"Show Us Yer Motor!"

I think that is one of the launch colours. Mine is almost the same number at BLVC107 'Mirage' & it was one of the launch ones. Just says grey on log-book.

Good plan, if your ride quality is good, just drive the car to see if it settles. Find a nice bumpy road and have a good heavy set of tools in the boot!!

I agree, finishing touches brighten the spirit so to speak, more so than laying on a cold floor changing perished rubber bits

Just checked weather - heavy rain by saturday evening here & 10 deg by 4am sunday. Thaw is coming

Ive got a pic of 3 launch cars together and the middle one is a 2 door in Mirage, i'll upload it

...that sounds encouraging weather then, ive had my moments with it over the last few weeks - especially when i couldnt have it running doing a few perished rubber bits to keep the spanners warm enough to not freeze weld to my fingers, driveshafts popping out, dropping coolant on the floor constant

Its Newark Autojumble this weekend so we may venture out with said loaded boot for 'just incases' - anything you are looking for while im there? [img][/img]

...Id really really like a set of those rims for mine if anybody has any for sale, cash waiting, will collect

...just a quick update on further work carried out (pics to follow)

Thermostat housing to cylinder head coolant leak repaired by strip clean and new gasket

Offside driveshaft now stripped & rebuilt with new boots & bands both ends

Offside suspension top & bottom balljoints + lower arm & tiebar bushes checked and cleaned - all ok

New steering rack boots fitted

Next up - New clutch - disc, thrust bearing, cover, pressure plate & crankshaft oil seal

...oh and seat covers ...can't forget them eh! ...and new front & rear screen seal chrome bead ...owt else?

Great progress Jamie My next jobs are almost identical to yours - split steering bellows to change. Just fitted new offside tie-bar & bushes, nearside to do. It was cheeper to buy the whole tie-bar & bushes than just the bushes .....and in doing so noticed the top offside swivel joint has quite a lot of play, so I'll investigate that. I'm hoping I can whip out one or more of the shims & tighten it up enough No progress here, been working 7 days a week again

...Ive got top and bottom ball joints on the shopping list or at least a shim kit ready for as and when, as ive got a tiny bit of slack in the bottom ones when they'r not under any load with the arms off, just a tiny bit thats all so will probably adjust out. ...they'll probably appreciate some new red grease forcing thru aswell, allways helps

...was time to wash the waxoil off i think

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...bit of tyre sheen on the pram tyres

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it definitely is time to start waxing and polishing cars isn't it?

I've been valeting my Daughter's old and new cars recently, an quite enjoyed it, but the weather lady says the cold and rain is coming back for a while

I must say, give the car a good polish, then you feel much happier about them, it does lift the spirits

I'm getting more into the detailing thing, here's a link to a website someone posted on XJ40.com about it -not read any of it yet, but looks fascinating

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/index.php

Good work Jamie btw.. I hope to get mine out in a week or so, good inspiration

Cheers,
Jim

The waxoyl did a good job there - nice and shiney, you can really see the difference from your pick up photo's Looks in remarkable condition

Would love to wash & polish mine but With no brakes yet, I can't move car out and wash it

Jim, your right weather looks awful for next few days, rain and possible snow

...Cheers chaps! ...that was just a good wash and leather off two weeks ago now, ive done the clutch since (the day after) full job, disc, cover, pressure plate, thrust bearing, crankshaft oil seal, all cleaned up inside the housing, lever and pins all stripped out cleaned and polished, rebuilt up with red grease, serviced the starter motor while it was out and on the bench at the same time - all good there ...we have a pair of later headlamps in there now with R12 Halogens in, ...fitted a new pair of stainless blades and polished the trico arms up today, refitted and reset on the splines, window chrome to go in next and new washer jets, then we can start on the bodywork with compound and polish ...when it stops raining ...I want 4 new tyres the right size on next aswell

...Just a quick update, this car will be attending 'The Pride Of Longbridge' show at Cofton Park, Longbridge, Birmingham B31 2BQ on the 13th April 2013 10am - 4pm.

...all being well & it makes it there ...and back home would be nice

...made it there ...and back

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At last a wee pic of my VP project...

...That looks well, nice colour, nice plate on it too, is it just the sills it needs then? wouldnt be suprised if it was

...Just a little sniff of the next job

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...should be some rubber bits on them very soon

...A bit more playing with Rostyles

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...James's wheels he's refurbing at the moment with the old MGB GT tyres still on (Thanks Mate )

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...They'r a bit too fat those size tyres so I'll be dropping a bit off the profile

...Back to normal now, new screen beads fitted, was a nice day & I was feeling quite brave

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...Im quite pleased with that, not done any beaded screens since about 1995 ...both came out and both went back in nearly as quick.

...Its lifted the car a little more, the brightwork is near on all present now, makes a big diffrence

You're right Jamie, there is too much tyre-wall to wheel ratio, it's not much but enough to look slightly 'off' Like the wheels, suit your car.

Beads look good too, I've seen the procedure for installing them, looked a bit of a nightmare. Have you done the gutter cover strips too? Mine are getting towards the end of their life but not seen any around to replace them with.

Andy.

...if you dont have the tool for fitting the bead Andy it could be a nightmare so I invested in a new one with the roller, the rear went back in 1st time, the front I took out after the 1st run as the corners were pulling the rubber in so i re-did that with an extra pair of hands to thread the bead into the corners as I went passed and the 2nd run it was done, used some trim dressing on the rubbers so it went in super smooth with very few swear words I might add!

Im in the market for some new gutter trim now as mine has past its best and as allways, new at the side of old shows it up that bit more, I know not to just pull the bead off the gutter as the gutter WILL come with it! so, best to cut it and split it off in sections nice and steady

The tyres on those rims are the old 165/14's & 165/80/14's - logfloom tyres from Alton Towers (No wonder MGB Drivers are allways misrable looking) so ive gone for 175/65/R14's after much messing and looking dodgy with tape measures in supermarket carparks and bothering tyre companies for sizes alot, these work out just shy of 23 inch o/d which is about a quarter inch larger than a standard 155/80/13, a tiny bit wider and a nice medium profile thats easy on the eye but still fills the arches nice so, we've gained a bit on the width but not too much, a tiny bit on the overall o/d and for the up in rim size we've pinched that from the sidewalls which usually is the prescribed way of doing that ...they'll be ready to fit 2mro all being well, "Show Me The Logo's" going on, Michelins

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...Ta Daaa!

I'm a bit scared of your car Jamie

Looks mean

Cheers
Jim

...Its not so much travel rug and picnic basket now is it

Mmmmmmmmmm. Looks great Jamie

Those wheels look similar to some I had on a Vauxhall Chevette in the 80's Think they were called mag wheels

...........Found a picture

...They'r just chrome Rostyles or Ro-Styles ive fitted for an MGB GT, Austin, Ford, Rootes & GM all had their own versions back in the day, Rover P5 & P6's had the 5 spoke version and they were even used on the 1800/2200 landcrabs, Herald Vitesse's & Stags had trims to look like them etc etc, a very popular alternative wheel choice back in the day, they seem to suit most 70's motors and were often offered as an extra at point of sale ...not many shuv-its about these days, ive seen a few of those go in a hedge bottom sideways

WE are new to the forum and really interested in the restorations !! 1st car was white Allegro estate 1980 1.3 L Estate (?) (A very faithful car only problem was CV Joint replacement @ 40000 miles ) and really miss it now !! Sadly I think it has now gone to car heaven !! I had the car for 5 happy years , and not the terrible thing made out to be ( perhaps lucky ?!) Hubby & I now reading with interest , perhaps we will get another ?? A very much underrated car !! Perhaps our first venture into classic restoration ?

Welcome

There's still a good number of cars come up on Ebay etc.. for reasonable money, and someone usually spots them and puts them on here, and there's a few minters have come out for the summer at quite high prices, good for the sellers I suppose

I think I can safely say these cars are ideal as an intro into classic cars, as they're cheap, quite rare and quirky, and spares are cheap too. Of course they're nice and simple to work on, and a reasonable size for storage, good on the juice to boot

Hope you decide to take the plunge, don't think you'll regret it, and if you tell us where you live, we can look out for cars in your area?

Cheers,
Jim