76 replies to this topic

[Mr Frosty]

Here is my fourteen year old sons 1971 Clubman estate.

Sure it won't take long to put together? 

 

 

 

The car come in boxes and has 95% of the bits to put it back together. The engine is a 1275Gt and has been rebuilt.

The car is a little bit of a bitza with non standard wiring and running gear.

 

 

 

 

Have managed to over the last few weeks to build the frames to rotate the car and do the rear end including rear of the arches valance.

Need to re-skin the doors next and sort out the A panels and front end.

 

Once i get a few pictures off my son i will post some more  

 

 

[silve1999]

looks like a lovely solid project! 3 years to get it running then?

Edited by silve1999, 09 September 2015 - 08:11 AM.

[Mr Frosty]

I hope a little sooner as i want to play with it first!!

If he lets me that is?

 

It was a solid unfinished project which is why i went for it but there are lots of half done jobs which need attending to.

Its a family project with my son getting practical experience and my 70+ year old dad (Grumpy) pointing and tutting.

[minimissions]

Looks like a nice build welcome to the clubby estate owners :) Watching this one you got a good solid early estate so win win :)

[Mr Frosty]

I will get some more pictures up unfortunately the car owner my son has got loads of video and not may stills.

He is more interested in doing youtube videos usually featuring my not so photogenic face.   

 

 

Most of the rear end together just a bit of tidying up to do.

[country clubman]

Does look a nice project on a spit and a nice size garage that'll make things quicker and easier. I bet you'll get it done before mine, looks like they always go in same places as see your doing a lot of what I'm doing.

 

I notice the rear valance doesn't look a genuine one, as the none genuine ones don't match up with the corner as well, I tried the m-machine rear valance after they convinced me that it was as good as a genuine one! needless to say it was sent back, I think it is always worth going for the genuine panels where possible to save time on fitting even if you have to pay more.

 

Good luck with it, sure it'll be running in no time, by next summer?

[Mr Frosty]

Thanks 

 

The car came with the brackets for the spit but i made the A frames. Had to teach myself to stick weld again but once i had a decent auto shield and did a full electrical service on my Dads oil filled welder it was just the job. Placed the car a little higher than the normal spit but it helps with the repairs.

 

The project came with most of the panels required. I agree original panels are the way to go but unfortunately limited a little on Budget. All the important panels eg wings A panels and door skins are genuine.

Not sure next year it will be finished but making better progress than i thought. It helps that my son has the same liking for an angle grinder as myself.

 

This is my lunchtime project for a while.

 

 

   

[Mr Frosty]

Spent Sunday on the car. Had time to look at what i have in boxes and have highlighted a few more half done jobs on sub-frames and hubs but needed to get the shell finished.

due to not having any confidence in panels lining up i needed to look at the doors. One was a repaired frame no skin fitted but had a new Heritage panel. The second was the drivers door that had the bottom third of the skin removed and a repair panel sort of fitted?

 

Started with the passenger door checked the frame and the skin all ok so cut sound proofing to size and fitted to the door skin.

aligned the skin and clamped in position. Welded in all the right places and got down to the folding over of the edges.

To say I was not looking forward to this process is an understatement. What i nightmare all that hammering and stress that you are going to damage the front surface.

Tried to get my son to do the folding but he is far to clever to fall for that one.

After a small break for tea and bacon it was complete and not to bad.

There is a small bit of ripple on part of the lower edge but once painted you would have to lay on the road and look down the car to see it. Please with the result as panel beating is not a skill i would usually want to take on.

 

 

 

So having done the first one i thought the drivers side door should be a walk in the park.

The door had had the lower third of the skin removed and a repair panel sort of fitted.

removed the hinges to find that the fold of the repair panel had bee ground off and this exposed the rust, removed the repair panel to find  the bottom of the door frame to be more rust than metal.

Looking at the panels i had i found the repair section so proceeded to cut out the rot and prepare the door for welding.

 

 

At this point it was early afternoon and the call of Magnor's and rugby was getting louder so will have to come back to it next week.

 

Need to order a new skin for this door before i can complete it.

 

[Mr Frosty]

Got bored at lunch and made some of these to help with the ongoing panel repairs.

 

 

 

[country clubman]

Hey, they look good but making them with standard box section and just cutting a slit in it as ones you buy in shops might work better, but the ones you buy in shops are expensive for what they are around £20 for 5! another welding clamp which is much cheaper you might be interested in is british skin pins at http://www.lasaero.c...le?id=X01A0QWGL the blue ones 5/32" around 4mm only 57p each! take the plastic off and make a small metal square to replace the plastic or a 4mm nut drilled out, or the plastic melts if weld close to it.

 

How is the welding going, does the power go down enough to weld thin metal with your Arc welder or is it a challange if but welding?

[country clubman]

Hey, they look good but making them with standard box section and just cutting a slit in it as ones you buy in shops might work better, but the ones you buy in shops are expensive for what they are around £20 for 5! another welding clamp which is much cheaper you might be interested in is british skin pins at http://www.lasaero.c...le?id=X01A0QWGL the blue ones 5/32" around 4mm only 57p each! take the plastic off and make a small metal square to replace the plastic or a 4mm nut drilled out, or the plastic melts if weld close to it.

 

How is the welding going, does the power go down enough to weld thin metal with your Arc welder or is it a challange if but welding?

[Mr Frosty]

Hey, they look good but making them with standard box section and just cutting a slit in it as ones you buy in shops might work better, but the ones you buy in shops are expensive for what they are around £20 for 5! another welding clamp which is much cheaper you might be interested in is british skin pins at http://www.lasaero.c...le?id=X01A0QWGL the blue ones 5/32" around 4mm only 57p each! take the plastic off and make a small metal square to replace the plastic or a 4mm nut drilled out, or the plastic melts if weld close to it.

 

How is the welding going, does the power go down enough to weld thin metal with your Arc welder or is it a challange if but welding?

 

I do have some box section here so if I get bored again I my just do that.

Thanks for the link will get some of those skin pins or i may be able to get a few from Coningsby when I visit in a couple of weeks.

I did not manage to do any thing to the car this weekend but will get to Sunday.

Still need to order the door skin and the sling support brackets so will concentrate on finishing the bits i have parts for.

 

Welding is going OK just need the practice as I don't get to do any at work.

I haven't considered using the Arc welder but that would be worth a go.

It is an old oil filled welder which is probably older than me,(seventies child) I gave it a full service, remade all the cables and it works well. It can be powered right down as it has two outputs and 15 settings in each.

I may just bite the bullet and get some mild steel wire and a bottle of gas for the tricky bits.

[Mr Frosty]

Not had the Time to get to the car so have done some more to the wiring loom.

Replaced the old fuse carrier for an after market one with blade fuses.

 

 

 

Finally got some new connectors to replace the old bullet connectors and have realised that i have missed a couple of wires for the side lights so will need to cutback the loom tape and redo.

 

 

Connector above is for the additional spot lights which i have added to the loom with appropriate relays, fuses and isolation switches.

just need to finish the connectors and attach appropriate tags as I will forget which plug is for which by the time I get to fit to the car 

[Mr Frosty]

Managed a full day on TET Saturday.

Finished off the rear end welding fitting the rear valance corner pieces.

 

 

 

Fitted and welded the lower door repair panel, ground down and prepared. My son then applied two primer coats and two spray coats ready for the new door skin when i order it.

 

 

Next we fitted the passenger to check the aliment which is a little interesting as the car is upside down when working on this side due to access.

the "A" panels are not as yet fitted but offered it up and only needs a little work. the window frame fit is good as well as the door catch edge.

The seal is not so good it is tight at the A panel end and at least 20mm gape at the other,

Made a few adjustments with a piece of wood and a precision alignment tool (1 pound lump hammer) got it a little better.

Tried to cut the end of the seal out to re-align but got a little frustrated and had a small hissy fit.

 

 

 

New that buying some one else's unfinished project would leave me with a few tidy up jobs but now I have to check all repairs to ensure alignments before finishing any jobs.

 

Decided in the cold light of day that the door seal/step has to go to allow me to start again. Cannot have it not straight it will bug me every time I see it so more panels required.

Need to remove the rest of the seal/step before tidying up the metal work to fit a new one.

Shame as the one i have to cut out is a new one just fitted badly. will need to see what state the drivers side is in when i get the door finished.

 

 

[Mr Frosty]

Ordered some new panels and await delivery.

Started to look at some of smaller tidy up jobs and let my son loose with the small grinder to remove the peppered section in the inner wing.

He made a decent job just need to fill it back up.