Pick up Restoration (Part 2)

[davidmiles]

in this case its the front of the wing to front panel holes, Ive dropped the wing by making slight adjustments to the bolt holes, now its sitting at the right height, but my front panel is out of alignment.I'm beginning to wonder if the front panel is too small for some reason.[frame][/frame]

[davidmiles]

there's 40 mm between these holes on this side (offside uk), but 45mm the other side, so I'm still going to have to adjust the front wing as this prooves its at fault. In this picture you can see the bottom hole is way out too, that wing can be teased in to match up though.

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[davidmiles]

They were so nice and tight too. The bolt holes on the front nearside pattern wing may need some more tweeking[frame][/frame]

[davidmiles]

By the expression on Gerry's face she knows somethings not quite right, mind you she doesn't even know there's a frog on her head so why pay any attention to her[frame][/frame]

[davidmiles]

Picked up my bead blasted Generator bracket, cooling fan blade and spacer. Nice matt medium grey,perfect surface for a new coat of paint.[frame][/frame]

[davidmiles]

And here is one of the five wheels Ive had blasted, they're narrow car wheels for the time being, Ive got only three of the wider LCV wheels, so the thin one's will do for now.[frame][/frame]

[davidmiles]

the first coat of acid etch primer on one side of the wheels, once they have dried off in the sunshine, they'll get the middle areas done and then the inside surfaces that face the drums.
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[davidmiles]

then a coat of red primer[frame][/frame]

[Dean]

Just a thought David, have you done a dry run with the bonnet in place? It will take two people to fit (and it's a pig in my opinion), but might be worth it just to make sure it doesn't foul the wings when lifting and dropping before painting anything.

[davidmiles]

Ive thought long and hard about wheel colour, black wheels look good on a pickup, they add contrast to the silver nave plates and give a real retro look. Here they are with the first coat on one side. It takes quite some time to work wheels, theres a lot of surface area to cover, both sides with their complex curves and shapes, then the rim in between. Blasttreat charged me £12 a wheel thats £60 smackers for the five. I understand now that 12 quid a wheel is not unreasonable.
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[davidmiles]

Sorry Dean I missed you posting as I was in full swing on the wheels, yes Ive trial fitted the bonnet and not without hitches, it swings up and down catching the wings, I think it needs moving forward slightly. My biggest body headache at the moment isn't the bonnet its the front panel to wing front hole fit. I'm having serious trouble making them all fit together. Ive removed the front panel wondering if I can coax the inner wings in a bit.[frame][/frame]

[hotrodder13]

how many coats of paint did you put on your wheels can i ask ?? just when i did mine i put 6 thick red oxide coats 6 primer and then a lot more black and its still really easy to damage the paint from a can

thanks

[davidmiles]

well I'm not too bothered Hotrodder, I'm going to swap them over in the future for wide Pickup wheels, I just want them to last the first year or so, how long did your DIY wheels last?

[les]

David, if you don't have trouble fitting a front assembly/wings etc, you're not working on a morris minor!

[Dean]

Another idea then is to try the front bumper valance, this will give you an idea how good the shape of the front wings are at the bottom. If they are flared at the bottom, you won't get the valance around.

[hotrodder13]

mine have lasted 16 months and have just a cople of marks were they fitted the valves but they do get dirty quick

[davidmiles]

Yes indeed, Dean your quite right about the outward flare of the wing lower front edges, I'm wondering how much torque Ive got in these to allow themselfs to be twisted slightly inward to meet the front panel and conform to the bumper valance. They feel strong but there is some limited movement there, just dont want to crease them![frame][/frame]

[Dean]

That's the reason why the front valance won't fit then. Some how you will to find a way of pulling the bottom of the wings in. I've never done it myself but could some rope looped around both indicator lights and twisted bring them inwards? You'll have to find a way of stopping the rod you use as a twister from unwinding though and smacking you in the face. When they are closed in enough, fit the grill panel with long bolts and release the rope. The grill will then hold the wings in position, over time the wings have enough plasticity in them to release the pressure.

[les]

There is a drawback in pulling the wings in, and that is, the gap between the front of the door and the rear of the wing at the bottom will alter.

[davidmiles]

Oh well I'm back to sharing the duvet with the horse, I'm sure I'll find a compromise, Like you say Les, wouldn't be a Minor if it was easy. Something else you said earlier about there being no rubbers on my track rod ends got me looking closer, they are very worn, so I got new old stock ones. They look great, can you tell me if the thread is different on either side or the same left off right on? The king pins are threaded differently so I wondered if these are. And the originals have grease nipples on their upper surface and these NOS one's don't. [frame][/frame]