Mike, Graham et al,
Mike, I didn't realise there was a race. On my calculations, I am still ahead by 11 years. Unlike Graham, who knocked his out in the blink of an eye. Haha!
Yeah, things have been moving slowly. Unfortunately, I've had heaps going on in the background that are out of my control... Enough of the excuses.
Been tinkering with all sorts of small (suppose to be) jobs. Have I mentioned, I hate polishing stainless steel? Out of shear frustration, it has been put aside for a while. To add to the agony, the roof channel trims, need to be removed and repaired. Unfortunately, not enough care was taken when fitting ...
All the interior carpets have been cut, sewn and installed, that includes the ones that run along the inside of the doors and into the floor wells.
The original carpet/ rubber mat underlays were very second hand and smelt badly, so new ones were fabricated. This also included the two hessian covered ones, that run lengthways along the transmission tunnel.
The original underlays were made of a compressed copra type material, which was sandwiched between two layers of bituminised cardboard. Clark Rubber, sell an automotive water-resistant underlay material which is ok, but frays a bit when cut. Anyhow, it will do.
The original rear underlays were great for templates,
but the front ones had long since gone. Actually, I don't recall there ever being any.
Orminoid brushable sealant was used to bituminise the cardboard. Both sides were done just to be sure. As I didn't like the fraying/separating underlay, all the edges were painted/sealed as well.
The carpets etc., will be removed before sea trials, well dousing extensively with a hose anyway. I want to ensure all doors, vents and seals etc., perform as expected, prior to affixing the carpets permanently.
The panel behind the back seat which acts as a dust seal with the boot compartment, has also been reproduced. Again, bituminised cardboard as per original.
New gaskets for the roof rack plates have also been replicated. Not sure what the material used is, but according to the gasket material company where it was purchased, assured me that it will outlast the car and not be affect by any UV etc. It is also paintable, so when doing the final touch ups, the gaskets will get a wipe over.
Exterior side mirrors re-chromed, glazed and assembled.
Brake and clutch systems bled. There is minimal initial travel in the clutch pedal as the pivot hole in the pedal lever for the actuating rod was welded and re drilled, when the pedal box was overhauled. The brake pedal is firm and holds steady. Handbrake cables are taught and will need re-tensioning when they settle in after a while. Have yet to play with the gear selector linkages. They are very close, horizontal plain lever is a fraction out.
All lights and instruments work perfectly.
Started to refit the bumper bars today.
This is what the exterior looks like so far.
It is getting very close, almost time to drag Dan back to help with the finishing paint/polishing work plus front and rear screen fitment.
Cheers,
Dano