Re: The optimist
:cry: Not an awful has happened since my last post, I'm embarassed to admit. I got the PAS reservoir back from the paintshop, nice'n'shiny (this time a Porsche black, whilst the engine bay is a Mercedes satin(ish) black, and most of the ancilliaries and engine bay fittings are a Ford black), and fitted it up to the inner wing.
I had wanted to schlepp the project car back across town to Classic Wheels, and finish assembling it there. Because the base unit is bare naked, bereft of panels and roof, but retaining the dashboard and electrics, I can't trailer it on a day when it might rain. Not easy to organise a car transport company to come and pick it up at short notice when the sun is shining! When I finally managed to overcome that logisitical nightmare the bloke turned up with his trailer, only to find that my garage landlord had totally blocked the entrance with a bloody great low-loader. Brilliant (not!). Put the kibbosh on my car actually going anywhere. Then I had a holiday, and since I got back the weather has either been wet, or either I or the transporter guy have been busy.
Now I've been offered a used two-poster car lift for €400,- sometime during November, when my mate takes delivery of his new lift. I have to dismantle the old one and organise transport to my lock-up, then install it there. If I can make that happen I'll be able to work on my project in my own garage, which will make fitting the exhaust, plumbing in the fuel system etc. a damn sight easier.
I still need an intact and fully functional vacuum thingamyjig for the NADA air filter box, the round cannister that actuates the flap in the 'snorkel' which mixes cold and warm air. I also need two more of the 'special bolts' (Part No. 610029, 3/8" UNC x 1 1/8" long) which attach the warm air collector to the driver side exhaust manifold.
I've now got just about everything to fit the electric fuel pump at the back of the car. I also need an 'L'-shape fitting, like the UK reserve tap fitted in the engine bay but only changing direction, without a choice of feed. Then I can route the fuel up from the tunnel with a flexible hose, retaining the reserve tap bracket, via the 'L'-fitting to a rubber-sleeved formed metal pipe across the bellhousing to the passenger side steering turret. I think this piece must've been made up by the previous owner of my organ donor car. He had drilled the rear face of the passenger side steering turret, and ran the petrol through this formed petal pipe, through the turret from behind, and out through the blanking plate, then along the chassis rail to the engine tie bar. The flexible hose along the chassis rail was protected from heat by a hand formed aluminium baffle over the chassis rail. I like the arrangement and want to duplicate it. It looks tidy, is as far away from the intake manifold and more importantly the hot exhaust manifold as is possible, and I only once had a fuel vapourisation problem on an extremely hot August day in a stationary traffic jam.
Meanwhile, I've been saving my pennies for a paintjob, and checking out and getting quotes from various paint and body shops. I only have to strip the bootlid and prepare the holes for individual R O V E R letters rather than the rectangular badge, and remove the rear window rubber from the decker panel. Other than that all my panels are ready to be sanded and refinished, pending... Every time I think I've got enough cash together some other pressing expenditure seems to get in the way. Right now I've got a sinking feeling that the dentist is about to deplete my paintjob fund quite heavily.
I've been stripping the organ donor of everything I might possibly want to retain for spare parts. If I get the two poster lift I'll be able to strip the running gear, keep the diff, short springs and AVO shocks, and finally weigh the base unit in for scrap. Yielding much needed space for refitting my refinished panels, I hope.
I sourced some front sidelights from ebay.de, but they turned out to be as corroded and useless as the three pairs of junk lights I already have. :x My first dispute with an ebay seller, whose description was far from the truth. I also scored a pair of really well preserved Winguard mirrors, at long last, for a mere €60,- incl. p+p. These normally fetch a far higher price on ebay.co.uk.
So there you have it, not much has happened, but I'm still plugging away, I've simply GOT to finish it soon... :!:
