Got home on Late Monday but not a lot accomplished since then, mostly because Lynne has taken a week of her annual leave and we have been out and about and also that the colour coded items at the paint shop had been forgotten about. They started the day before I got home and when I went round today there was still polishing to do.
We had a nice drive into Northumberland yesterday and visited CRAGSIDE the first house in UK and possibly the world to have electricity, it is the house of Lord Armstrong, a victorian industrialist on the River Tyne into shipping and armaments and of course electricity generation.
Lovely old house and possibly the biggest fireplace in the world.
I have done a lot of ordering of parts while away and 13 parcels were here when I arrived home.
The most important parts where the runner guides for the doors.
I don't know why but I didn't really think about these at all, well not until I got a door built up and realised that they were so worn that the rubber weather seal did not touch the glass as it sagged too much.
There are 2 seals per door, one on the inside runner
and the other on the quarter light.
Unfortunately you can't fit these while the glass is in, so I had to strip the doors again to remove the runners and fit. Once the runners were in I could then fit the outer weather seal, these have small clips that fit in six places on the inside of the door rim.
And they are a complete pain to fit, there is a tool available from Sussex classics for around £11 but after receiving the drawing of the tool from Bruno I had one made in 5 minutes.
The clip fits in the little bend and you use the other bend to pull the clip in place.
Easy as that (NOT)
Anyway both doors done, half an hour on the seal clips then I thought I would fit the handles, as the door handle gasket kits had also arrived. It was then that the realisation that the nuts to secure the handles were positioned behind the glass and totally inaccessible with the glass in. That was late yesterday afternoon, so I gave it a rest for the day, (and had a cry)
So after spending the morning out with Lynne I spent the rest of today stripping out the doors to fit the handles.
I didn't have to totally strip the doors, just remove the side runner, all of the bolts and the locking mechanism, I could then ease the glass enough to get at the holes.
You can see the bolts and how difficult it was to get at them, thats the problem with a long restoration in that you forget about these little things.
Anyway the handle went on and I built up the doors easy enough.
Once the handle went on I started on the wing mirrors, I bought the whole package from MG Hive and no disrespect to them but the TEX wing mirrors are utter rubbish.
I have fitted them but will look to getting hold of some small helicoils to repair the drilled out threads on the originals or look for some better quality mirrors.
To fit, first the plastic gasket fits into the door holes, these have plastic plugs to accept the angle adapter screws.
Next the angle adapter in screwed in place, this locks everything to the door by expanding the plastic screw plugs into the holes.
One of my plastic plugs broke off on the first bit of pressure, I managed to remove it and fitted a bolt through in its place.
Next goes on the tapered edge block.
The block has undercut sides, the idea is that the mirror has the opposite angle to lock in one side and a pointer grub screw to tighten under the other side, great idea and it works great on the original, unfortunately the TEX mirror does not have the angle cut to fit under the opposite angle just a square cut edge which makes it wobbly and easily pulled off. No problem, I will sort it.
All fitted.
And after a bit of work both were done.
Before going away I got together all of the parts for colour coding and took them to the paint shop.
Twenty parts in total and I have most of the white ones back, and they made a great job of them.
I have received the veneer to cover the dash, center console and the door caps, what I came up with was some beautiful pieces of Maple Burl and Red Maple Burl, to separate the two colours I found some black and white dental inlay. For the leaping panther I have a piece of black tulip veneer and 2 pieces of 5mm thick buffalo horn which I shall cut out and carve into panthers to inlay in the door cappings to add a bit of 3D depth.
I also found on eBay a new choke pull in polished stainless.
I have also fitted the lights to the rear valance as I hope to have most of tomorrow to work on the car and plan to start on the back end and work forward.
To help progress tomorrows work I got under the car and used up 2 tins of underseal and sprayed all of the underwing area, getting a lot on the new paintwork as normal.
I have also been in communication with Ray of RS Sewing solutions and have put my order in for the mohair hood, hood cover, carpet, door cards, gaiters, spare tyre cover, sun visors etc etc, unfortunately Ray is so booked up that the back end of September is the earliest he can start. Hopefully he may be able to get the carpet to me earlier so as to get the heater in.
I have also figured out how to use facebook (about time) and have put a link to 'Panther Kallista Restoration' where I shall post for each blog update.
see ya Paul
Anyway both doors done, half an hour on the seal clips then I thought I would fit the handles, as the door handle gasket kits had also arrived. It was then that the realisation that the nuts to secure the handles were positioned behind the glass and totally inaccessible with the glass in. That was late yesterday afternoon, so I gave it a rest for the day, (and had a cry)
So after spending the morning out with Lynne I spent the rest of today stripping out the doors to fit the handles.
Anyway the handle went on and I built up the doors easy enough.
Once the handle went on I started on the wing mirrors, I bought the whole package from MG Hive and no disrespect to them but the TEX wing mirrors are utter rubbish.
To fit, first the plastic gasket fits into the door holes, these have plastic plugs to accept the angle adapter screws.
Next goes on the tapered edge block.
All fitted.
Before going away I got together all of the parts for colour coding and took them to the paint shop.
I have also been in communication with Ray of RS Sewing solutions and have put my order in for the mohair hood, hood cover, carpet, door cards, gaiters, spare tyre cover, sun visors etc etc, unfortunately Ray is so booked up that the back end of September is the earliest he can start. Hopefully he may be able to get the carpet to me earlier so as to get the heater in.
I have also figured out how to use facebook (about time) and have put a link to 'Panther Kallista Restoration' where I shall post for each blog update.
see ya Paul
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