Luv2Wrench

I know what you mean! Joe is a big part of the reason my Hendey lathe got restored and that I know how to use it. Of course he's also "responsible" for me buying a milling machine, shaper and power hacksaw. Joe is a great guy to know.

Started getting some of the final parts on the car needed to test run the engine. I've wired the starter, starter switch, various ground straps, battery cables etc. I fixed the oil pressure feed line and temporarily attached the oil gauge. Distributor is in place and static tuned to a few degrees advance. Still need to make the plug wires, connect the coil and add some more temporary wiring to get the fuel pump and coil wired in. In theory once that is done I can try to test fire the engine. Should that be successful I'll add coolant, install the muffler, bleed the brakes, add the steering shaft/wheel and the driveline. It is then conceivable (though not likely) that I could back the car out of the shop for a quick little test drive around the yard. I think this is very wishful thinking but it would be convenient as the Hendey shaper is being delivered next week and it sure would be easier to drive the car out of the shop to allow delivery than it would be to push the car out and up the hill!!! Anyway... I filled the engine with oil, primed the pump (which was also packed with Vasoline during assembly) and pulled the starter cable. I was immediately awarded with a shower of sparks!! Oops... forgot to tighten the starter cable on the switch. Once that was secured the engine turned over nicely. It built 60psi oil pressure reasonably quick so I'm quite happy with that. A lot of things went right tonight! The starter worked, the grounding worked, the switch worked, the oil pump worked, oil didn't come pouring out and nothing inside blew up while cranking (and it cranks over really fast... kinda scary). I've got a lot to do tomorrow to try and start the engine and the carbs are a big unknown but maybe I'll get lucky!

Fantastic! I must visit to see this in person but it is such a long drive

Well said... I have thought many times that without the Internet I would have missed this work of art. Of course Roger has to also take the time to post these pictures as well!!

Wow that looks like a lot of setup work... I'm just not sure I have the patience for something like that. I love the little jack you have in the first picture, I'd love to find some like that.

Still moving forward... another very busy weekend coming up so not much more will get done.

Interesting, I guess on this side of the pond it isn't banned?? I've probably got enough to last me for quite some time so if they do stop selling in the States I'm probably OK... maybe I'll buy some more just to be sure. Looking forward to seeing more work on the Humberette.

Mike, very interesting, when I look at the blue chromate page it says "In Stock"... I wonder if they are looking at the region identifier in your browser and determining that they can't sell it to you. The chromate process does add a fairly significant amount of corrosion resistance so it is worthwhile to do. Let me know what you find!

Mike, I started with Caswell's copy-cad plating kit and while it did work well until the solution failed, I'm not sure I'd recommend that route. I used the formula that this guy used http://www.gomog.com/allmorgan/ZincPlatingAtHome.html and it worked fine for me. I did use Caswell's blue chromate as a last step. Here's some info here: https://www.caswellplating.com/electroplating-anodizing/zinc-plating-kits/chromates/blue-chromate-8oz-makes-1-quart.html I haven't had any issue with this solution getting contaminated and I continue to use it and imagine I will for years to come.

I hadn't thought of getting some hexagon bar, that's a great idea. A couple feet of various sizes would be great to have on hand, thanks for the tip! The last two photos above show the zinc plating. The first (of the last two) shows the parts before plating and the second is them after plating. They could be smoother and brighter but I'm just going for protection here. I media blast them, etch, rinse, plate, rinse, blue chromate, rinse and dry. They usually need a little buffing in the end.

Yes, they are Whitworth heads with BSF threads. One of the first purchases I made when I got the car was a tap and die set for BSF threads. They're high quality and I've had no problem cutting threads with them.

Managed to get out to the shop today for the first time in a week or so. A couple of weeks ago I tried to plate a bolt and the plating solution had major issues. I talked to Caswell but there didn't seem to be anything that could be done, some kind of contamination of the solution had occur. The support person said that "this happens a lot". That was pretty frustrating because the plating kit cost a lot of money and the solution was supposed to last "forever". I looked around on the web and found a couple of different formulas for zinc plating and picked the one that had the best pictures This new solution worked really well and I was able to get a lot of parts plated which was very helpful as I have multiple components waiting to go on the car that needed various bits of hardware plated. One of the components waiting was the radiator and once I got the engine stabilizer plated I was able to get it mounted. I thought this would be a pretty simple procedure but it was anything but. The lower mounting bracket needed to come off, get connected to the radiator and then rotate the assembly up, connect hoses and reattach the mounting bracket. I hoping that doesn't have to come back out again. The steering assembly has another piece waiting and it had another issue. One of the special bolts that I removed from the parts car broke as I took it off. Moss wanted $17 for the bolt and of course there's $12 shipping and another 4 day wait, so I put some steel in the lathe and made a bolt. It came out very nice and I'm getting a much better feel for the lathe. I've tweaked a few things on it and I've been able to take much heavier cuts as well as getting a much better finish. I don't have the mill hooked up yet so I had to cut the hex head by hand with a file. I did it by eye and it turned out a little small but it fits ok in the socket wrench and will work fine. I plated the new bolt and the older ones and I'll get the steering assembly on next week. Finally, I'd like to thank Mike Macartney for turning me on to Old Engine Oil beer. This is a black ale brewed in Scotland and while quite expensive here in the States, it is well worth every penny. Thanks Mike!!

Looks fantastic, I bet that first "drive" was a blast!!

I hate when reality gets in the way of a good plan!! At least you noticed it now, I would have noticed it when the engine seized from not getting enough oil. How does the pump interface with the camshaft... is there room for a gear there?

Alignment is really looking good, and boy that car has some lines!!

Ah.. the giant quarter returns!

More great work, love seeing the pictures! I've really fallen in love with that car... just the right mix of wood and steel and such a nice size to work on.

Agreed, the manifold fits perfectly with the engine in every way. Job very well done!

Great job, thanks for posting the steps!

Great news, looking forward to more updates!

Fantastic job with the clear. If you can lay it down like that you could have used finger paint as your base.

Yes, this was what I referred to in my post above, "tendency to split parallel to the direction of force is minimized as it can't expand (bound by the hole)" . As Spinneyhill suggests, you can get a plug drill and make a custom plug and this works great for bigger holes. Excellent work on the door, very enjoyable to tag along via your pictures! Please keep them coming!!!

Clutch disc finally came in and I was able to get the clutch, pressure plate, bell housing and gearbox on the engine. It is very nice to have the engine in the car!! I have a bunch of things to add tomorrow and over the next week. I'm hopeful that I can try starting it next weekend though we do have plans to be out of town.

Great progress!

Screws into end grain are not as bad as nails but yes, you'd like to avoid that. Drilling a pilot hole well help with that and using the correct screw helps as well. The big difference with the plugs is that it is contained in a hole with glue such that the tendency to split parallel to the direction of force is minimized as it can't expand (bound by the hole). If you have a bigger hole to plug you can get a dowel bit or use a small hole saw to create a plug that will orient the grain perpendicular to the screw.