Since our last blog, we've focused on getting the brakes into working condition. We ordered restoration kits for the 2 pairs of front slave cylinders, the 2 rear slave cylinders and, of course, the master cylinder restoration kit. The lot cost us $100AUD including postage. It doesn't seem like a lot, but when you actually open the packet and see what you get for your money, it's a bit of a disappointment. The slave 'kits' are a single rubber 'cap', and the master kit isn't much better; a few rubber bits and a copper o-ring.
Joel did a rippin' job of cleaning up the master cylinder, scrubbing it out in a turpentine bath, before blasting it with a high-pressure gurney, and finally detailing it with a wire-brush Dremel.
So far we have removed the 4 front slave cylinders without too much difficulty. The drivers side ones were a little trickier, as we had dismantled the suspension arms on that side which allows the wheel to swing freely. Ironically, it was using one of the arms as a crowbar which allowed us to get it off.
The slave cylinders seem to be in good condition, including the rubbers, however we've decided to replace them anyway, for safety's sake.
Gavgav has bought some pins to raise up the rear of the car, so we can get the remaining cylinders off and we shall hopefully finish up the brake restoration this weekend!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
Brakes, or Clutch, or both
Work on the car has begun to slow down a little, due to a combination of external factors (GavGav being away on work, and Joel having family commitments), and also because of some indecision on how to proceed.
We have found a parts supplier in England, which has all the parts we need for as little as 25% of the cost of obtaining the parts here in Australia. We intend to do a big order, but this requires some forward planning on our part.
Many of the parts we need are cosmetic, however we do require some fairly critical components that will limit our progression soon. So now we have to decide which parts to order from UK (which may take substantial time to arrive) and which parts we should fork out extra dough for, in order to obtain quickly.
We can't discern which gearbox parts will need replacing until we pull it out, so that will be our next priority, and in the meantime we have decided to order all the brake rubbers from our local supplier. This will let us recondition all the cylinders (slave and master) and get them ready for when the brake shoes and other critical components arrive from the UK.
We've also been discussing how to go about supporting the rear of the engine when disconnecting the gearbox. At the moment, we're leaning towards lying a wooden beam laterally across the engine bay, and using a winching belt mechanism suspended from the beam to support the engine. We can also put a pin underneath for added security. The clutch can be lifted using our rolling jack, and once unbolted can be rolled back and away from the engine.
In other exciting news. Last night we finally managed to remove the thermostat housing which had firmly corroded itself to the engine-block bolts. It only took us 4 tries on different days, but a lot of WD40, some large screwdrivers and mallets, and it finally came free! Another 2 parts for us to add to our England shopping list! The inside of the engine block, under the thermostat is quite dirty/corroded/rusty/covered in deposits, but considering that passage is part of the cooling system, and only has water flowing through it, there shouldn't be too much of an issue once it is cleaned up. As long as the rest of the engine internals aren't in the same condition.
We have found a parts supplier in England, which has all the parts we need for as little as 25% of the cost of obtaining the parts here in Australia. We intend to do a big order, but this requires some forward planning on our part.
Many of the parts we need are cosmetic, however we do require some fairly critical components that will limit our progression soon. So now we have to decide which parts to order from UK (which may take substantial time to arrive) and which parts we should fork out extra dough for, in order to obtain quickly.
We can't discern which gearbox parts will need replacing until we pull it out, so that will be our next priority, and in the meantime we have decided to order all the brake rubbers from our local supplier. This will let us recondition all the cylinders (slave and master) and get them ready for when the brake shoes and other critical components arrive from the UK.
We've also been discussing how to go about supporting the rear of the engine when disconnecting the gearbox. At the moment, we're leaning towards lying a wooden beam laterally across the engine bay, and using a winching belt mechanism suspended from the beam to support the engine. We can also put a pin underneath for added security. The clutch can be lifted using our rolling jack, and once unbolted can be rolled back and away from the engine.
In other exciting news. Last night we finally managed to remove the thermostat housing which had firmly corroded itself to the engine-block bolts. It only took us 4 tries on different days, but a lot of WD40, some large screwdrivers and mallets, and it finally came free! Another 2 parts for us to add to our England shopping list! The inside of the engine block, under the thermostat is quite dirty/corroded/rusty/covered in deposits, but considering that passage is part of the cooling system, and only has water flowing through it, there shouldn't be too much of an issue once it is cleaned up. As long as the rest of the engine internals aren't in the same condition.
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