Yesterday I was working on...

[Johnboy]

escort shorty . Never seen one of those . Love to do a mini or fiat 126 .As the engine is in the back . Wheely time

[PETROLHEAD]

Yeah it was only meant as a joke, then when i actually offered the two pieces up, i could resist welding them together, i was very surprised how easy it went together!


In typical xr3 toss pot fashion, someone had already messed with the badging, so i used my artistic license to better represent its new stature!

[Kegsti66]

[Johnboy]

brilliant

[jobeed]

Did you get a write up in a custom car magazine? Or did you not get time to turn the boot into a massive bass box?

[Johnboy]

I knew he was a closet ford man

[Kegsti66]

Here is an odd thing I worked on.

Aston Volante with a difference, fitted with a "Big block" Brigs and Stratton.

[junior]

Make sure you oil the air filter well then !

[Johnboy]

Sacrilege

[PETROLHEAD]

2nd golf in two weeks, this time a very late R32

Rusted front arches


Getting beyond a joke if you ask me, were they recalled or something because this clearly is a very common and serious failure that a car of this generation clearly should not suffer from.

No wonder they concentrate on the quality of the door shuts, they darent shake the filler out the wings!

[Johnboy]

What do you mean. Vw's don't rust and there diesels are very economical

[justsuds]

Love the Aston, - or my kids would have done when there were little, - presume it's a toy for those with a silver spoon in their mouth at birth !
John.

[Kegsti66]

Nail on the head John.
It was even re-trimmed with Wilton carpet and leather.

[KevJTD]

2nd golf in two weeks, this time a very late R32

Rusted front arches


Getting beyond a joke if you ask me, were they recalled or something because this clearly is a very common and serious failure that a car of this generation clearly should not suffer from.

No wonder they concentrate on the quality of the door shuts, they darent shake the filler out the wings!

comes back to what we said before mate, folks think they're good cars so every few years the scabs get tidied over, car gets sold, guy keeps for a few years then rust starts to show..he thinks it's the first time it's rusted through so sells it, bodyshop tart it up because the punters want them...so the circle continues.

and all the time I keep hearing about how good cars they are!

I've had loads of 156/147's and although the floor pans can be an issue I've never had one that has such poor bodywork as the golf even though the alfas were much older! bloody rotten Italian junk!!!

[PETROLHEAD]

Its work, so I'm not complaining really, but I'll tell everyone that will listen,

Bloody rubbish!

[Alfasixnut]

Knowing that folk on here like oily stuff and bearings here is what I was working on yesterday....
....... but then I had to check the axle bearings.
These are the four big black boxes outboard of the wheels. The bottom half of the box is dropped to allow the "Oiling Pad" to be inspected.

This is a spring loaded steel frame with a string woven pad.

The ends of the string sit in thick oil in the bottom of the box, and it slowly acts as a wick to lubricate the steel axle shaft.

The actual bearing is a brass casting with a soft "White Metal" bearing cast onto the brass and machined to size and shape.

This is very basic as wagons usually travel slowly and have very little maintenance over periods of years. The main problem with these bearings is that water can get into the box and displace the oil - this can lead to a "Hot Box" and failure.
The bearings are on another of my "Toys" an ex BR 20ton Brake van now at the Great Central Railway.
It has been in the shed for refurbishment and re - painting.
The other side and end have now been painted black and some minor touching in of the brown has been completed. Also a perspex window has been replaced with glass so the outside is now weather proof again.




As can be seen, it is very dusty in the shed, hence the "splodges" in the images - I will have to get the camera lens cleaned properly!
I still have the inside to repaint but that can be done next week.

[KevJTD]

brilliant stuff, love the heavy engineering and simplicity of the lubrication system

[Sud 145]

Awesome does that predate "plate and flicker" lubrication?

[Alfasixnut]

Awesome does that predate "plate and flicker" lubrication?

I had not heard of "Plate and Flicker" in lubrication so I looked it up and it is commonly used in agriculture for spreading seeds etc. Splash lubrication is a very old technique and I think the wick system is also very old ie early 1800's when the first steel axles were used in wagons probably??

[Johnboy]

Guess what I'm working on now. I think you lot will struggle with what car it is

[jobeed]

Is it Italian?

[Kegsti66]

I wonder ??
Look familiar.
Keep us posted.

[Marlow Sud]

They look like Series 3 Sud bits?

Brgds,
Simon

[Johnboy]

Yes it's Italian

[junior]

Well shouldn't it be covered in rust then ?

I bet you 3D printed those bits.

[Johnboy]

the owners done a good job on prep front. But still alot of work tho

[Johnboy]

Panels done . The shell is being dropped off Monday lunchtime. Had to sort some of the repairs out. As not very flat shall we say

[Kegsti66]

Looking good JB.
Has the car needed much welding ?

[Johnboy]

Cheers keith

Yeah they've done alot in the usual places . It's already sold and the guy hasn't even seen the finished panels yet but than again he owns loads of Italian cars

[Alfasixnut]

Well I was not quite "Working on" but I was "riding on" my Brakevan, now that it is finished - Goods Galore gala weekend on the GCR