RogerH Posted November 11, 2015 Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 Hi Folks, I was going to do a rebuild of my engine last January but surprisingly it was cold. So it didn't happen. Last Monday the Grand build started in earnest. Firstly the TR4 was moved out of its home of the last five years and is now holidaying around the corner in another garage. Apart from a fairly simple rebuild I am also going to tidy up the engine bay - a slap of paint, polish the rust and perhaps a bit of bling Monday afternoon was spent taking some of the engine oarts off - alternator, Carbs and manifold, radiator etc. Tuesday got more interesting as I unraveled the wiring loom. Over the years I've added circuits and whizzy things and the wiring had been cobbled together. I had installed a bank of three fuse boxes that work well but the wiring is a bit ratty - so I have a cunning plan. Today I removed the last of the bits nailed down - the M/cylinder holder/bracket. The area around is a bit manky to say the least. I noticed that quite a lot of self tapping screws had been used here and there. So, out with these and in with rivnuts. Stuart has been going on about rivnuts for ages so this summer I bought a kit. Since then I've been rivnutting everything - if it doesn't move it will have a rivnut. One of the bees I have in my bonnet (I do not actually have any bees or a bonnet) is ridding the engine bay of bits that needn't be there. Earlier this year I mod'd the tacho to be electric so getting rid the drive cable. I now have my eye on the wiring loom. Sending it out through the offside kick panel and along the space between the inner and outer wing feeding wires into the engine bay where needed. The mega fuse box will also reside in this space and be accessed through a little trap door in the inner wing - apprx where the racey boys put that cooling grill in the wing. I think the next few weeks will be most interesting. What could possibly go wrong. Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fireman049 Posted November 11, 2015 Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 (edited) . Edited November 24, 2015 by Fireman049 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paul Harvey Posted November 11, 2015 Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 There is loads of space in a TR boot for battery packs. On your daily use to the supermarket you could rid the engine bay of nasty engine bits and save the space for shopping. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted November 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 Hi Tom, I'm reusing the old loom as it is only 17 years old. Hi Paul, I like the idea but I'm waiting for the Graphene Battery to appear first. Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stillp Posted November 11, 2015 Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 I do not actually have any bees or a bonnet Roger What's that funny green thing then? Pete Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MRG1965 Posted November 11, 2015 Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 Hi Roger, are you going to post some pictures as the works progress, all sounds very ingeresting, and a picture paints a thousands words. Mark Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted November 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 Hi Pete, that's not a bonnet, that's my other head. Hi Mark, yes. As and when. Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted November 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2015 Hi Folks, in my quest to rebuild the engine I have removed the nearside wing . This has revealed the wing in general is in good order so only a little bit of repair work and cleaning. However the sill is in a sorry state. Not sure why but the nearside sill has always presented problems. I have topped up the waxoyl a few times I had to do an 'iffy' repair a couple of years ago at the back end. and I found that the waxoyl was parting company with the inside of the sill in sheets - thus removing any protection. It looks like the same thing was going on at the front. I think I will be replacing the sill before it gets back on the road I've found a couple of seams in the engine bay where the dreaded rust is getting in. So a few areas of metal replacement. In general not too bad for 18 years and 170,000 miles heavy use. I shall remove the inside of the cra this afternoon and get the exhaust and propshaft off. Nothing happening till next Monday now - busy week-end. I wonder how long this one will take. !!!!! Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TorontoTim Posted November 12, 2015 Report Share Posted November 12, 2015 Roger, are you saying you have started a long-term restoration on your TR4A before your TR4 is completed and on the road????? This way madness lies (not to mention, no TR driving; which is FAR worse than madness...). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted November 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2015 (edited) Hi Tim, I follow your line. The TR4 was a three month rebuild that is now in its 5.75 year.I( have learnt I have learnt - The TR4A is only having having a three week refurb - so this should take less than 5 months. Seriously, the engine build will take a month with lots of gaps so the body repairs/painting/tarting up will fit in as and when (probably). As for madness laying anywhere - been there done it. Completely Jacobs. Roger Edited November 12, 2015 by RogerH Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TorontoTim Posted November 13, 2015 Report Share Posted November 13, 2015 My fingers are crossed for you! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TR4Geoff Posted November 13, 2015 Report Share Posted November 13, 2015 Hi Roger, "so this should take less than 5 months" - Glad to see your sense of humour is still going strong! Geoff Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tonyloz Posted November 14, 2015 Report Share Posted November 14, 2015 I did a similar thing............decided to change the fan belt,then noticed the front valance was in need of a quick repair..........12 years later and a total rebuild,not to mention 2 children and a house move! I will check this post in 5 months time! Good luck! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MichaelH Posted November 14, 2015 Report Share Posted November 14, 2015 This is classic car repair What I call going backwards: You set out to do something and find that something else has to be done first, you spend all day/week/month doing that to find that you are still behind where you first started However ...if you keep at it you do get there in the end. That is what keeps us going like faith to religious people May the force be with you Michael Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted November 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2015 one step forward - three steps back. The good thing is that I was at the NEC today so I haven't found any more problems. Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Robin Powell Posted November 15, 2015 Report Share Posted November 15, 2015 I would love to hear Sue's comments on your starting the 4A "rebuild" before finishing the TR4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted November 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2015 Hi Robin, it was unprintable - you can't print a glare Honestly Sue had been going on for quite a while about getting it tidied up and now was the best time. Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SuzanneH Posted November 15, 2015 Report Share Posted November 15, 2015 (edited) Robin, no comment. Edited November 15, 2015 by SuzanneH Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TR NIALL Posted November 15, 2015 Report Share Posted November 15, 2015 Roger you need Brownie Points and in a Hurry, Get Decorating ASAP. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TorontoTim Posted November 16, 2015 Report Share Posted November 16, 2015 Eek! Decorating? Isn't that just a rolling house restoration project that starts as a little repaint of the hallway and ends up as a multi-year project during which nothing gets done to the TR's???? We can't have that... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted November 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2015 Hi Folks, I got back on the car again today. I managed to insert 2 M5 rivnuts. have you ever had one of those days when things don;t go quite right. I needed to insert 2 M5 rivnuts - dead easy I hear you say. Well, yes. In principle you insert the rivnut squeeze the handles and bingo. Except on my rivnut pliers things were starting to go awry. That's the TRouble with chocolate tools. These pliers are not expensive - £25 or there abouts. Basically these pliers work very simply. One handle of the pliers is the base that things react against. The other handle pivots and a pair of 'rollers' lift up the lifting mandrel to do the squishing. The only problem (actually lots of problems) is that the rollers and the lifting thing did not align very well - just a slight over lap. This overlap didn't exist for long. Now the duff pliers were/are too good to throw away. So it was dismantled, the rollers turned upside down to give new metal, The chewed up lifting things was machined on the lathe to be 'chewed no longer' and then a spacer fitted to replace the missing metal. The pliers were then squeezed together so that the rollers overlapped the lifting thing as much as possible. This transformed the pliers from scrap into a tool and then some. Why couldn't the manufacturers do this. Tomorrow, who knows. Perhaps a new handle for the broom. Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MichaelH Posted November 17, 2015 Report Share Posted November 17, 2015 In the balance of things effecting a repair is always more satisfying than just replacing something at £xx +vat TR are a hobby and the net result should be happy customers and a good repair does give a satisfying glow besides if you actually finished a car .. well what would you do? Michael Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted November 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2015 Hi Michael, I quite enjoy doing repairs - finding the problem and then applying the best fix. Those rivnut pliers are an example. Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lebro Posted November 17, 2015 Report Share Posted November 17, 2015 +1 fixing things is great ! I often annoy Pauline by mending something she wanted to throw away, & replace with a newer version which would not be made to last like the old one was Bob. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted November 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2015 Hi Folks, I mentioned in an earlier post that when I took the front nearside wing off I found a large rust hole in the sill Well, there is a silver lining - that hole was not lonely - I found a big rust hole in the associated place on the lower portion of the wing This morning I separated the propshaft from the gear box and removed the silencer - and then it rained. This afternoon I will make a start on doing a repair on the wing - hopefully I will not require a complete lower section but it is looking iffy. Tomorrow morning I will be near to lifting the engine/GB out of the car IF it stops raining. Come rain or shine I have plenty of work either way. Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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