Luv2Wrench

Ah, you're right, now that you've circled it in red, I do see them. I agree with your nephew, it looks like some metallic has sought freedom in the clear. That's probably why it shows up when you have a narrow light source. You could ban flash photography

Looking good!! Looks like you've moved from the garage into the house, that's a great idea now that it is cold outside. Don't forget the kitchen is great for parts cleaning (dishwasher) and the closets are wonderful places for hanging parts. I saw a video where a body guy was tackling a job that looked impossible... huge impact on one side of the piece. He put the dang thing in a press and pushed 90% of the damage out. He basically pushed opposite of where the damage came from. Multiple "dents" and "creases" released themselves as the major damage was pushed back out. I tried that on the MG TD rear fender and it worked fantastic. I think the trick when you have a big distortion is to not hit it with a hammer but to be able to impact it in the opposite way the damage was caused and with a constant push force rather than small localized impacts (hammer). You can clean up what is left with a hammer.

That's fairly typical when I create something of that complexity. I figure if I can get it close to working then a few tweaks will usually get it all the way there. Hopefully that's the case for you as well... it certainly looks like a solid tool.

You'll need period correct clubs of course... hickory shafts only.

Roger, all really good creators have things that, in their eyes, don't measure up. It could be possible that if I were there and you carefully showed me an A/B case, I might also see what you're talking about. As it is, with the two pictures you've show, I can't see the issue. I can imagine at the level you work it is hard to always be satisfied but do know that your audience is amazed at what you've done.

You're just making the cantilever piece over, right? Obviously you'd like it to be perfect the first time, but making that piece again isn't too bad. When you make it a little shorter, might you also add a piece to rest against the saddle? Perhaps make the piece that hangs down thicker such that it naturally rests against the saddle? Looks like that would provide a lot of support to offset the downward force from the cutting tool... though I may not understand how it works.

WOW! What a great surprise!! Thanks Roger!

Not much to report as I've been taking it easy and hanging with the family. Last two days have been wonderful weather wise and I've gotten in some more test drives. I'm going to do a deep dive into what I have, what I'm missing, what needs to be repaired, etc etc. I'm also going to move all the parts that are either duplicates, unusable or for a different car out of the shop area. Once I start on bodywork and taking the car back apart, I want to be able to easily track everything that comes off. I threw the windshield on just for completeness but I think it adds a lot to the look of the car. I think this is my favorite picture so far. Hope everyone is having a Wonderful Christmas!!

Great to hear from you Bernie! You English project cars grew on me to the point I had to get one! Didn't get one as unique as some of your's but its been fun to work on.

Hot DANG! That looks fantastic!

A work of art!!

Looks great! Seeing it on the lathe gives a lot of context. What's the big slot on the bottom for?

Wow, those are some nice cars.

Wonderful description, many thanks! I believe my issues were aggressive buffing and scratching the inletting with a pencil point instead of lifting the paint up.

I'll never forget when Roger started this process by making the tire. That just blew my mind... and I was like "wow, this is going to be something I've never seen before". That certainly proved true and it has been a blast every day since then.

Those knobs really turned out good. What was the process for polishing them and did you do the paint before the polish or polish before and after?

Terry Harper: I'd love some more information on the locomotives!

^^ This X 100. I think sharing the project online makes it more fun. I know I'm enjoying everyone else's projects right now... I love when a new thread is started. There is so much information available as well as I think I learn something new a regular basis reading through the forum. I find a lot of inspiration in the restoration stories. While I was already "hooked' on restoration, I think the following thread helped me understand that this was the hobby I should focus on. There's really nothing better than rescuing your Dad's old car out of a field and bringing it to life. Passion is powerful and for me, that's what this is... a Passion.

Right, too many zeros running around in my head! I've never been very good with numbers which is funny given I work programs for a living. Yes, I have have the illustrations. I think I could turn them on the lathe with either a tool ground to the form or the radius tool.

How are you planning on getting half a tenth? Is the bushing already that size or maybe you're grinding that? The only way I can get below a thou is to use a file instead of a cutter in the lathe and I have to continually test because I don't have an indicator that reads tenths. I can't wait to see the results you get with the rig. I'm thinking of taking the radius tool that came with that smaller lathe I picked up and see if I can adapt it to the Hendey. I'd love to turn some bead roller dies when I get back on the Metz. Having an ogee die that matches what is on the fenders would be a huge help in getting those things back in shape.

I think the reliance on getting ground from the frame/body panels causes plenty of issues. I'll probably buy a wire harness that matches the original, but if I didn't and I made one myself, I would certainly run ground wires throughout.

Thanks! Yes, I do think there could be a little extra free play in the linkage. That's a good suggestion and will be one of the first things I look at.

Weather has been better so I've take a few more spins around the neighborhood. As I get more comfortable with the car I'm able to better understand what the car is doing. I've slowed down my shift from 1st to 2nd ever so slightly and that has cured the grind entering second. Down shifting from 3rd to 2nd though doesn't work as well. I don't remember having an issue with it the first couple of drives but it has been an issue the last couple. I've read that a quick double clutch will solve the problem and I'll be trying that when it quits raining. I haven't figured out what the noise is in 3rd under hard acceleration. I've driven around quite a bit in third and there's no noise so it appears to only be under hard acceleration. It really sounds like something hitting the exhaust but I don't know how that could be happening. The wiggle in the rear was the tires (they were a little low on air). I did a slalom on a straight section of the road and the handling felt good. I've gotten the nerve up to take my hands off the wheel for a bit and the car drives straight and seems very stable. I'm going to test out more of the handling next week as I should have several days of dry weather and no work. My daughter is home from college and she helped me bleed the brakes again. Unfortunately only a little bit of air came out of the right rear, everything else was clear. The brakes don't really catch until full travel of the pedal. I think I just need to set the adjustment on the shoes and it should be fine. The braking action is pretty strong, but the amount of travel before something happens is panic inducing. The best news so far, however, was found well after these latest drives. I've been pulling more forward in the shop so I could work on the rear thus the engine has been over virgin floor space. I'm pleased (and quite surprised) to say that said space is oil and water free!! Yes, I checked to make sure all the oil and water hadn't already leaked out. It seems the various little fittings I tweaked actually were responsible for all of the spillage on the floor. Even the rear main hasn't leaked this week. I do know that it will eventually leak, but a drop or two every once in awhile is fine for an old English car. I'll have some pictures this weekend as I reach the end of the test assembly. It seems that the only possible serious issue might be that I need to replace the second gear synchro. I hope to drive another TD soon so I can compare... but I think I've got a great running car that needs some bodywork and a paint job!

I will send you the same "product" for only $19.99 As an added bonus, I won't sell your credit card information to more than 4500 people... 'cause I'm a nice guy.

I'll jump in for Chris as he's enjoying the holidays... The progress of the car has been outstanding! Look above in the posts and you see a completely restored chassis. Engine is out for a rebuild and body work is getting started. My guess is he gets done well before his 5 year goal.