[budetta]

Well it was midday before I got going, life got in the way as over slept , got stuck behind some idiots that shouldnt be on the road, stopped at mums to see if she was okay and the my sister turned up. Some days you just cant win, had a quick look under the daily on the outside 4 poster as it due for MOT Thurs. Any way made some exhaust mounting brackets, welded a plate on the chassis to tidy up/strengthen the notch in rear chassis (ran out of 2mm plate so only did the one) welded the tabs and drilled the holes for the ABS wires from front hubs then after drilling 2 holes in top of chassis and rebating the edge of the existing hole fitted the fuel lines. Th

ink they will be fine with heat proof sleeve and an alloy cover.

 

[budetta]

Woke with a stinking cold, bugger. Still dragged my sorry arse down the unit , cut down the landy bump stops and made 2 out of one, made the plates for the front brake hoses to locate in and welded them into place. Made 2 more exhaust hanger brackets out of 10mm stainless bar and then stripped off all the suspension. As soon as I have the plate, exhaust hangers and joining sleeves I can finish the exhaust off then the engine can come out and chassis finish welded .

 

[splitty66]

That’s a lot of small jobs done,final chassis welding is a big leap forward then prep and paint,then all newly refurbed parts added, well done .

 

[budetta]

A bit more done today, cold is easing . boxed in the strut towers and ran a fibre wheel over the chassis to remove loose paint and dirt , well the bits I could get at. Ran out of stuff to do (well I could have cleaned up the diff case but its not urgent) so back home doing neglected chores.

 

[mygasser]

did you say you're adding a strut brace between the front shock towers?

 

[budetta]

Yes , its not as strong as I wanted unless I can find someone to do a very sharp bend on 30 or 40 mm cds.

 

[mygasser]

is there room to weld a flitch plate inside the bends? that'd stiffen it up.

 

[budetta]

Might use that chrome moly tube and just do a cut and shut bend, not the best look but strong.

 

[mygasser]

and still add flitch plates inside the corners?

 

[budetta]

yes dear

 

[budetta]

Well thats the exhaust fully TIG welded, now my eyes are knackered after 4 1/2 hrs . fitted it back on and it still fits! so took it all back off again and put it into storage . Engine lifting frame fitted so first thing tomorrow it will get lifted out and the frame flipped to finish weld.

 

[splitty66]

Ohh exciting, finishing the welding, seriously though, what a milestone in a build.

 

[budetta]

2 days so far welding , cutting and grinding. I am well knackered but its almost done, exhaust notches middle and front to do and front crossmember/rack mounting plus a few snagging jobs . Need some flap discs to knock back some sharp bits of weld but most will be left as is .

 

[budetta]

Last bit of underside welding done this morning , still have a bit to do for the rack / column notch now the rack is lower. It will have to be done when chassis turned back over but have painted the bottom bits of frame , 2nd coat tomorrow . Have stuff on for the next 2 days so time for it to set and then put a

coat on the upper bits.

 

[Taxirod]

Nice to see it in paint. You're getting there!

 

[budetta]

Well the hardware has turned up, brake hose and clips and brass T connector for rear brakes and the stainless bolts, nylock nuts and large washers for body mounts . Waiting on studs for rack mounting , hope fully turn chassis over in the morning and finish weld the front bit then its out with the paint brush again. Well thats after fitting a rivnut for the T piece.

 

[budetta]

Well dears the notch was welded for steering rack pinion, now the column is an inch short (mutters something rude) still that can wait for the suspension to be fitted/finished. The T piece I ordered came as a straight connector so used that to make front to rear pipe easier to make and it secures it . Spent ages yesterday looking for the UNF brake pipe connector that I found before , found it today in the packet of UNF brake pipe unions (Homer moment) so made up all the rear pipes. It is a four way one so bleed nipple works to block that, its a good job I have UNF unions and nipples (matron!!) .
Waiting on some heat proof sleeving to come and then cha

ssis ready to have the body fitted.

 

[budetta]

And yes its Hammerite , well the original that I put on 40 years ago was still fine in 98% with just a few bits of surface rust.

 

[mygasser]

nothing wrong with hammerite, i've painted a few complete undercarriages with it. needs a well ventilated area or you can get a bit lightheaded and have a headache later.
neil.

 

[budetta]

Today I might have a go at fitting body back to chassis, main trouble is lack of room in unit for all the bits and its gravel in front of the doors so trolleys just sink in. Then I need Dave (that I rent unit from) to move a car so door can be fully opened . Then I need to move my lads Honda with no front suspension onto the lift , more faffing with a wheeled platform under front subframe. Once that's moved I will have loads of room to work on stuff.