Roger Zimmermann

Ah! Pat, you have the same hydraulic jack as I have! I'm using it also for odd jobs like you!

If 2 quarts of water were "added" to the oil between the moment you saw the problem and when you got home, the leak must be significant. I'm wondering if the water is not coming into the oil pan with an internal leak like, for example, at the cylinder wall(s). It would also be interestin to know if you have CO in water. It would be the case for a head gasket failure, but probably in your situation there will be no CO in water.

Bad luck Donald! I can speak and write if needed German, but, despite my last name, my mother tongue is French! Even if my writen English is far from perfect, I still prefer to write in English than German. First choice is French of course, but it's no help for you. Sorry Donald, you have to search for another victim! As far as I can judge, you are writing better German than me...

If composite are more forgiving, I would use them; however, you have to understand that I have zero experience with vehicles that old. Copper head gaskets were probably the sole method at that time. I could be interesting to know why suddenly you have water in oil; what is the gasket failure cause? Of course, you cannot tell it now, you have to remove the head first...

I had a look in Internet to see how was looking a BMW 303. Well, it's probably not the most researched BMW by collectors...But you had one and I understand that it's different. If I'm right, this was the first 6-cylinder engine from BMW, very small by today standards, good for about 56 mph as maximum speed with mechanical brakes; about 2000 were made in 1933 and 1934.

Domald, did you check if the car is still there? (and the clock for the parking still running!) Registration in Switzerland for older cars is more or less the same as for a recent car. Road taxes are the same (In canton Bern we pay according to the total weight) as a vehicle with the same total weight; just liability insurances are somewhat cheaper than for a recent car. However, we have also good things: one set of license plates are good up to 8 car in Bern, if they accepted by the authorities as oldtimers (more or less in other cantons) but a recent car cannot be included. Therefore, for my 3 old Cads i have a set of license plates and another set for the recent one.

You will need to have almost so much patience as I have, this travel will continue for some years...To me, this is the road which is interesting, not the end result, even if I will not give it away!

keiser31, I don't believe this remark will create an international incident, maybe a war, not more! Glass would required another kind of tooling...By the way, headlamps on modern cars are also made with plastic; I'm now up to date!

The hadlamps were finished this week-end. Finished? Not quite: the back bucket is missing; I need the front fenders to make this part as it is attached to the fenders with screws. I may have it wrong if I do it now.

Pat, you have really no luck with your windows. Now that the frame for the ventilator in installed, you certainly don't want to remove the glass to modify it with all the associated risks.

Could be the grease which more than dry. Is the replacement part better? I believe those regulators are not easely taken apart to see inside.

Yesterday, I filed the various details on each plate constituting the main tool. I was the whole afternoon with a magnifier on the head... Sometimes, there are two steps forward and one backward! I experienced that yesterday while doing the first lens. The polyester piece to push the Plexiglas on the pattern went soft as the main tool is heated in the kitchen. The lens was no good. I had no other choice but do that part in brass, however, I had not the proper diameter at home! The difficulty was overcome with thick flat brass soldered to a shaft. The various parts are shown on the first picture. Today, after turning the other half of the tool, I went again into the kitchen to heat the tooling as Plexiglas can only be formed with heat. I have to say, I'm satisfied with the result. The complete tooling with some lenses are on the second picture. It's not easy to photography transparent parts, the third picture is the best I could do. The lenses must be trimmed and adjusted to the reflectors. I will only need two; the other ones are as spare. <o:p></o>

At first I had also the illusion that somebody was in the car, well protected from the cold with the heater full on. Ah! No windshield, no door and the engine not running and no seat! Was the cowl also repainted?

While at the lamps, I'm continuing with the headlamps. When I was making the Toronado, I did a major mistake by doing the wrong headlamps: I reproduced 7" lamps instead of the correct 5" ones. I don't remember if I noticed that before or after the parts were chromed; anyway, I had a bunch of reflectors and lenses at hand. A pair was used when I "restored" the Avanti; a pair reflector will be used on the Mark II. However, I'm not pleased with the lenses; they are too far from the reality. The headlamps' lenses are made with 8 molds (at least I imagine it that way) attached together. I will do the same as it will allow me to make the details independently on each form. This is the idea; I don't know yet if I will succeed. If not, I have a set of lenses which is ready to use... The first image is showing 8 pieces of brass screwed together. The second picture is showing the general shape of the lens; this is to be done when all pieces are together. The polyester form which will be used to squeeze the Plexiglas together is curing on the third picture; this is the second tentative... Polyester is taking a rather long time to cure; I had to continue with something else. The next picture is showing the tools needed to stamp the headlamp's retainers from a flat sheet 0.2 mm thick. 3 retainers are on the picture; the one in the center is too irregular and will be kept as a spare, just in case. Of course, the retainers must be trimmed and 3 little "ears" soldered.

Those little things were more labor intensive as I thought; this sounds familiar, isn't it? I first began with the lip around the lens, did 3 various tentative to shape that frame; the third one was the right one. Then the body of the lamp was done with 2 silver soldered pieces "hammered" on a suitable form. By chance I have very light hammers! That first assembly was then mated to a front plate into which the lens is attached by screws. Then, the first part, the frame, was soldered. During planning, electrical light was an option and the bodies were arranged to include a miniature bulb, diameter 1.5 mm (0.06"). They are also installed in the Toronado model, but conflict with voltage prevented to finish the installation. Maybe this time I will be clever and avoid this problem. To attach the bulbs in the Toronado was a problem; I overcame it by doing a small socket glued to the lamp. Now, I just have to push the assembly into the body and I have the proper location of the bulb. Of course, if a bulb goes bad, I have to do another socket as I used a strong glue. The last item to do was the lens. It must follow the shape of the frame which is not flat. I had to think a bit to overcome that problem; I believe that I succeed. I did 7 lenses, 2 were discarded because I let the tooling too long on the cooker (my wife was not there). The first picture is showing the tooling for the lenses; one finished lens and some spare are on the second one and the third picture is showing the finished lamps, one modified bulb and how the unmodified bulb is looking.

Congratulation! the first drive of a restored car is always a stirring moment! Strange behaviour from that tree....It must be hungry!

Pat gave me the more or less same answer by PM as there is another word in his explanation!

No Pat. This is the access to the bolt attaching the lower firewall to the frame. There is the same plate on the RH side. The master cylinder is up the firewall. All this was leaned studying the car when I was doing the scale model.

What is a "snafu"? I would also hate to remove all which was previously installed...

All the companies who initiate and sold repro parts are faced with some problems. How many parts can they sold for this or that model, what is the cost for the tooling and how good are the samples they begin with? Sometimes a repro is better than no part at all; in the case of the gas pedal, I would do like you explain, maybe with a nicer looking hinge than the one you removed!

The joy of repro parts...It seems that this gas pedal cannot flex as it should do...I'm wondering if the company who let do the part in India never checked it?

Imagine the shape of that car if it was made with steel! You would not entertain many people with your report...

Well, abaucom21, you had a lot to read, thank you! Pat: there are other fools on earth, you would be surprised...I'm getting mad when I just think about Gerald Wingrove, one of the best modelers. Anyway, I could finish the heater case assemblies. As I wrote earlier, the case is stamped in 2 pieces and spot welded at the flange. I did not like that: I did 4 identical "covers" and silver soldered like you can see on the first picture. Then, the side was completed and soldered. I had to add the spot welded flange which was done with a bit of brass. To have its location at the right place, I milled 4 slots. I had to be imaginative to maintain the case on the milling table... The motor(s) done previously was soft soldered on the case; five 0.5mm rods were added; they represent the screws. Then, I did the brackets. By looking at a picture supplied by a member of the Mark II forum, I came to the conclusion that the brackets are from the same stamping; for one car, two are staying flat, one is bent in one direction and, for the other heater motor assembly another one is bent in the other direction. One stamping and finally 3 different parts... The holes to attach the heater motors to the front fender are not yet done; it will happen when the front fenders are existing. As it's still too cold to work on the wood form, I will continue with ....the front signal lamps! I have dimensions and good pictures and they have to be done anyway.

Thank you John and Greg for that answer. It was more a candid question because I don't know myself the process well. I let hard chrome some shafts but of course a steering shaft has not the same environment than a piston. The arguments developped by Greg are convincing and I will never ask about hard chroming a piston!

It could be not realistic for various reasons, but why not hard chrome that skirt?