Geoff,
Kinda reminds me of the old 32 Ford “High-Boy” hod rods from the 40’s and 50’s, except for the “trunk” area. I feel the same way about this that I did about the old Fords. You take away the Fenders and the Running Boards and you take away most of the attractive “lines” that gave it eye appeal to begin with.
But, it is different.
Rich

All,
Google Autosol and you’ll find it. Looks like $6.99 for a tube is the lowest price. Nice stuff, gotta get some!
Thanks James,
Rich

All,
Funny prologue to my refurb efforts. As I mentioned in my last post in February, I have been tweaking, replacing, repairing all through the winter and occasionally driving the car up and down the hill, never going to the top of the hill because the car is not registered.
About half way up the hill on the left is a house with two little girls…[Read more]

Ringo,
I think you are right. I took it all apart this weekend and decided now that the problem is mechanical. When I exercise the mechanical pinion gear engage mechanism it seems to land the pinion gear at a different point on the shaft every time. The mechanical parts are all stamped metal and the tolerances seem to follow a basic +/- 1/8″ rule.…[Read more]

Geoff,
Nice article! They don’t say much about my V6. Guess I’ll have to yank it out and get me one of those 4’s to be realy cool
Say, according to my calendar you car should be shipping next week. Let us all know when it arrives and hurry up and take some pictures of it before it melts
Rich

Thanks Mark,
I’m a mechanic by nature and experience. My dad was an aircraft mechanic and could troubleshoot and fix just about anything. I learned a lot from him. That sometimes creates a problem for me in that I always want to know why something doesn’t work and my first impulse is always to try to fix it. I look at a starter as a very simple…[Read more]

Hey Bill,
Sounds really great! Looks like ground clearance could be a problem, but it sure doesn’t sound like a VW anymore.
Rich

Hey James!
You’ve been busy! You have to get that beauty outside and get some more photos so I can add them to my Screen Saver collection.
One question: I thought all CMC/FiberFab TDs had a joined split between the fog lamps. Yours looks like a solid piece. Another mod?
One request: I like the shape of your Wind Wings much better than my FiberFab…[Read more]

James and Mark,
Thanks, I guess I’ll just buck up and buy a new one. I may mess around with shimming, per James suggestion, a bit before I do. The starter is very easy to access on this car. Two mount bolts and the electrical cable connection and it’s out.
Thanks,
Rich
 

Paul,
Thanks, as usual you’ve come through with the details. Hopefully others will benefit from this update as well.
Rich

James,
I had stumbled across the CarTalk article as well. One of my favorite quotes from it:
“…Though not designed for it, the MG has been known to go off road from time to time ? to the garage, mostly, where it invariably spends a number of months and sometimes a full season or two.”
Really funny. I’ll keep my Ford based replica, thank you.
Rich

Ringo,
This is a very good and timely topic. A few more thoughts to contribute. The person that built my car generally did a very good job. A few critiques are that he tended to undertighten and was not religious about using lock washers. Most of these cars have original or somewhat modified suspensions and tend to ride a little “stiff” so there…[Read more]

All,
New Rag Joint is installed. Unfortunately the car is still not registered so I didn’t get to do the proper test run, but it is very smooth and there is no play in the wheel at all. Nice!
I also did it without taking off the hood side panel. A little bit of work, but all in all not bad. Turns out that the flange that connects the rag joint to…[Read more]

James,
Man, Isn’t it great solving a problem like that? I always want to take my car for a long ride after a saga like this. Have fun!
Rich

Geoff,
Mine has what is called a “pillow block” that is mounted to the frame. The Steering Column passes through it and it does have a grease fitting. The other u-joints do not. I WD-40’d the heck out of my U-joints because they were stiff and “squeaky” from lack of use (sitting in a garage on blocks since 2001!) Quieted them right down.
I don’t…[Read more]

Geoff,
I doubt that even the Phoenix temps would cause any melting, but I bet it would really cause problems with the gel coat finish if you left it in the hot sun too long.
Re: the Rag Joint, I bought a kit at Advanced Auto. I’ll install it as soon as the weather breaks. It looks like the original was some kind of semi hard transparent Plastic…[Read more]

Geoff,
My apologies for the oversight. That cool TD is shipping from NY to AZ in three weeks! That is AWESOME. Just remember to keep it out of the Phoenix sun. It might melt
Rich

Paul,
You have NO IDEA how much I would love to jump in the TD replica and head on down to Carlisle in May. Unfortunately the economy has bit me on the back side and I have to focus on the INCOME side of the equation this year.
However, I’m starting a 2010, Carlisle or Bust campaign!
Rich

Geoff, James,
Thanks! My search also led to the “Rag” joint solution. Taking the side panel off is going to be a real pain because the “builder” has jb welded components to it (like the solenoid) but it may be worth the effort. Anyway, I think the steering is basically very solid and free of play, so I am expecting a big improvement. I have to say…[Read more]

James,
Larry has a good point. If it is U-Joints, shifting between first/reverse should give a definite “clunk”. Jiggling by hand would typically not apply enough torque to be a valid test. Could be something else as well, but these things are all about testing and process of elimination.
RichRichBelfay39900.7197106481