Restoration

01/13/13

     
     
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Clearly there is a little bit of T.L.C to be delivered before 2080 PO can be driven again. Restoration can be a tricky business as it generates many questions on what the end product should be as well as providing vast ground for costly errors. Should the car be restored as it was when last driven ? Should it be put back as when first raced ? should one use only period spares or compromise ? Will it be a race car or a fast road car ? who can I entrust to do the work ? etc... etc...The list is never ending...I have now spent quite a few weeks researching the car as well as another one which I intend to build as an FIA car to do the Monaco, but more on that one later...Anyhow though there is still some degree of uncertainties I seem to have answered most of my questions and concluded as follows: I will  restore 2080 PO to its former racing glory in a sympathetic manner without being ultra-orthodox about details. Clearly I intend to re-use as much as possible of the car but will be pragmatic about it and put safety before age and beauty. I want to use the car for track days and possibly at a  later day in competitive events but also enjoy it on the odd English country lane from time to time. Acknowledging  my mechanic skill are somehow limited I have enrolled the help of Andrew Forster at Archers Garage in Birmingham. Probably the best one can hope for in terms of experience and skills. The below will illustrate the restoration and be populated as a function of the progress made ....so I am afraid you will have to visit the site for quite a few months before seeing the end result.... 

 
2080 PO arrives at the farm in Sussex and trigger much interest from the locals....
The car get in its temporary residence
I cant wait for it to be roadworthy again, its going be so much fun !
Reacquainting myself with the use of a spanner...
Ready to be collected for its spa treatment by Andrew...Not bad for a few weekends laboring....
Best Mecano set I ever had...though i am missing a few bits...
Can you see it ? Definitively has the racing look !
Just a little be more T.L.C and we are ready for Goodwood...
On the 20th of July some of the joy of re-chroming hit home...

The difference it brought to the vents was quite amazing...whilst it preserved some of the nook and crannies...

 

I was nearly tempted to keep the old patina...but the chrome looked good and I can always park the car under the rain...for another 50 years to get it back....

 

The company that did the work can be found at : http://www.chromefix.co.uk/ , all I can say is excellent door to door service and reasonable pricing...

What at difference ! The steering wheel was restored by Car Wood Restoration. The service was excellent just dispatch the wheel , agree on the price wait a week or so and receive the transformed item for a very reasonable

price....I definitively recommend them.

All the gauges were preserved and sent to Speedograph in Nottingham who restored them. They repainted the casings, changed the chrome rims (but for the exception of the ammeter) , replaced the sensors for the oil and water temperature gauges. I asked them not to repaint the face of the instruments so to keep the old patina. Overall I was fairly impressed by the result and the speed of the service (3 weeks). the cost seemed reasonable at around 50 pounds per gauge. I definitively recommend them. Finally all gauges are now guaranteed for 12-month. The only issue is that they do not specialize in the type of tachometer i had so i polished it myself and hope the inners are still in good condition...i guess we will see when we get the engine....

 

 

 

 

4th of September 2011, Andrew came to visit me to pick up the car for its beauty treatment. Great week end with a lot of frogeye talk and much enjoyment.

On her way to Archers Garage ....Can t wait to see her back....

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5th of October and a few news from Birmingham about the restoration ...some good some no so good...

When trying to take off the fiberglass covering the B post on the drivers side Andrew found  some significant corrosion in it as well as some damage.... It also looks like the car has a had a bump on the B post as well and that the previous owners  re-fibreglassed over the top. Also the shroud was so brittle that he broke in pieces...I guess the good news is that a B-post is not really expensive and that back shroud are readily available.....Also the remainder of the structure such as the wheel arches look fine.

 

 

 

The Alfin have been shot blasted and look really nice... I can' t wait to see them back on the car...
Andrew and team started to prep the bonnet to make a mould of it and cast a new one....Also quite a few bits and pieces such as back axle, engine went for an acid dip...more news to come....
A few more pictures from Andrew received on the 18th of October 2011. The front of the car has been tidied up. The old bonnet hinges have been taken off and will be replaced by new ones. The front wings have been cut so to be replaced by full aluminum ones.
The shroud has now been fully taken off and so has been the rusty b-post to be later replaced.
Some items have been returned from their acid bath . The rear brake back plates and my good old (non longer rusty) back axle.
The wheels have been prepared to be shot blasted and powder coated. I am not yet sure if I am going to use them on 2080 PO or keep them as an extra set for my other car ( or which more to come....) or else...

The quarter elliptic have been dismantled and acid dipped. they will later be rebuilt and  painted.

Andrew bought a 1275 , a few conrods and a marina crankshaft to build the new engine for the car. They also have been acid dipped. The engine when rebuilt will probably a 1330 cc which should bring much "vavavoom"  to 2080 PO.....Obviously this will need to be notified to the DVLA.

New lightened conrods and ARP bolts
rocker cover, timing chain and front plate ready to be painted
Brake plates and blanking cover
14th November 2011 a quick trip to agree on details with Andrew and a good opportunity to take a few more pictures of the work on progress.

 

The shell  has now been striped out of its old GRP shroud

 

 

Because the metallic frames which are embedded in the old GRP doors  seem to be rusty and will need much work and hours to make them good I decided to replace them by full aluminum doors . This aside being a cheaper and quicker option has  also the benefit of   them being lighter than the original doors. As for the old doors i will keep them as a "souvenir"
The hinges will also be changed from steel to aluminum and bring a significant weight advantage.

A few pictures of my set of straight cut gears that will populate my ribbed case gearbox. Quite noisy but supposedly near unbreakable.
The crankshaft on the lathe being wedged to lighten it and provide better RPM response...
  22/12/2012 and a few more pictures from Birmingham. Andrew has started to repaint some items that were acid dipped such as the back axle and some of the engine part (to be shown later) . We decided to repaint the engine in Red which should look nice in the bay which will be painted in Healey blue.
Unfortunately the seats are not cleaning nicely, so we will probably get them re-upholstered using the old vinyl covers as a template., The frames look ok and will be re-used.
The shell has been shot blasted and etched primed ready for some welding. Thankfully no bad surprises here. Probably the outer sills to be renewed and welded as well as the floor section under the driver. and the b-post  on the driver side. The rest should be minor stuff. 
 
Ok time to start to be creative, now we are on the rebuild phase we need to put some thoughts on what the car will be like. This is a first draft of the dashboard and other features of the car to be....probably will be different at the end...but was fun to do.....
 
Archer's Garage Team has been hard at work replacing floor panels , sills and strengtheners....
 
 
Also the bonnet is soon to be fully prepared so a mold can be taken of it.....
23/01/2012...Andrew has finished the welding on the shell...

 

First picture got me worried as  misread Andrew's email as " all that could be salvage from your car..."...nearly had a heart attack...obviously was "all that we could not salvage from your car..."

 

Second picture is the right hand side sill

left hand side A post of the car and aluminum door in position

 

H frame has been cut to accommodate the front hinge.
Driver underside panel replaced

 

bonnet hinge box removed & obstructed

strengthener  welded secure on passenger side.

 

inside view of the driver side panel and strengthener .

 
As per Ray English  from down under who produces the quintessential newsletter "Marque One"


"Made by LYNX of Sydney, Australia.  Lynx were one of the first companies in Australia to manufacture their own speed equipment, and today their items are quite sought after...." 
   
The bonnet is now  fully prepared for the mold to be made.
The hinge boxes have been removed and welded
The bulkhead has been reinforced where the engine steady bar will be fixed.
The frame to which the gasoline tank will be attached  has been inserted in the car.
The aluminium doors are being fitted.
A few more pics from Birmingham. The stanchions have been drilled to make the car lighter....
front aluminium inner wings have been attached and the scuttle has been welded and leaded
B-post has been replaced
    aluminium door have been fitted.
     
     
     
     
    Bonnet has been lacquered and will be left to cure a few weeks before a mold is being taken of it.
  The adjustable shock absorber have been repainted and the oil will be changed later on
The crankshaft is now finished to specification.
    The flywheel has been scalloped so as to reduce its weight without compromising its integrity.
should give better acceleration potential to the car.
Andrew and team have started to work on the roll cage and have also installed the shroud.
Making sure that we have clearance so the hood fit over the roll cage.
The backstay are in position to be welded and two diagonal have been already welded....though it looks like the drawing no 35 in the blue book ...I am still not sure if this is right...the definitions in MSA the blue book are really confusing....
The aluminium boot floor is now painted in the gorgeous Healey Ice Blue and ready to be assembled
The Dan Dare Hardtop is being prepared, so we can make a mold of it....quite tempted to keep the same orange colour.....not !
 
23/03/2012  great progress at Archers Garage, the boot floor has been pop riveted, the roll bar is being adjusted for the hardtop that will be painted in old English white, the aero screens are fitted and the points for the harnesses have been catered for.....can t wait.....It suddenly start to look like a pretty car.. :)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I spent a bit of time preparing what will be my dashboard..and here is the result. Just need some tidy up and to be covered with fabric....just need the rest of the car now .....
21/04/2012

The bonnet mould is being prepared.
The shroud  has been cut so the roll bar can fit. It will be sanded and prepared for painting. The hedge line will be sanded away to git it a nice smooth and rounded look.
The shell is now in the painting boot and a coat of anti-grit has been applied all over it. 
  The roll bar was finally reassessed and seem to be more in tune with FIA regulations. The diagonal is removable
     
    The fuel cap has been polished with an amazing result, I did not realise that some parts were made of brass.
15/05/2012
The underside and inside of the shell has now been painted Healey blue ice, next step will be to paint the shroud and bonnet and assemble them...the roll bar will be painted mat black and the white flanks will be painted later
 
   
12/06/2012
The shroud has been assembled and the car has now been primed ready for its color coat to be aplied.
 
The aluminium doors have been primed as well as the hood frame
The mould for the bonnet is partially finished, just need the wings now....
04/07/2012
Nothing like the  smell of paint in the morning   :) !!!
 
 
Wings and valance of the bonnet mould are done ... should be a new bonnet coming out of that soon ....
20/07/2012 another visit to Birmingham to talk upholstery and others as well a getting a quick ride in a Sebring equipped with a similar  engine and straight cut that 2080 PO will sport in a  hopefully not so distant day... the straight cut is clearly noisy and provide a good incentive to reach 4th gear... :)
The quality of the  work is great but it looks like quality is an inverse function of time spent unfortunately....I think it is now  unlikely the car will be ready for the Speed Trials after all....I guess there is always next year...hopefully it will be for the Good wood Revival so we can drive there in style.... :)

  Now the shell has just been painted in  Healey ice blue, the white strip will be painted probably next week and the car will then be lacquered for protection and extra shine....
The roll bar fit snugly, the aluminium rails have been sent to the polisher.
Can t wait to see the filer cap and other chrome bit on the back of the car, should be a nice contrast
  The engine block has now been bored to its desired 1330cc
31/07/2012
And now the white livery started to appear on the car.... how great !!! Andrew now tells me the car soon will be on stands and some of the mechanichal bits will be fixed to the car...still won t quite cut it for the Speed Trials...I guess there is always next year....
28/08/2012

Aluminium flanges have been fitted to the bonnet and the mold should be finished in a week....guess it will be 2 or 3 weeks from now till we can see the end result coming out of the mold....
The original seats frames  have been re-enforced with a new fibber glass coat and they will be sandwiched between two metal plates for extra safety
06/06/2012   The bonnet mold is at long last completed....hopefully we should soon see a new bonnet coming out of it to complete the bodyshell....
29/09/2012 at long last the mould is finished and assembled ... bonnet in sight  .. :)
    Good news, some cardboard boxes have appeared aroudn teh shell d some parts have started to migrate to the shell..... 
    Adjustable back on the shell but this time painted in red.... 
    Aero screens have been fitted to both side of the car. Originally only the driver had one  but I am somehow more compassionate to my fellow passengers... :)
9/11/2012

Front hub/brake assembly and anti-roll bar have been fitted

The twin cylinder pedal box has been fitted

rear lights, badge and fuel cap have been fitted
    Anchor points for the 5 points harnesses have been fitted 
The  aluminium backplate for the engine has arrived and also the forged pistons to complement the lightened con-rods
The piston have a nice recess which should flow gas better. 

complete set of straight cut geras
the LSD and the competition half-shaft have also arrived, 
  Front hubs for the wire wheels 
The aluminium trims have been polished and fitted to the car 
First layer of gel applied to the bonnet mold.... 
seals are being fitted to the car.

the windscreen has come back from  polishing
 
The stantion have been polished and anodized but as pas weld points remain apparent i have decided to have them painted blue as they used to be when i took ownership of the car. 
10/12/2012... Brakes have been assembled on the Riley 1.5 back plates..
The 6-gallon tank has been painted black and the pipe and sender unit has been fitted to the car.

dampers, engine mount steering rack clamps are now fitted.
The crankshaft, flywheel and clutch have been assembled ready to be sent to be balanced...

the original spare spark plugs holder is fitted...
front hub assembly nearly assembled... just waiting for the Brambo disks
  The electric loom is being fitted to the car...
    details of the bonnet returns 
    The returns for the bonnet have been positioned on the mold. 
    quarter elliptics and  dampers links have been fitted
  The windscreen pillars have been painted healey blue 
  rear fog light fitted and detail picture of rear
















 
17-12-2012

Good news , the seats are back from the upholsterer and they look gorgeous
and so do the dashboard and interior panelling
18-12-2012
Christmas has arrived early for 2080 PO. At long last the bonnet has come off the mould and to the delight of everyone in one piece... !
 
   
11/01/2012
The bonnet is being fitted to the car...looking good
   
22/05/2013

I have a dashboard and a steering wheel ! At long last it starts to look like a car !

The grid is being fitted to the bonnet which has been primed ready to be painted.

The front hub are just missing the steering arms.

Something is happening under the bonnet , but still no engine in sight....
The seat have bee restored in leather to the original pattern and look really great !
The bonnet catches have been fitted to the bonnet.
27/06/2013

A few more bits have been fitted to the car. The painted aluminum doors have also been fitted.

The bonnet vents which were re-chromed have been fitted. Note the inner scoops for which I am very thankful to Ray English down under for sending me a template of its original ones. They are made of aluminum and will be painted later.
The back axle has been fitted to the car and there is no more work here than fitting the wheels...

The replica of the bonnet looks really great. I can't wait to see it fitted to the car when it has been painted...

The color scheme of the car looks really good and is faithful to the original livery....it will be a very pretty car for sure....
I am really happy with the inside of the car. The carpets should soon be fitted as well as the seat and the roll-bar...and hopefully the engine so I can drive it down to the GoodWood Revival....
On the right hand side are the replica & restored badges that will soon adorn the bonnet again...
     
     
     
     

 

 

 

 

 

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This site was last updated 01/13/13