IanMc Posted March 3, 2018 Author Share Posted March 3, 2018 Apologies for the radio silence over the last few days, I had a ‘significant Birthday’ to navigate. The first number was between 4 and 6 and the last one was nothing Anyway...... this morning I have decided to undertake two more mini projects before the bodywork marathon begins - yes I am a coward. 1) This one I have been considering for some time to be honest: skimming both front brake discs. (Assuming that I get undo the rusted splined fasteners), we have a lathe at work, so this should be pretty straightforward. This morning I have measured both and they come in between 12 and 12.3 mm. According to the information found, they should be a minimum of 11 mm, so I have plenty of wriggle room. To be honest, what’s there is mostly surface rust, but they will certainly look better with a light skim on all visible surfaces and a lick of paint on the non-vital parts. 2) Front suspension overhaul. Whilst measuring the discs earlier I noticed that one of the rubber covers on the lower ball joints was torn. Also on the basis that the car hasn’t been on the road for the best part of 20 years, this has to be a sensible exercise. I am going to paint the arms and springs anyway, so with all of the other bits out of the way this will be much easier. Naturally I will try to post some regular updates as I go Cheers all, have a nice weekend. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cam.in.head Posted March 3, 2018 Share Posted March 3, 2018 Hi ian,ive not done much recently either due to the crap weather axect play with my tv's !. If it was me and you dont intend moving the car for a while i would also put a light coating of paint on the actual disc surface too. Just enough to stop them rusting over. If you keep the pads back a little too this will help.it will rub off quickly when you first drive the car (or wipe off with thinners or sandpaper ) the front suspension o/haul shouldnt be too much hassle,ive found the original rubber bushes last well and so do the balljoints(never ever known an upper one to be worn)bottom ones can but id leave if ok and just change boots. inner trackrod joint can sometimes become slack but usually are ok,rack boots are prone to splitting though,try to replace with some new old stock qh or supra as they tend to be a better,thicker rubber if required.outer track rods can wear / replace only if necessary. The original gm joints are much better quality than non gm replacements so id only replace them if worn. one thing to replace with non gm thou is the anti roll bar post rubbers. There are 4 each side and go hard and the long bolt regularly snaps.put a new bolt in ,greased up thoroughly and some non rubber busehes. I used purple polyurethane and they have lasted since 1990 so far ! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julian Posted March 3, 2018 Share Posted March 3, 2018 2 hours ago, IanMc said: Apologies for the radio silence over the last few days, I had a ‘significant Birthday’ to navigate. The first number was between 4 and 6 and the last one was nothing Anyway...... this morning I have decided to undertake two more mini projects before the bodywork marathon begins - yes I am a coward. 1) This one I have been considering for some time to be honest: skimming both front brake discs. (Assuming that I get undo the rusted splined fasteners), we have a lathe at work, so this should be pretty straightforward. This morning I have measured both and they come in between 12 and 12.3 mm. According to the information found, they should be a minimum of 11 mm, so I have plenty of wriggle room. To be honest, what’s there is mostly surface rust, but they will certainly look better with a light skim on all visible surfaces and a lick of paint on the non-vital parts. 2) Front suspension overhaul. Whilst measuring the discs earlier I noticed that one of the rubber covers on the lower ball joints was torn. Also on the basis that the car hasn’t been on the road for the best part of 20 years, this has to be a sensible exercise. I am going to paint the arms and springs anyway, so with all of the other bits out of the way this will be much easier. Naturally I will try to post some regular updates as I go Cheers all, have a nice weekend. I remember being that age, I hadn't that long been demobed from the Royal Navy, the only MANTA'S that I knew of then were the ones swimming around Ceylon. oops!! I should say Sri Lanka!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanMc Posted March 3, 2018 Author Share Posted March 3, 2018 Hi Julian, Lol, so that was a little while back then Age is only a number though isn’t it?! Keep doing your stuff and things keep working, it’s when you stop doing them that the problems seem to arrive! Hi Chris, Yes, all good advice (as always). The anti-roll bar end links always go. I remember the very first job I did on my first Cav Coupe as a lad was to change one side. This would have been around 1987 I shall never forget the guy in the parts Dept of Quest Motors in Braintree. He said, do the other side too Son, otherwise in a months time you will be under there again... The Gentleman concerned was called Claude, and to my amazement he was still there in 2014 when I went to buy some service bits for my Vectra!! I will follow your advice though and carefully inspect the ball joints before condemning any of them. Cheers lads, stay warm! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanMc Posted March 4, 2018 Author Share Posted March 4, 2018 The 'before' photos of the Offside before strip down - doesn't it all look lovely?! Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Have a good day all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanMc Posted March 4, 2018 Author Share Posted March 4, 2018 First hurdle overcome, the hub complete with disk and the rusty backing plate are removed without any problems at all Now my issue is finding out which tool I need to remove the 4 x brake disc retaining screws. It looks like I will need an M10 straight spline tool (which I don't currently have) - can anyone confirm this? Next I soaked every visible nut and bolt with penetrating fluid. I will do this for the next couple of days until I have identified and sourced the right tool for the disc screws. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cam.in.head Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 Sorry if it sounds like im sticking my nose in and telling you whats best but would it be possible for you to hold and skim the disc still fitted to the hub itself.my thinking is that the disc will not have any perfect machined surfaces left to hold it by after years of use.?.ive seem them skimmed various ways on youtube and i seem to remeber one machine held them by the bearing recess ? Maybee you could make a boss/ mandrell of some sort ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanMc Posted March 4, 2018 Author Share Posted March 4, 2018 6 minutes ago, cam.in.head said: Sorry if it sounds like im sticking my nose in and telling you whats best but would it be possible for you to hold and skim the disc still fitted to the hub itself.my thinking is that the disc will not have any perfect machined surfaces left to hold it by after years of use.?.ive seem them skimmed various ways on youtube and i seem to remeber one machine held them by the bearing recess ? Maybee you could make a boss/ mandrell of some sort ? Thanks for your input Chris, that is actually a really good call. I could certainly hold the assembly on the hub without too much trouble at all. Thanks again for the suggestion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cam.in.head Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 so long as you get it as near to zero as possible and skim both sides without removing it from the lathe it should be as true as it will get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanMc Posted March 8, 2018 Author Share Posted March 8, 2018 Evening all. A good hour and a half spent this evening stripping out the OSF suspension parts. This is what you see when you look into the wheel arch tonight: Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. And the treasure from my adventure: Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. All of the bolts came undone with very little effort and the arms and hub, although rusty are actually in really good condition generally - well considering they are now 39 years old anyway. The top and bottom ball joint rubbers were shot, so as they are relatively inexpensive parts they will be replace regardless, then everything will be through;y cleaned and repainted. I guess I know what I will be doing this weekend Have a good evening everyone. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mantaray Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 Well worth getting the parts sandblasted if you can, It's the only way to clean them up properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanMc Posted March 8, 2018 Author Share Posted March 8, 2018 13 minutes ago, mantaray said: Well worth getting the parts sandblasted if you can, It's the only way to clean them up properly. My mate at work is restoring an old motorcycle and I believe he treated himself to a sand blaster a while back. I’m not sure if it’s big enough to get those bits into it though. Worth having a chat with him of course. Thanks for your advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanMc Posted March 10, 2018 Author Share Posted March 10, 2018 Sadly my mates sand blast cabinet is not going to be large enough to fit these parts inside and loow them to be rotated as neded, so it was back to the wire brush in the drill to clan things up. I still have the ball joint in the bottom arm to try to remove later along with grinding off/out the remains of the anti-roll bar drop link assembly. By the way, all of the bushes also looked in really good condition so I saw no reason to remove and/or replace those prior to painting. But this is how the spring, the top arm and the hub look at the moment: Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Slightly better than how they looked a couple of days ago Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Have a good weekend everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanMc Posted March 10, 2018 Author Share Posted March 10, 2018 A little more done this afternoon. A general tidy up of the wheel arch area. Anything with any hint of brown on it was wire brushed and Hammerited to within an inch of its life Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Tomorrow or Monday I will give the arch and chassis rail a fresh coat of underseal too. Then the assembly work can commence. I'm looking forward to seeing the overall effect of having a few bits all together that don't have any rust anywhere near them - very unusual on this car lol Have a nice evening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monaco Blue Posted March 10, 2018 Share Posted March 10, 2018 Good to see you are still keeping busy! The chassis legs look solid which is surprising given the rust elsewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanMc Posted March 10, 2018 Author Share Posted March 10, 2018 1 minute ago, Monaco Blue said: Good to see you are still keeping busy! The chassis legs look solid which is surprising given the rust elsewhere. Hi mate, The bits you can see are generally pretty good, but there certainly are some ‘suspicious’ areas that require some careful examination. Time will tell... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanMc Posted March 11, 2018 Author Share Posted March 11, 2018 This morning I removed the remains of the anti-roll bar drop linkage - all rusted solid as one piece (as usual). Not to worry though, Uncle Angle grinder made short work of that. The bottom ball joint was a bit more of a challenge, but all sorted now. A coat of Hammerite and left to dry for a day or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanMc Posted March 11, 2018 Author Share Posted March 11, 2018 Decided to have a much closer look around and underneath the very crispy NSF wing. Things were as bad here as I had expected... and yes, that is the back of the carpet you can see Hopefully I should get the cal some time next week to advise that my sheet Steel has arrived at one of our local subbies and the plating etc can start soon. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Cheers all, have a good afternoon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanMc Posted March 12, 2018 Author Share Posted March 12, 2018 After being tipped off by another OMOC member (thanks again evo03), I decided to try a budget, home made rust removal process. The only two ingrediants: molasses and tap water! I was advised to watch some videos on Youtube and this was enough to get me to have a go on my own. Being the dubious type, I thought I would start my own little mini experiment and then I wouldnt being taking up too much space with my 'tank' and spend any money that I didn't need to... The parts assembled are: - Mk1 Cav, NSF mudflap bracket - Screw and clip for the above bracket - A random screw I had kicking around - A bit of Stainless with some rubbish weld runs on from about 10 years ago Hopefully the photos are self explanatory: Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. And where the bath will sit for the next 2-3 weeks. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Naturally I will post the results when the bits come out of the bath and you (and I) will make up our own minds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
®evo03 Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 (edited) Organic? Dont know if you would eat yours, i certainly wouldnt eat mine, can even stomach being within 2 metres of tank, and its outside. Was dubious also, got mine at a farm supply, 25L 7quid. Will try a photo! less agressive than sand, bead blasting, just make sure you wash throughly, i use parazone bleach, and dry and prime, basicially at the minute the tank is working faster than me, rim below is a widened 9 inch rostyle, not banded. It was cleaned and wd40'd awaiting polishing. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Edited March 12, 2018 by ®evo03 photo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanMc Posted March 12, 2018 Author Share Posted March 12, 2018 If It works I might hire the biggest skip I can find and submerge the whole car in the solution for a month 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
®evo03 Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 Thats cheating! But you can spot drill it apart and do it in a bath. Next experiment is make up a gel, see if it works! Tried and test is this, its a company called bilt hamber and it goes work if all else fails, expensive, Just like once its clean and bare still, i have got into a habit of polishing new steel and joint area, it seems to weld better, and cleaner, and yoy can see the penetration, and heat effects. Once primered, you can leave it for months Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cam.in.head Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 oxalic acid does the same too works same way as the deox stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanMc Posted March 17, 2018 Author Share Posted March 17, 2018 Passenger side coming back together again. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Anyone got any tips on how the to do the lower ball joint nut without the joint spinning? Apart from that, all I need to do now is to get the disc skimmed and I'm done with that corner. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanMc Posted March 17, 2018 Author Share Posted March 17, 2018 So while we wait for the N/S disc to be skimmed, we shuffle over to the O/S - same old story Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Have a nice weekend everybody. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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