No updates for a month?

It's been to cold and I have been to busy.... lots of excuses as usual!
So I have done the next best thing which is to buy more spare parts. So yesterday I happened to be the winning bidder on a 308778 camshaft...This is the early saloon PI spec cam (and Vittesse/GT6) and should give a bit more oomph to the engine.

I am still on the lookout for Jtype OD parts, and have put a bid on on two mainshafts... still on the lookout for an adapter plate at a decent price.

No.1 on the "I hate doing" list

I have finally started the tedious job of cleaning up the underside of the car.
This is by far the worst job in DIY car restoration and takes forever. First up I soften the underseal/stonechip with thinners which makes the underseal easier to scrape of with a chisel. The remaining layers can then be removed with a cloth soaked in thinner.
I have tried mechanical removal with a wirebrush and a flap-disc but this doesn't work.

I have done most of the boot floor, which has had a lot of welding done at various times, with the new metal not being treated with anything other than stone-chip.. I need to get it as clean as possible before sealing all the joins. I am undecided as to the next coat as ideally the clean metal needs a primer where as the painted bits just need a new layer of stone-chip.. On the spitfire i covered everything in hammerite before applying stone-chip so this is also an option. Before I get this far I need to treat the surface corroded areas with a rust stopper, I think I might try the Bilt Hamber products which have just been introduced in Denmark.

Cables continued

The rear of the loom is now clipped into place, need to get some bulbs and test the lights! I also fitted the boot closing/lock mechanism... I had expected this to put up a fight but it only took 5 minutes... Only problem is that the lock doesn't work (Can't recall if it worked before the strip-down), I think maybe the key in the keyfob is the wrong one...I have an extra mechanism with key but it´s quite worn, so I might just get another complete unit or source the right key. For now I can open and close the boot lid, and I won't need the locking facility as long as the car is on jack-stands in the garage.
I need to spend some time aligning the bootlid (NOS replacement as the one had a rusty corner), and then I can refit the chrome trim.

 

Cables & Stuff

Wiring loom (from boot to connector under the dash) is ready to go in again... I unwrapped the wires and have re wrapped them new self amalgamating tape.. just need to do the boot lid wire which was still in my old boot-lid.. Pictures to come once I get some daylight at home.

I managed to buy a lumenition magnetronic ignition kit incl. coil the other day (saved a little on the current retail price) so this can go in the box with "bling" things for the engine..

I will hopefully start on the engine bay wiring soon, I have bought a couple of relays and some wiring to go with my cibies...

Dropping the rear

Today I unbolted the subframe (2  bolts securing the frame arms and 2 bolts securing the diff) and lowered it with no drama involved.
Prior to this I had removed the middle section of the exhaust as well as the propshaft.(they can be left in place) I had also undone the lower bolts which hold the shocks to the trailing arms. I had also disconnected the rear brakes.
With a jack under the diff. and scissor jacks under the frame arms I lowered the complete assembly to the ground. I now need to start cleaning the underside of the body and will be refurbishing the subframe assembly as well.

 

Back on the case

I have finally made a start on the saloon again.. With a tidy working space (car is now the only thing in the garage) I have jacked up the rear end to begin removal of the rear subframe. I will clean/refurbish this during the next months before refitting. The biggest task will be cleaning the underside of the body (easy access when everything is removed anyway) giving it a lick of paint and a layer of stonechip/underseal.

So far I have removed the rear silencer and next up is disconnecting the propshaft. Everything should come apart fairly easy as I had the subframe of during welding a couple of years ago.
I have also made a start at refitting components removed for the respray - first up were the rear light units. These have been completely stripped and cleaned in my new ultra sonic bath and then reassembled with new gaskets. I gave the brake reflectors a coat of "chrome spray" hopefully this should give a better glare than before.
The rear wiring loom has also been removed and cleaned up and will be re-wrapped in new wiring tape before being refitted. So all in all some small steps but a a decent moral boost!!

A little fresh air for Big-T

Had the saloon out in the open today for the first time in over a year...
I have hatched a plan to get the project going again and this involved clearing the garage to create some work-space..

It seems that both diff and gearbox seals have given up judging by the amount of oil on the garage floor, so I will probably need to renew these some time soon... adding to the list of things to get done on this marathon project...