What a mucky job

Well I had a bit of time today, free from the rigours of work for a day, and able to spend some quality time with my new love.  Today was the day that I got down and dirty with the rear suspension.  Some jobs I enjoy on restorations , and some I spend most of my time wishing that I had already finished them.  Its a sort of masochism based upon the old premise, that its a dirty job but someone has to do it.

The first mistake that I made today was that I used up 10 pairs of surgical gloves.  Everytime the phone rang, I had to take off my bright green marigolds and then they turn inside out you have to dump them.  Well I suppose you could turn them outside in again, but you would likely get more oily than if you had not bothered to wear them in the first place. So an expensive day on the glove front. 

Second, pain in the backside was that whilst most of the nuts, bolts and split pins on the IRS came apart with gay abondon, the circlips holding the Universal Joints in were mostly seized in their slots.  This entailed much handling of the greasiest bit I have found on the car to date.  In may ways, I am pleased to see that the car had been well serviced prior to being laid up as the grease was plentiful, but it does make for a horrible job.  Anyway, all my tools are now covered in a nasty mix of rust and grease and will require a thorough cleaning before using them next. 

So , we now have the IRS in bits, the diff ready to go off the reconditioners, and I am now going to have to order a whole load of new nuts bolts and seals to put this unit back together.  But hey.  what else could I be doing with my time,  I mean who wants to be Spring Skiing in the Alps anyway?

It really is an Independant Rear Suspension

With one of the rear metallistic mounting rubbers broken, I imagine my IRS unit brings a whole new meaning to Independant Rear Suspension.  Anyway, I have started the strip down of the IRS with the target of getting the diff unit off to be reconditioned, blasting and painting all the rusty bits and plating all the steel that needs toi look shiny!   So far its all coming apart easily enough just greasy and mucky job.  Quite rewarding though to be getting rid of all the gunge with a wire brush and some paraffin.  Here are some interim photos,

The thing that worries me...........

is that when I was a little lad, my granny had a toy shop..Yes seriously!  Every trip to the toy shop resulted in the latest Corgi or Dinky toy car or truck.  I had the lot, but there again, if you cant eek a free toy car out of your Granny when she owns a toy shop you werent showing very good form were you?

Anyway, I had a habit of taking all the rubber wheels off my cars, and losing them.  I think I swallowed a fair few, but my dear father reminded me of my habit of pulling things apart and sure enough a quick look in my toy box at my parents home confirms the facts.  Most of my toy cars were wrecked and in pieces.  Oh dear, as I have now dismantled my rare survivor E Type into goodness knows how many parts I feel the hand of responsibility on my to get it back together quickly!  Things always come apart quicker than they go back together though.

So todays efforts resulted in the front subframe coming off and now I really feel she is making headway.  Not long now before I can get the body off for restoration and start on the IRS. 

Down and out

Well having arranged for the wife to go to London for the day, it gave me a good few hours to struggle with dropping the engine and box ( not literally)   All went as it should apart from a tricky job with the torsion bar plate which must have been in there since 1962.  Took a very welcome break to have coffee with my mate Trevor who was very keen to help but came without his overalls again!.  Going to buy him some so as I can catch him out next time!

Anyway, here are the piccies and maybe the front subframe off tomorrow

You should never look in cellars or lofts!

Well as promised I removed the IRS unit from the E Type today. Looking under ones E Type is like looking in ones cellar or loft.  Not something one should do!  Its never a pretty sight, and my beloved E is no different Yuk!  I hope someone is a good welder.  And a fairly unpleasant job it was too!  Well the only bad thing about it really was grappling around on the floor of my garage in the dust with bits of rust falling in my eyes and hair.  Good fun this restoration game.  Pretty straight forward though really, a few rusty bolts to take care of with the angle grinder and my cutting disc but all in all it was easy.  The only tough bit was that the front radius arms were seized onto their mountings but they came off with a judicioius use of the right foot.  The IRS looks ok, but someone has taken a short cut for cahnging brake pads and cut open the aperture in the body above the axle.  I have to say , that the flip side of buying such a wonderful old motor that has been off the road for so much time, is that much of what I am undoing is pretty dry and rusty.  That said it comes off eventually.  Clamped off the rear brake hose but not sure I should have bothered as it doesnt look like there is any brake fluid in there.  Anyway,  I am enjoying myself, keeping out of mishief and dreaming of flying over the Great Train Robbery Bridge.  Lets make a date!  Anyone who feels up for it, I will take her upto Leighton Buzzard when she is done, and we can find a nice little pub for some lunch afterwards.  Great Photo opportunity. Cheers

Contact with the past owner and IRS removal, nearly!

I managed to speak with the long term owner of my E type today.  He bought this car when he was 24 years old in 1965.  bought it from Camden Motors of Leighton Buzzard, and just fell in love with the colour, a bit like me really.  Recalled being taken for a very fast test drive by the salesman over the bridge where the Great Train Robbery had taken place at bridego bridge less than 18 months earlier.  A real trip back in time for me that.  I was two!  Anyway, he has photos which he is going to dig out for me, not of the Great Train Robbery , the E type.  He owned the car until 2009.  He recalled how good the HMV radio was with its super long aerial.  He also recalled how he traded in an XK150 for it which he had bought from Donald Campbell no less.

Anyway, back to the present , I am working on taking out the IRS unit at the moment, which is not proving to tricky, just dirty and crawling around on ones back under neath the car,  is making me feel my age.  I used to do this sort of thing all the time, but now I am wondering whether its a good idea!  But loving it really.  Photos soon

Its coming to bits now!

I have decided to get on with the strip down as quickly as practical, and so today, the bonnet came off , the air cleaner, carburettors , radiator, header tank and various bits and bobs.  Mostly all the screws are coming off easily.  The car has the usual rust and I have to say the front subframe looks like its past its best to be honest.  I had always factored in that I would buy a new front end.  Its just not worth the risk of running a fast car like an E Type with a dubious front end.  Anyway,  I am working towards getting the engine and box our next.  I did spend a bit of time yesterday and got the engine running.  Its sounded really quite good and was on 6 cylinders. It gave the project a heartbeat as far as I am concerned.  Just wondering about who to get to rebuild the engine.  I may well do this myself yet, but I am of the opinion that with the various developments that many of the better engine rebuilders now incorporate, it may be best to sub it out.  Plus they have all the tools on site to machine, so all I would end up doing would be re assembly after having the machining done.  We will see.  Also, thinking of sending the carburettors off to be refurbished.  Anyone know who does the best job of these?  Want them back all polished and linkages plated etc. 

The Strip down starts

Well after looking at the E Type for a few weeks, today I started the strip down.  Out with the seats and centre console, radio panel etc.  The car has never been apart, its pretty obvious from everything that I am taking off.  The gearbox would only select 1st and 2nd.  this was because the swivel union on the top of the selector tower was seized.  I took this off and free it off, but it afforded me the opportunity to take a look at the gearbox which looks like it is mint.  There is no wear whatsoever on the selectors and the inside of the gearbox is pretty much mint.  I only hope the syncros, such as they are on e Moss, are as good as the rest of it looks.  Here are some photos .