stunned_monkey Wrote:Hi Chris (I never had that radiator collected did I....?)
You don't really need a pile of special tools at all. All I invested in was some lengths of 2x4 cut up into small blocks and two the length of the sill, 16 breeze blocks and two ten foot 4" fence posts. I also have a decent jack obviously.
From that point on it's a juggling of jack and breeze block placement but otherwise just a game of lego.
The *cost* of galvanising and powdercoating is around £1500 here (the guys in Ireland get a better deal!) but if it needs welding first, that depends obviously.
The only thing Lex doesn't yet have in terms of mechanical upgrade are poly suspension bushes. I did the brakes, brake hoses, clutch hydraulics and Jamie had me fit a new clutch. You might like to re-do the exhaust gaskets as one o the downpipe gaskets is a bit suspect. BUT I installed all the exhaust studs with copper grease so they won't be a problem! (YAY!). I personally would not fit Lex with one of the stainless exhausts - it just sounds so nice and drives so well as it is. But that's just me
Oh.... get the steering rack sorted once and for all. Hardly a frame-off job though.
Hey Martin. The radiator is still sitting in a box in the garage beside LEX, yeah.
...I think doing the job, although my heart would be in my mouth, with some help, perhaps it WOULD be do-able. More the issue though, is the time involved, and MUCH more importantly, the space. LEX is parked at the family home in Edinburgh (as you know). That house, is right now a 5 car household (2 owned by me!) and the house has one small garage (big enough to fit LEX in and open the drivers side door only) and the driveway has the potential to squeeze in 3 other cars (just), leaving the other 4th car out in the street. So as you can see, its barely manageable with all cars intact, never mind dismantling one of them, and leaving it sitting on blocks of wood etc.
Like i said, i think the best option for me, is to hand the car over to someone who does this sort of thing for a living, or something, and let them handle it. I think *THEY* would be in a better suited position to do the job.
Does no-one else have similar space/time constraints? Is it just me?
LEX is now a dry weather car only (except for taking a chance when travelling to club meets) as the chassis is rotting quite badly near the back end around the engine cradle. I've already had to have welding done to get past the M.O.T. last year, and until the chassis is preserved and protected for the wet, it makes sense to not expose the car to the wet if it's not necessary.
As you can imagine, even when i'm in the UK at home, that means the car isn't getting out as much as I would like. I would very much like LEX to be ok for driving in some of the more typical Scottish weather...
As for the steering rack. Yes. I would really like to get that done. My thinking was to do it, when getting the chassis off work done at the same time. I would also like, while the engine is off, to get it cleaned up and fix the oil leak i'm getting from underneath somewhere. I think its coming from the sump somewhere, although the gearbox bolts being loose last year, seemed to be where the majority of the leak(s) were coming from. I can't tighten up the back row of sump bolts just above the engine cradle! They're impossible to reach with a spanner! Even my mechanic has failed at getting those tightened up, telling me he'd have to lift the engine up to get at them, and then telling me "its a really good design!?" ha-ha! (I bet most mechanics have some similar comments to make about different aspects of these cars)