VA138, the next chapter....

[Tony Burd]

Looking good, what did you do ref the stonechip?

[shaunroche]

Hi Tony, all underneath and in the arches and under the boot same as yours and none on the sills. ..

[shaunroche]

Need a bigger Workshop!

[shaunroche]

Sound deadening.

As this is arguably an historically significant car, what should I do about sound deadening on the bulkhead and floor....the modern foil backed foam, or something else, what are your thoughts and advice please?

[Tony Burd]

I have the same problem with VA485 although it is not going to be a concours retso.

I picked this leaflet up at Beaulieu last month I thought the Dodo Soundstopper looked good.




Would be interested to see what people recommend.

[shaunroche]

Cheers Tony, yeah that's my dilemma but looking at how thin it is I suspect I could use that and put something that looks a bit more age appropriate on top of it?

Have you done anything yourself yet then?

[RichardHyde]

I’ve used roof insulation before under carpets. You can easily take off a thin layer so it’s not too thick. Go for a walk and you’ll find some in somebody’s skip !!

[Tony Burd]

Cheers Tony, yeah that's my dilemma but looking at how thin it is I suspect I could use that and put something that looks a bit more age appropriate on top of it?

Have you done anything yourself yet then?

Progress on mine is very slow I was blaming the cold weather but now I have no excuse! So no not done anything on the soundproofing yet.

[new to this]

Ive bought the silver sound proofing you get on a role, to go in my engine bay, and was going to stick the black sound dreading over the top, the silver sound proofing has a higher temp rating, i put a blow lamp on a small section to see if it was fire proof, and i couldn't set light to it

[shaunroche]

So, been a while but finally got going again.

The subframe is now fully assembled: I had used the original bolts but on reflection, whilst not bad, compared to the rest of the finish they looked pretty manky, so I decided to replace all of them with new...and then saw the need to replace all the spring washers with new too. No idea why I didn't do this from the start with the subframe like I have for the rear of the car, but there you go! A momentary lapse of intelligence!

As a Design Engineer I'd like to think that I am a pretty ordered type of chap and have labeled every nut, bolt and component when removed and returned ready for refitting...so just why I lost all the new bushes, washers and nuts off the front struts is beyond me. They're been put somewhere very safe indeed!

So had to order some new bushes, went to fit them with new m10 nuts only to find they're not M10 coarse, but M10 fine...hmmm..M10x1.0 or M10x1.25? Had to order both and they ended up being M10 x 1.25...is this an obvious thing I should've known about then?

Anyhoo, here's a blingy pic showing said uprights with powder coated and painted strut mounts etc. I retained the large top washers and had them replated...





...they did both look like this...



BTW...remind me, those three washers that sit on top of the mounts that go underneath the suspension turrets, they're curved on one face ..I think the flat face goes against the top mount, the curved face against the underside of the suspension turret, yes, any takers?

Next is the liberal application of Dinitrol everywhere it's required and fit the subframe, struts and steering wheel etc. and it's back on the wheels...the rear axle and associated struts and trailing arms etc. have been fitted previously.

I noted I haven't put any pics up of the freshly built motor, fully rebuilt by the only Sprint Engine builder I completely trust to do the work, the inimitable Jon Jackson.

It's been fully lightened and balanced, lightly ported, skimmed, which it needed...



...and has a slightly livelier cam fitted along with a Vernier cam pulley.

The gearbox has been rebuilt and controversially I've done away with the troublesome clutch slave cylinder and cross shaft and have fitted a concentric slave clutch acuator, operating directly on the clutch: I hear nothing but trouble with the afore mentioned standard slave cylinder etc. so it was an easy choice to bin them off in favour of something much more reliable.

The Engine looks way better than this dodgy pic, and all the old bolts have been replaced with new since this pic..



The front and rear seats have gone to Cliff Griffith, he of Car SOS fame in Wolverhampton, for restoration and retrimming and they'll be back shortly, so at last, progress is being made!

[shaunroche]

Progress. At last!

Subframe now fitted and it's now ready to sit on all four wheels ..





...and got the refurbed carbs back...

[soe8m]

Interesting fitment of the carb mechanism.

Jeroen

[shaunroche]

Interesting fitment of the carb mechanism.

Jeroen

You tell me, I've only took them off and sent them job lot, this is how they came back!

[new to this]

Shaun

Whats involved in fitting concentric slave clutch cylinder ?

Dave

[shaunroche]

Shaun

Whats involved in fitting concentric slave clutch cylinder ?

Dave

Have pm'd you Dave.