UPDATE ISSUES- paint and engine

 The paint job had two bright spots show up on the rear body. I sanded too deep. It has taken quite a while what with catching Covid and cold weather but it is finally repainted and all looks great. More buffing to do to finish it up. The second photo looks bright but that is just the lighting in the shop. Down by the door it matches.

Next, I have not been happy with the engine. Low oil pressure, over heating, high compression. So the engine is out again and I will have cam bearings installed, hone the cylinders for more clearance and install new rods with shell bearings to better deal with the high compression head. I'm really glad I did this because I found there was some grit in the oil that did some minor damage but it was caught in time. This should all add up to a good running reliable engine that I can drive with confidence.

GEARBOX FILL PLUG WRENCH

 I had a morning with nothing to do so I made a wrench to remove the fill plug. Made from 1/8" steel plate. I drilled/bored the hole to the hex flat dimension then just filed the flats until it fit. Band sawed the outer shape. I'll give it a coat of paint next.

 

WIRING

I'm about finished up with wiring. I have converted to 12Volts and an alternator. Since I am starting from scratch with wiring I followed the basic Morgan plan and modified it to my needs. I added a fuse box and a ground bus. I used cloth covered wires and found some cloth tape to wrap the wires into a loom.

GOOD NEWS maybe

It's all back together. I found nothing wrong inside the engine. All dimensions are within spec, on the tight side. The cam journals are the only thing that is at max spec.

Oil pressure is still 5# at idle when hot and 20-25# at 35 MPH. Not great but... A friend that races one of these has the same oil pressure and his car runs great so I'll just drive it and see what it does long term. 

Next is to finish up the wiring and get the car registered. More on that later.

BAD NEWS

 I am pulling the engine. The test drives showed low oil pressure and a very tight engine. I drained the oil after 10 miles of driving and it was black!! I dropped the pan and there was a thick black sludge in the bottom of the pan with sparkles. Not good. Better to do it now and maybe save some parts. It's all stripped down and I'll pull it out in the morning. I'll report back on what I find.

TEST DRIVE

I got it together enough to crank up and drive. Great day!! Please excuse my edit booboo.

Still lots of wiring to do and install of lights. I'll be able to get it registered and tagged then.

SIMON SAYS "TAKE A GIANT STEP"

Yesterday and today it finally all came together. The back body got sanded and buffed, near side door installed and the windscreen installed. Wow, I have a car now. Some simple wiring, some antifreeze and a steering wheel and it's time for a test drive. Oh, and a drivers door.

Speaking of doors. During a past restoration the doors must have been refitted on the badly sagging chassis. When I screwed on the passenger door the latch didn't reach the catch with the new flat chassis. I added a 1/16" shim behind the top hinge to pivot the door down and back. It just does catch now but I'll try shimming the catch or move the latch to get a better bite.