project Marshalls 1979 GS (and other shite) slow progress but the pipe dream continues and big clean up

[Marshall2810]

Turned up to work and found this on my desk - so much better for a clean. My mate has very kindly managed to get all four connectors loosened by soaking and persuasion, degreased, de flaked, kurust covered and primed.

I'm all out of stone chip so I'll be able to do this and the cover, when it arrives to tidy them up.

[Marshall2810]

I managed to get a couple of coats on the master cylinder and its cover yesterday to tidy them up a bit

Today the time has come to try and remove most* of the troublesome pipes on the cit. Primed with coffee and aldi chocolate oaties (recommended) we made a start...

One of the rear pipes ended up being a bit of a bugger. We've done well so far and hadn't broken off any bolts until now. As meatloaf said, two out of three ain't bad. 

a bit of mobile vice action followed which proved futile so will need to try some heat

One at a time we got three of the four main pipes off, a couple of others that go to the brake master cylinder and two shorter ones.

being short my mate resorted to some mild acrobatics to see the final pipes connection. 

the last of the four hard lines looks like it goes vertically into a junction with three rubber return? lines. This is a really flexible section and was surprised a hard metal line joins into what looks like a load of returns. 

the haynes makes no mention of it so have no idea what its called. It looks like it has an old ligarex strap over it (as do the other three) and the nut must be underneath to connect it to something. Wierd, very wierd.

As that all looks original and to avoid disturbing all the other returns we're probably going to try to use a join to repair it further down. If it leaks then we've got the pipe to do it again it's no biggie. There's plenty to do with the other lines so there's no rush to get it done.  

I'll report back once the pipes are made up. Then we can begin refitting and getting it back together again.....maybe 🙂

[Marshall2810]

Did a bit of degreasing the underside of the engine area earlier.  Looks better without the 1/2 inch of grease on the top of the front cross member although it may also be what's helped it survive! Not very sexy but necessary. Pleased with that for a first going over

[Marshall2810]

Not done too much car stuff over Xmas for obvious reasons but continued the degreasing of various bits of the citroen. Had to abandon mid sesh yesterday due to getting an inch wide clob of grease in my eye. Washed it off and cleaned up, put the telly and had a seriously hot and burning lower eye lid. Short trip to hospital confirmed the gunk I'm using is caustic soda and isn't pleasant.

I'll have to wear goggles to protect myself from my own stupidity in future. 

Anyhow I can confirm between using it in a spray bottle and white spirit being brushed on it's cleaning things up a treat. 

Before

After

And fixed a couple of broken clips

Small things but it will make life much easier when it comes to reassembly

The area where the brake master cylinder lives is much better now

The last of the pipes have been removed at the rear (so we could copy the S bend exactly for the other three)

This one is a metal line but actually a return which confused me for a while and is a proper work of art. The new cupro-nickel pipes are much more forgiving, easier to use and hopefully fit. 

I'm told all the pipes, joins, flares and fittings are now ready at my mate's house and in the new year will update how we get on when we begin putting it back together.