Restoration Diary
14th to 21st October 2001
Now the body is off, time to start
work on the chassis, with the aim of preparing it for the inevitable repairs,
then shot blasting and powder coating/painting. Main areas to work on are
suspension, steering, braking, and of course the engine and gearbox.
Chris was away on a course last
weekend, so I took it upon myself to lean all about how the suspension had been
put together, and start work on removing the rear drive components. To start
with I removed the main drive shaft, technically disconnecting the front and
rear of the vehicle. This came out relatively easily, but I don't know enough
about the part itself to know if the condition is any good. Next, the two
smaller shafts that go from the diff to the hubs on each side. 
These were harder
to free up, and I managed to snap a perfectly decent spanner in the process. The
nuts had certainly been done up well! A good soaking in PlusGas
later, and they were all freed up and clear of the diff itself. From a useful
conversation with Justin Forwood at my local TVRCC monthly meeting, I found out
that the diff could be one of two types - one from a Triumph and one from a
Jaguar. The latter was a particularly heavy unit, so I was glad to find out from
photographs that I had the former, a much lighter and easier to manage one. I
was able to lift the diff and the carrier out fairly easily one the carrier
bolts were removed, and put this to one side before further investigation. As
with the drive shaft, I don't know how to tell if a diff is in good condition or
not - can anyone offer any advice on this?
Once the diff was clear, I set about
the n/s rear hub and brake assembly. With the wheel off, I dismantled the brake
drum and shoes. They seemed ok, with little wear, but there was a load of liquid
in the drum itself, creating quite a thick gloop when mixed with any dust that
was already in there. I'm guessing this is brake fluid, so new cylinders needed
there. Next the brake adjuster and handbrake lever were removed, which was
fairly straightforward. The adjuster needed a sharp tap 
with a hammer to loosen
though, even though the two bolts at the back were already off. When I loosened
the cylinder itself, by removing the clamps at the back and undoing the hose, no
liquid came out at all - adding more weight to my theory of fluid in the drums.
Next off were the six bolts holding the brake mechanism and the hub to the hub
carrier, which were tight but moveable with a bit of a tap on the spanner. This
left the axle drive shafts coming through the hole, and all other components
clear. The only way to remove this shaft as far as I could tell was to undo the
Universal Joint, but not having had to do this before, was at a loss of the best
way to do it. I went with my instincts and took a hammer and drift to it, and
after 20 minutes of hammering (much to the wife's annoyance!) the centre section
of the UJ was free. Both ends were removed, leaving an empty hub carrier.
Pleased 
with progress so far (and ignoring requests to go and make dinner) I set
about removal of the hub carrier and the wishbone structure. I unbolted and took
off the spring and shock from that corner, and took off the nuts holding the hub
carrier to the upper wishbone. Whether this is normal or not, I don't know, and
it may be due to age, but the bolt was not going to budge at all. The bushes
hold everything together so tightly that nothing will shift at all. The bush at
the bottom end of the shock is still stuck to the bolt, even though I managed to
get the shock off with lots of wriggling, but the top ones 
have me stumped at
the moment. What's the best bet for these - blow torch and burning them off? Two more bolts were removed, although these did not have bushes,
which freed up the top of the hub carrier, but being a full believer that two
heads are better than one, i'll wait for Chris' return before I do any more.
More updates to follow towards the end
of this week.
Chris was away on a course last
weekend, so I took it upon myself to lean all about how the suspension had been
put together, and start work on removing the rear drive components. To start
with I removed the main drive shaft, technically disconnecting the front and
rear of the vehicle. This came out relatively easily, but I don't know enough
about the part itself to know if the condition is any good. Next, the two
smaller shafts that go from the diff to the hubs on each side. 
These were harder
to free up, and I managed to snap a perfectly decent spanner in the process. The
nuts had certainly been done up well! A good soaking in PlusGas
later, and they were all freed up and clear of the diff itself. From a useful
conversation with Justin Forwood at my local TVRCC monthly meeting, I found out
that the diff could be one of two types - one from a Triumph and one from a
Jaguar. The latter was a particularly heavy unit, so I was glad to find out from
photographs that I had the former, a much lighter and easier to manage one. I
was able to lift the diff and the carrier out fairly easily one the carrier
bolts were removed, and put this to one side before further investigation. As
with the drive shaft, I don't know how to tell if a diff is in good condition or
not - can anyone offer any advice on this?
