FREE BEER! (aka the great SC rebuild party)

[Forumadmin]

front brake cylinder check/renew

Jack checked last night and both were OK. So one off the list! Unfortunately on removing the nearside hub the inside bearing and oil seal were left on the stub axle.

So now I am contemplating how to securely fix into housing. I suspect the bearing at some time had come loose and rotated and worn the housing. If not I have to swap the hub.

Also last night welded up some cracks on the door around the winder mechanism, found and built up the clutch operating shaft with weld .

Jack screwed in the boot panel.

[Amy]

So, the second of the rebuild party weekends has been and gone, the question is, how are we doing against our list??

March 20/21
front brake cylinder check/renew
master cylinder return spring
brake light switch
bleed and test brakes
adjust brakes.
adjust handbrake
engine mount
gearbox links, adjust, clutch adjust

sand bulkhead
fit boot floor panels screw top, rivet bottom
fit rear section

mend doors, strengthen quarter light, weld?
fit doors
adjust height rear section/boot lid
rivet rear section
strengthen boot, fit struts,
mend lock and fit (need new lock)
fill and sand rear wings, rear section, boot

The brakes are all in, and have had a cursory bleed. They still need some adjustment, and probably more bleeding (air in the master cylinder is supected).

The handbrake is in and attached, but again needs adjustment. Gearbox is in but needs links doing.

All the bodywork items on the list are complete - rear section completely fitted, and prepped for filling / priming. Drummond mended the lock for us this weekend so that's now good to go as well.

April 2, 3/4
assemble bonnet and wings
fit locators, catches.
fill and sand bulkhead and bonnet
mask-off
etch primer, primer/filler, flash coat, sand

rear light housings, other parts for painting
windscreen, door caps, bulkhead caps
primer/filler, flash coat, sand, sealer coat.

Hmm. We're not doing quite as well on this list. The bulkhead has been sanded, and the dash has been sanded, filled, primed and painted. All other bodywork apart from doors has been prepped.

But, the good news is that we've already made headway into the next list:

May 1/2/3
steering column boot
check and fit dip switch, starter switch, horn relay
radiator, water pump, water pipes , heater
starter, dynamo, regulator
carbs, petrol pipes, petrol filler,
cables, oil pressure, horns
loom, electrics, switches, instruments, lights
battery box, interior panels

start engine

wood floor
seats
windscreen, wipers, screen wash
refit bonnet
door furniture,
door glass?
MOT

The steering column boot has been fitted (and 'aided' slightly with gaffa tape and cable ties). Dipswitch is ready to go in, starter switch - and all other switches - cleaned and tested, ready to go in when loom is in.

Heater is in (after a bit of swearing following sheared bolt). Starter solenoid and starter motor both tested, cleaned and painted. Solenoid in, starter motor awaiting Clements senior's expert jiggling.

Alternator is also ready to go in (foregoing dynamo in favour of alternator - rev counter will just have to be decorative for a while!).

We have also identified and cleaned all gauges, which are also ready to go in. The remaining list therefore looks a bit like this:


brake light switch
finish bleeding and adjusting brakes
adjust handbrake
gearbox links, adjust, clutch adjust

fit boot floor panels screw top, rivet bottom DONE!

rivet rear section DONE!

assemble bonnet and wings
fit locators, catches.
fill and sand bulkhead and bonnet
mask-off
etch primer, primer/filler, flash coat, sand

rear light housings, other parts for painting
windscreen, door caps, bulkhead caps
primer/filler, flash coat, sand, sealer coat.

fit dip switch, starter switch, horn relay
radiator, water pump, water pipes
alternator, regulator
carbs, petrol pipes, petrol filler,
cables, oil pressure, horns
loom, electrics, switches, instruments, lights


start engine

wood floor
seats (AMy cleaned it and repaired already
windscreen, wipers, screen wash
refit bonnet
door furniture,
door glass?
MOT

So there's still a lot to be done, as you can see. We'll be trying to do the odd bit in the evenings this week, but I'm afraid Jack and I are off on holiday on Sunday for a week (I know, I know, sorry!) and the weekend after is his sister's wedding - apparently we won't be popular if we eschew the wedding in favour of Jowett restoration...

In light of all of the above, I'm putting out a renewed cry for assistance - all help, no matter how small, is really important to getting Napoleon on the road for the rally. Payment as ever in beer (or other beverage of choice), pizza, and everlasting gratitude!

Amy.

[Forumadmin]

Amy and Jack struggled fitting the patched up boot to the steering column.

Work over this weekend will take place with Chris and I (and all the other helpers that are going to turn up?) fitting bonnet, filling and sanding everything and hopefully getting a coat of paint on it.

[Jack]

Clutch pedal now connected to the clutch, spring fitted and rod length adjusted. Other than a nasty squeal from the pedal rubbing slightly against the bodywork where it goes through, job done. Quick file will sort out the clearance.

I have sourced O-rings which fit around the gauges, as with the metal dash I feel we need something to protect the great job Chris has done painting it, and will prevent any rattling from vibrations.

Also replaced the O-rings inside the gauges, these were originally some awful gunk which took ages to get off, white coloured to reflect light inside the gauge. Unfortunately only black O-rings available next day, so I've fitted these, white ones on backorder with the supplier.

I will write up what sizes the O-rings are, but they are basically just cosmetic, not functioning as actual seals, so the clearances aren't critical as long as they space the gauges off the dashboard that will do me.

Also by sheer coincidence, I was planning to put a gasket of some sort behind the switch plate in the centre of the dash, on testing a couple of the spare O-rings I found that one of them fitted nicely around the edge and fitted, which is good because the edges of that plate if it were to move would almost certainly damage the paint and be very visible.

I assume this isn't such a problem with standard Jupiters due to the wooden dash, on the SC the dash is painted metal which will look great but does require a bit of care due to the design.

A big day tomorrow hopefully, with a full day to try and make progress, I think fitting the bonnet, adjusting brakes, and if possible get as many things off the list that we can, and to hopefully leave things in the best shape we can before me and Amy leave for holiday Sunday morning bright and early.

Jack.

[Drummond Black]

Well done ALL, You are getting there. Jack / Amy have a good time ski-ing and keep thinking of all the late nights between now and the rally !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...

Guess Who...

[Jack]

Well done ALL, You are getting there. Jack / Amy have a good time ski-ing and keep thinking of all the late nights between now and the rally !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...

Guess Who...

The "DB" Accelerator Pedal went in over the last couple of days, Keith has been busy, accelerator cable is in as well. Looks brilliant, the action on it is bang on.

There is going to be some catching up on sleep, a whole lot of free wine (all inclusive chalet, they have no idea how much cheap wine we can get through in a week on the mountain!) and not having to come home at 10pm to eat dinner and do the washing up ourselves.

Plus we know that April and May are going to be rather busy, I'll be putting in the weeknights as we've not got many weekends between now and launch, but Keith should be making progress without us under his feet at weekends hopefully.

Jack.

[David Morris]

Hi All,

It's great to read the super efforts being made to get this Jupiter on the road in time for the Rally! If it was nearer, I would be there to help myself!

Just a suggestion that might be handy though? If you suspect air in the Master Cylinder, and that is highly likely if the full system has been stripped, with no provision for a bleed nipple on the cylinder, one dodge to bleed the master cylinder is to 'crack' or open slightly the banjo union on the master cylinder when going through the bleeding process. I use the Gunson's tyre pressure bleeding kit, so can do this single-handed. Just crack open the union and you will be surprised how much air bubbles out of the banjo before it runs clear!

Don't forget to do it up securely afterwards!

All the best with the rebuild! You'll get there!

David

[Jack]

Well I've been given the evening off to get packed for holiday (12 hours driving tomorrow, leaving 5am!)

The bonnet has had a test fit, and so far all looks good. We've got to tweak the wings a little to get the gaps perfect, and the mounts at the front need aligning, but otherwise I think this is pretty much ready to fit once we've welded the couple of small holes up - and then it can go through the usual process of filling, sanding, painting, sanding, painting, thankfully Chris seems to have made a lot of progress with the other panels, so things are moving along.

There was a bit of adjustment needed to get the front wings to line up right with the back of the bonnet.

Amy has been given the windscreen surround to play with, so that should be sparkling and ready to go on soon enough - I think the bulkhead will be ready to paint very soon so that can go on shortly.

Right, off for me to concentrate on a week of skiing, hopefully Keith and Chris will have lots of good news for us when we get back, and we can get stuck into the MOT preparations. Loads left to do, but it is starting to feel like as long as we don't hit any major problems when it comes to getting the car running we have a chance of hitting the deadline.

Number plates are on order as well, pressed metal plates for front and back, silver on black, only £30 for the pair.

Jack.

[Chris Spencer]

Despite Keith's warnings that the bonnet / front wing assembly were very difficult to align - I kept an open mind - we suffered a broken bonnet hinge on the right hand side whilst attempting the first fitting (must be a weak point as the left hand one had already been rewelded at some stage). Keith delved into a couple of boxes and within 30 minutes we had a spare (looks like someone had made this up in steel). Once reattached and with a little work on the front mountings / hinge boxes we had a smile on my face and a good fit.

This despite the bonnet suffering several decent shunts in former hands, and the lower section of the A posts being rebuilt. I thought that my bodywork skills would be well rusty having not rebuilt / painted anything for the last twenty years or so but supprisingly it would seam that it is like riding a bike (you never forget). Just as well because there is not a panel on this car that has not been thumped or scared at some stage in its life even the top of dash has seen some realignment.

The front bulkhead & A posts are not far off primer as is the B posts where Keith had let in new repair panels on each side - I nearly have the door gaps to a point that I am happy with them and the doors should be coming off at some stage one evening this week. The rear bulkhead panels are in a better shape than the front was and again we should have them complete for primer one evening this week.

Colour coats are looming hopefully for the main body by next weekend, we still have some minor welding on the bonnet, and the door panels / rear wings and boot to paint. These are have all been panel beaten and returned to shape prior to filling and sanding.

The rear of the car has also suffered from several shunts throughout its life with the boot coming off the worst (but not far behind is the N/S/R wing) - this is a difficult and complex panel to repair as access to the outer skin is limited by the inner skin futher complicated by multiple curves - it is marginal on uplipping the outer skin from the inner to attempt better repairs but time is against us and I am confident that I can get the shape corrected by working the panel complete.

Keith contines in the absence of Amy & Jack to bring the remaining mechanical odds / trims & fittings together while I bring the bodywork to trueness & paint. More updates to follow - when progress allows.

[Drummond Black]

I made my bonnet hindges in steel as both were cracked. I also put a grease nipple at the end of the hindge pin which is accessable from under the inside of the bulkhead. The area around the hinge box fixing holes was also strenghted with a bit of 1/8 plate.

[Forumadmin]

I found a steel hinge to keep the restoration under way whilst Amy took two hinges for welding to Classic Autos. Picked them up today so they will act as spares. whilst there I chatted with the guys who are busy working on a host of cars including Graham Hill's F1 1958 Lotus which is being totally rebuilt. Very interesting how each part is restored. Mentioned I had to clean the carbs, the engineer showed me his homemade baking soda blasting tool that he uses. Simple, just an air outlet with a tube in the vortex to suck up the soda. Similar to a shot/grit blaster. Good thing is no grit to block any jets as the soda dissolves in water.

[Leo Bolter]

Ladies and Gentlemen.

This is just to let you know that ALL* Jupiter hinge patterns are available from JCC of NZ Spares for them to make castings in either aluminium alloy or bronze . . they will be cast to order and supplied machined or un-machined as required. As none have been made in recent times so current costs are not available, but this will be quoted on receipt of interest.

* L & R Door hinges top and bottom. Also bonnet hinges.

Yeah! Keith and Amy, I know you need them NOW, not in 3 or 4 months!

Drummond, I did the same reinforcing of the hinge box and also the grease nipple job . . . way back . . .

Regards,
Leo.

[Forumadmin]

That is good to know. If we have another one go then suggest we make a batch. For now I have spares of each hand. Over the years I think at least three bonnet hinges have broken; but they were easily welded. The door hinge on the SC was also welded (not very well) and it was a b****r to align requiring shims and new holes. Whilst searching for the hinges found some new blank castings, so a job after the rally is to machine and fit one.

[Amy]

The next (and final!) rebuild weekend party is imminent. It's a bank holiday weekend this time, so loads of time for us to get cracking through the remaining jobs, and no excuse for those of you who have thought about coming but didn't have quite enough spare time...

We've been beavering away (as you may have seen), so the list is looking a lot more manageable now. Bits in red still to do:

March 20/21
front brake cylinder check/renew
master cylinder return spring
brake light switch
bleed and test brakes
adjust brakes.
adjust handbrake
engine mount
gearbox links, adjust, clutch adjust

sand bulkhead
fit boot floor panels screw top, rivet bottom
fit rear section

mend doors, strengthen quarter light, weld?
fit doors
adjust height rear section/boot lid
rivet rear section
strengthen boot, fit struts,
mend lock and fit (need new lock)
fill and sand rear wings, rear section, boot

As per a couple of weeks ago, the brakes still need a final check, bleed and adjust and the handbrake is rather limp so will need sorting. The rest of the list above is however now done

April 2, 3/4
assemble bonnet and wings
fit locators, catches.
fill and sand bulkhead and bonnet
mask-off
etch primer, primer/filler, flash coat, sand

rear light housings, other parts for painting
windscreen, door caps, bulkhead caps
primer/filler, flash coat, sand, sealer coat.

Chris is doing a cracking job of the bodywork, with the main bulkhead painted, and the wings / bonnet all on their way.

May 1/2/3
steering column boot
check and fit dip switch, starter switch, horn relay
radiator, water pump, water pipes , heater
starter, dynamo, regulator
carbs, petrol pipes, petrol filler,
cables, oil pressure, horns
loom, electrics, switches, instruments, lights
battery box, interior panels

start engine

wood floor
seats
windscreen, wipers, screen wash
refit bonnet
door furniture,
door glass?
MOT

We're making headway on this list. Most of the cooling system is in, teh switches are done and the loom is well on its way - Jack will be wiring up the lights, and making a start on the interior gubbins.

We're now looking at a list of something like this:

finish bleeding and adjusting brakes
adjust handbrake

etch primer, primer/filler, flash coat, sand (bonnet)

windscreen, door caps, bulkhead caps
primer/filler, flash coat, sand, sealer coat.

starter switch, horn relay
Dynamo, regulator
carbs, petrol pipes, petrol filler,
cables, oil pressure, horns
electrics, instruments, lights

start engine

wood floor

windscreen, wipers, screen wash
door furniture,
door glass?
MOT

The bits on the engine are possibly some of the easier and more achievable bits and I will be getting on with some of that this evening.

We need a working horn! Dad hasn't been able to work out the ones that we have (either to get them to make a sound or to figure out how to connect them), so we will be visiting a scrappie to get a working horn.

Hopefully the engine will be started by Sat (that's my goal...).

If you'd like to be there for the somewhat momentus occasion, please let us know to expect you. Bring your overalls, and we'll supply the rest

Amy.

[Amy]

We're getting along at quite a pace now.. as of close of Sunday, we had crossed off the following:

finish bleeding and adjusting brakes
adjust handbrake

etch primer, primer/filler, flash coat, sand (bonnet - nearly...)
primer/filler, flash coat of all wings and boot

Dynamo fitted

starter switch,
oil pressure, horns
carbs, petrol pipes, petrol filler,

Hopefully tomorrow we'll get the rest of the panels sanded (Chris is doing a wonderful job on them). Dad has been getting on with the electrics, I've been getting on with the lights (these should get done tomorrow), and we're not far off starting the engine (says she, hopefully!! - well, it does turn over at least)

This leaves:

door caps, bulkhead caps
sand panels, sealer coat.

horn relay
regulator

cables,
electrics, instruments, lights (all part done)

start engine (nearly there!)

wood floor

windscreen, wipers, screen wash
door furniture,
door glass?
MOT