project Infrared collection thread. Goodbye, Farewell, Amen. 22.5.20

[sutty2006]

Let’s put an end to that eh? .... found some 2mm thick steel

[sutty2006]

More work done today. Yesterday I finished that patch on the sill with seam sealer, black chassis paint then wax oiled the living shit out of it. Also stuck the waxoil gun in the hole at the front to fill the cave with protection. 
 

so today I’ve started on the left rear. It’s a mess. Leg off, nothing snapped (which is a miracle) but when I took the broken spring out I was greeted by a huge twat spider. If I’d known he was there I’d have steered clear of this motor all together. Bastard things. 

[sutty2006]

So the struts rebuilt with a new spring. Top mount seamed ok. Could have replaced it, but then again, I’ve spent waaaaaaaay more money than it’s worth now so fuck it. If it’ll go again, it’s going again. 
 

Merlin agrees

 

then turned attention to the brakes. Oooohhhhh what a kurfuffle. Replacement rear calipers supplied with car are wrong. Bugger. And I’ve just spent half an hour cleaning and painting one. DOH! 
 

 

ST rear calipers must be bigger than standard mondeos. But not by much. So I’ve resorted to freeing the old ones off, and this one has, luckily. 
 

 

going to leave that one till morning then re-lube and test again. Handbrake cables are shot, so it’s going to need new cables aswell. 
 

now. The rear strut top was a huge concern this morning. The amount of surface rust was scary and I had a feeling I’d be pulling the plug on this project if they were rotten. I took my hammer to the underside of the strut housing and gave it a right good seeing to. No holes, just surface rust. So that’s been cleaned off, seam sealed the top bit again as the old stuff fell off, then applied some chassis black. Will hit it all with waxoil before refitting the strut. 

[sutty2006]

Turns out the smaller calipers are from a post 2003 facelift Mondeo Hatchback. Earlier ones had the larger caliper. 

[sutty2006]

If there was one thing in life you could reverse doing, it would be spending lots of money on this car before I fully pulled it to bits. With the weather being hot n not windy, I’ve removed both rear wheel arch covers to check and clean up. Back end of the passenger sill has gone. Fixable. Along with a hole in the arch around a trim cover mount. Also repairable. However. When I took the offside cover off I found more than I bargained for. The chassis leg has severely deteriorated and I’ve put a hole in the leg. This is an area where I can’t even get a grinder in to cut it out. And being the chassis, I don’t want to start plating weak metal. Failing that it’s cut both sections of rear chassis out and replace. That’s not going to happen. So it looks like N99JLM has hit the end of the road. I genuinely am close to tears, I really wanted a summer hot ford to steam around in (next year thanks to c19) and for all the time and effort I’ve put into it....it’s a real shame. 
 

this is the offside rear leg that runs alongside the fuel tank 

the other side hasn’t gone through, but is severely weakened again. 
 

 

the rear of the left rear sill. Repairable. 
 

 

and the inner arch again repairable. 
 

 

absolutely gutted. ?

[Tenmil Socket]

Gutted for you mate ?

[Tenmil Socket]

Moral of the story is don't invest time and money into a Ford until you've checked the chassis. Hope you find something else soon...

[sutty2006]

Yup. Only myself to blame going gun-ho before checking crevices. I won’t replace this project. I’ll break it and put money towards my 76 manta hopefully. 

[Floatylight]

Gutted for you!

Sent from my SM-A505FN using Tapatalk

[Andyrew]

That's a shitter, it was looking concerningly crusty as the thread progressed. 

Hope you can recoup your money in parts. 

[AnthonyG]

Wow, I didn’t these were that bad for rust, how much of it is due to the plastic sill covers do you think? I guess the chassis rail rot would have happened regardless ?.

Sill covers or skirts always seem to be a bit of a curse to any car fitted with them once it’s over a decade old.,,,

[sutty2006]

If I’d left the wheel arch trims in place you wouldn’t have seen it. Nor the sill covers because they cover a lot of that section of chassis. But because I like things to be right, I took the gamble. And I lost. Currently sat in the living room having a good long chat with myself. 

[N Dentressangle]

That's a real arse. I never knew those could rot so badly. 

[sutty2006]

Me neither. But I remember post facelift 53 plate and onwards had better bodies, then 55plate onwards they had better doors. Rust has done its typical thing. I’ve been thinking of ways to resurrect it, maybe buy a dremel and some small grinding bits to chomp away at it. But I’d really need to to drop the fuel tank and lines (because petrol) and start removing the leading radius arms etc etc and then this? 

 

 

[spartacus]

Oh my! This is a great thread to drop in on to see how things are going, this has obviously put a dampener on things though. That's really bad luck, more so because you were doing the right thing, if you'd have left those covers on your have been non the wiser. Commiserations Sutty.

[sutty2006]

non the wiser until large bits of it fell off and it failed MOT on a fuck load of welding. I suppose that’s how a lot of modern cars get it...... with all these plastic covers.  I’m going to have a break from it for a day or two. I feel defeated, and I don’t like that. We will see what happens. Genuinely got a little depression going on here . 

 

[N Dentressangle]

Yep, have a metaphorical coffee and fag and come back to it. You might think of a different way to tackle it. 

Also, it's only a car. These things bother me too more than they should, but it's all fixable at the end of the day. You'll get it sorted one way or another. 

[stuboy]

u come this far... can it be saved

[fordperv]

Put the engine and bits into a 1.8lx for shits and giggles but leave it looking pov spec

[paulplom]

I'm sure you can get a dremmel with a flexible attachment thing. I've seen your skills. This is easily doable. There isn't really a cost, just lots of labour.

And we have plenty of time on our hands.

I'll chip in for wire and gas if you keep it up.

[Matty]

Plus one to this. Don't get put off, if it's just tin and time then look at it as a project. There's about as much value and common sense in doing this as there is in painting the back bedroom or putting in decking.  Nobody would think you were vaguely strange for doing either of them two things so why not do this? Good luck sutty ?

[dome]

Was just catching up on this and was just about to post what a great job you're doing til I got to the end. Gutted for you. Hopefully you can fix this one or use the parts in another so all your work doesn't go to waste.

[scdan4]

18 hours ago, sutty2006 said:

 buy a dremel and some small grinding bits to chomp away at it. But I’d really need to to drop the fuel tank and lines (because petrol) and start removing the leading radius arms etc etc and then this? 

 

 

 

Wot a pisser, but the cans now open.

Get on with it and get that tank off. It’s a ball ache but well within your capability. 

You certainly can’t throw it away without having a try. 

 

[sutty2006]

I think I may have a go at repairing it. What else can I do other than sit in the living room watching it on the drive? I’ve taken the trailing arm off and begun cleaning the leg up. It’s quite thick in places, but where the rot is is really thick. I think this is an outer skin with some strength in it. Die grinder arrived this afternoon and some bits the main grinder will get to. I’m A nice big thick 2mm plate over all that should be sufficient. I hope. 
 

 

 

Y Tho? 

[sutty2006]

Nope 

 

 

[sutty2006]

These strut housings/wheel arches have had it. 
 

 

[Semi-C]

1 hour ago, sutty2006 said:

These strut housings/wheel arches have had it. 
 

 

Ooo y’fucker, if I didn’t know any better I’d have assumed this was my mum’s old B11 Sunny. In 1994.

My deepest condolences.

[Andyrew]

Christ that's crispy.

Time to walk away from this One, 

[sierraman]

It’s fucked, once the body has gone like that it’s Roy Orbison. Sadly you’ve found out after spending a feckload getting the engine straight. You could pick up another with the usual bollocksed 1.8 engine in and swap the shell across? I have a less rusty Mk2 shell if you feel like embarking on a bit of a hybrid. 

[Hertz]

Fucking bastard! Has this lived by the sea earlier in it's life? Sorry it's kicked you in the knackers after all that hard work.