Steering rack and motor start.

I have been looking forward to getting to this point in the restoration process for a long time. I cannot believe that it is actually here. With the sub-frame dropped, we can start to install the rebuilt and restored parts that have been sitting in my cellar in boxes, shelves and drawers (in some cases for five years!) onto Old Biddy. Finding spare time will now be the only thing slowing the process down.

The first thing that I wanted to install was the refurbished steering rack.

The sub-frame was in the way of installing it here.

Lined it up, bolted it in, and after seven minutes…just like that…there it is, installed in its proper place! Presto! It is almost magical!

Sunday John and I took a ride down to Chris’s to see the motor run on his test stand. Without hesitation, it cranked right over. He gerri-rigged a coil, distributor cap and wires, and a few other things to get it started. But she ran beautifully smooth! Check out the exhaust cloud coming out of the muffler.

The jets in the carburetors now are the ones used in MG Midgets and Austin Healey Sprites. In this application, they make the carburetors run too lean. Chris will order the proper needles and then change them.

It was a toasty 15 degrees Fahrenheit outside, but watching and listening to the motor warmed me up inside! I hope to have the motor home within the next week and a half. After that, it will be just a matter of methodical systematic progress.

Thanks for visiting.

Toddy

Raising the car (second attempt)

Friday afternoon John had a few moments to come over again to help remove the front sub-frame. We moved the car to give us space, attached the bracket, attached the crane, and attached the chain to the now modified angle iron bracket.

Once everything was reset, I started to slowly pump up the crane.

The bracket twisted a little bit but the car lifted up as planned!

The sub-frame dropped right out without any problems at all. We slid it out from underneath the car and set it temporarily on a dollie.

After we cleaned up and moved the car back in place, I could not help myself from taking a picture of the empty engine bay. I have been waiting for this for three months and it only took half an hour to do!

I talked to Chris on Thursday night. With everything all rebuilt (including the carburetors), he started and ran the motor for the first time!! I will be going down on Sunday (tomorrow) to witness it for myself. I hope to have the motor back home within the next two weeks.

I am ecstatic!!

Thanks for visiting.

Toddy

Raising the car (first attempt)

Last week John had a few moments to come over to help remove the front sub-frame. We moved the car to give us space, assembled the crane, and attached the chain to the angle iron bracket. As we slowly started to raise the car, the laws of physics kicked in.

The angle iron bracket started to twist since it was only attached with one bolt. It popped out of position. With no way to secure it further, we decided to drop the car and remove the crane. We measured for a new hole on the other side of the existing bracket bolt. The bracket was taken up to John’s for further modification. And finally, a week later, I got a chance to get up to his house and use his drill press for the first hole.

And then, John insisted on a second hole for the chain link lifting hook to secure it in place.

One step forward, one step back. Boom chicka boom chick.

Thanks for visiting.

Toddy

Bumping into some free time.

First, I would like to thank all who sent their compliments on Old Biddy’s “blog card”! So nice to know that folks appreciated our holiday greeting and we appreciated all the responses! I joke around at our house and say that I install a revolving door in place of our front door on Christmas Eve and put the regular door back in place New Year’s Day. We get many visitors who come and go through our house this week every year. When I did manage to catch a break on Thursday, I decided to do something nice for Old Biddy for Christmas.

I had to work on her rear bumper because it has been getting in the way and has been moved around about thirty times since it arrived two months ago.

The bumper had the same wire wheel treatment, followed by priming and chrome paint, followed by chrome polishing with Nevrdull that was done on the front bumper. The original overrider/bumperettes were in bad condition.

 I found a nice pair from Arizona on eBay so I bought Old Biddy a Christmas present. They just needed to be polished and have new rubber strips made.

Here is Old Biddy before her bumper.

Here she is with the bumper and overrider/bumpettes installed.

At least something was done this week! Next week is a new year. Let us hope for some more good times on this project.

Thanks for visiting.

Toddy

Happy Holidays!!

Merry Christmas to you from Old Biddy and her family!

Thank you for visiting!

Toddy

A week like every other.

All focus has been diverted away from things I would rather be doing this week. But when I had a quick chance to pay attention to Old Biddy some cool things happened.

I made another visit to Chris’s because there were a couple minor decisions that had to be made on the motor. He installed the flywheel using an interesting process of heating it in his oven then sliding it in place.

The timing chain cover and pulleys were put on and all timing and balancing marks were aligned. Chris assured me that the engine will run smoother and stronger than new.

He also attached the oil lines and cranked the engine to read the oil pressure. Pressure is a touch high but so far so good!

The head is going back to have the combustion chambers ported out a bit more because the compression is a touch too low.

While waiting for the head, he started to rebuild the carburetors. The SU HS2s are dirty but in good condition.

He should have the motor ready to start in a few days. On my end, I finally borrowed John’s engine crane! May the body lifting commence!

All I want for Christmas is a small, uninterrupted chunk of time!

Thanks for visiting.

Toddy

Fabricating a story.

This month has been crazy busy! Poor Old Biddy sadly looks at me every day before I go to work and begs for my attention. So I gave her what little I could this past week and a half.

I had to fabricate a lifting bracket out of a bed frame rail (angle iron) and attach it to the firewall so we could lift the car up and remove the sub-frame. I measured twice and cut once with a hacksaw.

I brought it out to the car to re-measure both holes. My wife held it onto the firewall...

...while I crawled inside to mark the holes.

Then I made a futile attempt to drill a 5/16" hole through the hardened steel by hand.

I decided to take it to the high school shop were our friend, Daryl, teaches to use the drill press instead. I also took the rear bumper to remove the extra metal and overiders. I never used a right angle grinder before. All I can say about the experience was...COOL!

The bumper was stripped of the extra metal. I probably will not have a chance to work on its preservation until January, but at least it is ready and waiting now.

And I brought the angle iron home and temporarily installed it in place. Now the lifting crane can be brought here either on Wednesday or Friday this week.

At this point in time, I do not know if I will make my 2011 New Year's Resolution goal of having the engine rebuilt and installed, and having Old Biddy standing on all four wheels. Stay tuned as the drama unfolds!

Thank you for visiting!
Toddy