Martha the Moggy Minor,the quick refurb project!

[bjbrownie]

Hi all, it occurred to me that I should introduce myself and Martha the winter 2012 project car, bought for the missus with the intention of a quick clean up, new wings and a respray-but it's taken a bit longer than expected! I've dabbled with old cars since I was a teenager (51 now) and have always liked older cars having owned everything from mk1 Escorts,Cortinas,Volvo 343,Fiat Strada,Lada,Austin Allegro's and Rover SD1s (7 at one time!)and now own a DeLorean DMC -12 and have always have done my own repairs and servicing.
I bought Martha locally in September last year, she didn't look too bad, a little bit rusty but better than some I've seen, 87k on an F reg and really tidy & clean interior with the exception of the drivers seat which had broken in 3 places as I found out when I dismantled it, but it ran very well and everything worked ok,so it looked like new wings all round,a few small plates and a nice respray in Snowberry White- got that well wrong!
Pulling it apart was easy,glad I didn't throw my Whitworth scanners and sockets away and the more I dismantled the more rust and missing panels appeared and it wasn't going to be as quick as I thought,I gave my old Clarke mig welder to my dentist mate who was going to repair his old 1979 Rover SD1 a few years ago (and still hasn't ), promptly got it back and recommisioned it for the sh*t load of welding that was obviously going to have to be done.
So far, there's new floor pans both sides,inner and outer sills,boxing sections,front chassis sections,inner wing repair panels,countless little patches but the previous owner had repaired the crossmember and put in a few 'quality'repairs with brazing that had to be redone,and I'm sure there's stuff I've forgetton about when sorting just the shell out......
Fast forward to now, the cars on its side after having all the underside welding done and after seam sealing all the joins gave it 2 coats of Hammerite black, I can tell you that when that paint goes on the underside you know that the end is in sight but still a long way off! Enjoying cleaning and painting the suspension parts at the moment,and I have noticed that they seem to be taking just that little bit longer to dry as it gets colder in the garage....... [frame][/frame]She didn't look too bad when bought,started,steered and braked fine![frame][/frame]With the wings off the rot started to show itself[frame][/frame]Floor was beyond saving,needs new metal[frame][/frame]This was the front o/s chassis member[frame][/frame]A month in and new boxing section & outer & under sills were on,followed by floor pan & inner wings

[bjbrownie]

More recentish piccies[frame][/frame]Passenger side floor pan going in[frame][/frame]Passenger side nearly there, I used 2 pairs of ramps for better access[frame][/frame]On its side made sorting out welding and painting easier[frame][/frame]Brazed and patched repairs were easier to redo[frame][/frame]2 coats of Hammerite sealed it and finishes it off nicely [frame][/frame]The same Hammerite paint was used to recondition the suspension parts-the wire brush attachment on the angle grinder brought these up like new, next on the list is the rear axle and springs-probably the best part of a restoration is cleaning the old paint and crap off to repaint and then bolt back on for another 50 odd years!

[DAVIDMCCULLOUGH]

Coming on well, should be ready for the Spring time!

[bjbrownie]

Spring 2017!!

[bjbrownie]

Over she goes! [frame][/frame]

[mogbob]

The piccies will bring back happy ( ? ) memories for many a Moggie restorer !
Well done.Cold garages and concrete floors to lie on,paint that won't dry in the winter ...test us all.
Keep at it...you'll get there.
Bob

[bjbrownie]

Thanks for the support guys,I'm hoping to have her back on 4 wheels before Christmas, temperature permitting!!

[bjbrownie]

As it was a bit warmer today (+8!) I did a little bit in the garage after work, I used parraffin to degrease the rear axle and an assortment of screwdrivers,wire brushes and paintbrushes to clean the accumulated muck off the differential housing and associated area-turns out the previous owner/s had painted the underside of the car in red oxide paint to try and prevent further rusting which didn't work as Martha rusted from the inside out!
The amount of corrosion on the axle was surprising,delicate work with a flat chisel removed the worst of it, I'll be getting stuck in with the Lethal wire brush wheel on the angle grinder shortly to clean as much crap off as possible then painting the lot ASAP -I'll change the diff seal when the cars back on its wheels,I don't think it's an easy job to do off the car-unless you know different............ [frame][/frame][frame][/frame]

[DAVIDMCCULLOUGH]

Do you mean the actual diff seal in the middle? If so change it while its out of the car, much easier to do it on the bench than lying on your back trying to lift the diff into place! Leave the halfshafts seals until its back on the car though.

[bjbrownie]

No mate, I mean the seal behind the flange the propshaft connects to-with the big nut in the centre (what size?), I know these can be torqued up pretty tight so on previous cars I've done you have to leave the car on its wheels and lock the flange with a piece of slotted bar jammed against the chassis/ground, Good point about the large diff seal tho',its not soaking wet around it but as it's out and easy to do I may as well replace it,thanks

[Neil MG]

I just rebuilt my axle. You can bolt a long bit of steel to one (axle side) of the u/j holes while the axle is on the ground. The steel will jam against the flange and you have the full length of the axle which should easily give enough leverage to remove the nut. Hope that makes sense...

[bjbrownie]

It certainly does Neil, I've got a few bits of scrap metal lying around so I'll crack on with it very soon

[bjbrownie]

Done a few bits, the underside mechanical bits (with the exception of the rear springs and gearbox)will be painted in the Hammerite black used on the underside, mainly because I hate seeing rusty bits on the underneath of the car and also I've got another3 litres of it left to use up!
I think it complements the car, and should make the components last a bit longer. [frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame]Rear spring overhaul next then putting back on its wheels

[bjbrownie]

I got back into the garage today after a 2 week break, and thought I'd have a go at refurbishing the rear leaf springs-there not in bad nick but the rubbers had gone and they looked a mess, but the ride height was still ok. The date of manufacture I think, MAR 68 was stamped on the passenger side one.
A couple of hours work and it looks very presentable even without paint, I found some heater hose which was perfect for making the rubber insulators and it's ready for a coat of paint almost-does any one have a centre locating pin and nuts spare? I've put a bolt in for now. Not bad considering I was going to scrap them!
Apologies for the lack of picture, it seem it doesn't want to upload! I'll try and sort it ASAP

[bjbrownie]

A bit more progress since last time,Martha's back on all four wheels (until the brakes get replaced)the engine bay is repainted and has bits back in it,front brake lines are in, wiring loom cleaned and retaped, the battery's there for effect only, fuel tank in temporarily, still not sure of the fuel pipes route under the car. The gearbox is repainted and has new seals as well.
The works on the rear body arches and3/4 section at the moment, I'm taking the sump off to clean the oil strainer and clean any sludge out (engine gets turned over once or twice every few weeks) and I've got a duplex chain and sprockets to go in.
So far so good, I'm pleased with the progress but it will have to take a bit of a back seat as my other car needs a bit of tlc after surviving winter outside.[frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame]

[greendefender123]

Hello, anymore updates? Did you complete it yet?

Steve

[bjbrownie]

Hi again all,after a long absence from posting on here,partly due to a problem logging in,sorted (thanks Cam) and a few other projects needing my immediate attention,Martha's been on the back burner with only bits and pieces getting done as time allowed,I really wanted this Moggy on the road this summer but you know how it is......
Anyway,she's almost complete bar a missing rear passenger side wing (got an original wing for the other side in great nick from Wigan last year for a tenner!) starts on the key and new brake cylinders,hoses and pipes are all in place just needing bleeding and adjusting.
Sorting bodywork out now,stripped the doors,repaired,rustproofed and repainted the inside whilst cleaning up all the locks and internal gubbins-found a number stamped on the lock barrels and got a proper fitting key off eBay for £5, the locks feel more positive now when locking,the keys supplied with Martha worked but weren't original.
The electrics are now all wired in and working,need new headlights,bowls and retaining rings but they're only £20 on the bay-not in a rush for that!
Still haven't put the rear window in yet,b@sterd of a job even getting the rubber on was a right pain eventually I used gaffer tape to hold the rubber in place, that's going to be a job not to look forward to! Plan is to get the car in primer before Spring, I seem to do more work in the garage in winter-the cold weather must be an incentive to get it ready for summer......[frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame]

[bjbrownie]

Apologies for the longwindedness but a fair bit has been done over a quite long period time, I just didn't seem to have time availible! Watch this space-but don't expect any rapid progress!

[bjbrownie]

A few more from summer last year! Really pleased with the dashboard paint job-it's nice to have all the bits coming out of a box and going back in their rightful places,there's only a few cardboard boxes with bits in now[frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame]

[bjbrownie]

When the engine was out (two of us lifted it out easily with the flywheel removed) I took the opportunity to strip and clean it,the £6 spent on gloss green paint was probably the best small money for big improvement on the engine!
With the sump removed I was surprised the engine actually ran so well-3" of sludge should have killed it-but it shows how tough these little engines are and I rewarded it with a canister filter adaptor for the oil pump.[frame][/frame]