Just had a nice holiday break in Malta. Car started on the button when I returned.
All paperwork is back from DVLA so I can now move it around.
4 Post ramp should arrive next week so I will be able to get it up to service steering and suspension without breaking my back.
Fuel pumps are working fine and fuel gauge is reading both tanks - switch on the dash was faulty. I have a full stainless steel exhaust to fit - a full set of rubber hoses and a full set of rubber seals for doors windows etc then a full respray so lots of work to do and never enough time. I think its dove grey - need to check this.

 

Hello everyone.
Not a lot done but so far...................
I have stripped the front hubs and stripped brakes - new calliper seals and pistons - just waiting for new splined hubs for wire wheel conversion.
New brake hoses new top ball joints + shimmed up lower joints and treated all rust.
Rear hubs fitted - back axel coming out after holidays and brakes refurbed. with new diff oil etc.
Stripped out steering box - refurbed + new seals and back on.
Column out and stripped - horn slip ring removed cleaned and re-fitted - all copper wipers cleaned and re-shaped. New cable fitted through column.
Rear seat now refurbed and looks really nice - old and creased but in excellent condition with retained patina. Woodwork getting stripped out - needs to be re veneered and laquered. In the meantime I have just completed a refurb on a Triumph TR7 - just needs the new soft top fitting and I have bought a 1979 Morgan 4/4 in red.
The Morgan just needs tidying up and new seats (these have just arrived)
Fitted a whole set of new dash lighting and switches - thats about all it needs.
I have a Range Rover P38 4.0 V8 that needs a paint job - thats for next year when the weather warms up a bit.

 

sounds like you accomplished a lot. Any pictures to share?

 

Hi
I will try to post some pics as I go along

brakes refurbed new hoses pistons and seals
The pads were OK




Back window out and rust along the bottom of cill cut out and re-built with new metal




shiney new rear hubs from Orson Engineering now fitted - waiting for front hubs to come off the machine - should be early January.




Front hubs stripped off waiting for splined hubs coming - new upper ball joints fitted and new brake hoses + calliper refurb.
All uncovered rusty bits getting treated as we go.




seats dont look too bad but I have removed rear seats and cleaned and re-connolised them with good leather feed and they ook great - pics to follow. - Steering column is now out and horn slip rings cleaned and re-sited copper wipers cleaned - reshaped and refitted - now test OK - lets see when its fitted back on

 

That is looking really good! I love the patina on the front seats. They look comfortable like an old slipper
That door rubber looks just like mine- I thought it was from cooking in a metal storage unit in Texas for too long, but it appears that is just how they look when they get old.
Thanks for all the pictures. Nice to see the in-progress work.

 

still no luck with the tank changeover dash switch? Have you serviced the Sender/Float assembly located in the tank ? those senders tend to go in a coma when not exercised. I have a 1963 production tanks switch off a salvaged 1964 S type but you can get new ones from ebay sellers in the UK and US.

 

Hi Jose and csbush
tank switch has been sorted - a spade connector on the switch needed to be soldered. Now both pumps work and fuel tank readings are fine.
I also found a poor connection on a pump spade wire - only one strand connected - gave me a good reading on the meter but wouldnt carry enough current to drive the pump.
The front seats are pretty good and I am cleaning and feeding them. The rear seats were really bad with oil and dust staining so I have had to re-finish them with leather dye. They look great and have retained their character - just look like well preserved old seats - I didnt want to recover with new leather - it never looks right.
The door rubbers were all perished and I'm replacing them - while these are off I can get at the screws holding the wood cappings to strip and laquer. I also have a roll of new red furflex going on to finish it off nicely.
I am trying to post more pics for you and I have a pic of the Morgan seats that were red - it was the wrong red and the interior is cream so I have dyed the seats cream to match.


These were black with dust and oil stains and I found a flexible leather spray dye exactly the right colour




the spray does a good job without taking the age away. Its flexible and wont come off - they just need a good feed now.




these Morgan seats were red - interior is cream so I have sprayed these to match -

its a great result. Sorry if the pics are very large - Im not sure how to adjust the size.

 

That leather is in remarkably good condition- with the dye, it looks as good as new.

 

Yes - they look great without taking away the age completely.
the spray is amazing considering the condition of the seats before the treatment.
I will post some before and after pics when I do the front seats.
Just realised that I have already posted the front seat pic - I will post a finished pic when they are done.

 

Busy day today
I have been assembling a frame to put a roof over my spray booth/workshop area. Its inside my warehouse but it gets dusty and I didnt want the dust to go onto new paint. The roof support frame is now up and just needs a covering. I have a huge extractor fan that I'm using to get the 2K fumes out and I need an air fed mask so I dont kill myself.
Hoping to get the top on by the weekend - it will also keep some heat in.
I've run some lighting bars from front to back with sockets fitted to take fluorescent lighting and infra red curing lights. - its important to have the right kit for the job - lets hope it comes out OK. I'm trying it out on my range rover P38 first - its not as important to me as the Jag. Lots to do before painting the Jag. Back axel yet to come out to get brakes done. Should get my front hubs soon from orsons

 

Hit a snag with the wire wheels - they are Mk 2 wheels not S- type oh dear
they are catching on the calipers - back to the drawing board

 

the wheels or the splined hubs? Are the wheels the curly ones?

 

Bit silly of me - talk about over reacting
The noise was coming from the brake pads - pistons just hadnt been pushed back enough - system fluid is all drained out waiting for rear calipers to be stripped.
The wheels are curly hub - I have 9 wheels 4 of which are beyond polishing - so I have had these chrome powder coated - I'm very please with them and as I can now just power wash them - I can use them every day and keep the nice chrome ones for show days. Update on resto - Interior is all stripped out as I have decided to do more than originally planned.
I have stripped out the dashboard parts and I have sucessfully refinished all the woodwork with the exception of the A pillars - veneer is completely gone so I will need to replace or re-veneer these. The rest of the woodwork is fine - not perfect but very very good.
I'm currently rewiring the dash as many of the connections are oxidised/loose
I'm very please with the refurb of the woodwork and tunnel console etc - this has saved me quite a bit probably around £1500 and I found it easy to do - timetaking but worth it. 2 new speakers for the new old radiomobile. All carpets are out and I'm putting in a complete new set. Car needs to be painted shortly befor I start fitting new carpets and the refurbed seats etc. Rear calipers still need to be done and the new exhaust fitted. It seems to be taking a long time but in the meantime I have refurbed a Morgan 4/4 and sold it - the TR7 is about finished so that can go and the range rover P38 needs a small electrical fault sorting and then its ready for a new home.
Still lots to do in between holidays.

 

Electrics pretty much sorted - car is running but what a time I have had with the RHS petrol pump car would only run on LHS pump. I though the RHS pump must be faulty although it was working OK when I first put the fuel in. So I tried a couple of spare pumps - they are working ok off the car but when I connected up to fuel lines - they stopped after a couple of clicks. thinking that it may just be a weak pump I ordered a refurb kit. Fitted kit tested pump - ok
fitted fuel lines and after 2 clicks it stopped again. I eased off the supply pipe banjo and the pump workes fine - so a blockage in the pipe - whats happened is that after standing for over 20years the fuel in the tank had turned to tar. when I filled the tank - the tar softened and blocked the fuel line stopping the pump due to suction pressure.
I now need to get this sludge out of the tank - not funny eh!
I took out the drain plug - nothing came out so I thought the tank must be empty
When I took out the large filter access housing the 5L of thick black tar fuel dumped itself on my garage floor. So I now have to clean this sludge out of the tank and wash the garage floor. The joys of restoration eh!!

 

Unless any of you guys have a spare tank lying around for a 66 S-Type
I think the 420 tanks are the same?

 

Sounds like a real mess. I hate working with old fuel. It is a smell that takes a long time to get off your hands and anything else!. But at least it protected the tank and pipes

 

the smell of turpentine, it is horrible. Call Jack White, he may have a spare S type tank, yes the 420 tanks are the same.

 

I have taken the fuel tank to a local car radiator repairer.
they can split the tank and completely clean it.
they will seal the tank when its welded back up and checked for leaks.
this is costing me a fifth of the cost of a new one and half the cost of a used tank
Time will be 5 days - lets see how it ends up.
In the meantime - I have just taken delivery of a 1071 Lotus Europa.
Basket case but it should end up OK
TR7 finished
P38 R Rover done - still got an airbag fault - will sort this.

 

Sounds like you have your hands full of projects! That is great to hear about the tank. I really like it when you can repair a part and not have to replace it. With the tank split you can really make sure it is in good shape in there.

 

Hi Dave, your seats look great. what product did you use, as I'm looking at giving my seats a lift and would really be interested