My project... Now MOTed!! ... Again..

Re: My project... More progress now...

Well, progress has been a bit slow lately, work keeps getting in the way, and then (as is the way with old cars) you find more & more to do when you've scratched the surface. I had to cut large areas of the inner wing out, as it was 4 layers of metal thick in places :shock: I've welded in a plate behind where the servo mounts, just behind the headlamp splash panel:-
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Welding's not too pretty, but the flap grinder disc has helped a lot...

New headlamp splash panel welded in.. I've had to remove quite a bit of grot from the corner of the slam panel, you can see about 4 layers of metal in the top RH corner of the 1st of the following pics..
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The corner of the slam panel's been ground back to original metal...
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I really need to drop the rad out next, along with the remaining headlamp bowl.

The inner wing repair panel clamped in place, so I can start making the repair patch for the corner of the inner wing front, round onto the slam panel..
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Once I removed a large part of the inner wing front, the front end was carefully jacked into place, and I've checked it with the wing, and all is now well.

This has turned out to be a lot more work than I first thought, but I've learn't quite a bit along the way. I'll post some more pics when I've got a bit further.

I'd really like to thank Richard (Quattro) for sending me some detailed pics of how the front of the inner wing goes together, it has been no end of help. Cheers Rich! 8)
 
Re: My project... More progress now...

That's starting to come together quite nicely. I must admit I used quattro's pics to rebuild the rear wheel arch on my car. Invaluable to have a picture during this kind of work and you're doing very well. Keep at it.

Dave
 
Re: My project... More progress now...

Blimey - that's further than I have ever been into a P6

Looking very good indeed - glad the pics helped

Richard
 
Re: My project... More progress now...

Couldn't have done it without your help, Rich. 8) I'm beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel now; The thing is, I'm really keen to get the car on the road.. It only failed its last MOT in 2005 on fairly minor things.. exhaust, rear wing rusty, rear brakes, both inner front wings slight corrosion (subsequently welded quickly to try & get a ticket), but the real challenge for me is to try to strip away previous repairs done to get it thru an MOT, to get back to the original metal. This car's obviously been kind of cared for in a previous life, but has had multiple layers of welding on welding done over the years, & not done particularly well. And I've tried to get rid of all of that. Part of me wants to completely strip the car back to the bare shell, much like Rich (Quattro) has done... Sparky is looking positively drool worthy, but another part of me wants to get it on the road as soon as poss, and enjoy it, maybe with a view to going more to town in a couple of years, once I've driven it . Time will tell to see what the end result of mine will be like, I really don't know whether to carry on like I have been, to get the car on the road, or really go to town on it. I'm not sure..., I feel like I'm working right at the edge of my skill level though... :| If I'd known I'd have had this much work when I started, I'd probably have taken a longer term view of it. The crux of it is, I'm not in it to make a profit, and don't plan on selling it, and I've never yet driven a P6, so I suppose I could start it as a rolling resto, then get really stuck into it later... What do you guys think??
 
Re: My project... More progress now...

No doubt in my mind. Complete what you are doing for the MoT. Then drive it and enjoy it. Along the way you can take a quiet sober view of what you really want from it at the end of the day. And of what faults it is currently carrying. Unless there are huge body issues remaining, which from what I see i don't think there will be, I'd get the mechanics, interior etc to a standard you are happy with before returning to bodywork. Then you can decide whether you want a better than factory concours result or a smart daily driver!

Chris
 
Re: My project... More progress now...

+1 for what Chris said, then you will be able to remember why you are doing all the work if you choose that route :wink:
 
Re: My project... More progress now...

Cheers Guys! That's what I was hoping you'd say! Another reason to get it on the road sooner is the other 2 projects I'm going to have following straight on from the P6... My 1960 105E Anglia, and my 1971 Pontiac Firebird... They're both long overdue... I've had the Firebird since 1989, and its not seen the road in my ownership, which is a crime, having a 6.6L V8 sat idle :oops: ... but at least its currently as economical on fuel as its ever going to be! :LOL:
 
Re: My project... More progress now...

Do the 105E whilst driving the Rover :) It'll be your warm up as they're so tiny and simple to work on :wink:
 
Re: My project... More progress now...

GrimV8 said:
Do the 105E whilst driving the Rover :) It'll be your warm up as they're so tiny and simple to work on :wink:
Click to expand...

Thats a plan! Cheap to run when finished too! :wink:
 
Re: My project... More progress now...

Well I've done the welding on the inner wing, and the front outer wing now lines up ok
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I've also built up the lights and trim somewhat at the back, and its beginning to look better. The 4 wings and 4 doors were bought on Ebay, and with a bit of a touch up of a few chips and a good flat & polish, they've come up pretty well..
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I thought I'd drop the radiator out to paint all round inside the front end, (it had developed a slight leak anyway), but when I undid the autobox cooler pipes, I found the collar on the radiator had fractured sometime in the past, and was weeping;
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The weird thing is, the pipes were screwed on ok, and undid ok, but it's obviously gonna need sorting, so thats my next mission... Did I say something about light at the end of the tunnel?? :roll:
 
Re: My project... More progress now...

That looks a really smart result, both on the welding and the outer panels!

Don't forget, when getting a full refurb of the rad, to specigy a three row core in place of the two row original. You wonm't regret that!

Chris
 
Re: My project... More progress now...

Cheers! I'll bear that in mind...
Regarding the welding, I'm quite pleased, but it did take a long time, I was doing it really carefully.. Looking back at the pics, I've just realized the whole hockey stick section was missing before. :shock:

The body panels are ok..ish, they pass the 10ft test, it'll not win any prizes, but the main aim is to get the car on the road now asap, so I can enjoy it. I've got a complete set of spare panels, (minus bonnet & roof) in good nick I can get painted slowtime somewhen in the future, when these ones get a bit skanky.
 
Re: My project... More progress now...

Well, my new front shocks arrived this morning, so today I've been gingerly, then not so gingerly trying to get the old front ones off, as they're very rusty and a bit crumbly, although not leaking. Took me hours to get the top nut undone, as it had corroded into a solid lump which was largely circular rather than hexagonal. In the end I had to resort to a blowtorch and a pair of stilsons, and it fought me all the way to the last turn, but at least I did manage to get it off without damaging the thread on the top mounting bar. The bottom split pin was another matter. It was so corroded in it broke off almost straight away, but after removing the old shock absorber I managed to drift the broken pin out of its hole after heating it all up with a blowtorch, which was a bit scary... :shock:

I've just realised that the shock absorbers I've just bought have got the wrong rubbers in them; solid with metal insert, but I've managed to remove them in favour of the correct ones, which I've now got to wait for... Still, time for a cuppa now.. :)
 
Re: My project... More progress now...

I've been quite busy on the car lately, new front shocks fitted, cleaned and schutzed the front wheelarches while I was about it. The front wings are now back on, the new rad is in and filled with coolant. I've done a bit of paintwork too. The plan is to get the car on the road, now that the mechanics are all up together, and gradually get the bodywork really tidy later on. Anyway, I wheeled the car out in the evening sunshine, and took a few pics... Shouldn't be too long til the MOT now..
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Re: My project... More progress now...

Looking good - quite like the look of an S2 without the silver door trims!
 
Re: My project... More progress now...

What a fabulous garage, and the car is looking great too. I'm really impressed with the standard of your repairs.
 
Re: My project... More progress now...

Thanks! I couldn't have done it without the help and support of you guys on this forum.
The panels will need a good polish, but they're not too bad, a few chips need touching up, but the rear passenger side door was badly scraped, so it needed painting. Hopefully the car will be reasonably presentable. I've got a complete set of really good rust free panels (all in different colours) which I can get painted and fitted slowtime, maybe over the winter in a couple of years. On the mechanical front, it's been a bit of a mare one way and another, getting old rusted bolts and fittings off after many, many years, and everything's been replaced, so hopefully I won't have to go underneath it again for a few years. Its got 4 new brake calipers, all new pads, all new suspension bushes on the back, along with replacement de-dion elbows and grease type tube. The front wings and valance will need a little fettling yet, the panel gaps aren't quite right on the passenger side. I'm hoping to get the car on the road for the summer.. Can't wait to drive it! I've never driven a P6 on the road yet!
 
Re: My project... More progress now...

Looking good, I see the lady has got fed up laying on the bonnet though :wink:
 
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