Mk 1 Project Zippy. Looking Like a Car.

[Geoff Butcher]

I bet that's cheered you up!

[MrBounce]

I am a VERY frustrated man. Couldn't spray before I went on holiday due to the wet weather. Then after getting another coat done on Thursday, I go away for a couple of days and return to more rain. There will be more updates I promise, but they will be weather permitting. I can't really do anything in between as everything else is behind large amounts of plastic sheeting. There is supposed to be better weather next weekend so watch this space...

[Geoff Butcher]

That's what you get if you live up noth, Bouncy! Down here in Essex it's been bootiful for the last few days...

[MrBounce]

Well, I have given up on the spray job until next spring. My main problem was operator error - I was over-excited and tried to rush it which was a bad plan. I mixed the paint badly (too runny) and got drips & runs everywhere so it'll have to be taken back and done again.

So over the winter I shall put the thing onto its wheels by chucking on the subframe and beam, install brake & fuel lines and start sorting an interior. I'll then spray the body once the weather improves again.

[MrBounce]

Well I have spent a ridiculous amount of time rejigging and sorting out my garage as I didn't want to do any work on the car. I spent a lot of time correcting bodges (now where have I heard of that before?) and started by removing my workbench which was an old door nailed to some batons. I have had a lot of fun with hammers, jigsaws and runs to the tip. There was also a "cupboard" in the corner which was constructed of two old doors with some other random wood attached. I am kind of annoyed that I didn't take any pictures of this lot but let's just say I have a much nicer working area and fewer crappy old doors. In addition I had to remove and reposition two sets of shelves as well as sorting out what was on them... Finally I have obtained a new stainless steel workbench which is electrically height-adjustable. It's great and was a real bargain. It's also rather heavy, and I have the bruises to show for it when trying to move too much of it on my own.

So now I have a much nicer working environment, (which I only finished yesterday!) what have I done to the car? Very little in fact. I have however remade the captive bolts for the damper mounts as I wasn't happy with the bolts I'd used before. Two thick-ish bits of steel and some time with the angle grinder, drill and file have them ready for welding and painting. And whilst I was at it, I did the same for the captive bracket for the throttle pedal. I shall get the welding done at Tink's next week as a) his welder is better and b) it's not buried under a load of stuff...

Damper brackets prior to welding



And throttle pedal bracket ready to be zipped up too.

[MrBounce]

Well I have not been able to do any welding on my brackets due to illness round at Tink's, so I took some stuff I'd received through the post into the garage. I have decided to fit an oil cooler to Project Zippy, so I removed the old pipe and did a trial fit of the cooler pipes and the cooler itself. I can't really sort out where it's going to go until the engine's in the car, but it was nice to bolt something new on again! I'd managed to get some orange overspray on the distributor clamp so I rubbed that down and gave another coat of silver, finishing the paint in the process.

I have got a new speedo too. I have always been a fan of the 70s Triumph Smiths instruments, and a 120mph Spitfire item (I think) was a bargain at a fiver. I also got the necessary worm and pinion to (hopefully) make it read correctly. They were of course a bit dirty, so out came the parts washer. A quick dunk and brush with the toothbrush and they were looking much better. I will give them a further clean before fitting anyway, but my excuse is that it was late in the evening when I cleaned them!!

Cooler pipes on



Cooler on too



Newly-sprayed distributor clamp

[MrBounce]

Triumph speedo



Filthy - they aren't going in my gearbox like this!



Much better! They'll still get another clean though.

[MrBounce]

It's been a very poor couple weeks garage-wise as I have done next to nothing on the project. However, I will regale you all with a health & safety related story.

I was never very happy with the captive bolts I'd made up for the shock mounts (which fit inside the bulkhead) as the bolts were too long, and similarly the throttle pedal bracket as my welding was atrocious (thanks for the heads-up Hans!). I remade the brackets from some thick steel I had lying around then popped to Tink's one evening to borrow his welder - this is a far better piece of equipment than I have. So I popped the brackets in the vice and zipped them up nicely. It was only after I'd finished that I noticed a strange glow from the side of the workbench. Yup, we had a fire. I maintain that this was down to Tink's garage being a tip - it was an old Mr Kipling packet that was burning!! So we both sprang into action and cleared the burning stuff out of the way and away from the garage, stamping it out and leaving it in the rain on the driveway. However, as we were doing this, Tink put his hand on the vice to steady himself - straight on to the newly welded bracket. Ow. His wife told him off for not wearing welding gauntlets. I had borrowed his...

I am due back round there this week - hopefully all will now be forgiven. Let's be careful and not set fire to our friends' garages.

Newly welded brackets. Paint to follow.

[MrBounce]

After a bit of a hiatus, I can safely say it's nice to be back in the Manroom! It was time to finish off the captive bolt brackets I'd made for the shock and pedal box mounts so I primed them before giving them a coat of satin black. To be fair I could've painted them any colour as they'll be inside the bulkhead or hidden behind the subframe but black was what I had to hand.

Next up was sorting out the speedo gearing as my plans had changed since I had the gearbox refurbished by Guessworks. Using his excellent speedo drive calculator http://www.guess-works.com/Tech/ratio.htm I worked out I needed a worm/pinion ratio of 5/17 as opposed to the 7/18 that was in there. Having already acquired the bits I needed it was time to remove, replace and refit. I checked my gasket box and made sure that I had the appropriate replacements, then whipped the speedo drive endplate off. Off came the cover and the part that the cable attaches to. A bit of gentle persuasion had the old worm and pinion out and on the bench. I gave the (already cleaned) replacements a blast of carb cleaner, then after drying I gave them a smear of engine oil. Then it really was a matter of "refitting is the reverse of removal" with the exception of replacing the gaskets.

Captive bolt brackets in primer.



Speedo drive endplate off and on the bench.



These needed to come out!

[MrBounce]

I don't need these ones anymore...



New ones installed...



...And all back together as if nothing happened.