Gadgits Hardtop (oeer missus) and Engine

Gadgits Hardtop (oeer missus) and Engine

Author
Discussion

johno

Original Poster:

8,521 posts

289 months

Wednesday 21st August 2002
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Very nice Pat. You've done a grand job as per normal.

Cheers

Mark

M@H

11,298 posts

279 months

Wednesday 21st August 2002
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He wants to check his bonnet alignment though..

markbigears

2,343 posts

276 months

Wednesday 21st August 2002
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is that striped wall paper i see in the garage?
very fetching i must say!!!
So how does that hardtop work? goes over the soft top?
how easy to remove it? 2 person job? never seen one before....whow made em? how many? and can i think of any other
questions to ask as i sit here in the dark at work!

>> Edited by markbigears on Wednesday 21st August 11:50

>> Edited by markbigears on Wednesday 21st August 12:10

M@H

11,298 posts

279 months

Wednesday 21st August 2002
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Pat, have you still got the mould for the Hardtop (I assume its a GRP moulding)..? if so.. can I borrow it sometime

Cheers
Matt.

jonzo

163 posts

267 months

Wednesday 21st August 2002
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Looks great, how come TVR didn't think of that?
I envy you 'we can re-build it' clever types !
Very nice looking car you get there.

gadgit

971 posts

274 months

Wednesday 21st August 2002
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No is does not fit over the soft top!

No its not wallpaper in the garage.

Yes, the bonnets not pressed down, no, the bonnet does not require re-alignment.

contact LEEBEE for the mould.

Still got a lot to do on the hard top to make it fit around the windows etc. I think it looks quite smart. not sure where LEEBEE got the back window. It all needs to be stripped and refitted for a proper job. first job is to get the rear end all cleaned down and the rear shocks fitted. what a nightmare this looks.

gadgit.

M@H

11,298 posts

279 months

Wednesday 21st August 2002
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quote:


Yes, the bonnets not pressed down, no, the bonnet does not require re-alignment.




I can't belive you took that seriously.....

johno

Original Poster:

8,521 posts

289 months

Wednesday 21st August 2002
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quote:

first job is to get the rear end all cleaned down and the rear shocks fitted. what a nightmare this looks.

gadgit.



Pat,

I have a load of photos of when I stripped and rebuilt the rear end of my S. I fully replaced the fuel cradle, trailing arms, bushes, dampers, springs and sripped and hammerited the chassis.

It is nowhere as bad a job as the front. Replacing the bushes is a bugger though ....

If you want to see them then let me know as I can send them to you if you promise to send them back

gadgit

971 posts

274 months

Wednesday 21st August 2002
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I can't believe YOU took me seriously either!

gadgit.

M@H

11,298 posts

279 months

Wednesday 21st August 2002
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The old "double bluff" again...

gadgit

971 posts

274 months

Wednesday 21st August 2002
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Ah! Johno, do you have to undo that skunking great nut on the wheel bearings at the back to take the trailing arms off. This thought is holding me back. What do you reckon. can you get away with the UJs being undone and pull the lot out. What did you do?

gadgit.

johno

Original Poster:

8,521 posts

289 months

Wednesday 21st August 2002
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quote:

Ah! Johno, do you have to undo that skunking great nut on the wheel bearings at the back to take the trailing arms off. This thought is holding me back. What do you reckon. can you get away with the UJs being undone and pull the lot out. What did you do?

gadgit.



I replaced the lot as I also did the rear wheel bearing and the rear brakes shoes. But I am a complete sucker for punishment. This little lot took a week !

I is possible to remove the trailing arms by only undoing the CV joint at the wheel end. This is how the garages do 'em when they replace trailing arms. As for the nut in the middle it is onlyu done up to around 180lbft which isn't to bad.

If your rear wheel bearing are alright though I wouldn't bother upsetting them.....

Make sure that you remove the fuel cradle completely and that you aven't got corrsion through the under arms. This is a part of the chassis which has access holes in it to reach the securing bolts. Water and crud get in and can't get out and they are prone to rusting through. Mine had and it was a £50 local metal work project to get it replaced. No grief really.

As for the trailing arms then these are prone to rust through and I doubt there are many left pre '91 that aren't nearly rusted through judging by the ones I've seen. They corrode along the outer most tube. You can't see until you scrape away the surfuce rust and give it a little tap with the hammer. This then became a hole with mine and they were replaced aswell.

As for bushes I would recommend Poly ones, but it does make the reassembly on mine more difficult to force the trailing arms into the old spaces but now with poly bush collars taking up some of the space.

Dampers and springs are a personal choice and easy to fit. Just make sure the mounting points are well lubricated. Once you have put it all back together let it setlle for a couple of hundred miles and then get the geometry checked to see if there is anything that isn't sitting right.

Cheers

Mark

gadgit

971 posts

274 months

Thursday 22nd August 2002
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Thanks for the info Johno!

gadgit.