Sprint Restoration in South Australia (pic heavy)

[straylight]

thanks Ian. The BDQs aree in good nick, so I can just keep on using them. Where is this info laid out btw ?

<edit, just seen the title of your reply....SU catalogue...thanks mate >

thanks also for deciphering my questions. Geez they look convoluted

any ideas on the strange angle the needles have as they protrude from the holder ?

I'm trying to keep the donor intact so that I have a reference as to how everything goes back together That was the philosophy that saved me embarrasment when I got the front carb apart. I had the rear one to work out where it all fitted back (and some photos). Just as well too.

I'm guessing a polybush renovation of the sub frames won't take that long, strip back and respray.....That is one of the "good" jobs I'm looking forward to. The job I'm not looking forward to is the headlining and vinyl roof.

thanks again

stu

[speedracer]

Looks like she's coming along well!

Cheers,

[Lee Flintoft]

Looking good stu. Keep the momentum going with the doors while George is so keen!

[Jon Tilson]

SU's of dolimite vinatge have sprung biased needles...hence they look lopsided in the air valve base...

Jonners

[sprint95m]

I'm guessing a polybush renovation of the sub frames won't take that long, strip back and respray.....That is one of the "good" jobs I'm looking forward to.

It should be straightforward Stu. I did encounter this unexpected problem.
I used Superflex bushes on my Dolomite and these are a good fit and easy to fit, with one exception.........the anti roll bar bushes. These are split, so you just cut off the old ones and replace with the new ones without having to remove the ARB drop links. However they are a scutter to fit within the mounting clamps. You've been warned .
(Hopefully your ARB drop links are in good condition.)

[straylight]

I've just joined the secret society of dashpot polishers.

a spare half an hour and access to some buffing wheels here at school produces two shiny dashpots to go back on the carbs.

I can't stop fondling them.



thanks for the advice on the needles jonners. I'll take a pic and confirm.

thanks ian, plenty of good advice in that thread

I dropped the doors into george last night, he was pleased. He had spent all day working on the nearside roof line. Lots of new metal but I forgot my camera


headlining and vinyl samples are on their way to me, so I can confirm before ordering.

stu

[SPRINTPARTS]

Hi Stu,

It is good to see the body work proceeding, you should have it finished and running by Christmas!!!!!!!! When you are ready to do the subframe, give us a ring we should have everything that you need for the rebuild in stock.

Mark

[straylight]

thanks mark, yeah, your number is on my fingertips for the polybush set....almost got one from on the forums here, but the price was almost the same anyway.

...tell me...is it true dolomite engine mounts are up to $150 each ?

Incidently, can't get engine mounts anywhere at the moment in the UK but they will be re manufactured????
Can be got in Australia but they are $150 dollers each (about £75). I need a pair to.

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=8177

yikes !

one of mine is showing signs of distress......

on your search for C pillar vinyl.....I was going to glue some down and cut/mould it myself. Am I dreaming ?

stu

[sprint95m]

on your search for C pillar vinyl.....I was going to glue some down and cut/mould it myself. Am I dreaming ?
stu

Use the same material as the roof for the C pillars.
So, NO is the answer Stu, you are still awake!

[newguy]

Make sure its stuck down really well so no moisture can get trapped and cause it to rust.

I like mine all one color, but i think 2 Tone black and white will be the one for me

[straylight]

the progress continues. Nearside work...


arrived tonight to find george sanding back the doors I'd stripped. The man is quite thorough from what I can make out.


George was pi$$ed off that I took a photo of the bog. Underside photo shows the work he put into cutting out and rewelding the roof though


top of roof. George has been using some fine grit paper to provide a key. I was worried about leaving scratches in the metal, but he's not fussed.


fuel tank hole needed repairing



roof line, forward and back



work still to be done on the A pillar nearside


from inside you can see the patches george has welded onto the roof ridge and C pillar



cloe up of C pillar. For some reason, both sides had rusted just above where the sprint badge sits. The nearside was a lot worse than the off side.


probably should have rotated this one, but it shows the inside of the rear roof lip, near the vent on the nearside. I'd guess a lot of work to fabricate up the fiddly curved pieces.

thanks for the tip on the vinyl stew. It feels ever closer. samples from adelaide haven't arrived yet.

stu

[sprint95m]

Bear in mind that the vinyl material (used on Dolomite Sprints) is not waterproof.
You can buy paint for it, although I suspect one of the waterproofing sprays ( as used on hiking boots) could work.

[straylight]

update

took the fuel tank down for george to sort, A few small pin/nail holes that can be soldered up, but george reckons he'll put a patch in. Usual caveats about welding a tank

spent today finishing the inlet manifold off. I took it apart a few weekends ago and stripped one carb. Kept the other as a reference, and very glad I did. The photos I took were also handy in sorting out how it fitted back together

all cleaned to my somewhat low standard. Looking at what others do with metalwork I wonder how it is done and how much time you spend After several sessions working with the car and coming away with a headache, the common factor is the spray degreaser, carb cleaner and gasket stripper, they are potent chemicals.

the air box has been rubbed back and spayed in grey engine enamel. I tried to get a match for the blue-ish grey they came in, but it ended up a lot darker. If anyone has a suggestion on what that kind of grey was called I'll see if I can get some.

some pics of before and after




the before shots.


the dashpots, awaiting the autosol treatment.


just the one oops moment. Forgot the piston was in the front SU and turned it upside down, dropped the piston and needle onto the floor, but close inspection revealed no damage

I found the way of extracting the jet linkage arm without undoing springs. I unscrewed the control shaft a few turns to give that few mm clearance without letting the whole shaft fall out.


I was careful about keeping the parts seperate. I followed David's (Adelaide) threads and advice on springs and measured the springs. The front is at 7 ounces at 2.75" while the rear is the full 8oz using the kitchen scale trick. Excellent information david, thanks. I also did the standard piston "fall" measurement and both were within tolerance, the rear carb needed a bit of extra cleaning to sort out though.




I had two spare jets and flexible hoses that came with the needles I got some months ago. When I dismantled my carbs I found there was no seal at all in the float chamber where the hose connects so decided to use the new ones.

I'm still stuck trying to get the old temp sender unscrewed. Seized fast. Soak overnight in penetrene might be the answer. Strange nut size on those too.

And if anyone wants to share the trick with me on how to get cast aluminium looking sparkly, I'd be grateful to hear it

Relaxing day.

[straylight]

school holidays have started. A few jobs to do around the house but time to give george a hand down at his shed.


my job was to rub back the boot floor and sides and remove all the surface rust using a combination of sandpaper, a wire brush and air driven rotary sander. My previous job paint stripping didn't go far enough. I can see the purpose now of lightly spraying with an overcolour to give a good indication of what parts need to be rubbed back.


a view of the rear window and vents that have been fully repaired. George has completed the roof and frowned a bit when I suggested we might weld on a bracket for a central overhead light I think the glue route might be smart !


some work George has done on the n/s. Still to cut out and repair the rust in the lower area.


George was in the process of cutting out the rust from the A pillar and has done a great job by the looks. It amazes me that he would cut out a section to gain access to the underlying rust, then confidently weld the section back in.


a bit more fiddly, George cut open the front and used the bits he cut out as templates for new metal, which he fabricated using a variety of tricks. He actually reused metal from another car's panels, which was going to be junked.


another view from the front


George in action, full use being made of the helmet.


I worked with George for a bit in the morning, helping to replace the tail door of a toyota camry wagon. Despite his appearance, he is a perfectionist !


The new patch.

That afternoon he fabricated up the next piece, a lot more complicated than I realised. It was good to see the process that he used. Tomorrow I'm back down there to remove the rust from the driver's side floor. Dash has been sent off to see if it can be reskinned in Mount Gambier, if not I'll have to send it to a capital city.

I did have a few small wins. The 2500TC I rescued has sold a part ! Someone wanted the front bumper. I was also happy to see the donor dolomite bumper is in really good condition with no obvious surface rust coming through the chrome. This is good as the sprint one had the over-riders removed for spot lights (I still remember throwing them into a skip at the Darwin Patrol Boat base )

still waiting on roof vinyl and looking nervously at funds.

stu

[Neil907]

Great work Stu, Good to see george and you are getting stuck in. Keep up the good work.