Bits and Bobs

Many people die with their music still in them. Why is this so? Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live. Before they know it, time runs out.
Oliver Wendell Holmes

Bobs what? Dunno really, daft expression. I managed to attack a lot of the small, niggly jobs this week - started some and actually finished some too.

I whipped off the sliding door to reach behind the dents a bit easier. I tapped out the worst of the long dented scratches and sanded off the paint to ready the area for filler. Behind the rivet holes i made up some small glass-fibre patches and fixed them in place with a good gob of resin.

I laid it flat on the picnic table in the garden to blob on some body filler and start the seemingly endless job of sandpapering it to a smooth state. Still lots to do here but at least I've made some progress.

The rear engine cover door had lots of holes drilled in it for the various different registration plates that Marigold has carried over the years.She's had at least one German one, one from Cape Town, an old TJ Johannesburg plate, an old Transvaal plate and a later Gauteng plate. I stripped off the paint from the inside and patched the backs of the holes with small fibre-glass squares and a little resin. After that had cured properly I filled the front side with body filler, sanded it nice and smooth and then slapped on some red oxide primer with an old brush.

As you can see in the photo I have also fitted the nice, shiny exhaust tail-pipes that I bought from the useful (and now sadly defunct) Beetle Beauties a few months ago. I got hold of a couple of super-strong clamps and tightened them really well. I've also glued them in with a glob of GunGum for a real belt and braces measure.

While I was busy with the fibre-glass I also put patches over and under the large hole in the battery tray within the engine compartment. I swept out all of the dust, rust, dead leaves and bugs first. I laid down two good coats of the rust converter liquid above and below and then laid down a good patch on either side of the hole. It's not pretty but it's solid and should last well after a couple of coats of paint.

A recent birthday meant some cash came into the project fund (thanks especially to my Dad and my sis xx). I bought some (surprisingly expensive) wire of differing thicknesses to commence building a new loom to run through the underside of the chassis and spread the good volts around. Gonna need a new battery too, sooner or later, but I'll just keep getting each little bit as I can afford it. Any progress, no matter how small, is still progress and is therefore a Good Thing!

I have also torqued up the bolts on the CV joints to the required 25 foot/pounds. Of course, because nothing ever works properly the first time around, one of them had a rounded off hex hole in the top and needed replacing. I managed to find a near exact replacement at a local store without needing to resort to the expensive dealer option. I ground off the slight excess length and it's just right :)

Also done is the bash plate used for protecting underside of the gearbox from rock damage. I gave it two coats of black enamel paint for extra protection and it's neatly fitted and tightened up nicely with new U-bolts.


Thanks for stopping by
CooP