21 replies to this topic

[jarm691]

Well crank and rods are balanced at MED, just waiting on Southam Mini now for the block work. Shell is part blasted so at the minute all of the big jobs are ongoing without me. Give me time to do the small fiddly stuff.

 

Tidied the rear light clusters up, changed the lenses to all clear, and added Spyder led bulbs.

 

 

Nearly finished cleaning the fuel tank down, once its ready it will get a couple of coats of cold galv spray. then black anti rust coating. Windscreen demist vents prepared and sprayed BRG. First coat of lacquer a bit dull due to spraying late in the day. Will recoat them in next couple of days.

[jarm691]

Some More Of The Little Bits

 

With a little spare time on my hands, I took the opportunity to refurb the steering column. The original was a bit tatty, the wheel boss was broke and attached with bluetac, the plastic shroud had a number of holes in where screw were inserted to hold the indicator stalk in place, and the steering wheel, a classic Astrali, was in need of a little tlc.

 

 

We stripped the entire assembly down. Took the steering column back to bare metal. Galv sprayed and rust proofed it before fitting new plastic bushes. The indicator and windscreen wiper stalks were replaced and a new plastic shroud fitted. The wheel boss and wheel were replaced by a Momo Prototipo.

 

I came across on this forum a member selling some cracking little alloy ends for the stalks, so took the opportunity to add them.

 

And also added a new DSN steering column drop plate. Like everything else I have purchased from them the quality is top notch.

 

 

And whilst I was in the shed I took the opportunity to finish topcoating the fuel tank.

 

 

Hopefully this week I can retrieve the crank and block etc and get the guys started on the engine rebuild.

[jarm691]

Impressed

 

Just got the aluminium parts for the gearbox, diff housing etc back from the vapour blasters. Look like new, now need to figure out how to keep them that way.

 

 

[jarm691]

Yay starting to move again!

 

Finally my block and crank/rods etc were ready to be picked up. A trip to MED to collect the crank and rods which had been balanced. Along with ARP bolts for the rods and crown wheel.

From there across to Southam Mini for the block. I had hoped to have the pistons fitted to the rods, but they had ran out of gas lol, so its across to another engine builder in the morning for them fitting.

 

 

My block after being acid cleaned, new camshaft bearings and oil galley plug.

 

Nice new set of lightweight Keith Calver pistons and my balanced conrods ready to be mated up. I also got a bit bored and cleaned my flexible ducting down, just on with spraying that BRG at the minute.

 

 

 

 

 

Once these are back to my engine builders I might start getting somewhere. The shell has been blasted, buts its 2 weeks before I can get it into the guy who is going to replace the panels etc. The custom leather interior hasn't been started and I need to sort a spray shop out.

 

All jobs out of my hands at the minute

Edited by jarm691, 19 February 2020 - 08:40 PM.

[jarm691]

Well, out flying one day, I got a little bit of abdominal pain, turns out my appendix had burst. Leaving it 4 days before going to A&E wasn't the best idea as it had gone gangrenous by then. A month in hospital saw me released just in time to be locked down due to a worldwide killer viral pandemic. As a result, my mini body shell is still stuck in the blasters, body panels are all stored at a mates and my engine is sitting in the engine builders. God knows when I can get back on to it. Engine looks nice though, the builders sent me a picture.

 

 

As soon as we all get released and  I can visit it I will have some images of the retrosport parts that were added.

 

[KTS]

sounds like you had a bit of close call there.  good to hear you're over the worst of it

[jarm691]

sounds like you had a bit of close call there.  good to hear you're over the worst of it

Smashing now thanks, to be honest the first symptoms was indigestion, it took 4 days before it really hurt, but I had a speed awareness course to take that afternoon, longest 4 hours of my life trying to act normal whilst I was in agony lol. Went into hospital with the world normal came out into a nightmare.