My 1995 Caterham S3 X-Flow Emotional Support Vehicle "Beater" refresh and other journeys down the rabbit hole

[IamScotticus]

I already haggled over this on the Triumph forum.  And called Moss.  The bearings are sold as matching cone and race sets therefore depicted as one bearing unit in the illustration. 

A practice I disagree with..

 

 

[MV8]

On 3/24/2023 at 8:48 PM, IamScotticus said:

I have this:

 

But this is growing on me:

 

 

OK, I know its a graphic rendering to imitate bare alu.   But its growing on me.

 

I don't have to preach about the maintenance of bare alu, you know.  But there's more I dislike about bare alu than just the maintenance.

For one, I don't want to look like an experimental airplane project.  For another, there are many flaws and defects in my panels, even a streak across my bonnet I can't polish out.  My build spec was a race car after all, those cars probably got some cast-offs to keep the price down.  Who knows.

Im thinking a nice rattle can coat of light grey would be a start.  No, I have no intention on taking my Beater to a professional paint job.  It has to be  a paint I can apply, touch up, take off, do repairs, reapply and blend in myself with something readily available or better left alone.

My Criteria:

-A color supported by a manufacturer for a very long time

-Supply available almost everywhere, or a close substitute can easily be obtained

-No, I don't want black

-Be confusingly similar to a brushed alu appearance from a distance

 

So far, the thing I am looking for is a light gray primer that bonds to metal, preferably more removable than an etching primer, of which most Ive seen are green.

 

Any suggestions?

Sarcasm is always welcome!

 

 

The polished aluminum would require roughing and specific primers to hope that it adheres for a relatively long term.

Instead of painting, I suggest a satin finish on what you have that can be re-polished later. Green scotchbrite around a foam sanding block, lubricated with squirts of wd40 and running longitudinally leaves a nice finish that is lower maintenance than polish. Maybe try under the bonnet or floor first to see how it looks to you.

Edited March 26, 2023 by MV8

[IamScotticus]

4 hours ago, MV8 said:

The polished aluminum would require roughing and specific primers to hope that it adheres for a relatively long term.

Instead of painting, I suggest a satin finish on what you have that can be re-polished later. Green scotchbrite around a foam sanding block, lubricated with squirts of wd40 and running longitudinally leaves a nice finish that is lower maintenance than polish. Maybe try under the bonnet or floor first to see how it looks to you.

Thats like the spine surgeon telling me he can't do a fusion until I have first gone through years of drugs and physical therapy...

Actually that's the insurance making those calls.

 

I do understand that doing something difficult to reverse has consequences later.

 

I have heard using Scotch Brite pads to brush.  There's another UK 7er wirh a car called Eugene who has it down to an art but using a paste cleaner I haven't been able to obtain.  But I have several alu specific options to use.  I have a can of L.C. Wax Alumaslick claiming to be an anti-corrosive.  

 

The next project,  If I commit to that route is to make a polishing buck for the bonnet.

[MV8]

How close is it to being ready to drive? What's next?

[IamScotticus]

When I acquired it all I brought the eng and car to BAS to go together the eng had a seized piston to be dealt with. 

Not sure how much bottom end sealing was new, but on my budget,  "running car" was the order. 

 

At the least, a bottom end refresh.  She leaks oil in the rear that may have been part to blame for the clutch grabbing.   After sitting for 10 years, Im tempted to go for a full tear down, hot tank cleaning and rebuild just to make sure everything is flowing, and I can get my red engine.  While out, I will get oil ports tapped for eventual dry dump.

 

One thing leads to another and so I have a T-9 and prop shaft ready to go in.  Trying to decide on a gear kit.  The V6 1st isn't horrible, but a full kit would be nicer.

 

The brakes need refreshing after sitting 10 years.  I just acquired new fronts and am needing to inspect my master to see if its rebuilable. 

 

While collecting the refresh parts, I'm assembling dry dump items for phase 2 after I get a runner going.  Phase 3 will be a Quaife ATB diff.

 

All that during some body repairs. I am in a situation where the budget is slim and parts need to come in under cover of darkness...  Then when the time comes to work, it needs to go together fast.  It cant be an ongoing slog of wrenching in the garage for weeks.  Somebody will have a lot to say about it.   I hope this partly explains the progress pace.

Edited March 27, 2023 by IamScotticus

[MV8]

I understand juggling priorities. Family outings, work, and normal upkeep maintenance. I'm working on my 45 year old, cast iron, Troy-bilt Horse Tiller so I can finish my clay grading for the concrete. Parts on order of course and the storms don't help with the grading.

Pipe thread in the block is ok if not cut too deep for the fitting range/length of taper. The fitting  should only be tight enough not to leak with liquid sealer or a couple turns of folded teflon tape close to the hex to ensure no teflon shreds get into the oil system. No more torque to install than you would want to apply with a short, 1/4 inch drive ratchet but if the block is out and clean, might as well have sealing seats cut. Remote filters and other aftermarket add-ons are usually npt ports in cast aluminum and may include npt to AN adapters.

[IamScotticus]

All good points.  To NTP or not, a question every wrencher will eventually ask, especially when considering permanent alteration on something as dear as a Kent engine.  We'll include VW 1600s as well.

 

Theres pros and cons to both thread systems.

Pipe: straight cut, easy to cut and repair, any depth, fasteners any lenght, must use a washer or gasket to seal against a shoulder, thin wall possible.

 

NPT: angled cut, must use a thread sealant, requires larger area to install, useful where flat shoulders aren't possible, less likely to walk out.

 

The thing I like about straight pipe is there's less room for errors with the sealing due to thread variables or sealing application errors.  Just use the correct washer and don't over do it.  The same can be said for NTP but NTP requires more experience; you can't have a specific torque value.

 

Whether or not to use pipe or NTP may be decided by the other factors around the hole.

 

Take my adapter example above... I was expecting to use it in the oil pressure sender port by the oil pump.

After studying the oil galley more, Im looking at porting on the left (from the rear view) in ports along the rail.  I understand that the mains are fed from that rail and the pump feeds it across the block via a very thin passage.   I would like to know the exact size of that.  There are potentially three points of entry on the left galley rail.  If Ivey was able to get it, the new manufacture blocks will have a full porting boss forward of the engine mount.

 

All this changes things a lot.  With less restrictive oil porting, lower pump pressures and slower pump speeds can result in less cavitation and aeration and better lubrication with higher RPMs.

 

I need a clutch cover and an expansion tank.  Open or closed?

 

I still want to do a downdraught conversion, pushing the limits of a 32/36 DG. Possibly run a FF hacked DG.

 

Hey, I warned everyone in the title there would be the rabbit holes!  I will go back and forth a lot on what im doing or not doing but believe me, although progress is slow, I not happy with just having a 7, I love the learning! I want to really know this car, everything.   Im just glad I didn't do a lot of stupid things to it 10 years ago and have a lot of broke stuff now.  I have a lot of catching up! But now Im almost too old for this damn thing!  

I sometimes warn people to not go the route of getting stuck in a pile of parts, and as I go through this refresh, I remember some good advice, to keep the projects short and the wheels on.  Therefore,  the car remin a 90% assembled state as the parts and plans come together.  I do have  a local vintage FF garage I can give the lump to if I have to.

Now we need to focus on getting it back to a driver, but with appropriate caution...an AX block is something to take care of.

 

My current project is assembling a comprehensive bullet point step-by-step guide for the full tear down to rebuild of the Kent engine referring from at least four authoritative sources including the tiny details and tips.  No thread or torque indexes; they will be given at the step needed.

 

That's called a Haynes manual, right?  No, although Haynes will be in there, theres lots more to know needing to be compiled into one good guide.

Edited March 27, 2023 by IamScotticus

[slowdude]

On 3/25/2023 at 9:03 AM, IamScotticus said:

I already haggled over this on the Triumph forum.  And called Moss.  The bearings are sold as matching cone and race sets therefore depicted as one bearing unit in the illustration. 

A practice I disagree with..

 

 

This gave me anxiety when I pulled mine off, fiddling with the races and I was able to figure it out, but I had the same response. My replacements came with races / felt seals (too big so back to moss for new ones). They sent me some more so I'm curious to see how it goes. Did you get the moss spitfire catalog? Those parts diagrams are perfect.

[IamScotticus]

No, not the paper catalog.  I only need trunions, spindle and brakes.  

 

On the Triumph forums there is much grumbling about Moss's felt seals being too thick.

One cool dude pointed me to Spitbits for correct seals 

https://www.spitbits.com/store/21-HUB-SEAL-MK1-MK3-SPIT-2req-P5153.aspx

 

As for the bearing races, they should be replaced with the cone bearings as a set.  I am told they are easily tapped out with a drift and hammer on tabletop.

 

 

Edited March 31, 2023 by IamScotticus

[slowdude]

3 minutes ago, IamScotticus said:

No, not the paper catalog.  I only need trunions, spindle and brakes.  

 

On the Triumph forums there is much grumbling about Moss's felt seals being too thick.

One cool dude pointed me to Spitbits for correct seals 

https://www.spitbits.com/store/21-HUB-SEAL-MK1-MK3-SPIT-2req-P5153.aspx

 

As for the bearing races, they should be replaced with the cone bearings as a set.  I am told they are easily tapped out with a drift and hammer on tabletop.

 

 

Grab the paper catalog If you can, they have the schematics for the hubs- it helped me. 

 

I had a shop press the old bearings out and press the new ones in. I think it was 60$ or so, well worth it knowing it was done better than I would have.

 

Packed the bearing and put the new seal on. Soft piece of pine and some hammer did the trick for the seal.

 

 

[IamScotticus]

Big improvements here finally!

Beater is up in the air, officially on the operating table.

 

[MV8]

Looks great! Nice stands. I'm surprised the ifs doesn't droop further. Short travel dampers I guess or the camera angle.

[IamScotticus]

i noted the same on Yoram's car.  optical illusions.  the tie rods give it away.

[bball7754]

Does that jack in the background lift the car high enough to get it on the stands?  If not, how did you get it on them?

[MV8]

Maybe not all the way in one lift plus it would be better to lift the front and rear incrementally. I have the same type jack. It is a special low profile, high lift, long jack from Harbor Freight Tools. I spy a 4x4 post block. With the multi-pin stands, you can lift as far as it will go, lock the stand wheels and engage the stand pins, lower it to be supported by the pins, then add a post block to the jack pad to lift higher.

[IamScotticus]

On 4/7/2023 at 6:55 PM, bball7754 said:

Does that jack in the background lift the car high enough to get it on the stands?  If not, how did you get it on them?

Yes, that jack has the height to lift to the top tier of the stands without spacers.  But I do use a block of 2×4 under the diff and a 2ft length of 2x4 under the front chassis for lifting.  I had the 4x4 block handy if I needed it but I didn't.

It looks tall, but its a small car. The car is only 17 inches up, floor to chassis.

 

As for step lifting, I already had been on wheel dollies so the angles were not too extreme. If not, then yes, I would be lifting the front and back in steps.  Probably just two steps.

 

Another note,  as these stand bars are only 30" long, and the verticles are spaced 23", I wasn't comfortable with that on the rear where the chassis is 39".  I cut the rear stand in half and extended it 13".

1.25x36" square tube from Home Depot is a perfect fit inside.

Edited April 9, 2023 by IamScotticus

[IamScotticus]

I suppose I shouldn't show and not tell...

https://allstarperformance.com/chassis-dollies-all10625/

Edited April 8, 2023 by IamScotticus

[Rooster18221]

Since you are taking photos, please post another photo of where you have the front stand positioned.   That is to say, when you lift the car with the 2x4 on top of the floor jack in the front, where then do you place this cross brace stand; do you position the brace aft of your jack board?  It looks like your rear brace is positioned just aft of the exhaust hanger bolt.  And, by the way, good thinking on the rear width extension.  I'd have done similar.  Thanks. R

[IamScotticus]

will put up a puc later, but the car is lifted under the cross brace.  I put the stand just behind it.  It might be moved later or as needed for access to work around. 

[IamScotticus]

@Croc Im ready to submit my new how-to guide to the archives:  How To Completely Destroy a Weber Carburetor In Two Easy Steps.  I actually did it in three, but I can ediit down for brevity.