LocostUSA.com

Ron, your last pic is the one that scares me. It shows the car's CoG almost completely to the left of the main axis. Maybe it is just the picture angle? I have read that the rear axis should be just below the hatch opening. But they didn't say what was part of the shell, doors? front fenders? Yours shows it attached to the rear bumper mounts and a bit higher than the stand axis. I might have some adjustability with the slots in the stand's plates to get it slightly better. balanced.

I've also read that the sills should be done while sitting on its wheels on a flat surface to prevent the body from twisting during the procedure. That is probably a good practice for the convert body. I'll probably weld in a temporary brace across the door opening. Maybe overkill for the GT. Still, a good idea though.

Another problem that I have is that the PO cut the main lateral frame member across the trans tunnel. That makes the body more unstable thru this procedure. I want to repair that with a removable piece for the engine/trans upgrade.

Maybe I should do the sill and floor work before trying to put the car up on a rotisserie? At some time, I will have to take a leap of faith and move forward I guess.


cs3tcr, I've been on and off again in the Brit car hobby for over 30-(mumble, mumble) years. I have bought parts from BPNW years ago. I was not disappointed and would certainly consider them again. I also know of many of the major parts players this side of the pond. I bought some used parts from Start Your Engines before Moss bought them out and used it for their East coast distribution.

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Chuck.

“Any suspension will work if you don’t let it.” - Colin Chapman

Visit my ongoing MGB Rustoration log: over HERE

Or my Wankel powered Locost log : over HERE

And don't forget my Cushman Truckster resto Locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17766

I just pulled the trigger on a sheet metal order from B&G in the UK. The Moss delivered price for the exact same parts, including a 15% volume discount, was 50% higher (almost $400 USD) than the B&G price. And the B&G price included a big shipping charge VS Moss's free ground shipping.

We'll see how this all works out. Moss will still get their share of my future orders, either directly or via a 3rd party seller that I have used in the past, LBCARCO.

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Chuck.

“Any suspension will work if you don’t let it.” - Colin Chapman

Visit my ongoing MGB Rustoration log: over HERE

Or my Wankel powered Locost log : over HERE

And don't forget my Cushman Truckster resto Locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17766

Chuck,
By all means, make it as adjustable as possible. You could add a vertical tube with angle irons drilled or slotted for as much adjustment as you need. I think I will. I have the stock on hand.

I would brace across the doors and place diagonal braces in the vertical at the B pillars before replacing the sills one side at a time. Replace or repair the floor on that same side before moving on to the other side.
I would also repair the main lateral frame member and keep it until all other repairs are done. I can't remember any of the many v8 or v6 builds I've studied that had it removed. Just say'n.
Ron

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"Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." - Mark Twain
In my defense the moon was full and I was left unsupervised

I've got my plan on the rotisserie. I'll cut the pivot tube off the upright and get or make a rectangular tube to weld to the pivot tube. It fit down inside the original tube and can be raised to whatever height I need.

Then, since the pivot tube is angled with respect to the floor, I'll remove either the caster, or the entire forward leg allowing me to tilt the upright post forward enough to level the pivot tube.

From there, I can add a connecting link from one stand to the other. Easy peasy.

_________________
Chuck.

“Any suspension will work if you don’t let it.” - Colin Chapman

Visit my ongoing MGB Rustoration log: over HERE

Or my Wankel powered Locost log : over HERE

And don't forget my Cushman Truckster resto Locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17766

More disassembly done. I managed to cut off the tacked-on sill to see what lies ahead. It ain't pretty, My archeological dig continues. Somewhere along the way, this car has had 2 botched sill repairs. The first was done with bondo over aluminum tape. Then the last one was the hand formed tacked-on steel sills over the bondo/tape. When I get done cutting and welding in new steel, it will be as good(ish) and strong as it was when it left the factory.

I drilled out spot welds to the damaged shut panel (the front crosspiece that the hood latches to when closed). I started beating it into some semblance of the original shape. Still more work to do on it but so far, it looks like it might be saved.

I bought more sheet metal, this time from RoyalRestorationshop.com. I bought floor pans and inner sills and a few other other rust repair panels. His floor pans come highly recommended. Unlike many other replacement flor pans, his are supposedly like OEM pans and must be installed between the castle rail and the inner sill lips. This is not an issue since those are all going to be replaced. Everything from the transmission tunnel, outward will be fresh metal on both sides.

I recently found that there was an almost full tank of very stale gasoline. I siphoned out most of the gas. This time I got smart. I used the ShopVac and pressurized the tank to start the siphon. I've had too many mouthfuls of gas by sucking to start siphoning in the past. The last gallon was removed from the tank via the drain. The good news is that absolutely zero rust particles/flakes were found in any of the gas. And only about 1/4 cup of heavier fluid, presumably water, were observed. The bottom of the tank was dry. Hopefully the tank will be reusable.

Looking around for gas disposal was next on my list. My county has a hazardous waste program that will take gasoline. Unfortunately, I am limited to only 5 gallons and I had 10-1/2 gallons of this varnish-smelling orange colored fluid. I called my local car recycler in hopes that they could take it. They are supposed to remove fluids from the cars before smashing the cars so they must have some approved disposal method. They wanted to take a look at it before agreeing to take it. I went over yesterday. The guy looked at it and decided he would not try to use it in his car. But he did take it all for cleaning up the floors etc around the shop! repeated suggestions by me about simply putting it with the rest of the gas they remove got no response. Really? WTF? Anyway, it is now out of my hands, and that is what I needed.

_________________
Chuck.

“Any suspension will work if you don’t let it.” - Colin Chapman

Visit my ongoing MGB Rustoration log: over HERE

Or my Wankel powered Locost log : over HERE

And don't forget my Cushman Truckster resto Locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17766

I know how we are about no pics so I'll get caught up. Here is the front without the shut panel.

The fuel tank was removed today. Both the tank itself and the bottom of the boot floor where it is attached, appear to be in good shape. This is the only the yuck that came out of over 10 gallons of fuel. Much better than I expected.



After several hours of cutting and drilling and grinding, the passenger floor is now out. The crossmember is a bit bent up. Most likely due to the PO's removal of the original floor. More work will be needed to prep the edges for the new floor. Here is the welds that had to be removed and then the results.




I received word today that my UK supplier has my panels in shipping dept.

_________________
Chuck.

“Any suspension will work if you don’t let it.” - Colin Chapman

Visit my ongoing MGB Rustoration log: over HERE

Or my Wankel powered Locost log : over HERE

And don't forget my Cushman Truckster resto Locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17766

Nice progress Chuck...
I seem to recall that before I painted it, the driver's side floor "replacement panel" in my MGB was the exact blue color of an old Sunoco diesel pump.

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JD, father of Quinn, Son of a... Build Log
Quinn the Slotus:Ford 302 Powered, Mallock-Inspired, Tube Frame, Hillclimb Special
"Gonzo and friends: Last night must have been quite a night. Camelot moments, mechanical marvels, Rustoleum launches, flying squirrels, fru-fru tea cuppers, V8 envy, Ensure catch cans -- and it wasn't even a full moon." -- SeattleTom

The cross member and inner rockers look better than any Brit car I've ever worked on.

Nice progress!

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Too much week, not enough weekend.

OOPS I did it again
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=17496

Blood Sweat and Beers
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=15216

Agreed. That tin is way too nice for you Chuck.

Are you going to redkote or POR the tank? Have a radiator shop clean it out? My tank is in good shape. POR in the trike tank did not hold up well and aluminum fuel cells are cheap now.

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Miata UBJ: ES-2074R('70s maz pickup)
Ford IFS viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13225&p=134742
Simple Spring select viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11815
LxWxHt
360LA 442E: 134.5x46x15
Lotus7:115x39x7.25
Tiger Avon:114x40x13.3-12.6
Champion/Book:114x42x11
Gibbs/Haynes:122x42x14
VoDou:113x44x14
McSorley 442:122x46x14
Collins 241:127x46x12

That crossmember stops at the trans tunnel. The PO cut and removed the center section and never replaced it. There will be work to do. The RH side is beat to all heck. It will take almost as much effort to rework as it would to replace. There will be more hammer and dolly work in its future. As for the inner rockers, pics are deceiving. They are rusted out at the front and have a lot of deep pitting along the top. I have a 4 ft repair inner rocker panel coming for each side.



I've done 2 tanks now with Redkote, my 12gal steel tank on my Locost and my Cushman tank. So far, no problems. I'll probably wait until I'm ready to work on it. It will need an in-tank pump and return line added to support the EFI. At that time I'll wash out real well, then Redkote ( or Northern, whichtever I can find at the time) . FYI, I asked the mfgr, if RedKote was suitable for use on new steel. to protect from future rust This was the reply from Damon Ind.:

JD, my floors are coming from a small supplier in Canada. They are made from pre-plated steel and not painted. I can't say that I have heard of the Sunoco Blue floors. Not sure who made them. The ones I am tearing out are made of thinner steel and painted black. I don't remember the Sunoco diesel pumps but I can remember the Sunoco blending pumps around the late 60's and early 70's with up to 8 different octane possibilities.

_________________
Chuck.

“Any suspension will work if you don’t let it.” - Colin Chapman

Visit my ongoing MGB Rustoration log: over HERE

Or my Wankel powered Locost log : over HERE

And don't forget my Cushman Truckster resto Locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17766

I got the driver-side floor panel removed yesterday. It took longer than I would have liked. That is due to me being a novice and trying to keep from damaging stuff that I don't need to replace. And who knows what that will be until I get that far into the project. So, I tread cautiously and slowly. I found some rust on the center tunnel and toe kick areas that will need attending to. I anticipated that and purchased a pair of rust repair panels.

I received the shipment from Royal Restoration Shop (my Canada supplier) yesterday. The floor pieces are much better than the previous repairs. The new steel is 18ga where the previous replacements were only 20 ga. The increase in stiffness was immediately noticed. In addition to the steel gauge, the formed ribs are deeper and their transitions much more defined, adding to the floor's strength. I just had to place one in to see how it fit. Very little fitting adjustments will need to be made.

I am at a bit of a dilemma as to my next step will be when the UK parts arrive. On one hand, I'd like to keep making progress by getting things patched and put back together. But this is a good time to take it to the blasters to remove paint and the rust that will later be covered up. If I ask the blaster to epoxy prime everything, I would then have to remove the prime in the areas that are being welded. I could just have them wash it down with a rust preventative. That might last for a week or two before rust flash started. I also have read about the dustless blasters that come in and blast in my driveway. I'm not sure of how to evaluate one vs the other. or the comparative costs involved yet. I guess I'll simply do the prep work and rust removal that I can while I do some more research.

The direction that I chose may have an effect on when I remove the front crossmember and the rear axle assembly. It is pretty easy to move around now with the wheels in place.

edit: I just received notice that my UK parts were shipped and FedEx is anticipating delivery next Wednesday!

_________________
Chuck.

“Any suspension will work if you don’t let it.” - Colin Chapman

Visit my ongoing MGB Rustoration log: over HERE

Or my Wankel powered Locost log : over HERE

And don't forget my Cushman Truckster resto Locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17766

To almost hijack this thread...

I was offered a Spridget 948 motor plus (I assume) smooth body trans. I know, the Chevette motor was powerful by comparison, but contact me if you have a need for such a thing. Don't know the condition other than the motor is "complete" and "not locked".

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***************
Geek49203 aka
Tim Wohlford
Louisville, KY
Hayes front, S10 +2 rear, Lalo body.

Chuck

This may help you with the in between time on holding rust at bay. Have sprayed it on places and left it for months before come back to that area with no futher issues.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/loctite-rust-n ... e=439&k_cl

Red

I have read ads for "weld thru" primer but have no experience with it

Weld-thru primer (to borrow the phrase) has been the norm in shipbuilding for years .... and for the most part ships haven't been falling apart. They used to, but that was before the importance of notch tough steel and structural detailing were appreciated.

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Warren
Isuzu Pickup/SR20DE, +401 COLD frame
Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=11601