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Pretty Please - add it to our Events forum(s) and add to the calendar! >> 
The start of something big. Frame off restoration
- Thread starter justin_mercier
- Start date
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I had my Engine block degreased and derusted by Metalstrip.
I was very pleased with the results. The block looked like brand new with no rust or scale in the water passages. They have tanks that will take an entire American mid sized car
P.S. The owner has an MG TD
I was very pleased with the results. The block looked like brand new with no rust or scale in the water passages. They have tanks that will take an entire American mid sized car
P.S. The owner has an MG TD
PeterK
Yoda
Offline
mallard said:
I agree. I have those seat heaters in my 3A to supplement the factory heater. But the factory 4A/6 heater is far superior to both the 3A heater with the heated seats (which don't really get hot, just warm enough to feel.)
It gets cold in the fall here New England and I personally wouldn't remove the factory heater.
OP
justin_mercier
Jedi Warrior
Offline
If the electric defogger idea doesn't work out, I'll put the stock heater box back in. But I want to try it out. At worst it'll have cost me ~30 bucks for 2 of the heaters and a relay and some wire.
Darrell_Walker
Jedi Knight
Offline
justin_mercier said:
One nice thing is that they can start defrosting immediately, rather than needing to wait for the engine to warm up!
Britishautobody
Jedi Hopeful
Offline
Beautiful job!
OP
justin_mercier
Jedi Warrior
Offline
Did a whole bunch more cleaning and grinding and scraping of under coating and whatnot this morning. I found that my body tub is cracked in both of the rear wheel wells. This should be repairable, drill a hole at the end of the crack to keep it from propagating, and then weld the crack back shut.
I also uncovered yet another bunch of rust holes these are in a flat area so easy to fix. On the other side are some internal mounts for screw holes for trim panels.
Lastly I cut away the rusty end of the trunk floor, and started fitting new metal to the edge. The longest piece of sheet metal that I have is 24 inches long, so I have to use 2 pieces to finish the edge of the trunk.
I made a trip to harbor freight in North Attleboro to pick up some but welding clamps for my sheet metal repair.
I also uncovered yet another bunch of rust holes these are in a flat area so easy to fix. On the other side are some internal mounts for screw holes for trim panels.
Lastly I cut away the rusty end of the trunk floor, and started fitting new metal to the edge. The longest piece of sheet metal that I have is 24 inches long, so I have to use 2 pieces to finish the edge of the trunk.
I made a trip to harbor freight in North Attleboro to pick up some but welding clamps for my sheet metal repair.
OP
justin_mercier
Jedi Warrior
Offline
Test fitting everything on the dash. Under the light switch, where the wipers used to be is the ignition, and between the tach and spedo where the hazard switch used to be is the trip reset.
link to larger photo
https://www.tharkis.com/images/tr6/resto/dashtest.jpg
link to larger photo
https://www.tharkis.com/images/tr6/resto/dashtest.jpg
OP
justin_mercier
Jedi Warrior
Offline
The electric defroster experiment is unfortunately not going to work out, I cant figure out how to keep, in a convertible, the air ducting through the electric core water proof, without also creating a potential water trap at the same time without making some air gates and control levers. With that much work involved, I'm just going to rebuild the heater box and heater valve instead.
With that in mind, I disassembled my heater box to start to clean things and get the rust off. I also drilled out the pop rivet in the heater control valve and disassembled it completely. The valve is actually in surprisingly good condition on the inside.
Using a trick from Paul Rego's site, I'm soaking all these pieces in a mixture of half water half CLR for the night to get it all cleaned up.
With that in mind, I disassembled my heater box to start to clean things and get the rust off. I also drilled out the pop rivet in the heater control valve and disassembled it completely. The valve is actually in surprisingly good condition on the inside.
Using a trick from Paul Rego's site, I'm soaking all these pieces in a mixture of half water half CLR for the night to get it all cleaned up.
OP
justin_mercier
Jedi Warrior
Offline
wow you're right... I have the Jesus Dash! =)
I also accidentally knocked out a chunk of the side of my fan when removing it from the rusted shaft on the motor. I've super-glued the piece back in, and I hope it keeps. Annoying when you damage something that was flawless.
I also accidentally knocked out a chunk of the side of my fan when removing it from the rusted shaft on the motor. I've super-glued the piece back in, and I hope it keeps. Annoying when you damage something that was flawless.
TR6BobNF
Jedi Hopeful
Offline
Geez - you got more than one face in there! Looks like a couple of smaller ones either side of the larger one's eyes too. Like 3/4 profiles. There's another between the small gauges that looks like a big old sad dog - or Barry Manilow, not sure which. Could be the single malt though.
Cheers,
Cheers,
OP
justin_mercier
Jedi Warrior
Offline
I accidentally put a crack in the plastic heater fan when disassembling it, but I was able to superglue it all up and it looks like it should hold fine. I rebuilt the heater box, and heater valve, the valve works fantastic now. I've got a new cable and mounting bushings for the heater box as well.
In the ever changing plans of the restoration I've made a decision in the interest of getting on the road sooner rather than later. I think that I'm going to fix all the body tub rust as planned... but then re-assemble it with the same badly-in-need-of-paint BRG doors, trunk, and fenders so that I can be driving it this year. That would leave me with stripping the fenders, doors, trunk, boot, and engine bay next winter, and getting new paint in the metallic silver that I'm planning to do, but would let me get on the road this summer to enjoy the car.
Not an ideal solution, but it would turn my frame-off restoration into a rolling-restoration that I can enjoy more fully.
Here's the rebuilt heater box and heater valve
In the ever changing plans of the restoration I've made a decision in the interest of getting on the road sooner rather than later. I think that I'm going to fix all the body tub rust as planned... but then re-assemble it with the same badly-in-need-of-paint BRG doors, trunk, and fenders so that I can be driving it this year. That would leave me with stripping the fenders, doors, trunk, boot, and engine bay next winter, and getting new paint in the metallic silver that I'm planning to do, but would let me get on the road this summer to enjoy the car.
Not an ideal solution, but it would turn my frame-off restoration into a rolling-restoration that I can enjoy more fully.
Here's the rebuilt heater box and heater valve
Rhodyspit75
Jedi Knight
Offline
Sound's like a plan. I did my frame off restoration over two years ago. I put it all back together knowing that I couldn't live with the ten foot paint job forever. I've enjoyed driving it two summers and worked out all the mechanical things. Now all the pieces I can fit are in my basement getting prepped for paint. In the spring it will get repainted and be ready for summer again. I'm sure you will enjoy driving it this summer even without a shiny coat of paint.
OP
justin_mercier
Jedi Warrior
Offline
Aye, especially because everything mechanical on the whole car will have been re-done. So even if it has bad quarter panels, and bad paint, it'll drive just as well as if I had done all the cosmetic stuff =)
Brosky
Great Pumpkin
Offline
I'll bet that valve works much better now than before.......Justin hot wire the fan and let it run for an hour on high speed just to make sure it doesn't decide to crack apart AFTER the car is all back together and where it's impossible to get out.
I see at least two faces and they are kind of creepy, so I'm not looking for more..
I see at least two faces and they are kind of creepy, so I'm not looking for more..
OP
justin_mercier
Jedi Warrior
Offline
I ran it for 15 minutes at both speeds from a spare car battery I had, and it seemed to be working just fine, and ready to go back into the car when it gets re-assembled.
OP
justin_mercier
Jedi Warrior
Offline
RUST! ugh, so much of it, and so much random damage to the body tub. I've got most of the heaviest undercoating off, and out of the wheel wells, and I've uncovered a lot of damage.
Some of the worst places that arent already being replaced with new sheet metal are the following
Front where the valance meets the passenger side light housing on the corner.
Driver side where the body mount and front wheel well are welded together
Driver side B pillar
Driverside wheel well crack, rust holes where mounts for the trunk panneling are, and not easy to see, but rust holes in the seam between the trunk floor and the bottom of the wheel well
On the passenger side, damage from when the car had been in a rear end colission. There is a good tear in the corner of the back of the trunk, leaving a sizable hole to fill
and there's some crumpling in the wheel well (and another forming crack ) on that side
The bottom of the trunk has some rust holes in it as well
I fixed the rust holes on the rear of the trunk where it was welded to the rusted out inner rear valance, i need to grind the weld down smooth now.
There's a bit of rust under the rear shelf, but not yet in the TOP of the rear shelf which is good, on the driver's side it's not that bad
but on the passenger side it's pretty ugly
On both sides I'm going to have to do a bit of repair to the bulkhead wall and firewall where it meets the floor and sills. The mud shields rotted away completely under the undercoating, and took parts of the bulkhead with it.
Some of the worst places that arent already being replaced with new sheet metal are the following
Front where the valance meets the passenger side light housing on the corner.
Driver side where the body mount and front wheel well are welded together
Driver side B pillar
Driverside wheel well crack, rust holes where mounts for the trunk panneling are, and not easy to see, but rust holes in the seam between the trunk floor and the bottom of the wheel well
On the passenger side, damage from when the car had been in a rear end colission. There is a good tear in the corner of the back of the trunk, leaving a sizable hole to fill
and there's some crumpling in the wheel well (and another forming crack ) on that side
The bottom of the trunk has some rust holes in it as well
I fixed the rust holes on the rear of the trunk where it was welded to the rusted out inner rear valance, i need to grind the weld down smooth now.
There's a bit of rust under the rear shelf, but not yet in the TOP of the rear shelf which is good, on the driver's side it's not that bad
but on the passenger side it's pretty ugly
On both sides I'm going to have to do a bit of repair to the bulkhead wall and firewall where it meets the floor and sills. The mud shields rotted away completely under the undercoating, and took parts of the bulkhead with it.
OP
justin_mercier
Jedi Warrior
Offline
My birthday present to myself. A new old stock rear valance that I found locally on Ebay =) Beats the heck out of my rusty old one!
