New Olds (boat tail speedster)

[Olds]

Thanks.
Have spent a lot of time looking through Morris, BMC, BL and MG part numbers and info, trying to find the correct silent-bloc and rubber bushes to fit the rear springs. Seems that some MG T series used the same ones. Makes life easier and cheaper. £16 for a complete rebuild kit.
Started on the front steering components. Trying to do this methodically, so as parts are removed, they are stripped, cleaned, checked and repainted.
With pics taken for reference later.

[Olds]

I do like working on really old cars. Everything is so simple. Three spanners and a hammer and the whole of the front suspension / axle are out and ready for stripping. This also means that I can easily paint the front section of the chassis.
Not sure how well this thing would have handled as I found the castor wedges (between the axle and spring) were fitted the wrong way round.

[Olds]

New bushes for the front of the front springs have arrived. A few minutes on the lathe and I have a simple removal/instalation tool.
The original plain phos-bronze bushes were supposed to be greased every 500 miles (as if that's ever going to happen) so thought I'd try Oilite bushes instead. They should help the pins last longer and at £6 a pair even if I have to replace them every year it's no big deal.
While deciding what to do with the old springs I realised one was longer than the other. It had sagged so much that there was a spring height difference of over an inch.

[Olds]

Lucky I found replacements for these.

[morrag]

'Oilite' is ok provided you do not have to ream them to final size, as no doubt you are aware, Dave, as reaming them closes up the surface of the bush, and they don't stand up to shock loads as well as Phosphor Bronze, Morrag

[Olds]

Agreed Morrag. They went in ok with a nice running fit. I will leave the grease nipples in the pins and if wear is excessive, then I can easily go back to phos bronze.
What I didn't realise was, Oilite was originaly developed by the Chrysler Corperation in 1930, for this very application and it became one of their biggest earners.

[morrag]

Well, there you go! I certainly didn't realise that, interesting............

[Olds]

Separated the axle beam from the stub axles and found that it has had new kingpins and bearings fitted, so that's one job I don't have to worry about. Also, because of the way the front wheels spun so smoothly, I think there may be new wheel bearings as well.
So far, so good.  
Not a bad looking axle. If anyone is after a drop axle for a light weight rod, one like this, might be worth considering.

[Manky Monkey]

That's nice in't it.

[Olds]

Not a lot of use for those weird folk, who insist on using a ridiculous transverse leaf spring though.

Taking advantage of the fine weather, I brush painted the firewall using silver hammerite smooth. Bloody awful stuff to use on panels. Too thick and it sags, too thin, there are horrendous brush marks and it's four hours between coats. Found that adding a very small amount of white spirit for the top coat and I could get a reasonable, 'brushed aluminium' finish.

[stinkey]

Separated the axle beam from the stub axles and found that it has had new kingpins and bearings fitted, so that's one job I don't have to worry about. Also, because of the way the front wheels spun so smoothly, I think there may be new wheel bearings as well.
So far, so good.  
Not a bad looking axle. If anyone is after a drop axle for a light weight rod, one like this, might be worth considering.

are you going to drill some lightness into that axle ? It's begging for lightness I can hear it,honestly

[stinkey]

Not a lot of use for those weird folk, who insist on using a ridiculous transverse leaf spring though.

Taking advantage of the fine weather, I brush painted the firewall using silver hammerite smooth. Bloody awful stuff to use on panels. Too thick and it sags, too thin, there are horrendous brush marks and it's four hours between coats. Found that adding a very small amount of white spirit for the top coat and I could get a reasonable, 'brushed aluminium' finish.

Well brush strokes make it look correct then ? That looks rather like a very posh dog kennel ? You could sell some of those I'm sure dave ?

[Mendalot]

I had a go at spraying smooth Hammerite a few years ago, once I got the thinning ratio right the results were not at all bad, although I was only using it in places that were not in full view. The big problem was cleaning the gun out, flushing the thinners through only removed the surface of any build up in the gun body, it ended up in a full strip down and pick the bits out with a small awl...... took me longer to do that than it did to do all the painting

You defo have a good finish there Dave, what paint are you going to use on the chassis?

[Olds]

Halfords gloss black brushing paint.
I haven't got room to completely strip the chassis in one go, so starting at the front and working back.
Wire wheeling old paint, rust and crud off. A wash with Hammerite Kurust followed by red oxide primer then two good coats of black. Folk dismiss Halfords stuff but I've found their Gloss Black gives a great finish and is tough. The underneath will have a coat of stone chip added.
Box sections will be internally coated with Waxoil once chassis painting is finished.

[Manky Monkey]

Not a lot of use for those weird folk, who insist on using a ridiculous transverse leaf spring though.

-it's the way forward Dave!
I bought some very expensive enamel chassis paint from the 'net for my Pop, but not impressed with it. Might give the Halfords stuff a try. Preparation's always the key & the Pop's a bugger to even get a wire brush into to clean the chassis.
Nice kennel.