The List Grows Long

This weekend we went out to have a look at the car. Mostly to get a list of what really needs to be done. You know besides getting it to work. Turns out that other than the motor it appears to be mostly all cosmetic. New lenses, some replacement screws, and a bit of paint and carpets. So how long will this take me. Well longer than I really want it too. Money is always an issue with these kinds of progress. Time is even more of a killer since it's a weekend only project based on how far away the car is from me. I should be able to get it done in time. I just need a good mechanic to help sort out the engine.

Where Did The Time Go?

Oh man the months have soared and summer is over. All with no progress on the car. To be fair things happened. Well things that aren't related to this car happened. I had two flats on the same tire on my bicycle. Which lead me to want to buy a second car. I also proposed to my girlfriend and well she said yes. So that means that we started to plan for the wedding. I also got frustrated with the car. We would head out to Riverside, ready to do something and the end result with a screw turned.
From my last recollection I did the following on the car:

• Replaced the cigarette lighter
• Pulled the driver side mirror off (turns out drywall anchors were holding it in place)
• Removed the drivers side door panel (that won't go back on)
• Dropped the antenna into the car so I need to get that pulled out
• dropped the fuel tank
• cut a fuel line
• broke a wire to the fuel pump

Do you see a trend here? I seem to just keep making things worse. I have 6 months to get this bad boy running and that time will be here sooner than I would like.

So what does this mean to my readers? Well it means that things should start moving along here soon.

Zero Compression

This weekend resulted in a new tool and no pictures. I forgot the camera so the biggest change, the bumper removal is not archived. I will get them next week though. There was also a bit of disappointment as well.

I went to Auto Zone to obtain a compression test kit in order to determine the compression in the car. I went online for instructions on how to do this. After some fiddling with the engine bits I got it setup how I think it is supposed to be. The result was zero compression in each cylinder.

I sent a message to a friend that has some experience with these things and suggested placing all but one spark plug into the engine to see if I get any compression that way. I didn't find any. The next was to place my thumb over the chamber to check compression or feel if anything is trying to build pressure. Again nothing. This whole being your own mechanic thing is a lot tougher than I thought.

So the one success of the weekend was getting the bumpers off the car, as mentioned above. However it did require a trip to Lowe's. This was to pick up a reciprocating saw. I grabbed a pretty nice cordless unit from Porter Cable. When it is time to grab a drill I will go that route as well, so I can use all the same batteries.

As for next week, I am thinking of calling in a mobile mechanic to do a little test to see if he can get a better result. Then drop the fuel tank and begin the restoration of that part.

I also have decided to do a chrome conversion, so this means I now have a set of rubber bumpers available. All they need i s a little work to restore and then new mounting hardware.

Nothing to Report

That's right. I have nothing to report this week. I took the weekend off for my birthday. Instead I went to Disneyland and rode a Segway. Then I spent the rest of the weekend playing video games and just generally lounging around. I did get some parts though. A latch plate for the armrest. So that I can repair that this coming weekend. As well as a guide so that it doesn't really shake a whole lot. But with this week comes some general ideas of what must be done to get the car on the road. This means a list of coarse. Keep in mind this is what I feel needs to be done, not necessarily the actual needs, the car will tell me that later.

So without further ado, here they are:

• Tires (They are in bad shape from sitting for 8 years)
• Test the compression (So I can find out what is cracked and repair that)
• Seat belts (They were removed because they no longer retracted)
• Steering Wheel (No way am i driving with a bare metal wheel)
• Hoses (fuel, oil, brake and so forth, it's been sitting for a while, best to replace)
• Re-attach the seats (Remember we removed them to get the carpets clean)
• Seat Cover (Its temporary until I can get a new interior)
• Fix the bonnet latch (yep, something isn't allowing it to open without crawling under the car)
• Clean the fuel tank (you know to ensure there are no rust particles in there)

So, the most expensive item on that list currently are the tires, however that will be the last thing I do as far as getting the car road ready. Since I want the engine to run first. These next few weeks will be critical I think. There are still tools that I will need to purchase as well. But those will come with time.

Well At Least We Lifted It

This week we had great plans. Mostly to drain the fuel and all the other fluids. We picked up a floor jack and 4 jack stands, a creeper cam with it too, how nice. It started off well, the creeper wouldn't go together nicely. A little force with a drill fixed that problem, as well as putting a hole in a brand new shop glove.

Ensuring the chock's were in place I began to lift the back of the car. It took a bit of work but we got it. Making sure to find the right place for the jack stands to go. Then the front of the car wanted to be lifted, so up it went. Not too difficult. But man does that floor jack drop when you release the pressure.

With the car up I felt that pictures were needed. So I crawled all around and under the car getting pictures. Mostly as a guide to what will need to be replaced before it is road worthy. Mostly lights and lamp covers, just to be safe. The odd item we found was what looks to be a battery cable wrapped around part of the car. Its kind of scary. There also appears to be some body damage near the end of the tail pipe. Can't really tell if it happened with this exhaust system or not. But its there and will need to be rolled back out. Especially if I go with the bumper conversion.

I noticed that there was an old wasps nest behind the rubber bumper. No picture though, sorry guys. It seemed the best way to get to it was to remove the rear bumper. Easier said then done. Turns out one bolt is spinning freely and just won't budge. I also didn't bring the hacksaw so a space where I could reach the nut was too narrow for a vice grip. So we placed the jack stands under the rear bumper after bringing the car back down to the ground so they wouldn't fall onto our feet when the last bolt comes free. We decided to tackle the front bumper as well. Guess what? Another nut that wont release. The bigger problem here is that it just doesn't want to spin. Another hack saw job is needed. So the jack stands were placed on the front bumper until we return with a hack saw.

So in the end we lifted the car and took some pictures, then we put forth a lot of effort to get nothing done. Very anti-climatic. But at least there is a plan, its a wandering plan, but its there none the less.

The First Weekend of Work

The day finally came, we woke up at 6:30Am to leave at 7AM to drive out to Riverside. To start the day off right we went with a McDonald's breakfast (Sausage McMuffin w/ egg of coarse). Then the drive begins. 

Upon arrival we remove all the new tools and manuals from the back of the car and dump them into the garage. Then we put the key in the ignition to unlock the wheel and we push it out onto the driveway. This is where we pull off the top, that is in bad shape to begin with. To facilitate the removal of all the built up dirt and animal fur we removed the seats. A quick review of the Haynes Workshop Manual helped us out there. Then we realized we should take some before pictures. So we did.

After a heavy vaccum session and clearing the boot of any debri as well as removing the rear license plate frame to get behind the bumper for its layers of dirt. It was time to wash. This was pretty quick and painless as any car wash should go.

After about 3 hours we had sufficient sunburns and decided to push the car back into the garage.

This is where I began using a clay bar on the car to try and get some of that oxidation out. Turns out I am out of luck, but the finish is much smoother now, if that's anything. I also used some Black Restore on the bumpers and interior. Man do they shine now. The bumpers are still peeling and crappy, but they are black instead of grey. 

I also wanted to see what was under the leather wrap on the steering wheel. Turns out a foam pad covered in old electrical tape and a metal wheel. I guess I was right in thinking a new steering wheel would be necessary.

We also discovered it was impossible to open the bonnet with the lever. So under the car we go with a screwdriver to pop the thing release. Followed by more vacuuming to get rid of spiders and spider webs.

The Week Dreams are Made Of

Over the next week as I was getting prepared to head out to start work on the car I began dreaming of what I wanted to do to this car. I looked over paint samples from various years of the British Leyland lines of cars. I viewed upgrade and replacement items from places like moss motors, a great resource for parts. I needed tools, so a trip to Sears was in order. Protective gear and safety equipment. Really its more than one would think, and the eyes get big with dreams and desires of what you would like to see happen.

I sat down and created a small list of things that I wanted to do and see done. The list was very simple:

• paint the car
• update the interior
• get it running
• get it registered and insured

As the week went on, I wanted to do more to the car:

• lower it one inch
• add a roll bar
• get a hard top
• swap the bumpers with chrome
• get new wheels
• change the steering wheel
• get a tonneau cover
• replace the entire wiring harness
• there is already an aftermarket stereo, so update that to accept my ipod

You get the idea, the list just got larger as time went on. But I didn't care the eyes were filling up with dreams, reality be damned.