I'm still here, but something is missing

The last 10 days has been a bit hectic to put it mildly, and whilst I have been getting on with bits and bobs on the E type other family matters have conspired to keep me tied up.

Anyway, can you spot the difference in the photo?

All the front suspension!  I broke one of my rules, and decided that whilst the rear suspension was underway, I may as well get along with stripping the front suspension and refurbishing that ready for refitting.  The thing I have always found with restorations is that there are a few quick wins that you can achieve quite early on in a project and they bring the vehicle to life and give you something to look at that is nice and shiny.  Getting the IRS done and finished will be one of them, and getting the various front suspension components blasted and plated will be another. I am thinking of putting the finished items in my bedroom so I can look at them when I go to bed. 

Anyway, down to basics, the rear axle, or differential was dropped off in the West Midlands last week for a complete refurb by a specialist.  My Goodness it weighed a ton, and as I dropped it off after the factory had closed for the day, I had to leave it with the security guard.  Not to worry , he was there to give me a hand getting it out of the car.......he held the door open whilst I struggled up some steps and into the office with the thing.  Ah well, anyway, its a 3.07 diff which I think is pretty high for an E type, we will see in due course no doubt. 

I also dropped off my Moss gearbox to be refurbished.  The initial view was quite good as the front layshaft had very little play on it, so maybe I have one with little wear.  Lets hope so.  So the plan is get the IRS done, the front suspension components restored and ready to refit and the gearbox done and ready to fit.  Oh, and the heater box.  Well, its such a nice relatively easy job to do, so I stripped that down as well.

For anyone interested , the front suspension came apart pretty easily, except I managed to snap one of the bolts that hold the top wishbone spindle tight. I was so annoyed as I took more time with the other three and they all came out easily.  As my Dad says, make haste slowly son!  Well he was right, I was rushing and it ended up costing me dearly.  I then broke a screw extractor off in the broken bolt.  In over 30 years of messing around with restorations, I can tell you that I have NEVER managed to get a broken bolt out with a screw extractor or easy out!  The problem with them is they expand the broken screw into the thread even more that it was before.  Anyway, after this little mess up I decided this was one for the experts, getting a screw extractor out of a broken bolt is a job in itself!  It amazing, I found an engineering shop just around the corner from me, who got this out and cleaned out the thread in less than 3 hours.  £30 well spent I think, and a new friend who can do amazing things. Currently they are making new engines for Vincent 1000 Motorcycle replicas.  A vey useful contact!  Anyway, the E is making progress and I am loving it!  More soon