Harold's Adventure

[jjbunn]

Harold took to the road today for the first time (since I've had him, anyway), for a couple of spins around the block:

Nicely warmed up in the garden (Isabella checks I have my seat belt on):

The garden gate is opened:

And off Harold goes!

Returning to the pits after a couple of laps of the block:

Observations: the brakes are still spongy. The engine is very lively, but it's still ticking over too fast. The steering wheel is so big it rubs on the top of my legs: no way to reduce the seat height. Maybe I need a smaller wheel.

An update of work done this weekend:

1) The Foam Experiment: the foam ball started the week at 25g, and sat in water for seven days. It then weighed 34g ... so appears to have taken up 9g of weight in water.

2) Front brake hoses replaces, and brakes bled. STILL not hard enough. Aaaargh.

3) Air filters and choke cable reattached. I think I need to install a new choke cable ... the current one (which I thought I had repaired) doesn't seem to work properly.

4) Reattached wheels, and removed floor jacks

5) Cut new carpet piece for transmission tunnel using old tatty piece as a template: very easy and fits nicely.

6) Repaired cigarette lighter glow ring bulb holder, refitted, and refitted centre console, with shift boot and shift knob.

7) Continued messing around with front windscreen and tailgate bondo repairs.

 

[Scott_Hower]

Woo hoo! Congrats, keep at it...

Friends don't let friends use foam /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

 

[Bugeye58]

That should keep the juices flowing for awhile, Julian.
Congratulations!
"Just say no to foam."
Jeff

 

[Stewart]

woohoo that first drive is always a blast.

 

[jlaird]

Good on ya. Fun isn't it.

 

[Baz]

Good job!
Those are some nice wheels on Harolds feet.

 

[tony barnhill]

WOO-HOO!!!

What you need is a 14" Tourist Trophy stweering wheel!!

Remember: Foam begets a bunch of us flying out to serenade you with choruses of "DCFO - DCFO!@!!"

Temporarily pop rivet a piece of stainless over the hole in his dogleg (do both sides so they look like forward edge rock guards. That'll make him more presentable....slap some bondo over the place on the cowl, sand it, primer it & spray some white rattle can paint over it

& ENJOY!!!

 

[Jack_Long]

It's great to see Harold out in the sunshine and being driven. The more you drive them the better they run.

He is a very nice looking GT. I like the wheels.

 

[Jack_Long]

I like the stainless "spats" idea, Tony - may look very period-correct. I'd put some RTV around the edges to seal the holes so Harold's inner sills stay as solid as they are.

 

[tony barnhill]

There ya go, Julian!! Spats & those cool BBS wheels - he's uptown!!!

 

[R6MGS]

Depending on how high that dog leg cancer is these might cover it up:

I used a set on a 77 B that had almost no rocker left and liked the look so much I got a set for on of the 78's(even thou the rockers are great)...I think it looks good with the blue, and it's different than all the other RB MGB's. I did seal the edge with some grey RTV to keep water from getting trapped behind it(not that the car ever sees rain).

This was the really rotten 77 I originally used these on, covered the mess right up, I had to improvise a little in order to get the panels fixed to the car with no rocker to mount to....but it worked out well.

 

[jlaird]

i think you best take that little girl for a ride before I come out there. She looks like she was just drooling over your joy.

 

[Rick_Stevens]

Julian, that's great. It looks perfect!

R.

 

[drooartz]

Congrats on the first drive. Keep driving it as you work on it, you'll feel much better about the whole thing. Smaller steering wheel is a good thing. Don't need those huge original wheels. Tony's idea of a 14" Tourist Trophy is a great idea!

I really do like BGTs, what a good looking car!

 

[jlaird]

Looking back and forth here from pic to pic, it looks like those stainless sills would do the job just fine.

 

[DrEntropy]

Good news indeed!

If you've bled the brakes, rear first then front and still have a spongy pedal, be sure the rear shoes are adjusted properly. If they're "loose" the pedal has to travel a bit to engage them. A "quick 'n dirty" way to tell is: with car sitting still, engage the handbrake (this puts the shoes in the "full out" position), then pump the brake pedal a few times to expand the cylinders to the shoe position. It should get to a firm pedal after two or three strokes. Release the pedal, count off a few seconds then press the pedal again. If it is in the "firm" position you've no air and need to readjust the shoes. If it can be pumped up from "mushy" to firm, there's still air in the system someplace.

 

[tony barnhill]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]it looks like those stainless sills would do the job just fine.[/QUOTE]

But, even at my price, they're still $150...that's a permanent solution in my book!! But one that doesn't solve the rust problem! The 'spats' idea could be done for the cost of some scrap stainless & a few rivets (Oh, & a tube of RTV!)

 

[jlaird]

Long as the rust through is open the inside can be cleaned and recoated with some modern stuff before putting the stainless on. Yes it is kind of a perment solution and that seems ok to me as long as you are reworking a fun driver and not one for show. Or are so hung up on haveing every bit just right.

Think I would put the stainless on and take that little girl for a ride.

 

[tony barnhill]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]take that little girl for a ride[/QUOTE]

Absolutely!! Nuttin' more to say....

 

[jjbunn]

Good news indeed!

If you've bled the brakes, rear first then front and still have a spongy pedal, be sure the rear shoes are adjusted properly. If they're "loose" the pedal has to travel a bit to engage them. A "quick 'n dirty" way to tell is: with car sitting still, engage the handbrake (this puts the shoes in the "full out" position), then pump the brake pedal a few times to expand the cylinders to the shoe position. It should get to a firm pedal after two or three strokes. Release the pedal, count off a few seconds then press the pedal again. If it is in the "firm" position you've no air and need to readjust the shoes. If it can be pumped up from "mushy" to firm, there's still air in the system someplace.

Oh cool: thanks! I'll try this soon. I am exasperated with the brakes: they all bleed clear liquid, no bubbles, but they feel mushy. I'm wondering if there is rally a problem, or if I am just used to the 911's brakes, which are extremely powerful.

I was hoping that replacing the front hoses would improve matters, as the old ones looked very old, and the rubber was showing signs of cracking. But it didn't make a difference.