1500 SE FGU 417V

[YoungManGoneWest]

Hello all. Have been absent for about a year but, having disposed of some projects - the Jensen's gone, and the Citroen H van is about to go - and completed others - the K6 telephone box is fully restored, and the print-room for my partner's done - I've decided that the poor old SE should be 2016's project.

She was abandoned part way through doing the head gasket, and needs plenty doing. As things stood over a year ago, the list included:

Head gasket & seals
ROS stabiliser arm bolt
Inner (steering rack) ball joint play FNS/FOS
Lower suspension arm ball joint play FNS/FOS
Steering wheel play
Snapped stud ROS?
Footwell & boot leaks
Door/boot trim/seals
Rust treatment to door panels
Respray

Now, constructing things I can do, but mechanics, having not been brought up to it, rather eludes me. I'm thus looking for a friendly local face on whom I can call for assistance, ideally such that I can gradually learn myself to do all that's necessary. I am near Oswestry, Shropshire. If anyone can help out, I would be delighted to hear from them. The kettle's pretty much always on!

Regards.

[Toledo Man]

Good to see you back on here Richard. Isn't Steve (Carledo) local to you? (Weren't you both joint AOs for Shropshire?) I'm sure he would be willing to lend a hand or offer advice. Mechanical stuff is basically nut and bolt. Get yourself a workshop manual and a parts catalogue to learn how everything is screwed together (I have these in PDF format available for download). You will need a decent selection of tools (spanners, sockets, screwdrivers, etc) and a torque wrench is essential when you're doing a head gasket. Fitchett's is quite close to you so they should be your supplier of choice which will save you on postage. You missed the Restoration Show in October where we all worked on Andy P's 1500SE. I wrote the article in the current edition of the mag. Have you considered starting a resto thread for FGU? I'm sure we'd love to see your progress and be able to offer help and advice along the way. There's been an SE resto thread or two on here which I'm sure would be of interest to you.

[YoungManGoneWest]

Thank-you for that. Yes, Steve's also in Shropshire and I'm sure I'll be asking him for loads of advice! I have a workshop manual, just need to get to grips with things. Building something I find easier, as I can 'see' how something like a garage is constructed. A restoration thread might be a good idea, and I'll certainly check out the existing ones.

Regards.

[Toledo Man]

Do you have a Haynes or the BL one? Either will do. The parts catalogue is useful when you want to see how stuff goes together. You will need the post-76 one which covers the SE. Having it in PDF format means you can have it on a phone/tablet/laptop or you can just print out the page(s) you need.

[YoungManGoneWest]

The pdf of the parts catalogue didn't come through the ether I'm afraid Dave. Could you resend please. Many thanks.
Regards.