Started on the Chassis Painting
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Well, the front at any rate...
All it took was a day with the angle grinder's wire brush attachment, and generous splashings of POR-15 paint. I've been waiting for a handful of cheap bits from Canley's for over a month, and it doesn't look like they'll be appearing any time soon, so the suspension rebuild will have to wait for the time being.
It's hardly the same effect as shot blasting and powder coating, but it'll keep the rust and the MOT tester's crayon at bay.
Posted at 19:33 | Comments (0)
Got The Engine Out This Morning
Sunday, March 5, 2006
I hadn't originally planned to do any work while it was out, simpy aiming to make life easier for tiding up the chassis, rebuilding the suspension and taking the body off, although I thought I might change my mind if it turned out to be a headache. However, it was a lot quicker and easier than expected, so I'll probably stick it back in and wait until I have more time to get it rebuilt.
Let's hope I can remember how it all goes back together...!
Posted at 13:19 | Comments (0)
One of My Latest Toys
Wednesday, March 1, 2006
I got home from a trip to Chichester with work, only to find a very large parcel dumped on my doorstep. Went inside, put my things down, and went back outside to bring it in. Adopted the correct lifting position, got a good grip, tried to stand up, but didn't go anywhere. Oof. Rather a heavy one, it seems. Cue a rather bewildered look as I noticed the 150kg stamped on the side of the box. Probably my engine crane, then, though I wasn't expecting it to be quite that heavy! I then also noticed the large messy trail where the delivery driver had simply dragged the parcel through my neighbour's flower bed rather than up my path. He must have saved himself all of 3 metres...
Once I'd removed all the parts individually, put on a hat to protect me from the snow and armed with a cup of tea and a socket set, I set to work. Not an overly complicated construction, but the weight of the various parts makes it a little more awkward. I had to put it together down the side of my house, as I was worried it wouldn't fit through the garden gate, but once finished it actually folds up a lot smaller than I expected. If there wasn't a car in the way at the moment, I could probably store it at the back of the garage.
It's capable of lifting two tons, which is obviously overkill as my entire car is supposedly under 800kgs, but it should come in handy none the less. It's got a great range of extension, so I may even see if I can use it to lift the body off with it - probably not the most stable way of doing it, but it might work, we'll have to see. I'm hoping to get the engine and gearbox out in the next couple of weeks so I can finish rebuilding the front suspension and brakes and get the front of the chassis tidied up.
The snow wasn't settling very much, but it was cold none the less - a nice cup of tea only helps so much... particularly without biscuits.
The arm folds right into it's stand, and the legs from the central wheels to the furthest out wheels detach with the removal of four pins, so it's easy to store, and it will in fact fit through my garden gate sideways, so at least I can stick it by the back door with a tarpaulin over it!
Posted at 16:10 | Comments (0)
