Stiltzkin's Rebirth

[ASL642]

No tacks along the front edge. There are bolts which hold front to back of cab. These go through the rubber which joins the 2 together.

[Fingolfin]

Okay, everybody, here's my overarching plan.

• 1) Get the car into shelter. Wrap lean-to in tarps; make a tent over Stiltzkin. If using lean-to as permanent shelter, lay down some kind of durable floor and make roof watertight (and probably build stable walls and a door) before proceeding.
  2) Complete disassembly, saving as much as possible. Remove kickplates, rear roof section, fuel tank, remaining wood, wheels, front and rear suspension and dampers, rear axle, steering rack and column, wiring, remaining headlining, door seals, footbrake system, few remaining electrics, sound insulation, bump stops, ashtray, heater piping, actuating cables, trafficator covers, anything else.
  3) Clean car. Not back to bare metal, but remove the major crap.
  4) Check frame is straight.
  5) Weld strong supports at vital points. Sill to sill across front seat, rear seat, and cargo bay areas; across front of engine bay, if necessary; up B-pillars, if necessary; possibly diagonally from rear of main roof down to rear inner wings.
  6) If Stiltzkin is strong enough to remain in shape, tip it onto its side. May be helpful to build a spit or spinning frame.
  7) Cut out bad metal, section by section, and replace. Begin with sills, front end to rear, then A-pillars and front inner wings; proceed to center crossmember and chassis legs; then bulkhead, dash, toeboard, rear seat box floor, spring hangers, and cabin floor; then engine bay floor; then boot floor, s.w.c.m., tail structure, and rear inner wings; then external body panels, if necessary. Get in every bit of the car. Tip it back to right-side-up when complete.
  8 ) Remove contingency supports as sections regain strength. Check the frame is straight after completion of major body work, and, as much as feasible, during work.
  9) Thoroughly prime and undercoat underside. Don't forget painting inside box sections!
  10) Paint shell in final color, if possible, before beginning reassembly.
  11) Reassemble steering and suspension systems on car, after thoroughly derusting, servicing, and painting. Set it on its wheels again.
  12) Obtain woodframe and assemble on car, with body panels, protecting the wood as necessary.
  13) Begin stockpiling vital parts. Glass, rubber things, loom and electrics, body panels, elements of drivetrain, braking systems, fuel system, cooling system and heater, tires...
  14) Assemble subsystems on car, in roughly the same order as on Mog, greasing/cleaning/servicing/painting/whatevering as you go.
  15) Test drive and thoroughly test the major subsystems in concert.

How's that look?
Timeframe: possible completion by mid-2013; likely completion by mid-2014; definite completion by late 2015.
Investment: likely between $6000 and $10000, with 50% margins either way.

[davidmiles]

great to see you have a detailed long term plan there Fin, you have boundless enthusiasm, and it's inspiring others.

[davidmiles]

well done!

[Fingolfin]

Well, Stiltzkin is protected from drips from the roof of the lean-to, though the walls of the lean-to don't quite exist yet.[frame][/frame]
I did a little work; the steering column is now out, as is the old sound insulation. The stuff protected the bulkhead quite well.[frame][/frame]
I cut some wires, but didn't finish removing the loom - though time has done a fair job of most of it anyway...[frame][/frame]
The center crossmember does not reach either sill. Bit scary to sit on.[frame][/frame]

[ignatzcatz]

Jeez Fin, I thought mine was the pretty high on the festering rotters parade (the old boat) but your heap jus needs it's last rites. If you're mentally unstable enuff to ever start on that pile, one thing you better be sure of and that's to check all the cross dimensions on the chassis after each and every operation cos with that much rot that baby is gonna be sagging all over the place.
By the way I've been looking out for a nice 61/2ish Falcon Ranchero, any your way?

[Fingolfin]

Oh, yes, checking the alignment of the chassis is high on the list, and it'll be done as often as possible throughout the restoration. It will be a big job -- but I don't think it impossible. I'm afraid I don't know of any Falcons out here, off the top of my head, sorry.

[Fingolfin]

I had a go at removing the back portion of Stiltzkin's roof this past weekend. It went well -- the bolts are in good shape, and I think I can use them again. Both sections of roof are also in good condition.[frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame]

[Fingolfin]

Did a bit more disassembling today.
The remaining headlining is gone -- the hoop and the wires were in fair shape, and the roof is great:[frame][/frame]
The engine bay is mostly empty; all the wiring is gone now:[frame][/frame]
Behind the dash is good, comparatively, but the dash panel is going to have to come off so I can remove rust, and I have no idea how it's welded in. Anyway, it's not horrible:[frame][/frame]
The whole underside is horrible, generally, but there are signs of hope. One is that the inside of the rear axle casing appears to have been protected by a layer of old oil:[frame][/frame]
What I really wanted to do was take out the fuel tank -- but for that I will need the grinder and lots of patience...

[Fingolfin]

Fuel tank has been removed. Difficult job, compounded by how sick I am right now. Come down with the flu. Anyhow, here are pictures!
Getting the tank itself out was very hard. I managed to grind a slot into most of the screws, allowing me to unscrew them with a flathead screwdriver, but the ones at the back were too recessed for the grinder to reach, so I had to cut off their shanks from underneath. The tank came out easily once all the screws were freed, and the aperture is -- thankfully -- in good shape.[frame][/frame]
The tank, as you can see, was in utter disrepair. The large hole on the left was expanded a bit with a little hatchet, but it was very holey anyway.[frame][/frame]
And here's inside, looking toward the top of the tank:[frame][/frame]
So, add a new fuel tank to Stiltzkin's shopping list. Bully has them for £170, or I could buy a larger-capacity one for £135. Interesting that the larger one should be less expensive. I'll also need a new fuel line, but the sender unit might be salvageable, if I can find a screwdriver with a thin enough blade.

[Fingolfin]

I took the kickplates off today (been quite sick this week, so several days wasted), which I knew would be a big job.
The driver's side was worse:[frame][/frame]It's a bit hard to tell, but the lighter portions (wood) are rust holes. There are many.
The passenger's side is almost okay:[frame][/frame]Just some heavy surface rusting, instead of rust holes. I'll probably still replace the boxing panel and the flat bottom panel, though.
In addition, while the driver's side kickplate is horrible and useless, the passenger's side one may be reparable.
Spring break is almost over.

[Fingolfin]

It's been a while since I've done anything with Stiltzkin. However, if you are on Facebook, you can go and "like" the new page http://www.facebook.com/MogAndFriends, which is dedicated to my two Morris Minors (including Stiltzkin), and then you will be able to see what's going on day-by-day. Excuse the shameless plug.

Anyhow. What remains to do on Stiltzkin is to disassemble it. I did remove the left-rear wheel, drum, and hub assembly, but that was cannibalization (I needed a hub for Mog, and Stiltzkin's fit the bill nicely). Work on Stiltzkin will probably be pushed back til after Mog is roadworthy (should be soon); disassembly should be complete this summer, with some welding done too, particularly the center crossmember.

[Coalmossian]

A bit of a doozy, eh? Never heard that word before, but would I be right in thinking that a doozy is a person who knows not who his father is? Or, at least, he was born out of wedlock? Not that anyone seems to bother about these things anymore!!
Seriously though, I take my hat off to you, young man! I feel a total fraud describing my Traveller "restoration" as such, and feel that, in comparison to your Herculean task, I should refer to it as a "minor tidy up"! (Forgive the pun, please!). Also you seem to be working on a tight budget in a country where parts are probably pretty hard to get hold of, and certainly expensive to import as carriage must be horrendous and then you get clobbered for import duty!
I wish you all the best, young man, and may your energy, enthusiasm and determination never wane. Please keep us all updated while the rest of us weld in the odd wee patch and titivate the odd thing here and there!
But don't neglect your studies ( bet you couldn't guess I was a teacher all my working life!?) and do let us know what it is you are reading ( or is that too old an expression?) Ok. What subject are you studying!?
Keep it up!

[Fingolfin]

Hahaha, no, a "doozy" is something that is unique and bizarre, to such a degree that it exhausts and frustrates. That is, Stiltzkin. Everyone's project is a big deal for them, and therefore a big deal for me; I know mine is a rather more Herculean task than others, but I think it might be simpler than (say) David Miles'. I am indeed on a tight budget, and parts are easy to get but they all come from overseas, so shipping is terrible -- but tariffs do not seem to apply, thankfully.
I am studying Religion and Philosophy (two separate things), but I will probably end up persuing a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing -- fiction is another of my passions. Thank you for all your praise, and best of luck to you as well.

[alexandermclaren]

well done for saving her from the scrap heap Fin
we on this side of the pond take our hats off to you for having such a vision and brave heart to take on this challenge

[Fingolfin]

Alex, those were some mighty kind words, and I appreciate them very deeply. Thank you.

Since I'm about done with Mog, I decided to trade their locations -- Stiltzkin to the work shed, Mog to the lean-to.[frame][/frame]
Little bit of a difference between the two cars...[frame][/frame]
Stiltzkin is so light, I'm able to push it with very little difficulty. Here it is in the work shed, where Mog was.[frame][/frame]
And here is Mog in the lean-to, which leans against the Old Shed, quite nearby.[frame][/frame]

[Matt]

My understanding of the word "Doozy" was that it was something pretty special. (or doozie)

Something like... that concours mog is a real doozy!

I believe it derives from the word Doosenburg - which was a manufactuer of super plush luxury cars that had everything and all the latest tech!

[foghorn14]

Have you found a US timber kit supplier?

[Fingolfin]

That's a very interesting possible etymology, Matt! Fog, I've not gotten quite far enough in Stiltzkin's work to start looking for timber, but I saw your p.m. I'll give you a phone call sometime this week.

I've done three major things to Stiltzkin: I checked the straightness of the frame, I removed the rear springs and axle, and I removed the rear seat box. Photo time!

To check the straightness of the frame, a good first step is to set the doors in their apertures and see what kind of gap there is. The doors fit perfectly.[frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame]I also drew lines in the dirt per the Workshop Manual's instructions, and all the lines lined up, so the frame is straight!

Then I removed the rear axle with the springs. Not too hard considering the forward spring mounts were already mostly loose. [frame][/frame][frame][/frame]
The axle has some gunk in it -- the black stuff in the bottom is old oil that has evaporated and developed a ruffled skin.[frame][/frame]
The old spring mounts simply cannot be used again. I'll instead order repair panels.[frame][/frame]

Finally I removed the rear seat box. As much as possible, I drilled out spot welds, which was the first time I'd done that. It took several hours but I was successful. You can see that the floor is crying out for love.[frame][/frame][frame][/frame]
The rear seat box itself is in better shape, but still has substantial rusting.[frame][/frame][frame][/frame]

So, to reconfirm what we already know, I have my work cut out for me.

[chrisryder]

Have you seen the traveller restoration by 'taupe' on here?

He's made a full jig to ensure alignment during restoration. I think you could do with something similar, especially getting those rear spring hangers in the right place!

If you're happy the doors fit, I'd recommend bracing the cab to stop it twisting as you remove more stuff.

A bit like this