dedication

THIS BLOG IS DEDICATED TO THE PREVSERVATION AND RESTORATION OF BRITISH AUTOMOBILES

Monday, February 29, 2016

ENGINE REMOVAL COMPLETED

The engine and gearbox removal began early this morning.  
















We encountered a few small issues but the entire process was completed in less than two hours.
















Now the engine, gearbox and engine compartment can be cleaned and repainted easily.  
The next step is to remove the electrical and hydraulic components from the engine bay.  A great many photos were taken of the location of these components and clamps.










I remain excited...
Tom McCurry
Tommy's Topless Cars
843-338-2253

Saturday, February 27, 2016

ENGINE REMOVAL CONTINUED


Now that the engine and gearbox have been completely disconnected from the car, the engine hoist can be positioned and fastened to the engine appropriately.  












I use the Oberg tilt-lift system furnished by Moss Motors (mossmotors.com).  This apparatus allows you to easily adjust the angle of the engine and it is withdrawn or fitted to the car.












The Oberg is connected to the engine block as shown in the photos below.  

The forward connection is provided by the manufacturer.

The rear connection is made with the most accessible manifold bolt.  The Oberg lug is fitted as close to the block as possible.
Monday morning, the removal process will begin.  I prefer to have three people involved in the process.  One to operate the hoist, one for the Oberg and one to check for clearance issues.








My apologies for the lapse in progress and posts...
Tom McCurry
Tommy's Topless Cars
tdmccurry@yahoo.com
843-338-2253

Comments and questions are invited.

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

READY TO REMOVE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION

Yesterday we disconnected all the engine wiring, coolant lines, oil pressure line, water temperature line, clutch slave cylinder and exhaust header pipe.  The motor mounts were also disconnected.









The transmission tunnel was removed to reveal the propeller shaft connection.  With the propeller shaft, speedometer cable, transmission mount and overdrive wiring disconnected, the engine and transmission can be easily extracted. 
Next the engine hoist will be moved into position and attached to the engine.  The extraction process requires less than two hours.







Stay tuned...
Tom McCurry
Tommy's Topless Cars
843-338-2253

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

PREPARING THE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION FOR REMOVAL

Since we will be repainting the engine and engine compartment, it will be necessary to remove the engine and all peripheral equipment including the wiring.  
In a previous post we discussed the removal and restoration of the manifolds. Today we will be disconnecting the engine and transmission from their mounts. We will also disconnect the engine wiring and the remaining heater hoses and fuel lines.





When we have the engine out of the car, it will be cleaned and the gaskets replaced.  Then the engine will be painted the correct color and set aside.  The engine and transmission will not be reinstalled until the body paintwork is complete.

Thank you for your interest...
Tom McCurry
Tommy's Topless Cars
843-338-2253


Monday, February 22, 2016

BODYWORK CONTINUES...NECESSARY REPAIRS

The removal of the paint from both front fenders revealed extensive repair work from both collision damage and rust.
The basic design of the connection of the inner and outer fenders is problematic.  The rubber seal strategically located at that joint is prone to failure thus allowing debris and water to collect inside the fender.  This is a recipe for corrosion.


The left front fender, shown above has been patched by attaching a sheet metal plate on top of the fender.  This process is certainly better that merely filling the rusted areas with plastic filler or fiber glass, but it too has its issues.  A great deal of filler is required to level that area.
The best way to make these repairs is to completely remove the rusted area and weld a new steel panel in its place on the same plane.  After the welds are made and ground flush with the panels, it will be difficult to detect that a repair has been made.  As a bonus, a minimal amount of filler will be required.

Stay tuned...
Tom McCurry
Tommy's Topless Cars
843-338-2253

Saturday, February 20, 2016

BODYWORK CONTINUES...PAINT REMOVAL


There were several cracks in the finish indicating that there may be an issue either with the metal or the filler that may have been applied.  It is best to remove all the questionable paint related materials and make any necessary repairs.  
New paint is only as good as the materials beneath it.  Also if the adhesion has failed between the layers, there is really no way to repair it without removing it totally.






We encountered only a thin layer of plastic filler on the left side of the car.  However, this was not the case with the right side. The fender had sustained minor collision damage and rather than straightening the metal, a thick layer of filler had been applied.  We will remove all the filler, straighten the metal as much as possible and apply new filler.
This car was painted years ago.  Body repair materials and coatings have improved drastically.  The new body will look much better and last longer.




Stay tuned...
Tom McCurry
Tommy's Topless Cars
843-338-2253

Friday, February 19, 2016

BODYWORK CONTINUES...FRONT FENDERS AND DOORS IN PLACE

After fitting the floating hinge plates, the doors were mounted and adjusted in the opening.  














The new hinges and mounting plates made a huge difference in the fit.  The doors have been adjusted to align with the cowl and front fenders.  













However, there are still some areas on the fenders, doors and cowl that do not align perfectly with the adjacent panel.  These panels will be stripped down to the metal and realigned if necessary.  The final adjustment will be made with body filler in order to attain the perfect fit.
After the bodywork is complete, all the fenders and doors will again be removed for the final paintwork.







Tom McCurry
Tommy's Topless Cars
843-338-2253

Thursday, February 18, 2016

BODYWORK CONTINUES...FITTING FRONT FENDERS



As we discussed previously, additional effort would be required in fitting the front fenders to the doors and cowl.  Pictured to the right is an example of the fit between the door and front fender on the left side of the car.  The goal is to fit the panels so they are on the same plane and the gap is as consistent as possible.  This is challenging on this car because there is not enough adjustment on the door hinges and fender mounting bolts.





We began by fabricating two new floating hinge mounting plates for the right side door.  This allowed the door to be moved in all directions an additional 3/8".  The plates are fitted inside the hinge post and the hinges are fastened to them with the original flat head machine screws.  


















The hinges and floating plates sandwich the latch post thus holding the door in position.  Now we can adjust the door to fit the cowl, latch post and fender.













The result is a much better fit.  The gap between the panels will be "fine-tuned" using a small die grinder and a cut-off wheel.














Looking good...
Tom McCurry
Tommy's Topless Cars
tdmccurry@yahoo.com
843-338-2253










Wednesday, February 17, 2016

BENEATH THE FENDERS

In a vintage automobile such as this one, a world of rust and otherwise damaged parts are hidden from view.  Not the case with the Sheffield Shuttle.  She is in superb condition.  Both the right and left front sides of the car have no signs of decay or collision damage.  We will clean these areas and coat them with POR 15 (a rust encapsulator) to insure their continued rust free condition.






Usually, the area behind the rear wheels are even more susceptible to decay.  This is the result of dirt  collecting in this area and holding moisture eventually causing rust.













Good news...
Tom McCurry
Tommy's Topless Cars
843-338-2253






Tuesday, February 16, 2016

FRONT BODY PANEL MOUNTS

Following the removal of the front clip, the engine compartment and wheel houses can be more easily assessed for damage.














In the photo to the right, you will notice several repairs have been made to the right side wheel house.  The two large indentations you see however, are reliefs for the headlight buckets and parking light assemblies.  
The overall condition is not as questionable as it may appear.  There is no rust and it is in proper alignment.   While the majority of the wheel house is not visible when the body is assembled, we intend to restore them.  We want the engine bay to be pristine.
 The left side wheel house sustained very little damage.
















Stay tuned...
Tom McCurry
Tommy's Topless Cars
843-338-2253

Saturday, February 13, 2016

BODYWORK CONTINUES...REMOVING PANELS

After spending an hour or so trying to align the doors and front fenders, we determined that the most efficient way was to completely disassemble the front of the car.  For whatever reason, there was not enough adjustment in the fender fasteners to achieve proper alignment.









The plan of action now is to rework the door hinge attachment plates in order to maximize the adjustment.  Again, we will begin with the doors and work our way forward.













Stay tuned...
Tom McCurry
Tommy's Topless Cars
843-338-2253

Friday, February 12, 2016

REMOVING INTERIOR

Before the body preparation begins, the interior carpeting and upholstery must be removed.  This is not a difficult task.  














At first glance, it appears that the floor pans, transmission tunnel and boot pan are all in excellent condition with no rust issues at all. A more in depth inspection will be conducted next week.  All in all...great news!











Tom McCurry
Tommy's Topless Cars
843-338-2253


















Thursday, February 11, 2016

BODYWORK CONTINUES...FITTING PANELS


After removing the remainder of the chrome trim, we are ready to begin aligning the body panels.  The entire front clip seems to be in excellent condition.  The panels are very straight and the alignment of the front valence and fenders is almost perfect.










However, in an effort to refine the alignment of the drivers door and the rear shroud, additional grinding was done.  The body line running from the door to the shroud had been repaired previously.  In order to properly align the panels, we must first remove all the plastic filler from the door panel and rear shroud.  The actual metal will be "adjusted" and a minimal amount of filler applied to recreate the original body line.  A bit time-consuming, but necessary.  We want the new black finish on the TR3 to be flawless.



Tom McCurry
Tommy's Topless Cars
843-338-2253







Wednesday, February 10, 2016

BODYWORK CONTINUES...REMOVING BODY TRIM

Before any sanding can be done, all the chrome body trim must be removed.  As the parts are being removed they are inspected closely to determine if they are to be replaced or restored. The governing factor, of course, is the cost of the alternatives.  As it stands now, the bumpers and badges will be replaced on the front.








The rear trim is in exception condition requiring only polishing.
















At the end of the day, all that remains is the removal of the badges.  They are being stubborn.















The trim, deck lid and fuel tank have been removed from the rear of the car.  Tomorrow, we will begin aligning panels.














Stay tuned...
Tom McCurry
Tommy's Topless Cars
843-338-2253











Tuesday, February 9, 2016

BODYWORK CONTINUES...FITTING THE BONNET

I suppose the last time this car was painted, the original hood attachment mechanism was replaced with "aftermarket" hood pins.  Also, the lift assembly had been removed entirely making it very difficult to raise the bonnet.  In the photo to the right you will see the mounting hole that was drilled for the installation of the hood pins and the two adjacent holes that were for the attachment of the original Dzus fastener system.













Pictured to the left, is the section of the bonnet where the hood pin flange was mounted.  These five holes must be patched with new metal and a new hole drilled in the proper location for the Dzus fastener.  It is difficult for me to understand why this hood pin system was installed in the first place...but it was.














Thanks for tuning in...
Tom McCurry
Tommy's Topless Cars
843-338-2253




















 





Monday, February 8, 2016

RESTORING MANIFOLDS

The general condition of the intake and exhaust manifolds is very good.  I have decided to bead blast both manifolds.  Pictured to the left is the cast iron exhaust manifold.



















It's appearance following a few minutes in the blaster...






















And after the application of 2000 degree exhaust header paint it is ready to be installed...much later.






















Now for the intake.  It is made of aluminum and is in excellent condition.





















After being bead blasted, it is ready to be thoroughly cleaned.  A light coat of the same paint was applied to prevent corrosion.  This atmosphere reacts adversely with aluminum.



















Later...
Tom McCurry
Tommy's Topless Cars
843-338-2253



























Saturday, February 6, 2016

REMOVING MANIFOLDS

Now that the carburetors have been detached, the intake and exhaust manifolds are ready for removal and restoration.  Hopefully, no stubborn fasteners.














Following the removal of the intake, the exhaust manifold can be removed "easily"...just joking.





















The exhaust manifold has now been completely removed.  The header pipe of the exhaust system is still in place.  It is our plan to replace the entire exhaust system...probably stainless steel.
We will be restoring the manifolds in the next post.
















Thanks for your interest...
Tom McCurry
Tommy's Topless Cars
843-338-2253

































Friday, February 5, 2016

REMOVING CARBURETORS


Rebuilding the carburetors is a long lead item, that is, it requires several weeks.  We have taken numerous photos of the linkage and fuel line arrangement in order to minimize the assembly time.












 With the air cleaners removed, the view of the choke and accelerator linkage is much better.














Now that the carburetors have been removed, they will be dismantled, cleaned and rebuilt to the original specification.
The intake and exhaust manifolds will also be removed and refinished. All gaskets will be replaced.











I love this car...
Tom McCurry
Tommy's Topless Cars
tdmccurry@yahoo.com
843-338-2253


















Thursday, February 4, 2016

BODYWORK CONTINUES...REAR FENDER REMOVAL




As we discussed in the last post, it will be necessary to remove the rear fenders so that the latch panel behind the door can be fitted properly.  Both the driver's side and passengers side have issues.












Before the fender is removed, we took time to locate the fasteners and braces.  In the photo to the right you will notice a lateral brace extending from the frame to the bottom of the fender just behind the tire.  This brace was removed first.












Following the removal of the taillight assembly, the bolts securing the fender to the body tub are removed.  They are located just below the stainless steel bead inside the wheel well and adjacent to the boot lid seal.  We left two of the fasteners loose and in place just to stabilize the fender until it is completely detached.








The rear fender did extended over the taillight mounting surface and appeared to be secured with seam sealer.  This was loosened with a few taps of a body hammer and a sharp chisel.












The fender and bead was then removed easily.  The process will be repeated on the passenger's side.















Special note...
For those of you that are interested in following this restoration frequently, we offer an email alert.  The button is located on the top right of each post.  Just fill in your email address and confirm by opening the confirmation email.  Then, each time I post, you will be notified by email.  

Tom McCurry
Tommy's Topless Cars
843-338-2253