JB Weld

Having broken the wiper mechanism last week, I removed the wiper pivot, cleaned up the area for fixing and am now waiting for the JB Weld to dry.

I thought it would be a five minute thing, but the tube says 6 hours!

The rear subframe tray was overlapping the engine tray, after trimming, a new foam seal could be fitted. ..and I got around to replacing a split heater tube.

Transplant completed, patient in coma...

Whilst awaiting some new spacers for the door hinges (one of which is bent and needs to be repaired), I reconnected the cut wiring loom and managed to break the wiper mechanism (by activating the wipers with the mechanism obstructed by the windscreen stem! should have reconnected that ages ago!).

I still need to check through the wiring as theres a bad earth, I thought I had found it being the headlight connections corroded, but its just moved the problem. I spose I could do with a chesil wiring diagram as John Muir (Idiots Guide) doesnt have an immobiliser!

As far as the subframes concerned, the transplant is complete and was a success. In hind sight, using another makers subframe on a finished car is just not advisable. The main bodies may come from the same moulds, but there is alot of inner body fibreglassing to mount it to the subframe. I got lucky with the engine bay frame fitting, but that was about it....

Some of the subframe transplant issues:

cutting out the front fibreglass footwell from chesil inner body

the subframes footwell is longer as the steering column outer doesnt reach - needs sorting yet

cutting a couple of inches off each rear bumper arms from the subframe

replace subframes front bar for thinner chesil bar as it was obstructing everything behind dash

cut rear subframes catch support as it sat too high and stopped lid closing

cut bodies rear seat area as subframe support at rear was obstructing - again as if im trying to lower it too much, if anything it should be lower still.

Heres an update on the Chesil subframe, powder coated in 1994, rusted from the inside out and collapsing after 14 years:

Elbow Grease

The hinge spacers which came off the last subframe...

I will need to try and try again to get the doors to fit nice and flush. More jobs done which wernt on the list though....

A few more days like this will see it right...

Yet more jobs crossed off the list, and some which wernt even on it!

Did alot of dremmeling to remove the welds left from cutting the dash beam out, then after searching for some brackets to return the dash beam to its location - I cut the ones off the old subframe, and drilled/tapped them. - drilling and tapping went like a dream, mostly due to new drill bits and the multi speed drill which santa supplied, but also all the practice Ive had.

I needed to revise the brace Id previously made for the body to torsion bar, where it had cracked years ago, but now the body is attached to the front beam, the rear subframes attached to the chassis and everything lines up! /phew. The steering wheels attached (needs a little adjustment yet, but...

The seatbelt bolts dont quite line up, so thats some more unexpected work with fibreglass at some point.

I was thankfull for my notes for reconnecting the wires to the steering wheel, there seems alot for just left/right indicator.

Reconnecting the bonnet release didnt go so well as the cable was inside the sheaf and had fraid so didnt want to come out. Ah well, it cant all go well.

Throw those curtains wide....

The sun came out for a while, so I managed to get a few jobs crossed off the long list. It looks a bit like its on stilts at the moment from being jacked up at the rear...

The Doors

Well, I broke on through to the other side...

...And now the sills sit on the subframe sills, Ive only offered the door into its gap for a photo - no hinges drilled or attached yet but its a tight fit. I need to roll it out of the garage and eyeball the side to make sure the back isnt sitting too high (which would close the door gap).

Chop Shop

I picked up some reinforced cutting wheels for the Dremmel, but didn’t get cutting on the front. I started thinking it may be better to relocate the bar under the dash, instead of cutting the inner panel, as the wiring and speedo go through near that area.

However, relocating the bar, would mean getting the body back off, getting someone around to weld some tabs on the door pillars to fit the bar which I removed from the old Chesil subframe.

So, whilst in the garage I put some attention to the rear of the subframe/body.

Even after removing the old chesil bonding, the rear seat area is still colliding with the subframe aswell as the front colliding.

Changing the rear subframe isn’t an option here, so I will need to cut a small piece out both sides of the rear seat to lower the body to rest on the subframe sills - which are still an inch too high at present.

So I’ve got even more fibreglassing to do. I just need to pluck up the courage and get cutting. The rear seat area will be covered in carpet so my fibreglassing skills or lack of will not be seen when the cars interior is finished. Although I’m treading close to the limit, I’m not quite out of my depth.. yet..

I took a few photos before giving up for the day...
The Chop Shop is on Discovery Turbo in an hour so hopefully Lipu's cutting, and Bernie's 'Get on with it' attitude, will inspire me for tomorrow *-).