Keeping Busy Whilst Self Isolating

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Mark1Stu
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Re: Keeping Busy Whilst Self Isolating

Post by Mark1Stu »

I'm wielding a scalpel this afternoon to try and cope with Covid lockdown boredom.

Decided to make up some centre caps to mimick the original ones on my 240 alloys....which would appear to be hard to find.

Btw, belated thanks Kees for the positive comments on my barn find Volvo - which is looking a bit sharper after a top half repaint following windscreen aperture surgery.
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Grant
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Re: Keeping Busy Whilst Self Isolating

Post by Grant »

Hey, that's cool StuPot..the car looks great with it's new coat of paint too :wink: ..don't get bored..there's nothing worse..I have made sure I have never been bored since I was a kid, I got bored as as a kid and hated it, since then I haven't & could never get bored ever now for the rest of my life..only frustrated that I will never finish it all :D
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Mark1Stu
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Re: Keeping Busy Whilst Self Isolating

Post by Mark1Stu »

Good for you Grant.

Trying my best to keep busy....and sane (no comments please!!)

Cheers.

Stu
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Kevin Birch
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Re: Keeping Busy Whilst Self Isolating

Post by Kevin Birch »

The Cortina project still continues, albeit at a slower pace now, lots of silly little things done, but have now started sorting the body panel gaps out. The door gaps need looking at and the gaps between the top of the wings and scuttle are bigger than I would like,but the wings as such do fit rather well, but with all aftermarket panels they are not perfect.The gaps are at the first stage and will need a little more fettling, but a lot closer than it was. Using different thicknesses of copper coated welding wire as a filler, together with mig welding onto the edge to build up the depth.
Have also got around to polishing the steering wheel and chrome painting the outer edge of the centre boss, which I'm rather pleased with. Engine is at the builders for assessment and machining, that is another saga that I will explain another day.
Wheel before polishing
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Now polished, fully restored and is shinier than it looks.
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The scuttle to wing gap is even, but too wide.
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Now the edge has been welded reducing the gap to about 3mm
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Door edge is original, you can see uneven wing edge getting wider in the middle.
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Wing edge welded up to give more even overall gap.
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First part of sorting rear door edge,big gap at top and narrow at the bottom, even though the door is square in the apperture. This is all original, so original pressings not that brilliant, but a '69 car so presume they were a little worn by the time the car was built.
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My Toys: Lotus Cortina MK2.RangeRover P38, Yam inflatable, Saab 9-3 Convertible.
Mk1 Interceptor, 115/3067
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Steve Payne
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Re: Keeping Busy Whilst Self Isolating

Post by Steve Payne »

You might find the panel gaps on these were not that great when they were made, I remember as a small boy in the 60's I caught my fingers in the door of my fathers H reg Zodiac, yes it hurt but apart from some blood it was nothing more than that. If the panel gaps were that tight I might have lost a finger.

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Grant
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Re: Keeping Busy Whilst Self Isolating

Post by Grant »

Nice one Kev, great idea with the copper filing rod and mig..We always used to aim for a £1coin gap..On the Interceptors a trick we used to do was to cover a steel rule with masking tape, put it into the shut be it bonnet,door or boot and fill the panel either side of the ruler pushing the filler into the gap, then remove the ruler and make good, but you have the perfect lines to follow :P ..Enjoy your job there Kev as know you will be :D ..Ss always..Grant :wink:
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Kevin Birch
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Re: Keeping Busy Whilst Self Isolating

Post by Kevin Birch »

Have been messing about with the Cortina bonnet. Overall it is in really good nick, except for slam panel bit underneath. Some light rust that I have dealt with, but there are 5 circular cut-outs which were rusted out of shape and the metal very thin around them. I decided to cut out the metal around them and replace with patches made up with the cut-outs drilled. The reason the bonnet is in such good condition, is that it is coated underneath with bitumen type underseal, which I have now set about removing too, but a horrible slow process.
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My Toys: Lotus Cortina MK2.RangeRover P38, Yam inflatable, Saab 9-3 Convertible.
Mk1 Interceptor, 115/3067
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Grant
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Re: Keeping Busy Whilst Self Isolating

Post by Grant »

It's great that you find the time to get stuff in the garage Kev, it's so great, well done for your enjoyable work..but why are you working on the floor?..It shows your still young KevImage...even if you look oldImage..Good on you My Ole FruitImage
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Kevin Birch
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Re: Keeping Busy Whilst Self Isolating

Post by Kevin Birch »

Cheeky bugger. Haven't got the space for a work bench big enough for a bonnet to sit on, hence the old fiesta back seat to make the floor more comfortable, still takes me a few minutes to get up though. I'd hate to think what is living in that seat if it hasn't been poisoned by what has been spilled on it over the years :shock: Grant, one thing I will say, old or not, we're the same age and many would give their Jensens up to have hair like us. :D
My Toys: Lotus Cortina MK2.RangeRover P38, Yam inflatable, Saab 9-3 Convertible.
Mk1 Interceptor, 115/3067
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Wolfgang
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Re: Keeping Busy Whilst Self Isolating

Post by Wolfgang »

great job Kev,

I'm having the luxury of a ramp and work space, but even then after a long day the back hurts - I'm taking after work a good Whisky (or 2) - this helps against the pain :lol: :lol: :lol:

Will be very interested to see the car when you're ready
Wolfgang
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Grant
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Re: Keeping Busy Whilst Self Isolating

Post by Grant »

Kevin Birch wrote: Sun Jul 25, 2021 9:53 pm Cheeky bugger. Haven't got the space for a work bench big enough for a bonnet to sit on, hence the old fiesta back seat to make the floor more comfortable, still takes me a few minutes to get up though. I'd hate to think what is living in that seat if it hasn't been poisoned by what has been spilled on it over the years :shock: Grant, one thing I will say, old or not, we're the same age and many would give their Jensens up to have hair like us. :D
A few bits missing now on my head now Kev, but it's good to be a muddle is what I keep telling LaraImage
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Kevin Birch
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Re: Keeping Busy Whilst Self Isolating

Post by Kevin Birch »

Long time since I posted on here, but work has got in the way, and progress slowed but still going on. The biggest thing I have been doing is the engine, which went to the machinist back in June last year. I wasn't in a hurry and let them know, which was my first mistake. Thinking it will need only minor work, crank polished, bores de glazed, although I knew one would need a new liner, and head would need valve guides and hardened seats, it has turned out to be the engine from hell.
This engine, Ford Lotus Twin Cam, was heavily modified in the '70s. It had been over bored to 85mm, steel crank, steel main caps, con rods polished and radiused, CPL2 cam shafts and big valves fitted to the head. When I had it on the road in the early eighties it went like stink,initially I didn't know the engine had been breathed on, and just though all Lotus Cortinas were this much fun. My mate bought an RS2000 Escort Mk1, and I was all over his arse, so told him to get it checked. He put it on a rolling road and was told there was nothing wrong with it. I then put my LC on the rolling road and was shocked when initially they were conservative taking it to near the rev limit, and said this car will do more. They then took it to over 7000 RPM and found a maximum of 142 BHP at the wheels, I can't remember at what RPM that was but it was high.
Here in lies the problems I have now had to deal with. I had a call from the machinists asking if I will be racing this engine as the modifications mean the engine will be hitting 11.5:1 compression ratio, and will not run on modern fuels. If I maintained the bore I would need a 4-5mm thick head gasket to reduce the ratio, which may prove unreliable. To add to this, 2 bores needed liners, and the walls of these are painfully thin, so the suggestion was to take it back to standard bore by putting in 4 new liners, which would mean standard pistons and bringing down the compression ratio, so a standard head gasket would be required, making it more reliable. As we were looking at £250+ for the gasket and £150 + VAT per piston for 85mm bore, this started to make sense. New forged pistons were bought, and they lined all 4 bores to mach the pistons, did the work on the head and all were happy. I had a call saying it was ready for collection the week before Christmas, so duly paid up and collected it. All excited about putting it back together I did a dummy assembly and found a massive issue. The new pistons at TDC protruded 2.5mm above the block deck, on ivestigation, which took hours, I found the crank to be out of a 1600cc Kent engine which has 5mm more throw than a crank from a 1500cc Kent engine from which the Lotus is derived. Closer inspection of the old and new pistons revealed the old ones had been machined down to fit the block with the longer throw crank. I decided to look for another crank, rather than modify the pistons., and picked up a second hand forged steel 1500 crank locally, but was double dowled for the fly wheel. I decided to buy a new steel fly wheel which was already drilled for the double dowls, as using the old cast flywheel and having it machined would be the weak link in the engine. So Wednesday I took the new flywheel to the machinist who already had the new crank for crack testing and measuring, to ensure it fitted, as I now am wary of anything on this engine being straight forward. Guess what, it didn't fit, one of the dowls didn't fit the hole in the flywheel, crank dowled in the 80's flywheel done two weeks ago, so they will now re machine the crank and flywheel together, they reckon it was only 2 thou out, but that is enough.
The front timing cover is another issue as it houses the water pump. you can buy a new pump for £50 and have it pressed into the front cover, unfortunately my front cover had severe corrosion, and the machine shop advised getting a new complete assembly from Burton Power to be confident no water will leak into the sump. £700 later, one water pup assembly is delivered.
Next week I will be picking up the crank and fly wheel, it will then go for full balancing, am still buying bearings, and other bits for it, and will not be short of spending £5000 , and that is building it myself. It will be a good engine, capable of revving to 8000 RPM, not that I will go that far but know that I can give it some stick with a good headroom before it will go bang.
Once it is assembled, I will get back to putting the car back together, it has been a long haul, but the end is now in sight, but still a long way away.

If you are going to the Practical Classics Restoration Show next month, come and have a look, the car and engine will be on display on the Stourbridge Pre War Car Club stand, 5-400, come and have a chat.

Piston above head deck
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Modified piston on left, new piston on right
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My Toys: Lotus Cortina MK2.RangeRover P38, Yam inflatable, Saab 9-3 Convertible.
Mk1 Interceptor, 115/3067
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