something odd, i have to go and match him...

[Matty]

3 hours ago, sharley17194 said:

As some of you might have guessed, if @Tommyboy12 purchases something odd, i have to go and match him...

This is going to be some road trip 👍

[sharley17194]

I started to look at my Red Rocket and realised im missing quite a few parts:

• Window Mech
• Air filter box
• Column switches 
• just odds and sods everywhere really

So i purchased a spare car....as you do! At least @Tommyboy12 and i now have parts if needed

 

I also put my metro in for an mot the other week and it failed on a couple of really minor items and 1 major, the minor items were things like Headlight aim and rear fog not working. The Major issue was play in the rear radius arm. I thought i could just fit a new bush kit but turned out the arm was mullered:

nice and oval

I managed to find a metro in a local scrappy and purchase the rear subframe. 

Rather than swap the full subframe i decided to just the fit the arm.

I did have a minor issue with the new arm as the rear brakes were shot, but i managed to salvage the brakes off the old arm which have already been to an mot, here is the cylinder I removed:

 

So now its onto the robin....first issue the pedal is stuck to the floor:

2nd issue i have no rear brakes at all....

[Tommyboy12]

You ridiculed me for finding no rear shoes on my Reliant! How the turns have tabled!

[sharley17194]

31 minutes ago, Tommyboy12 said:

You ridiculed me for finding no rear shoes on my Reliant! How the turns have tabled!

reliant 2.0 has them so i'm still 50% up.