Driving a 1954 Austin-Healey 100/4 from Peking to Paris in the June 2019 ERA Rally.

Thursday 21 September 2017

0024 Doing the dirty work

19th-21st Sept 2019
Grease and grime everywhere !

Mock up suspension for damper mounts
Having now got many of the front suspension parts off the car and at home, it was time to set about trying to clean off some of the grease and dirt to see which parts were still usable, which were servicable as spares, and which really need to hit the rubbish bin.  A visit to CCC workshops saw Andrew trying to make a mock up of the suspension so he could set the caster angles correctly when fitting the new adjustable front damper mounts. (The dampers form the upper suspension arms, so therefore the caster angles.)  Originally specified at 1 3/4 degs, later cars were set at 2 degs, so we decided to go with that.  These units are adjustable so we can fine tune everything later.

Thursday 14 September 2017

0023 In which Ashton pays a visit to Queensland

10th - 18th September 2017
The dirty work continues !

A tangle of wiring !
I started off this week exploring the wiring loom that is currently out of the car.  Electrics are not one of my favourite or strongest aspects of car ownership, but as with so many other aspects of this rebuild, I guess I am just going to have to learn !  While Ashton is keen to put in a new loom, my view is that the current one is OK, and is not original so could be only a few years old.  The problem is that a previous owner put in a new loom, and then used the original wiring for things like the last section to the headlights or tail light, and due to the poor condition of this original wiring, it makes it unusable in its present format.  My view is that if we replace just the old wiring, and then just add the wiring for the few extras we will need like power points, the system will work fine. And also move the fusebox into the cabin to remove it from heat and water.........We shall see.......Work in progress !

Thursday 7 September 2017

0021 Everything falls apart !!

5th September 2017
Luckily the wheels had already fallen off !

Dave Godwin's lovely racing MGA that is off to the UK
I went into CCC today just to drop off a template for the panel where the fuel filter and two SU fuel pumps will be mounted in the boot.  When I pulled up, Dave Godwin's gorgeous little MGA race car was there - He is doing a couple of local events before shipping it to the UK for a while to participate in some racing over there.  Should be fun.  I helped him measure up the trailer for shipping purposes, and might well go up to Lakeside this weekend to see him race.  Then I walked over to the garage where the Healey is located - And nearly fainted with surprise when I saw it !