Manky's Pop.

[stinkey]

So are you going to clean and paint the gearbox/propshaft ?

[paulywombats]

Hey Andy

What paint are you using on the chassis?

Wondering wether to paint or powder coat the swing arm frame on mine.

[Manky Monkey]

I powder coat as many parts as I can. The place I use is quick & cheap. Industrial quality, but that's fine for most of my stuff. It's 5 times thicker than paint, (100 microns instead of 20 I'm told), & softer, so it scuffs rather than chipping. More petrol & brake fluid resistant too.
I'm using Hammerite garage door paint. Totally different to normal Hammerite, which is 'orrible. It flows out nicely, but seems to trap loads of air bubbles as I brush it out -looks nice & smooth, but when I come back an hour later it's full of bubbles. I'm painting 2 coats of Fertan rust killer, a coat of zinc red oxide, then 2 coats of black with any bubbles or runs sanded out between coats.

[Manky Monkey]

Yes Stinkey -wouldn't you?  

[stinkey]

To be honest ( because I'm a bit OCD ) I'd have done it before I'd put it in first time?

[Manky Monkey]

When I had the propshaft made, they painted it, but now it needs rust treating & re-doing.

[Manky Monkey]

We were in a hurry to build the Pop, to get it through the commercial vehicle SVA registration test before it was phased out, so the engine & gearbox were literally thrown in & run. They were never really cleaned up. I've swapped the engine while it's been off the road, but it's still the same grubby Borg Warner 35 auto gearbox.
So now it needs a proper scrub, mainly cos I don't want to take it to a professional garage for rewiring, then to an MOT station, looking like cr*p. Spent a couple of hours this evening sat with an old screwdriver & a rag, scraping off years worth of gunge. Another evening left to do on it I think.
The back end's very oily -obviously not good on an auto -but I'm not sure where it's leaking from. Probably the sump. What's involved in changing a sump gasket on an auto box?

[Manky Monkey]

I bought the replacement engine already built, but the builder's painted the aluminium block silver -over the top of gunge in some of the nooks & crannies of the castings.
I'll have a go at stripping the paint off, but may have to repaint it. I saw this T bucket recently, with a supercharged Rover motor. The block was painted a very flat grey/silver, rather than shiny silver. More like unpolished aluminium colour. Anyone know if I can buy that in a brush-on tin?

[jevi]

Have you tried Frosts?

[stinkey]

I just use brush on enamel mate..works brilliant

[Stix]

The back end's very oily -obviously not good on an auto -but I'm not sure where it's leaking from. Probably the sump. What's involved in changing a sump gasket on an auto box?

Undo the drain plug and drop the fluid out, undo all the bolts and remove the sump, there will be a fair bit of fluid left around the brain so keep a drain tray underneath, clean all the old gasket from the box( from memory I believe it is a cork gasket so will stick, I would use a Stanley blade to get it off, do the same to the sump pan and check that the holes have not been forced up, a small (very small) amount of sealant just on the pan and bolt it up again. Not sure if there is a torque setting for the bolts but don't overtighten them. Top the fluid back up and good to go.

Stix

[Manky Monkey]

So no need to prime the box somehow before use? I won't lose all drive by removing the sump? Nothing that can be accidentally put out of synch'? -is that spelt right? I've never worked on an auto box before -thought it would be more complicated than that.
Check the holes haven't been forced up -huh?
Yes, it's a cork gasket.
Yes Jevi, I've tried Frosts. Hopefully I can strip the paint off back to bare ali', but if I need to repaint it, just didn't want shiny, shiny, obviously painted, silver. Something more subtle. I've seriously thought about green engine paint, but not sure if that'd look cool or really naff.

[stinkey]

One thing I'd suggest is if the engine is still able to start ? Run the gearbox through the gears..to check it's ok because the seals can dry out ? You may want to take the propshaft off or jack the back up ?

[Stix]

Andy
Some times people overtighten the bolts and it can cause the metal around the holes to deform and push the metal up towards the box, once the sump is off put a straight edge across the flange to check the metal around the holes is still flat, if it is raised it could cause the sump pan to bottom out against the box before the cork gasket has sealed all round.
On some steel sumps they put a thick washer ( oblong in shape) that will spread the load over a bigger area to help stop this happening

No nothing should be disturbed or fall out just drop the pan straight down and it should clear everything in there, once back together put roughly the same amount of fluid back in the box and as Stinky says run the motor up and check the gears all select, to check the box fluid level do it with the motor running as you have to pump it round and fill the converter and sump back up.
Hope this has made a bit more sense.
Stix

[stinkey]

I'm sure he's totally bamboozled by now john ? That should keep him busy,so now us lot can run amok on here for a while ?