spunkymonkey
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Post by spunkymonkey on Apr 27, 2011 18:41:07 GMT
Ever have one of those "Oh bugger" moments where you start to clean up the 12 inches or so of detached sill to find this? A quick clean-up showed what had happened: At some point the outer sill had been changed and whoever fitted it used about 10% weld, 40% bodyfiller and the rest seam sealer! Given that it wasn't during our ownership or (afaik) Dave Scrivens' before us, that means that it had lasted at least 7 or 8 years like that. The curious thing was that the inner structure (sill membrane and inner sill) and the floor were still solid and properly joined, and even the outer sill was completely intact - it was just the flange joining the outer to the rest that had gone! Anyway, with much grumbling and yet another slice out of the donor door, it's now all safely joined back together: Had to finish it off with the trusty arc welder after I ran out of mig wire and I'd forgotten how much nicer it is to use on "sound but slightly dirty" metal as it burns all the crud off ahead of itself I'm not 100% sure but I think I might go back to it all the time
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33grinder
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Post by 33grinder on Apr 27, 2011 18:49:28 GMT
Well done Joe and disappointing as it is, at least you've caught it in time and made good. I wonder if the person who effected that repair also ran out of mig wire?
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spunkymonkey
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Post by spunkymonkey on Apr 28, 2011 21:50:19 GMT
More rust found Decided to "tidy up" the flange a few inches in front of the os rear suspension mount. The area felt sound and sounded solid when tapped but the flange itself was a little crusty. So I hit it with a wire knot brush in my trusty angle grinder. It took about 2 seconds to turn it into no flange and no metal behind the flange. So I made up a couple of plates and glued 'em in place with the arcy sparky, only to find that there was more ready to give way between where I'd found sound metal and the sill. So made a small piece up for there and started to stitch it in, only to find that the sound metal was even further away than I though Please excuse the state of the welding here but I didn't bother cleaning it up at all seeing as I'm going to have to re-work the out part quite substantially: So I gave up for today (no point welding when you're getting stressed cos every spark hurts more then!) and attacked her rusty panels with the same knot brush. That was curiously theraputic and revealed things to be better than I'd feared, which was good on both counts! Both door bottoms are a little ( ) shabby but they were when we got her (it's nearly 4 years now!) and had been previously under-sealed / stone-chipped to help tidy them up: In any case, they're still attached well enough to get fillered because I really haven't got time to remove, weld and re-hang doors at the moment. Similarly, the front wing corners were filled in the past and can live with the same again for now (they must have been done a good 7+ years ago and the old filler still fills the holes so they can't have got much bigger in that time Similarly, the top of the driver's wing will get filled - it seemed slightly pin-holed when I painted it this time last year and has got a little worse but there's still plenty of metal to fill over and, ultimately, wings are expendable panels that can be replaced if / when replacements appear. In fact, if you think about it, there's not much difference between making them out of filler over metal and replacing them with GRP ones - either way they end up as plastic Of course, what I'll probably end up doing one day is cutting and patching, as I did at the back of this wing a couple of years ago. Onll, I won't have the same problem that area presented. The problem there was the lead loading round the top / back edges which meant I couldn't secure thos bits so they cracked the paint. This time the edges are getting buried deep enough that they shouldn't move: Finally, my first hit with the knot brush was on the passenger wing (top, back corner and front corner), none of which seemed bad at all. Unfortunately, I couldn't give you photos of those areas because I popped out for a ciggy after brushing them and came back in to find them like this: Yes, while I had a smoke, the filler fairies had been at work, and there was a workshop owner standing with a big grin on his face because he "loves putting filler on". Apparently, I may find that all the other bits I brushed out will be covered by the time I get there tomorrow. I can live with that ;D
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spunkymonkey
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Post by spunkymonkey on Apr 29, 2011 20:32:52 GMT
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33grinder
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Post by 33grinder on Apr 29, 2011 20:59:10 GMT
Nice one Joe! Send that filling and also the welding fairy down my way when you've finished with them... ;D
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spunkymonkey
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Post by spunkymonkey on Apr 29, 2011 21:11:28 GMT
They should be free sometime around the end of July at a guess if that's any use to you? ;D
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spunkymonkey
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Post by spunkymonkey on May 4, 2011 22:16:38 GMT
Long time (for me), no update on this one. That's because for one reason and another (not least of which was getting conned into 6 1/2 hours of moving rabbits - all 48(!!!) of them - for a certain ex-Daf owning youngster over the weekend) I only got down there today for the first time since Thursday. That deadline's looking a little tight again all of a sudden!!!
Anyway, the welding is all done now, except her osr jacking point, which is sort of optional, and her main brake pipe is replaced with brakes bled and working happily. So that leaves a bit of engine work, retrieving a prop from the spotty one, an exhaust to make and the bodywork / paint to complete in 9 days.
The exhaust pipe & bends are ordered and will be here tomorrow afternoon and there's also 5 litres of proper topcoat thinners on the way rather than relying on the stuff that the workshop owner got for Tilly. Judging by the amount of cutting and polishing she's needing that was definitely not top-coat stuff.
More pics when things get moving again.....
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spunkymonkey
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Post by spunkymonkey on May 7, 2011 21:31:55 GMT
Finally got some progress today, with 6 days left to complete her - I'm genuinely starting to panic now! Before we get to today, this is the one photo from replacing the brake pipe and painting the rear suspension. Looking a bit more respectable under there now! First thing today was to clean up the engine bay, so scrubbed it down well with Matine Clean (seriously caustic cleaner that removes just about anything except paint and cavity wax & I'm not sure about the paint!). That left her looking a fair bit more presentable than she has for a while in there: Then while a first coat of Hammerite Smooth white was drying it was time to tackle the engine stuff - re-hone bores, check exhaust valves for recession, fit valve seals, replace front crank seal and paint stuff. The painted stuff first: Yes, she's going blue to match her sun-strip and rear suspension One thing I noticed when stripping her that I thought might be worth passing on as a handy hint. This is electrical flex, not locking wire and is no use at all for securing the oil cooler banjo bolt Didn't do photos of the dismantling cos I'm pretty sure I've covered that (repeatedly) before, but the driver side head and cylinder came off nice and easily. Valves out revealed this for the exhaust: Virtually unblemished in the 18221 miles since I put the rings in back in Feb 2009 - certainly no sign whatsoever of recession. Those miles have been run on unleaded without additive and she hasn't exactly been driven gently for them. So that gives fairly solid experimental evidence to back up the theoretical view that these engines are fine on unleaded. Even if there is wear occurring, if it's imperceptible in almost 20000 miles it's not going to be a problem within the car's (or my) likely lifetime! One other valve related query I had way back then was regarding stem seals. The autodata manual mentions them for "early" models but doesn't specify what early is. No one here had come across them at the time and neither had Danny at Dafhobby. But they do / did exist! They were very worn and the rubber insert wasn't exactly flexible any more so she now has a nice new Ford Pinto one modified to fit. By the time I had that cylinder back together it was getting on towards 8pm so I didn't start on the other side but did give the engine bay its second coat, and first coat to the track rods / steering rack: Looking better already ;D *** edited to move pics to facebook cos my web-space is playing up
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spunkymonkey
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Post by spunkymonkey on May 8, 2011 9:45:56 GMT
Thanks John There's no question at all of "will I finish on time" btw, the only uncertainty is " HOW will I ....?"
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spunkymonkey
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Post by spunkymonkey on May 8, 2011 21:56:15 GMT
Hopefully that's the mechanicals done except for pulling Isabel's propshaft. Not many pics because it was a little too frantic with the spanners to keep picking up the camera. Started by getting the other cylinder off for honing and a stem seal, then the clutch housing off to check the linings - lots of meat left on them and very nicely riveted, thanks Bob . Then there was the small matter of welding on the exhaust. Both heat exchangers and the cross brace needed work as it turned out. The cross brace had broken off completely on both sides and the o/s exchanger had fractured beside the flange (as expected with the brace gone!). The n/s was also blowing slightly from the bandage-and-wire repair I'd made to the hotspot pipe stub. So out came the arcy sparky and they all got glued back together. The photos were taken later in the day so excuse the fact they're attached to the engine here Then it was time to reassemble the engine ready for fitting. Doesn't it look blue? ;D Once that was done, it was on to the belts. This one was definitely due replacement! So replaced they were: Which meant that her vario hatch could finally be refitted. One less thing to worry about Now I have to blitz some bodywork........
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spunkymonkey
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Post by spunkymonkey on May 10, 2011 13:31:35 GMT
It' now about 2:30 and I'm supposed to have this into primer today Must stop playing with my new phone... ;D
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33grinder
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Post by 33grinder on May 10, 2011 17:41:52 GMT
Yes, stop slacking!! ;D
I'm sure we'll soon be looking at primer photos!
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spunkymonkey
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Post by spunkymonkey on May 10, 2011 21:22:07 GMT
Yes, she's in primer. She's also still in pieces.
And Matilda is broken (no I have no idea what that noise is when she pulls away but it's in the "serious, do not ignore" category.
And Sheila's out of MOT in 6 days because she's meant to be going off road so I haven't done any of the work she'll need.
So excuse me if I can't find the willpower to upload the photos of Betty right now.
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spunkymonkey
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Post by spunkymonkey on May 10, 2011 22:46:52 GMT
Ok, couldn't stay fed-up after the last post (too much to do to be feeling sorry for myself) so I went out and pulled 'Tilly's seats & to vario cover by torch light. The noise is being caused by one of the steel spacers I made working it's way out and allowing the primary unit to twist as drive's taken up. That is one seriously worrying noise for such a minor problem! So, in celebration of not being faced with pulling her vario (or worse), here's the current state of Betty: Tomorrow is a light flatting followed by refitting her engine (that way I don't have to handle the grille too much after it's painted) then topcoats in the evening. Got about 4 litres of paint available and some proper shiny thinners so hopefully it'll be enough to hide a few of the preparation nasties ;D That gives Thurs and Friday to replace bumpers, lights, windows, door insidy bits and make her new exhaust. Piece of cake
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33grinder
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Post by 33grinder on May 11, 2011 12:16:53 GMT
You see - nothing at all to worry about - plenty of time (for you superhumans that is, us mere mortals would be screwed!)
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Bob Scrivens
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Post by Bob Scrivens on May 11, 2011 21:42:06 GMT
Joe I had the same problem with the primary front mountings and used some neoprene tubing, heat it up before putting on peg and lubricate outside of tube with washing up fluid before fitting primary unit.
Bob
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spunkymonkey
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Post by spunkymonkey on May 11, 2011 22:07:34 GMT
Now that's a neat solution, Bob - if it makes a habit of it then I'll give it a try Meanwhile, I had Betty related things to think about today. First thing was propshaft. The plan had been to pull Isabel's to use in her but time was a bit tight and Isabel is parked up in a very inconvenient corner for engine pulling. So I had a really good look at Matilda's "bent" one. I managed to get the bush to run a little truer by fitting a long bar to the end and pulling hard. It looks like the misalignment wasn't caused by the hammering but by being sat for 30 years with the splines out of line thanks to the bent vario mount. I decided it was worth a risk - at least for this weekend. If it vibrates too badly then it can be changed at leisure next week. So in went the prop and in went her engine: Decided to fit the engine before spraying because it reduced the chance of damaging new, relatively soft, paint by doing it after. Besides, the workshop owner was begging to be allowed to do the spraying (he was like a kid in a sweet shop when I agreed ) but he couldn't do it till this evening, so I had plenty of time to fit the engine beforehand. Anyway, started her up (sans exhaust of any description) and revved her for a few seconds. There didn't seem to be any noticeable vibration, so it may have been a combination of the bent rubber bits and the out of line shaft that had caused the problem. It'll be nice if hat's confirmed once she's out on the road I also noticed that, for the brief time she was running, the exhaust didn't seem to have her characteristic oil-burning smell any more. That can only mean that (a) the honing and stem seals have done some good or (b) I forgot to put oil in her. But I'm pretty sure she's got oil, so more good news there. Then came paint time. No pics of it happening because we were a little busy (me mixing paint and moving lights around, and Brian throwing the stuff onto Betty). But, about 9:30 this evening, we stood back and I grabbed my camera: One off-white Daf with some strange guy in a head-scarf looking pleased with his work We have a painted front: And a painted back (it's not a different white, btw, just a difference in the camera flash): And this shot of the bonnet gives an idea of the finish, as well as showing one of my less careful bits of filling. I was in a hurry, ok? So, two days left now to refit windows, carpets, seats, lights, bumpers and door handles. Reckon we're in with a shot here.....
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Post by Patrick on May 11, 2011 23:19:50 GMT
Congratulations at getting so far so fast! Great work!
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33grinder
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Post by 33grinder on May 12, 2011 12:08:46 GMT
Top effort Joe! I really don't know what the panic was all about... She's looking good - has Sian seen her yet?
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spunkymonkey
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Post by spunkymonkey on May 12, 2011 20:04:57 GMT
Thanks I was sneakily hoping to finish her today but that hasn't happened cos things always seem to take longer than you plan. First essential job of the day was to fit her new badge. Not exactly difficult but had to be careful to get it right or it wouldn't have been worth going home Guess it was worth it though: Then there was an exhaust to make. On Tilly that had been easy. A straight pipe with a large "Z" on the end to take it over to the side, then twist the whole lot before doing the front clamp up to get the heights right. On Betty, for some reason, a straight pipe would have been exiting somewhere through the rear window so it needed a double bend to bring it down and flat. That meant that the "Z" at the back had to be welded in the right place first time because the option to twist it into place would misalign the front bit. So that took over an hour to sort. It's still not fitted because I was fed up with pipework by the time it was welded up so I went on to body bits. Lights went on without problems and worked (except for the n/s dip beam which has decided to blow ) And so did the Daf script on the bonnet, which was followed by her second new badge: Yes, she has a new Betty: Then it was rear windows: followed by side trim, door handles and repaint her trademark black stripe to get her to this: That leaves door internals, interior, bumpers and fit the exhaust for tomorrow. And I'm exhausted!
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33grinder
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Post by 33grinder on May 12, 2011 20:50:24 GMT
It's all been worth it Joe, she's looking much the better for it too. Nice touch with the DAF badge.
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spunkymonkey
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Post by spunkymonkey on May 13, 2011 10:47:17 GMT
Great Progress..... I love the DAF shifter knob emblem & the Betty Boop emblem, nice job. ;D ;D I was able to locate 2 very nice aftermarket Walnut Factory examples with the script logos, one is in Butterscotch now. Just a few more days and Betty will be back on the road me thinks. John Few more days??? She's due at a show tomorrow morning John. So why am I sitting here typing this? ? ;D
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spunkymonkey
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Post by spunkymonkey on May 13, 2011 21:22:04 GMT
Not much to type today, but one photo that just about says it all: Expect more from Henblas tomorrow ;D
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33grinder
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Post by 33grinder on May 14, 2011 9:48:39 GMT
Superb! I bet Sian can't contain her glee and rightly so.
Look forward to photos from the show.
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spunkymonkey
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Post by spunkymonkey on May 14, 2011 11:41:37 GMT
Sneak preview while we're sitting in the ring. The guy commented that Dafs are rare, but they're not as rare as candid photos of Sian ;D
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spunkymonkey
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Post by spunkymonkey on May 14, 2011 20:34:54 GMT
Just been sorting through pics of today and have managed to whittle down from 120+ to about 26. I'll do a proper report tomorrow after Day 2 but, meanwhile, here are a couple of Daf pics for you (apologies for the colour cast - the camera was still set to fluorescent for the workshop ): and some more photos here that give an idea of the scale and variety of the event: s113.photobucket.com/albums/n228/Charlie_D_Brown/Betty/Henblas11/
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pauldaf44
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Post by pauldaf44 on May 15, 2011 8:05:17 GMT
looks a good show I had intended trust to come but with my current state of motoring I didn't trust gladys to actually get me there
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spunkymonkey
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Post by spunkymonkey on May 26, 2011 20:37:21 GMT
Got in a little extra time on Betty today With the (great) help of Harry the Hoist it took all of 10 minutes to remove her exhaust and add an extra gentle bend to reposition the end: That looks better, now just have to clean off the soot where it was bloaing through the over-rider! Unfortunately, having cleaned up as well as I could it's yellowed the new paint a little in that area, but it's nowhere near as bad as the big black patch Once that was done I had a quick run round the underside with the 1/2 tin of Dinitrol I had to hand, waxing anything that looked like it might want protection: So then it was on to the tow bar. It's been sitting waiting to be fitted since about last October so it was nice to finally start getting it in place! First up was to drill two holes through the rear valance, and open the rear ones up to take spacer tubes: Because I was having to adapt as I went, the tubes were inserted from the rear and then spot-welded to the valance rather than being inserted from the front as per the instructions: The van valance must be deeper and flatter than the saloons because the spacers had to be left sticking out like that to avoid crushing the centre of the (curved) valance. Most of the force is taken by the supplied spreader plates that go at the front of the valance so no real problem doing it this way, just a little extra work! Once the tubes were in place, the main cross bracket could be bolted into place: which then left some straightforward assembly and one hole drilled through the boot floor to fit the bar itself: Still need to wire up the electrics, but that's a 20 minute roadside job when the weather's nice. Then it'll be time to put the flashy new numberplate on her trailer, change the bulbs for 6 volt ones, and see how she copes. Of course, at some point I'm not going to be able to resist hooking the trailer tent up to really test her
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kenr
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Post by kenr on May 26, 2011 21:18:06 GMT
Cool, well done mate.
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33grinder
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Post by 33grinder on May 26, 2011 22:30:00 GMT
Nice one, well done that man!
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