Mopar Muscle Association UK

One of those weekends where the whole thing nearly went in the bin.

What a nightmare weekend. Saturday, freezing cold, soaking wet, barely any progress at all, despite nearly crippling ourselves in the process.

Sunday, beautiful day! Car up on the axle stands, started well. Couldn't get the calipers off, so ended up having to split the lower ball joints to get a bit of extra room, but that actually went ok once the sodding pins finally came out of the castlated nuts. Fiddly Bananarama! crap! Got the calipers disconnected in the end (staggered that the bolts didn't sheer off, ended up having to lean on them with a massive drive and a scaffold tube. ) and tied up, things moving forward at last! Slacked off the torsion bars, managed to get one of the strut links out and made enough room to be able to free the K Frame, so FINALLY, a day and a half into the job, out it was.

Then the problems really started again...

You will get there.

Check the chassis legs for cracks.
Roydon's LHD one was cracked between where the UCA arms mounts, and I believe RHD ones are prone to cracking where the steering box mounts, 'cos it was not designed to take a side load.

Pete

Top marks for perseverance chaps

Thank's Guys. Doesn't feel like it at the moment, but I know we'll get there in the end. Pete, have checked the rail and I THINK we've got away with it. No obvious cracks yet, so one thing has actually gone our way.

Pics and details of the real problem areas later, all on Gareths camera at the minute, but at least we FINALLY managed to get that K out, so a bit of progress. Helped that it was a nice day on Sunday, so we could Bananarama! out into the fella's yard and have room to work. No room at all on Saturday jammed between a wall, an MG and a sheet of rain!

Stu, may I suggest that now might be a good idea to weld in some reinforcement around the steering box before you bolt everything back up again?

With the additional torque, plus you'll be giving it some welly (up the strip of course!) it's bound to crack if it hasn't already.

I'll leave it up to Pete or Blue to confirm whether or not my idea is a good one, but it sounds like cheap insurance for the future, especially when the 400 gets built.

I think you're probably right Ivor. Just in denial I guess as it's not in the budget and the time is almost out.

I would, it's the time to do it when it's all apart. One of the Aussie firms sell a reinforcement kit, perhaps Dave999 would know who? You could copy that.

Got the Aussie boys advice in the Aus section. Cheers, Blue.

Woohoo! Progress!

After spending a while with a bucket, a brush and some petrol, got the old oily goop out of the remaining pistons, re-ringed (rung? ) them and in they went. All 8 finally back in, beginning to feel like it's moving forward a little now. Really pleased with the engine side of it, it's a first time build as you know, so quite proud to have got this far with no major cock up's or expensive mistakes.

Even managed to get one side of the suspension re-bushed! Productive evening.

Good that you are making progress

Great news just keep pushing on

Keep on keeping on chaps...good stuff and on a budget too, I think we'll all be following your example this year!

Ta muchly!

As a complete afterthought, suddenly decided that whilst the front suspension (well, half of it...) is out, it might be a good idea to give it a lick of paint, as well as chasing all the threads etc. Of course this genius idea came after all the bushes and ball joints had been changed. Even so, I take it there's no reason they can't just be attacked with a wire cup brush and a rattle can, is there? Masking off any exposed threads, obviously, but there's no reason at all paint would do any harm to bushes, is there?

Just brush a load of oil rig paint on it. Can't remember the name of it, Gave my tin to Philth, Blue will know the name of it.
As an aside. Cruising Sarfend, Boom!, broken piston ring. Back from the shindig on Sunday, Shakey in 2 weeks minus 2 days. Re-ringed, honed, new bearings, ran it in going to Shakey, peeled off a new PB by 1/2 second! Just giving it some gloating, you'll love it when you fire it and smoke them tyres! Great thread, great stuff, good on ya! The next time will be so much easier for ya!

Cheers, Kev! I reckon once this motor is in, we should be peeling quite a bit more than 1/2 a second of our PB, though!

Nothing more interesting than wirebrushing the sump last night, ready to take paint. Will attack the suspension arms with the drill and wire brush over the weekend, then paint 'em then.

These are the little Bananarama! that won't budge. The nuts are free, but the bolts are in there so soliid it's untrue. Lamped 'em with big hitty things, heated the little suckers up, leaned on 'em with the biggest bar that'll go under there... Nothing! Although there is a LITTLE clock/anti-clock movement now. Maybe 1/4" at best back and forth. Not shifting though. Any suggestions?