Restoring a Top Hat

[Parazine]

Sizzling Hot Weekend

Well, it was down here in the heart of Wessex and I spent the weekend in the garage welding! Not really suitable weather but there you go.

The subject was the nearside rear wing. Painfully thin, with a lot of holes and an ugly 18SWG patch welded over the rust.

First job was to cut out the worst bits:

   

This, by any standard was a big patch, measuring 6 inches by 15. Took ages to "tack and bash" and weld into the wing:

   

Another couple of small patches but the thinnest material, near the bottom edge of the wing I decided to fill in the holes rather than patch. If I had patched it, I would have had to deal with the wire edge and some shape. It would have been another huge piece of metal and I was in danger of losing the integrity of the panel. It's all going to need a coating of filler rather deeper than I like to use but it's better than I started with, that's the main thing.

   

Some small bits of welding to pick up on the running boards tomorrow, then all the panels can be overcoated in primer-surfacer and stopper before we move on to top coat. Much rubbing down this week to look forward to!

[Parazine]

Lots of shiny bits!

Finally finished filling/rubbing down/undercoating/stopping and painting. It's been a hard 6 weeks of work but the shiny panels are now in the garage to harden off for the next few weeks.

   

I'm back to work from early September so they should get some time to harden before I'm ready to start re-assembling the car. I was pushed for time because the big shed that I use for painting is unheated and it's not really possible to spray cellulose below about 18 degrees because of bloom formation. However, all is done now, except the dashboard, which needs metalwork before it's painted.

So, it's time for a tidy up, sweep out of the spray shop and packing away all the body tools and supplies.

Next jobs: chase up on the nickel plating that went in in June, take the glass patterns in for new glass to be cut and make a start on fitting up wings and body parts.

[Parazine]

Engine removal and replacement!

Back out in the garage for the first time in a couple of months. I was waylaid by a Westwood tractor gearbox that had finally had enough and needed to be rebuilt as well as a week away before lockdown, on top of a month of teaching. At least the paint has had time to harden up 

First job has been to remove the engine, gearbox and steering box. My masking up was deficient when I was spraying earlier in the summer and a lot of overspray had contaminated these. All now cleaned with thinners and refitted. 

I have to say, the chain hoist makes easy work of engine removal and refitting. I used to do this manually, lifting by hand and pushing and shoving to line things up but now it's a few minutes work to pick the engine up and swing it in.

   

Next, I can start fitting the inner wings but I need to prepare some coach bolts before fitting the front wings proper. More on that later....

[Tony Griffiths]

Chain blocks. I've always had one in the garage - but it was a big, heavy old thing and not on a trolly. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that you can now buy a (Chinese, of course) 1/2-ton chain block and geared-trolly combination for £106 (probably less if you search more deeply). As I have a cross beam, an upgrade was decided upon. The old block went on Facebook Market Place for £20 and sold immediately, and the new unit - adjusted with spacers to fit the beam, installed the same day. If just a chain block you fancy - how can they be cheaper than this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1Ton-Chain-Ho...ondition=3

[Ruairidh Dunford]

The car is looking splendid Tim, very nice!

I have always been too scared to leave fans attached when installing because I may lean against them, causing a snap. Once or twice I have fitted the radiator and then realised the fan is not installed however!

[Chris Garner]

I did it yesterday - bugger!

[Howard Wright]

Hi Tony

I’m with you on this. Couldn’t do without the cheapo chain block and trolly I have.  Also useful for lifting anything unwieldy or heavy.  I use it to lift the hard top on my SL.  Otherwise it’s a two man job and I mean man as my good lady wife can’t lift and manoeuvre it at height.  

Cheers

Howard

[Nick Turley]

Tim - Your project is looking splendid - they are a lovely car, well done.

[Parazine]

Thanks for the encouragement, it's hard graft at the moment!

BTW, my chain hoist was bought about fifteen years ago from the local collective agricultural sale for a measly £40. It came mounted on a carriage to run on a RSJ but a smaller one that the 5" monster in my garage, which necessitated turning and threading some new, longer pins.

   

It's a useful bit of kit and equally up to doing modern engines, I changed an engine-transmission unit on a Toyota Corolla using this just after it was first installed.

The only problem is that the garage roof is a bit low.....

[David.H]

Pick the whole car up with that!