Truth be told ......... I have neglected this Blog.  For anyone who may be watching, I apologize - but you can lose track of MONTHS working on an E Type : )

     Since my last post, quite a bit has happened.  I have continued my body work, including an exorbitant amount of filler and sand paper.  The E got a new water pump a while back and now runs for more than 10 minutes before over heating!  It seems the success was short lived though, not long after when I was able to drive it for longer stretches my alternator froze up.  No doubt fried bearings, but I decided to preform the AC Delco Single wire 60A conversion while I was here.

     The Series 2 takes a little more prep than the Series 1 but the transition wasn't bad.  It entailed slicing a square out of the forward corner of the original bracket and running a bead across the pipe for strength.  I purchased a universal alternator arm and modified it to fit the new alternator position. Richard and Stewart assisted my wiring bypass of the factory regulator as the Delco has one built in.  All that I have left is purchasing a slightly longer belt to accommodate the new position.  

While getting after the alternator, we began talking about body work.  It came to light that the idea of having the car in color by the wedding was not going to happen unless the job was rushed and messed up.  Not something I want.  So, I will be shooting it with a blue primer this upcoming Sunday in order to have a consistent color on it for the wedding.  That'll do. 

The Nose was finally starting to come around.  There was a lot of work on this front corner, still not right in this picture - but a lot better than it was.

     I have been counting Months, days, hours and minutes with grand dreams of having it in color by the wedding (May 19th).  Alas, I have made up my mind.  We will drive it in primer until after the wedding, at which point i will be having it blasted down to metal and primed back.  This will oliviate all of those small meticulous areas I have been having such trouble with - but will also reverse everything I have done for the past months . . . . . .  Tough pill to swallow, but I feel it is for the best.


     I picked up a nice rotary buffer from Harbor Freight for a low low price of $35 and it has proven miracles on the chrome that I thought was rough beyond repair.  For now, it is time to drive it and enjoy it.  Interior, still very rough - but my right foot could care less....

Till next time.

In my absensce . . . .

Since I began this, I have been adamant on doing as much as possible with my own two hands.  Although, Mike and Richard have bailed me out more than a few times in areas that I needed help!!!  My desires to complete body and paint myself have been with me for some time.  It was time to make preparations for this task.  The wedding is a mere 4 months away almost to the day!!  I have colors etc chosen and ready to purchase.  I have been stocking up on sanding disks, DA sanders, dura blocks, guns etc...  Not a short shopping list by any means.  The factory light blue is now visible and the dark blue layed on top comes off in the most peculiar way - it chips away almost like plaster.  My photography partner and I began this build around 3pm Sat and were finished by 7:30 or so.  I still have to install the filters and fans to provide ventilation, but its not far from done.  Immediately, this will make for a nice place to do my heavy sanding without filling the house with dust every time the door is opened.  I think my neighbors will mind less too!!  I got the pvc and plastic booth idea from www.Mckennasgarage.com where he documents a '63 build of a gorgeous opalescent dark blue FHC.  I spent a whopping $89 on materials!!  My partner and I documented every step, I may throw that in on the next post if anyone seems interested.  I will be hanging some long florescent tubes on the sides and front and back of the booth to make for more lighting on the interior.  This is a run to the finish, although the current, raggy pair of jeans look is kinda growing on me!  I will make as much progress as possible to have it looking good when my new bride and I pull away from the venue.  Hopefully I can get my headlights sorted out by then!!

   This is the current state of the body.  Chrome etc on the front end will be coming off by this weekend to make room for some heavy sanding and hammer n dolly / filler work.

 Here is the rear of the booth with the entrance door sealed.  I took advantage of every available inch while leaving me a path to get around the side.

I love this picture.  The light is hitting her hips just right.  One of my favorite angles of this car.  Up front you can see that my main bench is still exposed.  I made the front end of the booth modular so I can fold up the top half and still access my main tools while inside the booth.  Before spraying, I will be able to drop the door and seal it up.

The video!!!

Here is the video. Dillon edited it and stuck it on my you tube. Not bad for my first time trying to start it.


Link to video

It's ALIVE!!!!!!

Last post I described my trouble with receiving spark.  That was quickly fixed, and the next morning I headed to the garage to try and start it for the first time.  After a few minutes deducing a couple hose clamps that needed a little "extra lovin" It was time to crank.  Nearly 5 minutes passed, with each stroke it got closer.  She would cough, and clear her throat like a giant that has just been rousted from a long . . . . . long . . . slumber.  It was clear that she wanted to run.  My friend Christian was manning the distributor, giving slight adjustments to find the sweet spot that would entice it to fire.  Remarkably, she fired right up!  It was accompanied by a plethora of smoke and smells that were . . . . less than pleasant.  26 some odd years of crud, mouse droppings, hair, carpet, and anything else 26 years of mouse colonies could shove into crevices and corners burned off rapidly.  I was elated to say the least.  My fiance video taped everything and we will get the video up, hopefully tonight.  Since the first run, I have continued to get her some run time while I preform a shake down of any other areas that need attention.  It idles out nicely and has stopped smoking so bad.  Cam cover and head gaskets are on my list (small amount of leaking) but not on the immediate one.  The clutch master cylinder was toast, so I got a new one in.  After what I had hoped was going to allow the E to move, it didn't.  Mike and Richard directed me to the slave cylinder and backed up my initial thoughts that the slave cyl could have seized in the disengaged position, making getting into any gear impossible.  I now have the slave cyl on order and will hopefully be installing it this weekend.  As pretty as it is outside, each day with out it running is a day lost.  Oct 22 is starting to look more realistic - I am so happy with the progress I've made over the past few weeks.  On other notes, I dropped my bonnet back on and  was welcomed with fully functioning lights!  I was never able to get my headlights to work.  The connection must have made better contact this time.  Oh, I also picked up a '69 tag.  I found a gentleman on ebay that is local to Mobile and stopped by his house.  He has . . . . thousands . . . . of tags.  Its pretty amazing.  $20 later, I have a pretty low number YOM tag that begins with 2- for Mobile county.  If anyone needs a period correct tag, get a hold of me and I'll direct you to Cliff, nice guy to deal with.  Now if I can just get the E on the road, I can go to the license branch and get my paperwork finalized!!!!  As a side note, does anyone else find it odd that they ask you to drive your vehicle illegally so they can see it and make it legal??

Here's the current condition of the slave cylinder.

 Look what followed me home!  After a visit to Richard's to see his E, I inevitably came home with a set of Wilwoods he had sitting aside.  These are going to really spruce it up.  I also vest a lot of interest in the ability to stop when needed.  Thanks again Richard!!!!!

'Till next time!!!!

Temporarily distracted . . . . .

 Its been a while since I have updated this, but it's due to being enthralled with getting the E rolling. Last post, I addressed the coil being fried.  I got my new coil in, but that did not fix the problem.  After testing all connections, the condenser was found to be bad, as well as needing a new set of points.  These were purchased and delivered promptly.  After installing the new components, I was still not receiving current.  With some frustration, I headed to my SABCC club meeting for the evening and brought along my phone with the pictures on it.  It didn't take long in talking with some fellow members for them to explain that if my points isolator was not set in the correct order, I could be grounding myself out and not know it.  It took 5 minutes after getting home to realize that I had missed the fact that the isolator is in fact 2 pieces.  Fixed, and receiving spark!

Out with the old, in with the new!

Electrical 101

I have approached this project with an open mind in all aspects.  I research everything to a T, my fiance usually pokes fun at me for it but knows its important if you want to get something right.  After crunching numbers and learning about what is needed in certain departments, I have decided to do the interior and body work in my garage instead of paying out for it.  I have a good friend who is also a gear head and we discuss new practices and methods frequently.  The conversation is usually wrapped up with "its not rocket science".  This is true . . . . banging some dents may take some serious skill, and I'm not down playing it, but its not rocket science - I'm capable.  So, I have had a hammer and dolly set molded to my hands over the past week as I learn how to work out a couple dents in my bonnet.  I surprised myself after the first night of work and feel like I can harness the ability to finish it out.  We have also been looking at paint booth designs that guys have built in their garages - totally doable.  I have the compressor, almost as tall as me, I have the nice gun - no reason we cant do this. 

 These show the first dent I approached.  You can see another one lower on the bonnet in the first image.  This is what the top one looked like before I got to it.  I need to purchase some dura blocks to assist in the sanding, but I made do with what I had on hand.  You can clearly see the original baby blue showing through.  The small silver spots are still a tad bit high, but you can barely feel them.  I plan on making a trolley for the bonnet that will allow me to turn it flat and work on it easier.  Lead loading will also be a skill I will pick up.  I have everything needed and have practiced on some scrap.

On to other areas, I have found my coil to be faulty so I ordered a Lucas Sport Coil from SNG which should be here tomorrow as well as some plug wires.  I am anxious to get these as this is hopefully the last step in getting spark to the motor.  My grand plan is to have this flat blue classic sitting in a spot for the SABCC car show.  As I watch the calendar, Oct 22nd is approaching fast.  I'm starting to feel the pressure to get it sorted out.  I still have a dead clutch pedal which I haven't even diagnosed, but believe it to be as simple as getting fluid in and priming up the system.  I am pushing hard to get fire over the weekend.  This will lead into a fine tooth shake down on running components before I will try to move it.  First runs will be contained in my neighborhood as it has a very nice oval from my house which is around a mile long start to finish.  Once I feel ok about things, wheels will be removed and fresh rubber will be installed - 25 yo dry rotted tires dont inspire much confidence. . . .  Speaking of rubber, I have always wanted a set of white walls and love the classic look they provide.  I have seen era pictures that show E Types with white walls, so I dont feel like it is breaking the purity of the the car.  E's tuck the tires soooo slightly and a set of pretty white walls draws to this subtlety.  It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but neigh sayers didnt put the hours in the garage with me, so their opinions aren't recognized here. . .

 This brings me to the next issue.  I would love to have a YOM tag like the one pictured below, but have read some interesting facts.  A lot of states let you run YOM anywhere you want as long as you have a standard tag in the car with you at all times.  Alabama says you can only run a YOM if you are in a show, trailering, or driving to a club sponsored event. . . Is this as regulated as they try to make it sound?  Can anyone comment on YOM tags and classics?  I don't really have a problem putting a standard tag on but would love to sport a year correct tag if I could. 

This OTS is sporting the same colors I will be using.  After the Oct 22 show, it will be full throttle body and paint!!!!

Busy weekend!!!!

As tropical storm Lee came across my neck of the woods it was apparent that there would be nothing to accomplish outside . . . . . perfect!!!  I spent my whole weekend chugging away in my lair.  The garage door was open, raining and windy as hell outside, but none coming in for some reason, it was great.  I was lucky to have picked up my carbs from Mike Darby (http://darbyclassics.com/) last week and looked forward to getting them in the car.  He did an incredible job, they look like new!

 < BEFORE

AFTER >

I spent Friday evening getting some of this area tied up.  The vacuum reservoir was refinished and painted, as well as the surrounding areas.  The reservoir was re-seated and I spent the rest of the evening getting the carbs hooked up to each other, running the fuel line with the brass T and hanging them on the manifold. 

 Through Saturday my attention turned to getting the tank set in as I didn't have much time to play Sat.  Surprisingly, it only took 15-20 minutes to convince the tank that it needed to return home.  Removing the boot latch and the passenger side tank mount made this all a lot easier.  

 

 I couldn't resist dropping the air box in to see this area looking near completion.

This shows one of the inline filters.  I realized after looking at this picture that I meant to put it on the line underneath it that would put it in front of the fuel pump, I will have to fix that tonight.  Next up, achieving spark, adding fuel, and praying for some magic.

Budget builds take time, draw blood, and beat you down . . . but I'm coming out ahead.

I decided to restore my tank instead of paying out nearly $800 for a new one.  There was around an inch of sludge and varnish built up in the bottom that had hardened to concrete.  I removed all of the fittings and access and tested the ability to chip away at it with no luck.  This got me thinking as to how motivated I was really going to be trying to clean the tank based on the abilities of chemicals I could get my hands on.  I don't like working with volatile chemicals without the right facility.  I had chemical gloves on hand which made manipulating anything smaller than a steering wheel a daunting task so I opted for some surgical gloves which would snag and tear every other minute or so.  The first chemical I introduced was Phosphoric Acid.  This proved to be a pretty motivated liquid.  It sizzled and bubbled and produced gasses that could incapacitate a gorilla.  However, it didn't seem to be a magic dissolver of rust and varnish.  The next step was Muriatic Acid.  I had another set of hands on the job this time and my buddy suggested dumping a couple hand-fulls of penny in the tank to act as an abrasive.  Not sure what the acid would do to the pennies, we dumped them in anyways.  The pennies proved to do a nice job. They moved in and out of the baffles willingly and were easy to remove.  This round showed better results.  I treated it two more times with the Muriatic while rinsing very well between treatments with a pressure washer.  The pressure washer nozzle got into the tank just far enough to blast some hung varnish out of its home.  At this point, it was time for the POR 15 tank coating kit.  It came with Marine Clean to eat away any varnish and rust left, Metal Ready to de-acidify the surface and the interior coating.  The kit worked very well.  Note - take care to keep it out of your threads while rolling the product in the tank.  Q-tips can help clean out the threads while its still wet.  Also, take care with these chemicals.  I saw the job they did to my drive way where I spilled a spot, pretty impressive!  But i don't think I would want it cleaning my hands.  I used an old 5 gal plastic bucket as a designated holding container for all of the chemicals I used.  Remember to take this to a disposal facility when your done . . . don't just pour it in the drain.  Gloves and masks are a must!  I can't stress that enough.  Also, stay in a well ventilated area.  I finished the interior and the exterior and am pretty happy with the results.

  These show the interior after the 

application of POR15.  It was still wet at this point.

 Photos above show the outside of the tank after prime and paint.

 

I'm very happy with the results.  In the end I spent right around $90 for chemicals and the POR15 kit.  This made for a $700 savings over buying a new tank.  If you have the time to spend and the patients required, it makes for a very rewarding project.

Hot days make David a dull boy

As we drift into the year, every day means one step closer to working in the garage and not having blurred vision or signs of dehydration.  Large fans can suppress some of these symptoms, and they have been running full blast around my place. 

I received a new battery support that I found on Ebay for a really good price.  Brand new and powder coated, it puts my old one to shame.

The trunk is now prepped and ready for the fuel tank.  I will be ordering a rubber kit for the fuel tank which will include new gaskets, hose etc. that will be needed for the tank to be fully functional.  Once the tank goes in, I'm NOT going to want to take it back out. 

Making headway!

Its been a few days since I have been able to commit solid evening work to the E Type (projects around the house are almost done!)  I have been focusing my attention to the fuel tank.  I know this one is usable, just need the determination to get the chemicals in it and start shaking.  Upon further inspection, what I had originally determined was extensive rust turned out to be varnish that flakes off easily.  I will be calling a couple local radiator shops today and inquiring about using their vat which would REALLY simplify this process.  I have prepared the manifold surfaces for being re-united with my Strombergs and will be getting gaskets on order should the rebuild kit not supply them.  I also have begun assessing the state of hard hoses.  While the carbs are out, it is easy to get at a lot of these hoses which would be a pain to replace once the carbs are back on.  I will start replacing the worst of the worst, for the price of a hose its worth it to me to know that they are fresh.  While I am without carbs and fuel pump I need to get some cleaner in the hard fuel line to make sure it is free of debris etc, I have some pretty nice chemicals for that.

The interior is out and I am studying the seats.  I know the recline bar that runs behind the seat on the passenger is broken at the end.  This isn't a big deal as I can have my friend weld it up good as new.  The center console seems to have been covered by lighter vinyl that is over the factory black, this will all be removed and re-finished.  I'll be shooting more pics tonight that touch on these areas, so check back!

*** While I'm thinking about it. . . . Does anyone have a good suggestion for a de-greaser?  I am trying to clean and coat areas that a brush etc can't get to efficiently.  It would be nice to be able to spray it and wipe it down. ***

 

This is the current state of the valve cover.  I have since done a little polishing . . . looks awesome.  Ill leave this here to show what it came from and drop a finished pic in when I finish all the fins and my fingers re-coop enough to type again.

 This is officially, the first SNG Barrett delivery I have received.  Shipping was great!  I placed my order Monday and had this on my door step Wednesday!  Inside were two oil filter elements, since Ill be running the motor for the first time in 25 years I will be making 2 changes fairly close to each other to make sure I cycle some oil through and get it out incase it is contaminated.  I also ordered a new air filter, fuel filter, fuel tank sump bolt plug, sending unit gasket, one valve cover stud and one valve cover acorn.  These parts, with the addition of my fuel tank which is soon to be reconditioned, a Facet fuel pump (original was a no go - failed bench test), and my carbs which are being done as I type should being me up to operational tests!  I am crawling through these stages, as I dont want ANYTHING to hinder getting it to fire.

The fuel filter was removed as you saw a couple posts ago, I also blasted the bracket in frame, cleaned up the ground, and painted the fire wall area behind them with a rust encapsulator from Eastwood.  I will be re-assembling them will post new pictures of this area. 

 

I thought it would be cool to show what many years of grime and corrosion can look like with a little TLC.  "After" pics to follow in next post.

Some things to look forward to!

• Prep boot for being re-mated to fuel tank (encapsulate)

• Remove adhesive in interior floors and prep.  Decide whether to weld in new floor pan on drivers side.  (encapsulate)

• Purchase and mount Facet fuel pump

• Re-condition heater box

• Strip bonnet of chrome and lights, prepare for body work!

• Pick colors!!!  I have been going back and forth between Opalescent Silver Blue and Opalescent Dark Blue . . . I know these are Series 1 colors, but they stopped them in 68 (close) and I'm not making this a 100 pt car.  I want to drive it and LOVE the color.  

'till next time!