Tues.25.09.07. Chris has begun to strip the car down. He has first, removed all the body panels, wings, bonnet and nose cone followed by the ancillary components of the steering column, suspension turrets, hand brake mechanism and radiator brackets. The tub needs to be removed to tidy all the modifications that had to be undertaken whilst the car was in situ: as a result countless alterations were crudely fashioned require tidying then made good. Certain areas such as the bearing seat for the steering rod needs to be re-glassed, the boot space shaped evenly into a perfect rectangle and the petrol filler access drilled and routed. However, after many of theses components had been removed we began to notice that the rust proofing material that we had laborious applied 12 months ago has already begun to deteriorate rapidly. So much so that many of the new nuts and bolts were severely corroded to the chassis paintwork, in certain sections, was peeling from the box section extending gradually to the outriggers. This could be a major setback to the project. It is difficult to comprehend the extent of the damage, this can only be authentically assessed when the tub has been completely removed, but the prospects aren’t good. If there has been such a rapid acceleration of rust damage whilst the car has been dry, entirely garaged the prospect of external weather influences when eventually the car is on the road is unquestionably very worrying.
The problem must lie with the products that we have used or our understanding of how the metal components should have been treated when the proofing agents were applied. What ever the solution may be, these areas need, again, to be roughly cleaned by grinding or sanding with 120’s and re-sealed. Bummer.
“Listen, listen, I’ve told you this before, we’ve gone about this all the wrong way. We should have had lists, been organised, logical. We seem to be re-tracing all our steps over and over again. Instead of completing one job at a time then signing it off we’ve been jumping from one to another getting nothing finished. We’ve wasted so much time, energy and money!” Eureka.
I have used my free 15mm plywood with the 10mm MDF to cut and assemble the undertrim later being partly shaped using a combination of jig and band saw. The two halves were screwed together making provision for the upper layer to be replaced by the hardwood if the design so required. The lower curve of the trim was created by my new friend, the ‘router’. Nevertheless, the edges and contours necessitate some detail sanding to be entirely acceptable, but the basic form is sound and synchronizes neatly with the solid maple dash.
Reg Caldwell has proposed a price for the windscreen replacement: £75.00 for a ‘pucka’ laminated kite marked screen or £65.00 for a toughened glass alternative, the former being the agreed offer. During the time in the office I managed to cut a small cross-section piece of the rubber mounting strip to later dispatch to ‘Woolies’ of Peterborough. Hopefully a match can be found.
Down at the Oak the Doc had been in the kitchen preparing to serve up a delightful leek, potato and gorgonzola soup accompanied by a cassoulet of wild beans, chorizo along side ‘Southpork’s’ finest rolled shoulder. One particular customer approved of the victuals so much that he compared the spread to ‘Campbell’s’, the best soup in the world: the only one that can be spread on a pie. Doesn’t this just prove without doubt that Wigan is unquestionably crammed with discerning ‘foodies’.
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