Odd Jobs Prior to Bulkhead Fitting.

During the week I fitted new brake lines up front, new oil cooler hoses, new PAS hose and the refurbished radiator. I also messed around with the cultch hose but I need some nuts in order to fit the new one.

Over the weekend I completed a job which I started a while ago, removal of the old rusted roof rack.

First off I removed the the internal roll cage so I could then remove the rear interior trim and finally head lining to access the bolts.

Then I removed all the bolts and racks. The holes where then cleaned off, sanded down and hammered in so a dent was left on the outside ready to fill. I then used fiber glass to plug the holes from the inside.

Once the fiber glass had set, filler was applied to the outside and sanded. A quick spray of undercoat finished the job off, well finished for now.

Bulkhead refit Prep work

Last weekend was spent sandblasting and painting various brackets and other parts before the bulkhead is refitted.

I also removed the bumper and radiator as both were knackered and in need of replacement, this also exposed more of the chassis ready for rust proofing. While I had the rad out I decided to find the part number and price for the replacement. Part number being ESR204 and to my horror replacement cost was over £800!! Not what I was expecting to pay. However I found a small place not far from me called Berkshire Radiators who were able to replace the core and recondition the old unit for a fraction of the cost! I look forward to getting that back next week.

This weekend I finished the painting of the brackets and treated the chassis. I decied that it would be a good idea to rust some of the chasis now whiel every thing is off. The chassis was first cleaned and allowed to dry all week, then rust convertor spray was used on some of the worst surface rust areas.

Here is what it looked like after the prep work.

I then laid out oil mats to soak up the overspray and set to work filling the chassis with cavity wax, which was a very messy job. I also managed to get a face full while spray with a pinched tube, that stuff is a nightmare to get out of your hair / ear / face. Holes needed to be drilled in a few spots to allow access for cavity waxing. The kit I brought from Dinitrol came with rubber plugs to fill the holes after.I have opted for Dinitrol as it seemed to be a better product, but like everything horses for course and all that. The kit i brought came with cavity wax, chassis hard wax, rust convertor aersol, spray gun for airline, rubber plugs and a full set of PPE (rubber gloves, mask, overalls and over shoes.)

I then sprayed the hard wax onto the outside of the chassis. Then end result looks quite smart almost like new!