Mk1 restoration-race car to road car

[coop12g295]

Fri was cold down here and you cant beat an engine oil burning heater
I've got in the barn.Not roasting just pleasantly warm.....ish.God tools
are freezing though

[guru_1071]

Can you not ask said prat to move bus so you can get some daylight in?

theres no chance of it starting on a day as cold as this, it hasnt got glow plugs or a k-gas injector - the only way to start it is to leave the gas fire under it for a few hours to warm the engine a little, or (as i have done in desperation before) remove the filter and try and crank it whilst holding a blow tourch, the flames will eventually assist it. when its this cold the oil gets so thick that it will hardly turn over, certainly not fast enough for the diesel to light - this is with 24 volts as well

its hobsons choice at the moment - the batterys have died and wont hold charge, so its currently an expensive garden ornament until spring!

[mk1]

so its currently an expensive garden ornament until spring

What sort of garden ornament will it be in the Spring?

[guru_1071]

so its currently an expensive garden ornament until spring

What sort of garden ornament will it be in the Spring?

one that starts, possibly with a for sale sign in the window.....

[Mike]

Mobile, or should that be movable, greenhouse?

[guru_1071]

Sorry, I mean the panel with the speedo hole in. The panel that is sandwiched between the scuttle and top dash rail.

I have tried to repair it where it was cut for a weber box, but it hasn't turned out as well as expected. Also I have noticed it has been patched either end where it meets the inner A panel.

matt

the only way heritage supply this panel is as a sub-assembly that is fairly big



its not as expensive as you think though..... £185 plus vat - not a lot for the ammount of tin there is. it is a mpi one, so only has the smaller hole - they dont do the earlier version with the bigger hole.

for your car its probably easier to cut one from a scrapper

[tomkidd]

Sorry, I mean the panel with the speedo hole in. The panel that is sandwiched between the scuttle and top dash rail.

I have tried to repair it where it was cut for a weber box, but it hasn't turned out as well as expected. Also I have noticed it has been patched either end where it meets the inner A panel.

matt

the only way heritage supply this panel is as a sub-assembly that is fairly big



its not as expensive as you think though..... £185 plus vat - not a lot for the ammount of tin there is. it is a mpi one, so only has the smaller hole - they dont do the earlier version with the bigger hole.

for your car its probably easier to cut one from a scrapper

Flippin eck, that is cheap for what it is

[guru_1071]

Flippin eck, that is cheap for what it is

tom


your not wrong, it includes the toe board as well - which is £60 quid on its own

still, it doesnt make me feel any better, someone ordered it in error and its on my stock!

[Matty]

Well here's a couple of pics...not great!

Its not been all that cold here, not even an inch of snow. I was in Leeds yesterday and I could see how much you have up there!





M-machine came to my rescue and they are making me a panel up.

Im desperate for a front parcel shelf, but im not having any luck.

[mk1]

Matty,

You constantly impress me with the superb quality of your work!! Keep it up, I can't wait to see your car finished.

On a separate note;

Im desperate for a front parcel shelf, but im not having any luck.

I know that feeling well!

[nic]

Wow! That is looking brilliant!

I cant believe how much better its looking to the heap that it was. Infact I cant believe you even started it, I know I wouldnt have done

[Matty]

Well ive found some more gremlins...Some people shouldn't be aloud to work on cars, this is class 1 bodgery!

The corner panel has just been lapped over the middle section. I didn't need the grinder it just peeled off with some pliers.







This panel is a little worse for wear! I can't seem to find it listed anywhere, does anyone know if it available?

[guru_1071]

This panel is a little worse for wear! I can't seem to find it listed anywhere, does anyone know if it available?

mini machine of course!

theres no picture of it in the catalogue, but they do it, ive bought them before

its called a inner wing / shock mount stiffner

[tomkidd]

Ooooff. To be honest when I did that repair I never thought it would be seen... sorry about that Matt

[Matty]

Haha, there aren't many original panels left now, so fingers crossed that should be the last hidden surprise!

Is the mk1 scuttle the same as a later one?
I know about the extra holes, just need to know if they are dimensionally the same?

[Matty]

Here's where I got to today. Without the replacement panel im a biot reluctant to cut out much more.



I have also managed to discover my drivers door is WELL beyond a reskin, so will be on the hunt for a replacement door.

And my boot is now it two seperate pieces...ready for a re-frame.

[IAIN]

The scuttles are the same, apart from the extra holes and the washer jet holes aren't round.

I still can't decide if you are brave or stupid tackling that shell....... but your doing great, well done.

[robert]

[Mike]

Hi Matty,

I'm watching with interest your work on this shell and the further you are getting into it, the more it endorses my decision to re-shell the car shortly after I acquired it.

Well done for your efforts.

Mike

[Matty]

To bo honest its better than the old shell! That was completely shot!

I took on the project to learn how to carry out a restoration as ive never done anything like this before. Im glad its turned out this way, as im confident I could restore pretty much any shell now after tackling this one. Before this project I had no confidence what so ever in my panel work skills.