Boy it's nice out!

The snow is pretty much gone! It has been a great 2 weeks of weather. No rain other than a few drops last night. It’s been sunny and mild everyday. So of course I didn’t want to work at all, but I did.

53TD’s dash is wired, as is most of the firewall. Dad has been prepping the fenders, gas tank and splash aprons for paint. The windscreen is on. With the windscreen on the front kick panels of the interior can go on (started today) and the carpets in. The seats have been ready for a while. So I can safely say the interior is almost done. Once the painting is done I can see this car leaving by mid-summer (yeah I know, there I go sticking my neck out again!) But it is that close.

That's not a roll of paper towels that's my pillow for UD wiring!

BeastTF’s inner wood is complete. Today I started to finish the metal work. This car was so nice to look at when it came in. I was heard saying, “Why would you restore this one!” I take it back. There was a lot of ugly under the skin. But it will all be put to right.

Wood completed

rear quarter rot after bondo removed

Braised patch, a few dents, you never know what you'll find!

BlownTC’s engine has been cleaned. There is a bit more to do to it before painting but it cleaned up pretty nice. Sorry no picture of that yet. The only neat find was a brass arrow on the supercharger that shows the direction of rotation. Couldn’t see it (that I noticed) under the grease. We are expecting some green paint soon. We have two cars going green, color that is, not hybrid. Dad talked to the paint mixer this week and he promises the nice British race green everyone likes so Dad is ready to order 5 gallons. Yikkes$$!!!

Still no word on the TA body tub, anticipated delivery date was late winter, early spring. I guess technically it still is early spring but it feels like summer.

We have an engine job back in the shop. An engine that we did last fall just wasn’t running right. Dad went and got it this past week and we got into it. There was a sticky residue in the intakes of the head, which made us think right off that it was hit with sugar in the gas tank. But the fuel pumps (1500) and carbs don’t seem to have any gumminess to them. We put a bar to the bottom of the gas tank and were able to scrape a goo from the bottom. Now we are thinking that the car wasn’t driven for a long while and there is varnish (dried up gas) on the bottom of the tank. With the newer gas mixes (ethanol, etc) we think that the gas put into the tank was able to loosen the sediment and allow it to get into the engine, gumming things up. (So take care not to let your car sit too long without driving it.) We also had a problem with the engine caused by the machine shop that caused a drop in oil pressure, which precipitated the car coming back to the shop. It’s getting repaired and we are hoping to have the engine block etc. back tomorrow.

I have been able to get a bit done on my TD; I have high hopes to have my dash in “soon.” Well in a relatively short time. Hopefully before the end of summer! In any event I’ll keep you posted. Later…

Pics

I had thought that I uploaded pics of BlownTC...but I didn't so here they are. I'll update the blog when there is a bit more news and something to look at.

BlownTC frame

We will be installing a new exhaust system and the drive shaft is painted and going on. It still has a way to go but it is looking better and better. We hope to have a new sample of green lacquer paint mixed and in the shop soon. I hope it matches the green that dad likes to use this time.

BlownTC body tub in primer

4-8-08

Dad is off to Florida for the Sun-and-Fun Airplane show. It’s a week long “airplane fest.” It’s good that he gets away for a bit with the guys and let loose. When he gets back he has a lot of painting to do.

He was working on getting 53TD’s rear fenders, gas tank and rear splash apron ready for paint. They have been primed and sanded with the exception of the apron. Soon the rear of the TD will be together. The wiring is underway. I’m hoping in about 2 months we will be looking a finished car.

BeastTF has the drive train complete. The radiator went on this week. The right side of the Body tub is almost finished with the exception of a few more nails. And once that is finished the new wheel well can be welded in. The left side metal has been removed and the woodwork is about to begin.

TF chassis update

Some metalwork

Today I sent out paint samples to try and get the racing green paint that dad loves to use color matched. I’m hoping that something good will come back.

That’s all for now…

As promised...

I finished the welding on BeastTF’s right side today and should have the right side back together tomorrow after treating the inside of the panels with rust preventative and painting… The engine is bolted in and the build up has begun… I took the windscreen apart today and began getting the chrome together to ship out in the near future to the chromer. The big question is to send out the radiator shell or go with it as is with a little polishing. We’ll clean it up and see what it looks like. The TF radiator shell is almost non-existent on the market.

It's getting there. (that's only a valve cover we use for painting!)

Dad was rubbing out the 53TD today. We took the windscreens to the glassier today to have windshields cut for the TF, my TF and 53TD. We have to put the windscreen on 53TD before we can finish the interior and I can get to wiring.

So far, so nice

I did get some work done on my TD over the weekend. I’m trying to finish the dash and get my gauges in. I can’t wait to see what they look like in the car. If I didn’t mention it I sent my gauges out and spent over a grand restoring them. They really look great.

Well that’s about it… Later