Spring In My Step

Progress has been a tad slow I’m afraid but I’m still pushing on and making steps forward. My last few tinkering jobs have been to strip and clean the rear drive shafts along with the rear leaf spring. 

The drive shafts I have simply stripped down to component form and given a bloody good clean. I will be replacing all the universal joints, bushes and bearings etc… then tarting it all up and rebuilding. Having followed a similar process for the Cobra build this was really just a straightforward process and considerably easier now I have a bench vice. I have noticed during the strip down that the rear brake drums are odd and in a poor state with considerable amount of pitting and corrosion internally, so these will both be replaced along with all the rear brake components. I also have noticed that on one side the wheel studs are stripped a good few threads. Whilst I can’t recall how much effort I used when removing the wheels I sure as hell will not be taking any risks when torquing up the new ones. So another job to add to the growing list and more parts required. 

I have also finished pretty much all the stripping and cleaning jobs for all the running gear now. I have genuinely lost count of how many hours I have spent wire wheel and brushing everything and removing so much crust and grime. Most of the dust and grime created by doing this I think I have also inhaled and digested so I can’t say I’m sad to see the back of all this really. I intend to give all the running gear the same texture finish as the chassis so I’ll be doing that after I have all the bits for the chassis now, as I only want to do one more session and a one litre kit should be enough to cover it all. With it being a 2k product it’s not like I can do half and just pop the lid on for later down the line when I need it. So with everything stripped and cleaned I have just blasted everything with a good coat of black etch prime to help protect it a little, however I should get a top coat on fairly quickly and certainly before the end of the year when the damp air returns with its cold and misery. 

So with all the running gear awaiting its topcoat and rebuild I had to decide what to do about the rear leaf spring. The original unit to me looked ok and although old and cosmetically poor it looked functional with exception of a missing shackle. I decided to look into just sending it off for a full refurb and rebuild and I found a company round the corner from where I work who I thought would be able to undertake the task for me. 

I haven’t got any images of the leaf spring when it was removed off the chassis, but tired is how it could best be described. I started hedging my bets and looking for a replacement from various suppliers and found that a brand new replacement spring would be in the region of £120 so with that in mind I was upfront and honest with the local company stating I could get a brand new unit for that price. Getting them to give me a price to refurbish my original spring was like getting blood from a stone, keeping in mind they only refurbish leaf springs day in and day out. I dropped it off to them and said what would be ball park cost? Just curious if I was wasting my own time more than theirs….. nothing just a woolly non commitment answer stating they won’t know until they strip it…… frustrating people!!! I left it with them under the illusion they would do what they said, however over a week passed and I heard nothing.

I ended up during the down time doing some research on leaf springs and specifically the brand new units available through various Triumph parts suppliers. I also put the question to the spitfire owners forum if they would rather refurbish or replace if it was them. I’m sort of glad I did ask as a lot of consensus was that the new replacement spring were not of the best quality and were a poor fit. The leaf is apparently to wide to fit on the diff and in the pivot box and the overall length was a tad long knocking out all the suspension geometry, so probs best sticking with the original then. 

After nearly two weeks I had heard nothing from my refurb company and I was starting to get a little miffed with the constant brush offs and pie crust promise of a call back. I was told when I dropped it off it would be a week turnaround…. Once they had assessed and priced the job….. and I still didn’t have a bloody price!!! 

I eventually spoke to someone who said it’s been looked at and the spring was far from good condition (shock, I’m sure they find 90% of the trade in mint condition and no work needed….. I must have been the exception) but they said it would be £150 to fully refurbish my leaf spring. I thought that for the sake of  £20/£30 it would be a safer bet in the long run to stick with the original spring as opposed to risking a possible bad fitting new one, so I gave them the go ahead and again was told it would be a week turnaround. So after another longer week with a bank holiday thrown in also I was chasing them and asking for an update. Only to be told that because I haven’t paid then nothing has happened to my spring whatsoever…… frigging useless tossers, if I had been asked to pay or it had even been mentioned during the previous communications (all proactively coming from me) then we wouldn’t have been having this discussion now. So I begrudgingly paid and was told yet again……… a week turnaround. Bloody incompetence tossers. 

During the weeks whilst waiting for spring I was reading up on the Spitfire club about upgrades people were making to their springs in terms of nylon wear pads located between the end of each leaf. These were strongly advised from most members and reading up on another fellas Spyder build he was having issues with a saggy bottom so to speak, and these would/should stop that happening. So I ordered a set and they have been sat gathering dust along with some new bolts and bushes etc… waiting for my spring back. 

Eventually the call came to say come and collect my leaf (about bloody time) and I the spent the evening rebuilding the unit back into the pivot box along with adding the poly bushes and nylon wear pads. This task was only possible with the use of the bench vice and copious amounts of swearing but after some hard few hours head scratching and bits flying across the garage it was done. A thoroughly fiddly task but satisfaction of getting it done and popping it back onto the diff/chassis ready for the next stage, and it now looks great and the chassis is one step closer to rolling again.

My next update might be a while…. I have a family holiday to pay and participate in, along with the onslaught of life expenses in general so there might be a gap for a bit……..

Good things come to those who wait…… I hope. 

The Build Officially Starts

So its been a few month since I’ve given you all an update, mostly due to low funds and not enough time in the day. 

Also winter is a barbaric time to be in the garage messing on with lumps of cold steel covered in forty years of grease and grime, however progress has been made and the first part has been reinstalled back on the chassis, so the build has officially began. 

The chassis when we last updated was sat awaiting a media blast. It is a good strong chassis with zero rot or rust, but forty years of road grime and oil etc.. so a good clean was needed. Round the corner from where I work is a fella who does a lot of media blasting and is very much a fellow petrol head. After a few chats with him in regards to the pros and cons of acid dipping against blasting I agreed that a blast and prime would be the best medication for my chassis. So for the grand sum of £180 he has blasted my chassis and covered it in a etch prime ready for the top coat to be applied. 

The top coat finish has been in my thought process for some time now. After speaking to many people in the body shop trade and arguing the toss over epoxy vs 2k etc… I settled on a product called Gladiator that is actually designed for a pickup truck bed liner. It meets my desired criteria in regards to finish being satin as opposed to gloss and it is also easy to touch up or blend in with it having a texture finish. I did also want a texture finish as opposed to a smooth finish like the Por15 product that I finished my Cobra build parts with, keep in mind that the final car has the majority of the front suspension exposed and visible so it needs to look good and not slap dash finish. Attention to detail from the start! So with the chassis sat in the garage finished in the primer I was keen to get a protective top coat on ASAP. My garage is not at all damp or dingy but primer will absorb moisture from the atmosphere and whilst spring is in the air, summer weather is still far far away. This top coat product is also extremely durable and hard similar to a powder coating, and for what the car will be used for I can’t see it giving me any issues further down the line. 

I used two litres in total of Gladiator bed liner for the full chassis and some of the suspension components. At around £20 a litre it is extremely cost effective if you have the capability of applying it yourself,  which I do and so no further labour or body shop costs. I gave the full chassis a first coat through a 1.8 gravity gun at about 2bar using about 30% thinners. Then the second texture drop coat is applied using a schutz gun at the same pressure but without thinning. 

  Next up I had already given the differential a good clean and covered in a 2k satin ready for fitting, and the theory for the diff is exactly the same as the Cobra build, if it’s not broken, don’t fix it. Whilst I’ll be doing a fluid change and checking the play I’m not going to spend anything on getting it rebuilt, it’s not that hard to change the diff for a replacement unit if needed later on down the line, however this unit is more than acceptable with its tolerance so a tart up and on it will go ready to rip up some tarmac…. Hopefully. 

After a few good hours to cure off a little I’m extremely happy with the quality of the finish and coverage of the product. I will need another litre later on so I can finish the rest of the suspension and running gear in the same finish along with the front anti roll bar mounts that will need changing on the chassis. The original units have split previously and been welded back so I’m intending to “beef” them up a touch for a tad more durability. They will need fabricating and welding onto the chassis later on when I get time. 

Another reason why progress has been a tad slow is the funds side of things. I have had some savings I was willing to put towards the chassis however I have been making some investment purchases in terms of a 180amp gas mig welder which I traveled a couple of hours to Scarborough  to pick up. This might not be a direct purchase for the project but it sure as hell will make things a tad easier when it comes to anything in the future needing welding. I have been long suffering with my arc welder for years now, so it’s time to learn how to really penetrate the weld and make something solid and that will last.

Once the chassis had cured off for a few hours it was safely put back in the garage and not swinging in the wind, held up by mig wire off a gazebo. Excitement got the better of me and I decided to fit the differential back onto the chassis. I’m sure that this will be removed again later to allow me to flip the chassis over when I fabricate the anti roll bar fixings, but if this doesn’t get you a tad giddy then you really shouldn’t be reading my blog or following my progress. 

Next up on the lists will be to get the rear leaf spring refurbished and make a start on the rear end running gear and brake setup. Im creeping closer to ordering the body and bits from Mick but a couple of “need” expenses have set me back over my “want” expenses, but I’m 100% committed to this project and I will get it done before petrol has been outlawed. 

The engine is just sat waiting now really. I still have to torque down the head and fit the rockers along with the oil pump and bypass but it’s nye on done and just a few odds and sods to get it finished. If you put your ear up against the screen here you will hear the whisper “twin webbers” which again should get you excited… if not then you’re really not going to enjoy reading the rest of these updates and should probably just go back to watching whatever dross you have on Netflix.

Another update soon hopefully….donations welcome in the form of cold hard cash!

Chip Off The Old Block

 

So been a few weeks since the last update, but remember I set no timescale to this project and ongoing progress. I have spent a good length of time on the chassis now, given it a serious good pressure wash down and cleaned up to the best of my tools and ability. I have decided just to get it blasted and protected as opposed to acid dipped. I talked myself out of dipping after reading up on the acid not getting washed out from all the internal chassis box voids and it then continues to eat away at the metal. After all the use it will get going forward will be no way near as hard it’s had for its first 40 years of life. 

So onto the engine…. I’m fully committed to the little 1500 block now, and after a trip away for a proper strip and clean its rebuild is well underway. The crank and cam are both new as the originals were showing signs of wear and scoring so replacements are now in along with all the bearings etc…The head has also been sent off for pressure testing and valve seat replacement so running unleaded will be no issues whatsoever, and so long as I’m careful with all my new fuel line hoses and carb rebuilds then I should be ok with this crappy E10 shite getting pushed down our necks.

I will possibly have to replace the fuel pump diaphragm as that will react badly to this E10 rated fuel however I will probably replace the full thing anyway when I get round to it as I want to guarantee that fuel pressure will not be compromised with whatever carb set up I go with. I have been getting a little carried away with myself and looking at twin Webber side draft carbs but if you have any concept of what these cost then you can understand why I’m kidding myself really…. However never say never!!

I think to start off with I’ll stick with the original twin carbs but remove the wax stat which are notoriously shite according to anyone that runs these engines. The rest of the bottom end of the engine is relatively easy now, I will replace the oil pump and pressure relief valve with new units to simply guarantee no issues upon starting. I have used a feeler gauge on my cleaned up units and checked tolerance with the Haynes manual and they both are ok, but why take the risk for the likes of a few quid now, or risk premature engine wear from an already 40 year old oil pump.

I have trial fitted the head back on the block but I’m not going to torque this down until just before dropping back to the chassis. I have the flywheel to check out and balance along with clutch replacement needed first and I also need to paint the engine end plate for the starter motor housing, non of these can really be done whilst on the engine stand, so it’s time to really start throwing some time onto the chassis and running gear now I think, but after the chassis blast and offside suspension refurb then that “should” be the last of the really dirty work…. I hope. 

I have cleaned up the sump and given a serious going over with a wire wheel and proper degrease and clean with petrol. It’s cleaned up really well and is solid all over so I have given a good protective clear coat outside to keep the patina but I will have to replace the sump plug, as this had been welded together a few times previously by the looks of it. I have also given the same treatment to the rocker cover, however I envisaged red for the final engine appearance so this one might change in the near future… a new rocker cover would make a great Christmas/Birthday gift from someone and relatively cheap also. 

Finally to conclude this update, I have cleaned up the fuel tank and made sure it’s all serviceable. The fuel gauge sender was giving no resistance on the multimeter and even when removed it was intermittent on its capability’s so off to the back of the garage it went. I have read up on the forums that new gauge senders have piss poor quality floats that can fail quickly, so I’ll hang on to the old one for the moment as I might need to create a Frankenstein gauge sender when I order my new one. 

Fingers crossed the next update will have a blasted chassis to look at but not sure how long that will be, come back soon to find out. 

The Final Stripdown

 

So now with the engine away for a chemical strip and clean it  was time to get the last of the real dirty jobs done and finish stripping the chassis down. This is all very straightforward really and it wasn’t very long before the near side was off and down to component form. Everything is much easier to clean with a wire wheel once it’s down to its bare form and will allow a much better finish and protection when I decide what I’m doing for a top coat. A powder coat finish is very popular with everyone nowadays, however on my Cobra chassis I have noticed some reactions to road thrash in some areas so I’ll be entertaining a different finish for this project. I’m considering a chassis rust encapsulation made by Eastwood currently, but the decision is yet to be made. 

The stripping of the front end has given away more history and maintenance of this car as I go. The back end has odd/different hubs and the front end also has odd hubs in terms of casting details. It wouldn’t be uncommon to have replacement service components but unless accident issues it would be strange to have odd castings on the major components themselves surly? The offside lower ball joint has been hashed together with what looks like nylon plastic pipe acting as a bush and length of threaded bar and nylock nuts holding it to the lower wishbone. This is now all off and is awaiting its cleaning before I can start replacing the bushes and starting the rebuild.

I have uncovered the frame number for the chassis which I’m still trying to decode in order to confirm age/manufacturing details however it would seem by research so far that the frame number is irrelevant to everything as it was stamped by the chassis maker prior to its supply to British Leyland for the Spitfire and no real records exists. I believe some people can give a guess of its age by its number respectively compared to a vehicle with history and its number recorded officially and if the frame number is higher or lower.  However these chassis were manufactured and stamped then possible sat in a field for a few months prior to being put on the production line with BL and made up into the Spitfire. And even then when continuing its journey along the production line and being given its official Triumph vin it will have rolled off the finish line and spent many weeks/months sat in a holding compound awaiting registration and assigned to a dealer/customer. I have decoded my vin already along with paint code, trim code, engine number, gearbox number and body number. Everything marries up correctly in terms of original build criteria, so I’m confident to claim the chassis is original and unrestored/replaced. 

So the chassis is now bare and I’ve hit it briefly with the angle grinder and wire wheel. It really is lovely and solid all over but I think I’ll look into getting it blasted or chemically stripped as it is caked in muck and years of grime and Shultz. A proper strip into all the nooks and crannies before a shed load of cavity wax and etch prime would be the best treatment in my opinion to keep the chassis solid for many more years to come. One little weakness I have spotted is on the front antiroll bar mounts. They look to have split on both sides previously and have been welded together again. The offside is worse than the nearside and because of the angle it had bent to it was hard getting clearance so the socket would go on the nut. I’ll be looking at possibly replacing these if they are available but I’ll have to think about beefing them up. The mounting plates are not made of the correct gauge steel in my opinion and need to be thicker. They take a lot of strain off the anti roll bar so thin gauge steel will just not work and will split over time and have to be welded. I think once the chassis is clean this will be my first modification/change.

I have also now removed all the perished rubber bushes from the upper and lower wishbones. Whilst these ones are not really very bad it would be foolish not to replace them during the build. Removing them is easy with a press…. But I don’t have one, so large socket, machine screw and a couple of washers…… job done. Like my cobra build I’m not doing the whole polybush replacements, if the rubber units are good for 40 odd years I can live with that. Some of the rubber bushes are ok to continue to use, like the rear final drive unit which has two top hat style bushes really really solid still with next to zero corrosion or perishing… I’d be concerned of replacing such bushes with supposed OEM quality units that are probably made of low grade rubber from a sweat shop in China. Either way now it’s time for a little shopping, another update soon.

Engine Teardown

 So with the engine now up and off the chassis and the gearbox on a temporary separation, it was time time to start the strip down and investigate what we have to play with. I have purchased an engine stand to help with all this and I’m glad I did as this has helped no end with the awkward access to all areas allowing me to rotate the block if needed. So first thing was the engine oil drain out and sump removal. The oil was black as black and had never been changes for some time, but it was smooth with no sludge or grit and no signs of water or moisture in it so that was a good sign for the likes of piston ring issues or bearings grinding out… so far so good.

 Next was the head removal to get a real good look at the valves and piston (especially pot 2 that was low on compression)  the head removal should have been a straightforward procedure however one stud had expanded with moisture and was a real twat to remove basically, but some lumps of wood and persuasion with a big mallet saw it out without any damage. The head gasket was in good condition also with no signs of any issues, but these engines have never been notorious for head gasket failure so this was all as expected really.

First look at the engine internals and apart from a shed load of carbon build up, everything looks really good. No lips or scoring to the cylinder liners, cam shaft lobes look good and the crankshaft looks all nice with no signs of any serious wear or damage. The pistons are all standard size and have the original markings from manufacture so all this is insinuating that this will be its first rebuild in 40 years from new back in 1981 which is good news really as I’m now not chasing any problems from previous poor quality rebuilds. 

My intention now is to get the block fully stripped to component form then get everything chemically cleaned and sparkling. Then get the head fully pressure tested and skimmed if needed along with new valves and valve seats. This is what I think was causing the low compression figure I got during testing, a sticky valve with sooted up seat. I’m unsure if an unleaded conversion has been done to the head throughout its life so far, so a full head rebuild will cover all this with just new bearings, thrust washers and cylinder honing for the bottom end. I’m not going to start messing on with increasing the bores and capacity for increased power etc… simply because I don’t see the point in reinventing the wheel. If I had wanted phenomenal power for this project then I wouldn’t be using a 1500 Triumph block as a starting point really, so standard rebuild it will be, maybe (budget allowing) a cheeky pair of twin Weber carbs to bolt on the side for a little “grunt” shall we say. 

Next on my list was to start a little clean up of some engine ancillaries. Most of the cooling/water side of things have been corroded beyond repair thanks to many years of physics and chemistry however the water pump and water pump housing compleat with viscous fan unit are all very useable and a few hours at the bench grinder with the wire wheel gets them all ready to be used again with only replacement gasket needed really. This is starting to be very enjoyable now as the really “dirty dirty” bits are getting done and so will allow me a clean environment to work with on the full rebuild, cleanliness is next to godliness when it comes to engine builds. 

I even spent ages cleaning up the fan with thinners and cleaner…. If it’s not broken don’t fix it… just a bloody good clean. I don’t want to be replacing things like this with cheap modern day equivalents which claim OEM quality but are just cheap rubbish. Same mentality on this project as the Cobra build, everything belt and braces and built to last. I don’t even want to paint anything engine wise with exception to the block and head as I hate it when the paint starts to chip or peel as it just looks terrible. So a good machine finish on everything with a light coat of machine oil to keep looking good. 

Next I’ll be outsourcing the block and head cleaning along with the pressure testing and block honing. I have been in contact with a machine shop just the other side of Durham and so I will drop it all off to them for the next stage, then the real rebuild can actually start. 

Suppose I’d better start cleaning this chassis up next also….. more mess for sure!

Block up and out

Hello everyone, sorry for the delay on any progress I have been busy with other things and life in general. But like my Cobra build I have no time scale for this little project, it’s just as and when I can get bits done. 

Since the good weather has arrived I have taxed and insured the Cobra so my free time has been mostly playing with that and fettling with some issues I have been having, which have now resulted in a new clutch master, slave and clutch line all in the name of progress and improvement. But it’s been awesome to clock up some more miles in her again and scare various motorists and weirdo cyclists with loud overtakes spitting flames as I go past!

I have had to put my begging bowl out and asked amongst my more mechanical mates if anyone had an engine crane I could steal for a bit. I’v been on the lookout for one for a good few weeks now through the likes of eBay and other sales sites however nothing had materialised and it was starting to delay me a touch. Luckily my mate John answered my cries for help and lent me his crane, which was sharp put to work and off came the engine and box. He also offered me the loan of an engine stand however I’m definitely going to buy one of those. I can’t borrow anyone’s engine stand and then potentially take months and months to rebuild the engine whilst holding the engine stand to ransom. I potentially have a used one lined up next week if I can get a good price on it. Meantime I have had a quick peek at a rebuild kit for the engine and was a tad shocked at the price, this has now left me with a decision to either commit fully to a full engine rebuild or a top end build and swap out at a later date for a little DOHC block or something more period to the overall final product/design.

The more time I spend with this little 1500 BMC block of iron the more I like it. It’s never going to produce daft amounts of power like the Cobra or even achieve epic emission figures. It’s probably going to cough, burp and fart it’s way along the road when it’s done making various smells of unburnt fuel and occasional pops on downshifts. It really is such a basic little engine in terms of operation and like the Cobra it will be controlled 100% by the driver and physics, as opposed to ECU’s or computer management which in my experience always cause issues at some point irrespective of age or usage. 

So an enjoyable few hours has been spent in the garage and the gearbox has been split from the block. We’re still very much in “the dirty” stage of the build/strip down as everything is caked in so much grime and crud, but I’m going to get a big plastic toy box affair which I can fill with thinners/degreaser which will help clean bits up and “should” be relatively easy to contain and dispose of when needed. 

The pressure washer has been recovered from the back of the shed and blasted the chassis down which has helped remove a fair amount of road grime, but it’s time to start with the big guns now and start to get rid of all the shite clinging to every exposed surface of the engine, box and chassis…. And now my garage floor also. I intend to finish stripping the chassis down and then get it blasted or chemically dipped which should be the last of the really dirty stuff. I’m looking forward now to the rebuild of the running gear as this is when everything starts to look clean fresh and new and more importantly the start of the build as opposed to the teardown. 

I’ll try not to leave it so long before the next progress report, but I’m making no promises.

Bye Bye Bodywork

We it’s half term and I’m getting a little garage time. So on with the strip down of the body. As with anything British Leyland the rust is everywhere even on the cardboard inner wings that push the air flow through the radiator. However from what I have exposed of the chassis so far it looks amazingly solid with little to no rust penetration anywhere towards the front end. This could be however because this is where the engine is blasting oil out of any gasket or seam keeping everything well greased and the rust at bay. But we’ll see what the rest is like when the body comes off, fingers crossed.

The interior is mostly stripped out now with only the steering column, dash and little of the loom left. Again bloody great holes in the floor rear quarters and when removing the drivers side seatbelt mount it literally just crumbled away in my hand and fell out! So far from a safety feature and would have given zero resistance if ever needed again. However this was never my intention when starting this project, and the seatbelts themselves will clean up well if needed for the Spyder.

The transmitter tunnel was removed which gave me my first good look at the clutch slave and gearbox. Everything looks in remarkable condition but I still have no drive, which I’m told from the fella purchased the car from it was the clutch, however I was sort of hoping for a weeping slave cylinder or possible clutch pin drop. If the clutch itself was crackerd then I should have been able to get some sort of smell, sound or grind from the gearbox when the engine was running, however it will be stripped anyway and will cross that bridge when I get to it.

 So off with the bonnet also and stowed that by the side of the house. I was hoping to recoup some funds with the sale of the body once removed however it’s not really looking hopeful now as I have seen body’s, bonnets and hard tops all for sale local to me in roughly the same condition and they are not fetching very much. I think I’ll get the rest of the body off and just list the full lot on eBay with a £1 start price and just see what happens, a couple of hundred would be nice but I can see the scrap man getting a free treat really, which is a shame but it is what it is. And it will soon be in my way so need to get it shifted.

So a few hours later and the body has officially divorced the rolling chassis. Anyone that says it’s not possible to remove the body on your own needs to go and give their head a wobble. Anything is possible if you think logically and use your brain. I managed to get the front end lifted high enough to get a length of wood under supported on axle stands and by then just physically lifting the back end and propping it up precariously with lengths of wood allowed me to roll the now separated chassis away from underneath. 

I did struggle a little at first as two body fixing bolts were hidden under some sound deadening pad, which suddenly explained why the rear wheels were coming off the ground when I lifted the back end. However I didn’t fall into the old handbrake cable trap. Many people forget to fully disconnect the handbrake cable and this then makes things a tad difficult when trying to lift the body clear. 

 So let the dog see the rabbit as such. The chassis looks in superb condition and I’d be more than confident that a decent wire wheel down and protection would be good enough, however I think a proper dip and strip would be best allowing me to get in fresh cavity wax and topcoat protection all over. More good news is that now since the clutch line has been cut, and I select a gear the wheels lock up, so that would make me think the gearbox is not shagged which is good. The master cylinder once removed was full of sludge and jelly, so possible just a good bleed would have sorted it? 

So next bits to get on with is the disposal of the body either through sale or scrap. The body tub was literally disintegrating as it was removed and I really don’t thing anyone would make any use of it however will stick some adverts up and see what interest I get.... if any. The rolling chassis is now in the main garage and I can get on with stripping this down to component form. This will require a fairly sizeable shopping list in regards to any perishables item along with brakes, uj’s, ball joints etc... but so far this is all very enjoyable and confirms that I prefer the building or construction more than the final driving probably.