0007 Stuff starts coming back

0007  Stuff starts coming back
31st October 2019
Starting to run out of space !

No sooner had I returned from the hospital than the phone started ringing with people telling me parts were ready for collection !   I had to wait for a couple of days as I was not allowed to drive at first, but I really feel as though I am making progress as new and refurbished parts pile up !  Mick called me from Northside Transmissions to tell me the gearbox was done, Adam called me from Affordable Power Steering to tell me the steering box was done, and Bearing Services called to tell me the new Timken front wheel bearings were in.  Now I just had to collect them, and also continue dropping off some of the other parts like the generator and starter motor.


As soon as I was able to drive, I set off to north of Brisbane (80 kms from home) to pick up the gearbox from Northside Transmissions. They told me they thought the gearbox was in great shape inside, apart from a couple of minor issues.  One of the syncro rings was replaced, as well as all the gaskets and bearings, of course.  They had also had to replace one of the final drive shafts as its bearing was actually broken - They thought it might have received a sharp blow on the wheel at some stage but were not sure.  The bearing at the front of the engine was also badly worn, so that was replaced, but other than that, all good.  So I loaded her up and took her home, effectively a new gearbox.

Then it was off to pick up the refurbished steering box from Adam at Affordable Steering.  He told me it was a bit worn inside, and the 49 year old grease was basically non existant, but with all new seals and bearings, and with it all painted up, it was ready to go for another 100,000 kms !   He gave me instructions about how to fit it correctly to make sure the steering was centred, and I headed to my next appointment.

Dropped the 2 drive shafts off with Steve at CCC, along with 4 new CV joints that I had recently received.  He is going to replace all 4 CV's so that they are also ready for their new life

I also received a call from Gary up at Conti Motors who has the engine.  There was more wear inside the engine than he liked, so he will be replacing everything from the big ends outwards.   Should be ready in about 3 weeks, hopefully.

Then it was back to the grind in the garage.  There are just SO many things to do that at times it is almost overwhelming - So I try to vary the jobs I do in order to prevent the really tiresome jobs (like sanding bodywork !) from becoming too much.  Part of the time was spent on the front right suspension, slowly getting everything back together.  With the steering box bolted in place , and the pitman arm attached, I was able to then attach the tie rods, and bolt the steering arms on to the hubs.

While doing this, I realised I needed to find a replacement bolt for one that I had broken on the right hand side while removing it - It was a very fine (1.0) pitch M10 bolt, so I set off to my local bolt shop - and was met with surprise - "We don't stock very fine pitch bolts".  So I set off to try others - and found a problem - This is a rare item !  Now Friday, I then spent the weekend searching on the internet - And the only ones I found were 3 - in Illinois !!!  On Sunday we went out for High Tea with

A beautiful view over Surfers

our neighbours Gordon and Naomi and some of their friends - Very special for her as she is currently enduring some health challenges.  The view from the tea venue at Royal Pines, out over Surfers Paradise, was spectacular, and during the course of the conversation, my search for this bolt came up, to which their friend Peter said "I can make one for you at work".   I was stunned, but decided to take him up on that, just in case I found no other bolts.   When Monday finally came around, I got straight on the phone and started calling around Australia - Long story short the only place I could find two was in Sydney, while I found 2 other people who were also looking for the same bolt !  So I got the Sydney ones mailed up, and will keep the new manufactured bolts as spares.  Whover would think a bolt on so many VW cars would be so impossible to find !

Rear wing removed

Cobwebs everywhere !

I then took the rear right hand wing off - On a VW quite easy with it just bolted in place.  After removing the rear bumper, and the massive and very heavy tow bar, I removed the rear light and then the wing itself.  Lots of mud and dirt came out from inside, but on
close inspection, there was only minor surface rust inside.  One interesting find was that 4 of the bolt clips were

Surprisingly shiny clips

absolutely shiny metal - no rust at all like some of the others - and a couple of them had only been finger tight.  This led me to believe that the wing had been taken off recently, but two difficult-to-remove bolts on the bottom, and the amount of cobwebs and dirt inside, contradicted this.  If only cars could talk - I would love to know what some of the history of this car was !

Crumbling seam sealer

With the wing off, I removed all the old seam sealer which was
brittle and cracking off, and wire brushed away all the surface rust.  I then acid treated the rust, before

Rear wing finished

applying Sikaflex 227 seam sealer to replace the old material, and then applied two coats of Rust Seal to both the inside of the wing and to the internal panel on the car.  The vents on this wing are where the all important engine-cooling air gets to the engine, so it is vital that this ducting is in good condition.  It was hard to access, especially without getting rust-seal all over me, but I ended up with it all done and looking good.  Last step on this corner of the car was to rub down the outside paint, getting rid of any rust spots in the process, and then prime it.  Job done !!

Front suspension done

Finally this week I got the front suspension on both sides almost

Front panel primed & done

finished and ready to put the wheels back on.  Then it was back to sanding - On the very flat front panel of the car, which has quite a few stone chips that needed rubbing right back.  Once this was done, and primed, that was effectively the front and the right hand side of the car done, and with the wheels back on I can now turn the car around so I can get to the back of the car, and also more easily work on the left hand side.  Still a bit to do inside too, but I can reach that from either side.

Austin Healey parts !!!

Then I had to take 3 days off to focus on sorting out all the many Austin Healey spares that I have on the shelves that are left over from Gidget's rebuild.  I had posted their availability on various Austin Healey sites, and now had several people clamouring for a list, so I had to spend time listing everything I had, and making sure that they were correctly named and realistically priced.   Once done, I had time to go and feed the butcher bird again !!  This time he sang for his supper, and they have the most beautiful song (ignore the TV noise at the beginning !!) 

Rest of the photos are here :- https://photos.app.goo.gl/Ckb4XYeeVsxhxW4L8