I noticed on one of my photos of other peoples 100 restorations that they had some type of tape stuck over the joint between the rear shroud and the boot floor which persuaded me to carry out the foam strip modification which I had planned years ago.  I wanted to do this as the joint between the two panels is not great and I don't want a gap.  I stuck the foam strip on then fitted the shroud for the final time, I hope.

I had also decided ages ago that I would use screws instead of rivets to connect the two panels.  Largely because I wanted the option of being able to remove it again in case it is needed.  I am not unhappy with the finished look.

The rivets that are supposed to go into the rail that crosses the rear end are looking too tricky to install so I will probably go with the screws there as well.  This is a trial fit.

Tomorrow is Christmas day and at the weekend I am lucky enough to be driving to Chamonix in France to go snowboarding for a week so it will be a while before I post again.

I fixed the leak, well at least I hope I did, by applying some plumbers tape to the thread and re-installing it.  I used yellow tape following a recommendation from Restonation.  Looking at this picture though I am now worried that the issue isn't the thread leaking but rather it is my soldering.  I really hope not as the tanks are approx £400 and that would hurt, a lot.

The tank back in place along with some Araldite on the joint as an extra precaution.

So I noticed a load of holes on the U channel that the boot lid sits in and began wondering what they are about.  I scour the Ahead 4 Healey's and Moss websites and find nothing so dig through some old photos and see on one that there appears to be some rivets on them.  I call AH4H who tell me that they have recently started selling these but not yet listed them at the grand price of £0.35 each so I bought a load.  I decided to drill the holes out for them in the inner body panel and paint the holes for rust prevention.  This means that I could not fit the shroud for the last time today, oh well.

 So I procrastinate by looking at the cockpit trim for the doors.  When I was speaking to AH4H I ordered a load of the screws needed for this as well.  Now at some point recently somebody told me that the way to fit these trims is to screw them up from the centre out and it occurred to me that it would be much better to do this before I paint the car.  Whoever it was that told me how to do it also made a passing reference to me having aluminium doors and hoped that, for my sake, they fitted as this method wouldn't work with ali.  I tried them on the doors today and to my great relief they fitted on the passenger side perfectly and reasonably well on my side, phew.

I will check the paperwork with the car to see it the numbers on the trim match the body number.  I'm not fussed if they don't, just curious.  As it is I haven't fitted the body number plate on the car and actually I realise that I don't have any number yet fitted, I guess I probably should do that.  Part of the reason for my indifference is that the Heritage Center couldn't find my car listed and so I don't have a certificate for it, a shame.  Now, I am not worried about the resale value as I am not going to sell it so it is just a thing that annoys me for some reason.  I am very pleased that they fit though.

After a few days of pre-Christmas festivities I was determined to get the rear shroud on for the final time but, as ever, I got side tracked.  About a week after I fitted the fuel tank for the final time I saw a part advertised on one of the suppliers websites that appeared to be a foam washer for the base of the tank and my heart sank.  I bought the part and have been waiting to fit it ever since.  I wanted to fit it before the shroud went on for the final time as it would be easier without the should in the way.

Now during the filling phase I have been pretty lazy at keeping the car clean as you can see below.  I discovered that this had a real advantage.

It can't be seen clearly in the picture below because in the process of making the discovery I cleaned off most of the filler dust.  In the area around the tank fuel pipe the dust had gone an odd light green colour.  When I wiped it I realised it was damp and on smelling it I became aware that it was contaminated with fuel meaning that I had a leak.  Damn. 

I have managed to get this nut undone and lift the pipe but not completely remove it.  I will get some plumbers sealing tape tomorrow and have a go at fixing it as I assume this is where the leak was.  I feel a little frustrated with this in some ways.  Whilst I am glad that I found the leak I am disappointed that I am having trouble with the tank again having spent so much time on it.  I did see one advertised second hand recently and wondered if I should have bought it but there is a part of me reluctant to give up on it having invested so much time on it so I didn't.

I did also fit the shroud and drill out the holes on the bottom of the boot floor which I subsequently painted prior to final fitment tomorrow.

I had the odd few hours in the garage this weekend and started on the jobs needed to get the car ready for paint.  On Saturday I fitted the tow bracket and attached the front shroud for the final time (I hope at any rate).  On Sunday I fitted the door opening straps, or door check straps.

It was a nice job to do although I think I need to tweak the passenger side door strap as it wasn't opening smoothly.  I am quite disturbed by how much everything flexed when I opened the door but am hoping that the wing, once fitted, will tighten and stiffen things up.

The garage has a lot of panels lying around in primer waiting to be fitted to the car and they are starting to get little scratches so sorting that was my priority today.  I needed drill the chassis to take the 10mm bolts that secure the tow bracket, fit the door check straps and remove the petrol tank to fit the sponge sealing gasket before I started on the panels though.

Well, the tow bracket is all that I got done.  Frustratingly the metal was so thick and hard that it took me hours, literally, to drill through it.  I have very good quality drill bits but they barely made a dent in the chassis legs.  By the time I had finished it I was good for nothing.  Oh, I did put the Christmas tree up and washed the road salt off the Triumph Thruxton in addition to lubing the chain as well but, all in all it was a fairly unproductive day.  

Having missed the Christmas holiday window for getting the car painted I am a little relaxed as I have 6 weeks after Christmas before the half term holiday when I can hopefully get the car coloured in blue.  However, I am also conscious that I have some tricky jobs to complete by then so I can't be complacent as I had a whole weekend and all that happened is two new holes.

We sold the daily driver, an Audi TT, after 8 years of good service a few weeks back and I have spent the last few weekends looking for a replacement.  Test driving nearly new cars is an interesting past time.  So it was quite nice to get back in the garage this weekend.  I repaired the bonnet and rubbed down inside and out and double checked that the boot was good to go before looking at the rear wings.  When I painted the rear wings a few months back I ran out of primer so decided to paint one properly with 3 full coats and just gave the other a single coat on the basis that I would give it another two coats when I had some more paint and before I painted the insides blue.  So I got both the wings and realised I didn't know which one had just the single coat of paint as it was impossible to tell by looking at them alone.  I decided to flat back areas that covered repairs to see if one went through easier than the other but neither went through to the metal.  Essentially, it would seem that one coat of this primer is enough.

I primed both the bonnet and the boot inside and out before spraying those and the two rear wings on the inside in Healey Blue.

Now I have to fit the lot back to the car body before checking the windscreen fits and installing the cockpit edge trim before I am ready to get the car painted.  Oh, I guess I need to adjust the brakes as well.  Anyway, it is feeling closer.

Painted the doors with primer today.  I also painted the inside and the hinges blue.  It was easier that the front end but still took a fair bit of time.

I need to re-prime one of the back wings and paint both on the inside.  I have a few dents to work on with the bonnet before I can paint that and I also need to double check that the previous work on the dents is complete before I prime the boot.  I will paint the inside of both in colour as well even though they will be painted on the top / outside whilst off the car as I don't think the spray booth will have enough space to do both sides at the same time as the main car.

Once that lot is done I have to refit the front and rear shrouds before adding the wings and doors.  Then I need to fit the windscreen to check that it all lines up properly and fit the aluminium cockpit trims.  I also need to buy and fit the tow bracket and check that the brakes are properly adjusted.  I am hoping to get this all done before Christmas so that I can paint it then.  That would be very grand.

I think I have a lot to do.

I finished the wings and the front shroud this weekend and then painted them with primer and blue BU2 paint on the inside of the wings.  I have spent a lot of time and effort on this phase so it is nice to have it over.

Now I need to prime the boot, doors and bonnet and then paint the inside sections in blue .  I don't think this will take anywhere as much effort as has been expended over the past few weeks so that is ok.  I am hoping to paint the car in the Christmas holidays which may feel like ages away but it is only 7 weeks so I have lots to contend with.  This includes getting the brakes to work so that I can get the car towed to the paint shop.

Lot to do but so close to the biggest of all steps.

Still working on the wings, albeit slightly slowly.

I did get the bonnet out of storage to double check that it fits with the radiator installed and it does, just.

With the bonnet resting on the shroud there is just a few mm of clearance.  I imagine that the bonnet will sit slightly higher once bolted to the hinges and on the rubbers so I am not too worried about it.  I might lower the rad if the chance comes though.

Last weekend I went to Beaulieu for the annual auto jumble which was a good day out.  I collected an order of parts from AH4H which should allow me to get the car ready for paint.  The order included all the bits I need for the windscreen pillars which will enable me to fit the screen to the car before I paint it to check that it fits.  I most definitely don't want to be making serious modifications once painted to get the screen in.  I now have the full sections of the cockpit trim as well and the door stops.

So, I need to finish the filler work on the front wings, front shroud, bonnet and offside door then prime the whole car.  I also need to fit the windscreen, door check straps and cockpit trims.  Not much then.  I have 4 weekends before I want to paint the car so I think I need to up my game a little.

This weekend I finished prepping the rear wings, shroud and boot lid and put them in primer.  However, I didn't have enough primer so I will have to rub them down again and redo them when I have more paint, damn.  Oh well.  I did selectively paint the shroud with most of the available paint so I think that can be fitted to the car for the final time.

I can't imagine how good it will be to have it painted.

Oh, I should report that last week I went into work to discover that the students did fantastically in their final exams.  I'm a lucky man to work with great teachers and wonderful young people.

The summer has been much better than I could have hoped for.  Florida treated us well.  We hired a car and I am still somewhat disappointed that  we were given a VW, how can that happen?  I was so hoping for a big Yank Tank.  Oh well.  It was surprisingly nice to live with and we rattled off the best part of 2000 miles in mild luxury.  I was rather taken by the sensors that tells you when a car is about to pass you on the inside or outside care of a flashing symbol in the door mirror, very cool.  I also liked the reversing camera although I am not convinced it would be good enough to rely on without turning and looking.  It's not enough to make me want to upgrade the 11 year old TT daily driver.  Well, I say daily driver but I hardly use it, what with the motorbike and the push bike.

I was incredibly pleased to get 4 days in the garage this weekend.  It has been lovely being back at home and the garage has been a big part of that.  I finished the rear end and decided to work around the car in a clockwise direction rather than prime the panels at this stage.  The passenger door (LH) is now done and the front wing is well on the way.  It is hard work though as I need to rub down a lot of filler, my arms are getting bigger as I type.   I am feeling a little bad as the amount of filler I need tells me that I should be a better panel beater, but I am what I am so I pile on the filler and rub like hell.

My birthday did serve me well, I have a real mental problem with paying for postage and the Austin Healey parts suppliers charge it by the bucket loads.  I say this because my lovely lady decided to order the parts I wanted on my birthday so that I selected the parts I really needed. I noticed that the main supplier is exhibiting at Beaulieu next month and offering free collecting from the show.  I asked for that and booked a ticket, result, I get to see a great show and save money at the same time.


The rear end finished, yippee

Mid way through loading the front N/S wing with filler, it looks much better now but I didn't take a picture.






































I spent the morning procrastinating, this included cutting back the garden trees and washing the motorbike.  I didn't just wash it, I cleaned the chain.   I know, but it is 33 degrees in London this weekend and that is very hot for a Brit.  What could I do?

Looking back it was plain to see that I wasn't going to get in the garage after work.  I am just so whacked out when I return from work that I haven't got the desire to get in there and amongst it, oh well.

So I was very much looking forward to this weekend when I could get on to the car.  I can't say I worked very hard but I did a fair bit and I loved it.  I loved every minute of it.  The shrouds match the wing tops now with a very small amount of filler and I started along the very rear of the shroud.  With the  boot lid closed the car has now got a fabulous shape.  I am hoping that I can get it in paint during the October half term so I have a deadline and a desire to meet it.

I am now away for the summer, Florida on another house swap, it is a good time of year to be a teacher.  It is also my birthday and I am hopeful that the next batch of parts I need will come my way, fingers crossed.  I need some parts for the windscreen brackets and some other bits like the cockpit trim for the front shroud so my fingers are crossed.

It has been five weeks since I last worked on the car and there was no signs of surface rust on the exposed sections of the wings so I decided that it was probably better not to rush the painting of the wings.  I now plan on priming the rear wings, boot, doors and shroud at the end of August when I next get to see the car.

Happy days.

Spent some time working on the rear wings at the weekend; the near side is finished and the off side nearly.  The door gaps are good and the swage lines look lovely from a close vantage point.  I am wondering if I need to get the car off the stands and out so that I can check from a distance but that is for another day.

I then fitted the boot lid, mounted the hinges and installed the lock mechanism.  I realise that I don't have a boot lock and it isn't on my list of parts to acquire so that is a bit of a slip on my part.  I managed to modify a piece of M10 studding to do the job and was pleased with the lock action.  The boot fits surprisingly well.  I did have to work on the shroud to get the gaps a little more consistent and by the end the lid fitted well.  I am rather pleased with it.

My main challenge is that I am now away for every weekend for the next month and will then be away for the summer leaving me little time to work on it.  I would very much like to have the rear end in primer by the time I leave in July which means evening work and so far I have found myself too exhausted after work to get in the garage.  The year 11 students finished their last maths exam yesterday so I am hoping for a little less action at work to enable me to get garage time in the next four weeks; must try harder.

Back at Easter, Moss had an offer on interior trim which included 20% off seat covers.  I had just sold an ISA to settle a credit card bill or two so took the plunge and ordered a set for my 100.  Now I know that the original colour scheme was blue with white piping but I am a mucky sort of chap and thought that the white piping would get a hard time so I opted for blue piping.  I am delighted with them and can't wait to get them on the car.  They came with a note to say that they had been crafted in person by Ana, well thank you Ana, you are a star. I still need to buy the wooden bases, seat foam and a few other bits and pieces in addition to repairing the metal frames so I am a way off doing it but hey, I'm excited already.

It had never occurred to me that I would be able to afford leather seats so I am over the moon.  When I was a kid and had my 65 Midget which I used all through university I loved the seats which were trimmed in read vinyl to match the car colour.  Back then the thought of having leather seats was beyond dreams.

I have often referred to the Swedish restoration website, link below, that has 100's of photos for reference and have looked again at it to see the way they trimmed their seats.  I suspect I may need help so have ask my mother for assistance as she used to upholster sofas back in the day for a hobby, I'm hoping she still has her tools.

http://healeyspecialists.com/restoration-of-the-first-healey-imported-into-sweden/

The filler work is surprisingly enjoyable.  I have memories of being bored out of mind mind whilst rubbing down filler when I worked at Dad's garage 30 odd years ago but I didn't find this dull at all.  I think it might be to do with the car being the apple in my eye at the moment. It might be because I have only done one wing and that by the time I have finished I will be bored again.  I don't know but for now I felt happy enough doing it.  I liked creating the swage line and the rolled edge of the arch.

It might also be down to the filler being easier to rub down or the new blocks being better to use that the small lump I used to use or possibly that the paper doesn't clog up within a few rubs.  I don't know but it is certainly better than I remember.

My next challenge is that I have surprisingly few opportunities to work on the car in the coming months as I am away most weekends between now and the summer when we go away for the month of August.  I could get my head round going in the garage after work but the mess created and the agro in emptying the garage of all the bikes and clutter before I can start work means that the chances of that happening are slim, I must try harder.  The other issue I have is that I need a few parts and I have no money left in the Healey fund which is a challenge.  I'll work something out.  

My plan is to do one panel at a time then remove it from the car and prime it before rubbing it down again then removing them again and re-priming and painting the inside in top coat before the final fit prior to painting the car Healey Blue.  This is not the quickest approach but I don't want overspray on the car and I know that I'll get some if I try to paint the panels on the car.

I started by looking at the door catches as I thought I had a solution for the poor catching which consisted of stripping it down and then adding a shim, ie a washer.  Initially the door closes but can be pulled out by about a cm.

I striped it down and added the first non-rusty washer that fitted that I could find.

The door the other side also improved markedly but isn't quite what it should be so I'll need to play about with the washer thickness at some stage much later down the road.  It is a good step forward.

I then found my fixing kits for the rear wings and discovered that I have 8 counter sunk screws for each side, great stuff.

On to the filler work, I decided I'd start on the passengers side rear wing and work round the car in a systematic way to enable me to get each panel done and then primed before any exposed bare metal could get rusty.  It seemed strange to be removing paint from a panel that had been eCoated.

I picked a section of the car that curves in two different directions as the first part of the car to use for filler for the first time I've used the stuff in 25 years.  Thought I'd rub it down tomorrow.

I've had an odd few days in the garage this bank holiday weekend but have managed to get the doors and wings on and am generally pleased with the fit.  It is never going to be a contours car but it should look reasonable.  I've noticed on a few YouTube videos and in particular those by Matthew Randal that I should have some screws down the front overlapping edge of the rear wings to secure it in place which is my next step.  After that I am going to focus on the door catches which do not work well currently, they need stripping down and shimming, at least I hope that is all they need.  I'll post some pictures next time.

I took the panhard rod off, lowered the car on to the ground and decided that I needed to run it up and down the back yard to settle the suspension.  It started after a little while and ran wonderfully.  I really enjoyed driving the car again, I can't wait to get it on the road.

It was also good to see it out with the body on again, I love the look of this car.

I put the wheel with the Michelin XAS tyre on the front near side (left) to see how it fitted and was pleased with the look.

Anyway, the panhard rod made no difference so I jacked it up again and took all the wheels off and measured between the hubs and the distance was within a millimetre so I guess the axel is square and my bodywork not.   So I decided to reshape the lower edges of the wing and whilst I was at it take the driver side door gap out a little.

I made three cuts on one wing and one on the other then got the welder out.

That kind of killed the day and having finished the worst of the wings I headed to the fridge for a beer.  Before I did though I tried the XAS clad wheel in the spare wheel space and was somewhat pleased to see it slide in without any issues.

Next weekend is the start of school half term holidays so I have a week to make some serious progress which is really exciting.  I need to order some rubbing down blocks and paper so that I can get on with the filler work.  Now rubbing down filler is notoriously dull but I am so looking forward to seeing the whole car in primer.  Not sure I'll get that far next week but I'll give it a good go.  I also have to fit the bonnet and boot and I have a nagging feeling that the radiator is still too high which will be a pain if that is the case.  Overall it feels like a good deal of progress made in recent times so I'll worry not about that.