volvoclearinghouse
volvoclearinghouse UltraDork
9/25/17 7:50 a.m.

I quit cigars a few years back.  Don't really enjoy them.  I'm thinking a spot of tea, perhaps?  

malibuguy
malibuguy New Reader
11/1/17 3:08 p.m.

Excellent build...I feel i may have seen you car on the road before

Apexcarver
Apexcarver PowerDork
11/1/17 6:56 p.m.
volvoclearinghouse said:

I quit cigars a few years back.  Don't really enjoy them.  I'm thinking a spot of tea, perhaps?  

I am putting together a kit with everything to make tea that will be in a riveted box and semi-1950's period correct for the bugeye when its done.   Feels like a necissity for a old british car, plus my wife REALLY likes to get her brew on.

volvoclearinghouse
volvoclearinghouse UltraDork
11/14/17 9:10 a.m.

After fiddling around with the distributor, I decided to replace it.  Pertronics makes a claimed-drop-in replacement unit.  It arrived on my doorstep yesterday.  Can't wait to try it out...

I also removed the passenger side fuel tank (the one with rust and leaks) and took it to a shop here in Bodymorgue Murderland.  They hot tanked it, derusted it, and fixed the leaks.  Picking it up tonight.  

Lobsterpennies
Lobsterpennies New Reader
12/20/17 5:17 p.m.

Lurker bump as I enjoy this thread. Did you get the tank in? 

Apexcarver
Apexcarver PowerDork
12/20/17 6:54 p.m.
volvoclearinghouse said:

After fiddling around with the distributor, I decided to replace it.  Pertronics makes a claimed-drop-in replacement unit.  It arrived on my doorstep yesterday.  Can't wait to try it out...

I also removed the passenger side fuel tank (the one with rust and leaks) and took it to a shop here in Bodymorgue Murderland.  They hot tanked it, derusted it, and fixed the leaks.  Picking it up tonight.  

whats that kinda service run and could I get a reference?   I have a non-leaking bugeye tank that had really old gas in it and trying to decide if I just fill it and see what filters look like or go through the trouble of pulling it.  Buying a new tank is an option too. 

volvoclearinghouse
volvoclearinghouse UltraDork
12/20/17 7:18 p.m.

In reply to Apexcarver :

This is the place I took it to.  I've taken a few old tanks to them, and radiators, and they do a nice job.  They're not in a terrible rush to get anything done, and the guy who works the desk is a bit of a wiseacre, so don't ask them how long it'll take, or how much it'll cost- but for reference, I had a completely solid, non-leaky tank flushed and de-rusted for about $60, and the Jag tank (that needed some leak repairs) they charged me a hundred and a quarter for.  Old shop, run by old guys, and they don't take kindly to whipper-snappers.  ;-)  I pay in cash, too, and they seem to appreciate that. 

I haven't gotten the tank back in yet, though I have painted it in Eastwood paint.  Still need to finish the distributor project, too.  Its a helluva time of year, this.  After Christmas I'll get back out to the shop.  I've got another big (secret) project I'm working on, too, as well as the occasional repairs on the daily-driven cars.  

malibuguy
malibuguy Reader
1/6/18 8:23 p.m.

Gotta love old time shops like that.  I was going to get an aluminum rad for my swap projecct.  I just may take the one from the donor car and have them go over it.  Its a full copper(?) unit.

volvoclearinghouse
volvoclearinghouse UltraDork
1/22/18 1:01 p.m.

The Pertronix distributor and coil is in, and it starts and runs great.  Need to get the second tank in, then it's off to malibuguy for an exhaust.  

Jerry From LA
Jerry From LA SuperDork
2/7/18 7:07 p.m.
volvoclearinghouse said:

The Pertronix distributor and coil is in, and it starts and runs great.  Need to get the second tank in, then it's off to malibuguy for an exhaust.  

If you haven't already, re-check your ignition timing.

volvoclearinghouse
volvoclearinghouse UltraDork
2/8/18 6:33 a.m.
Jerry From LA said:
volvoclearinghouse said:

The Pertronix distributor and coil is in, and it starts and runs great.  Need to get the second tank in, then it's off to malibuguy for an exhaust.  

If you haven't already, re-check your ignition timing.

My method of checking the ignition timing involves a long hill, 2nd and third gears, and a matted accelerator.  laugh

malibuguy
malibuguy Reader
4/3/18 5:55 p.m.

Anything new going on with the Jag?

volvoclearinghouse
volvoclearinghouse UberDork
4/4/18 6:20 a.m.

In reply to malibuguy :

Well, a bird pooped on it the other day, in the garage.  frown

Sorry, no real updates.  Things have been going crazy with the house renovations and I haven't done anything car-related in about a month.  I have, however, discovered that I have some talent as a mason.  

malibuguy
malibuguy Reader
4/4/18 11:53 a.m.

In reply to volvoclearinghouse :

If I can find a way to weld wood and brick id be pretty good for home stuff LOL

Indy-Barely Functional-Guy
Indy-Barely Functional-Guy SuperDork
4/4/18 7:17 p.m.
volvoclearinghouse said:

In reply to malibuguy :

Well, a bird pooped on it the other day, in the garage.  frown

Sorry, no real updates.  Things have been going crazy with the house renovations and I haven't done anything car-related in about a month.  I have, however, discovered that I have some talent as a mason.  

You forgot to mention your new talent with eradicating Rats. wink

volvoclearinghouse
volvoclearinghouse UberDork
4/4/18 9:23 p.m.

In reply to Indy-Barely Functional-Guy :

It took me, a 40 year old male, father of 2, successful engineer with 8 years of college, over a week to find and kill one small rat.  I don't think "talent" is the word you're going for here.  

But hey, I did finish this tonight:

TRoglodyte
TRoglodyte UltraDork
4/4/18 10:04 p.m.

In reply to volvoclearinghouse :

That is some pretty respectable brick-laying right there, and I'll bet it's Mouse proof.

volvoclearinghouse
volvoclearinghouse UberDork
11/14/18 6:59 a.m.

After shoving the Jag into a bare spot in one of our farm's run-ins for several months (working on a soon-to-be-documented secret project), last weekend I finally had time to get started back on it.  

I hooked a trickle charger to the battery for the better part of a day, and Saturday afternoon I went out to see if I'd be driving or pulling it out of the run-in...

Amazingly, without too much drama, the 3.8 six fired right up, quickly built up oil pressure, and settled into a nice lopey idle.  Encouraged, I selected first gear, released the handbrake, and slowly pulled it out into the daylight.  And into the "current work in progress" garage space.

The list of task now stands as:

  • Clean off the inch of bird poo and dirt that has accumulated on the car
  • Install resealed gas tank, and sending unit
  • Install fuel pump for that gas tank
  • Replace differential pinion seal
  • Send to Malibuguy for an exhaust
  • General tune-up/ going over
  • Drive.
Indy-Guy
Indy-Guy UltraDork
11/14/18 8:54 a.m.

Good to see this car is going to get some more love. I'm cringing at the visual of all that bird pooo on the car.  

frenchyd
frenchyd UltraDork
11/14/18 10:17 a.m.

In reply to volvoclearinghouse : Glad to hear that. Keep it on the road! 

 

volvoclearinghouse
volvoclearinghouse UberDork
11/14/18 10:36 a.m.
Indy-Guy said:

Good to see this car is going to get some more love. I'm cringing at the visual of all that bird pooo on the car.  

Thankfully, no rodents or anything seemed to have made a home anywhere.  

I forgot on the list, the front suspension has a couple of suspect bushings I need to attend to.  And set the alignment.  Eventually it'll need new front tires, too (the backs I put on earlier this year).

purplepeopleeater
purplepeopleeater Reader
11/14/18 11:26 a.m.

In reply to AngryCorvair :

Went through the same drill with a Fredneck City cop with my '54 Mercury back in the 80s.

 

volvoclearinghouse
volvoclearinghouse UberDork
12/14/18 6:44 a.m.

Slooowly gaining some project inertia on the Jag.  Same thing that happens every year around this time:  it gets cold, the Holidays become all-encompassing, and I get distracted with house projects.  Anyway, I snuck out in the un-heated car hole last night and decided to tackle the gas tank.  Well, one of them.

The Jag has a driver's side tank, and a passenger side tank.  I think what happened was, back in Whitley, Coventry, the designers crafted the body and then the engineers were set loose to package everything into it.  There was no single spot large enough for an adequately-sized fuel tank, so they had to put two- one behind each rear wheel.  Makes perfect sense.  If you're British.  Or, probably, French.  

The driver's side tank is in place and fine-ish.  The passenger one was full of rust and leaking, so I'd sent it off to have it patched and flushed.  However, one of the two mounting straps had some serious corrosion going on near the end:

The metal was so thin and weak it felt as though it would break off if I breathed upon it.  A replacement strap is available, for those willing to part with a cool $100.  Which I was not.

So, thriftily, I took the grinder and knocked off the surface corrosion.  Then, I found a piece of metal leftover from The Plymford Project, sliced it into size, and bent it round the chuck on my drill.

Then I fired up the welder, held the curved hunk of '51 Plymouth sheet metal in place with some vice grips, and let the MIG wire fly.

Luckily, I am far more skilled at grinding than I am at MIG-ing.  And so, after a few iterations of "weld-grind, weld grind" I ended up with this:

Which, while it wouldn't pass muster for body repairs, is perfectly cromulent for a gas tank strap that nobody will ever see.

It feels much more substantial, too.  This will get a quick shot of primer + paint and it'll be just like factory.  Which is to say, hacked away in the dead of a cold, damp night, in a tumbledown shed, by a gentleman with a few whiskeys under his belt.  

759NRNG
759NRNG SuperDork
12/16/18 8:00 p.m.

"It feels much more substantial, too.  This will get a quick shot of primer + paint and it'll be just like factory.  Which is to say, hacked away in the dead of a cold, damp night, in a tumbledown shed, by a gentleman with a few whiskeys under his belt.  "

I must say I've been known to find myself in a very similar situation ....... well done

nutherjrfan
nutherjrfan UltraDork
12/16/18 8:42 p.m.

In reply to volvoclearinghouse :

how the heck do they afford rent in that part of town?  must own the building.  It's been a long time admittedly since I've been in Baghdad by the Patapsco er Charm City. smiley

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