Great SC rebuild.......

[Jack]

Well, another late night, but more progress from the SC Stable.

The car is now watertight. The tonneau is on, and fits nicely, even though it was me did it I am really impressed that it turned out as well as it did. Very good to see it stretched across the cockpit, lines up nicely so if it rains overnight at the rally we won't come back to a flooded car! The zip section down the middle works fine, so Amy shouldn't get too wet if there is a minor bit of rain on the way. It also fits nicely over the steering wheel, and covers the slots for the windows so we won't end up with doors half full of water if it does rain a bit! Here's hoping for weather like we've had today for the rally, glorious sunshine and nice and hot for working on the car.

We also had an early afternoon icecream from a vintage (1950s I think) Morgan Icecream Van outside the local pub. Was in great condition, and in the sunshine outside the pub (very old listed building currently being restored) working on 1950s cars it was a little picture postcard while we had a break.

Anyhow, we finished off the day with removing the floorboard so Keith could get on with the master cylinder tomorrow morning, I think it is now ready to fit, and hopefully not too much lost brake fluid tomorrow (partly because we bought another litre today and it was more than £30!!!)

Chris was allowed an early night because he was looking pretty exhausted - got off the flight this morning after a 4am start and was straight round to work on the car! Chris has started flatting back the paint on the front wing, after having repaired the damage from the ramp falling on the front valance, and now you can't even see the dent, paint should go on there tomorrow but it's looking great already. We're all very sorry to have dented such nice paintwork, especially Keith whose fault it was. That's my story and I'm sticking to it

Anyhow, early night for the troops, another long day tomorrow to finish off preparations for the rally.

Amy somehow escaped working late tonight as she's off out with the girls in town, I can't complain too much with the days off I've been given for going diving in recent weeks

We also had a drop in visit from Heintz, who was dropping things off and picking things up from the garage, we were all in the middle of things so didn't get much time to talk, hopefully we will see him again at the rally or over a beer in the next few months - lots of talk of getting local meetings going for the North London Jowett hareem...

Jack.

[Forumadmin]

Heinz is probably the oldest member of the club now, having joined in 1962. But no doubt somebody can top that. Anyhow he brought back the burette (in a new cardboard tube) the glass plates and the Tuning notes.He left with some string solder for the head nuts and some advice on how to fit the new head gaskets. Heinz will not be at Wakefield but we will soon reinstate the Kings Langley meetings so that all in the area can have a social evening (rather than worjking on cars).

Most of my day yesterday was spent rebuilding the a master cylinder and making the corner plates for the winscreen that I discovered were in stainless and were difficult to drill and tap and even more difficult to get all four holes to line up to pull the screen in flush. Fisrt job for Chris this morning is to get it on the SA.

jack forgot to say that Amy and him started dismantling the car taking out the seat, floor and then windscreen (so that the tonneay lift the dot fiximg holes could be made. We tried purchasing a right angled drill but £75 did seem excessive for two holes.

Down to fit master cylinder now.

[Chris Spencer]

Not much to say from me - everybody has covered what I was up to - It was great to see the car with all the wings and doors on - still loads of odd bits to do and acres of polishing and still I will not be happy with it - I know Keith, Amy & Jack think it's fantastic - but given the time I would have taken six months of weekend / evening work for me to be completly happy with the bodywork / paint finish and not the two months that we have rushed it through in.

I am my own worst critic when it comes to doing this type of work but I was trained at the time (30 years ago) on some of the best / award winning cars in the world.

As Jack stated I was starting to fail in alertness by 9 last night what with the early morning flight so did not get too much done. The team must have put some late nights in whilst I was on the hols as Keith has put solar powered navigation lights down the path to the workshop !! Must go and get some more work done - Updates to follow.

[Jack]

Another late night, but back home to get some sleep for the week ahead.

I managed to find a full set of seatbelts for the car - some three point belts from an old Mini of Amy's, in good condition and nothing to go wrong. Managed to get the right bolts sorted, and drill the first hole, but I was too tired to do much more tonight.

Spent some time today working on the boot, I managed to get the boot to catch and close properly, and unlatch nicely. However the boot handle is not sitting on the lock properly, so has the nasty little habit of coming off. Up to now this hasn't been a big problem, but it does have the potential to disengage when the boot is closed. That would be bad. Really rather bad indeed. Anyway, a solution will be found. Somehow. Not sure what that will be, but we'll work it out. At least we are able to close and lock the boot, even if that is a bit permanent for the rally

I made up another plate that goes on the front of the bulkhead, this is to stop a bunch of water getting into the inside of the panel and covers the hole where the door hinge bolts are seen. Unlike most things on this car, it was a 20 minute job to cut and drill the panel, it got a quick coat of paint, and went straight on the car after tapping out the holes to clear the paint. Probably the easiest job to date, and seems to do the job nicely.

The triangular lower plates however really weren't as easy, with the plates going from easily fitting to completely jammed just by looking at them. Managed to get the passenger side plate fixed, with a sheet of rubber behind it to prevent water getting into the bulkhead.

I also made up a couple of small plates up to go on the sides of the seat. I was a bit concerned that the seat pivoted forwards, and on the SC there really isn't any benefit to the seat tipping forward - getting access behind the seat is easily achieved by sliding the seat forward on its runners, and in an accident the seat tipping forward can't help much. Not that we're planning any accidents, but it can happen. With the seatbelts and a solid seat well mounted in the car should be as safe as it needs to be for normal road use and we won't have to worry much about other drivers being useless (though this does seem to be increasingly common)

Seatbelts should be fitted tomorrow night, so more progress towards a safe and comfortable drive to Wakefield for Amy hopefully.

Jack.

[Chris Spencer]

The bonnet dint with no blame - (well only Keith & Jack were around when it happened and they just keep blaming each other) - anyhow I got the dent repaired and into primer yesterday - so after a guide coat and flating back the repair area was blended in with colour coats.

Several hours were spent rebuilding the SA windscreen frame (Long story but Keith had been using the SC frame on the SA for rallies so we have had to switch them over - repaint / rebuild both frames and refit to the correct model Jup's) The SA frame is a involved job and best not rushed. Now all assembled and just needs bolting back onto the SA.

The Windscreen glass removed from the SC yesterday to allow access for fitting trim fastenings was refitted along with the keep trims in a lot less time than I had spent on the SA frame / windscreens.

I have commenced flatting and polishing of the paintwork - unsure if I will get it all done before the rally but I will be trying hard none the less - the rest of team will update you with what they were getting done but lots was happening !

I am hoping to collect my Rover in the next few days which is just returning from an 18 month complex rebuild of the brake system (inboard rear discs - very painful) / cosmetic refit of the engine bay / carb rebuilds / plus lots of minor bits & new tyres on to freshly refinished wheels / MOT. I will have some running about to do as it will need taxing and a quick clean / polish prior to the run up to the rally.

It's going to be a very busy week ahead.

[Forumadmin]

To correct the above story, I was no where near when the dinting of the bonnet occured. I was inside the house. Amy and Jack were puttting tools in the car in the top garage. Jack alleges he moved a cloth that Amy put there that moved the ramps that I had put there that then fell onto the car. Video survelliance tapes and forensic examinations will be used in evidence! ...............

Sunday started early, loosening master cylinder and filling new cylinder with fluid. This took ten minutes of shaking to get all the bubbles out; but it meant when it was fitted that the brakes were hard with no bleeding. Also no bleed-by on low foot pressure. A road test will satisfy me it is fixed.

The rest of the day was spent finding and helping, apart from 2 hours shimming the passenger door so the V guide did not scrape.
Shims were needed under top hinge and behind scraper plate.

Must do the driver's side now.

The 20 jobs on the list at the start of the day reduced rapidly with only a few being added. Main job left is the bonnet supports that do not catch.

Hope to get SA up top this evening to give it a run and clean it.

[Jack]

To correct the above story, I was no where near when the dinting of the bonnet occured. I was inside the house. Amy and Jack were puttting tools in the car in the top garage. Jack alleges he moved a cloth that Amy put there that moved the ramps that I had put there that then fell onto the car. Video survelliance tapes and forensic examinations will be used in evidence! ...............

The 20 jobs on the list at the start of the day reduced rapidly with only a few being added. Main job left is the bonnet supports that do not catch.

I would like to ask the court (kangaroo court, naturally) if somebody sets a trap and a bear falls into it, is it the bears fault for falling into it, or the bloke who put a bunch of leaves over some thin twigs to cover the hole. Now there was me, innocent little bear that I am, pootling along in his little forest, when suddenly out of nowhere a ruddy great weight comes crashing down on the car 10 feet away from where I am standing. Further inspection shows another ruddy great weight balanced precariously over the front end of the car, luckily I managed to stabilise that one.

Conveniently the hunter who set the trap was hiding inside the house, waiting to hear his prey fall victim, just in time to come out with an innocent looking face as the ramps were moved to a safe distance If only cars could talk, then we'd know what really happened and we could move the trial to sentencing...

Plus we all know there's only one juror, and naturally that juror is female. And she seems pretty sure, having witnessed the whole thing, that it wasn't the little bear that was to blame, and that doesn't leave many other options

I also admitted to a couple of minor scratches on the body in order to try and build some credibility for denial of the more serious offence of having to get the filler and primer out again

Anyway, good to see the list getting shorter, to be honest having the bonnet struts not quite catch when lifted as one of the last major jobs is very reassuring, once I have the seatbelts in we should have the boot catch working and then just some cosmetics to do for the rally, bumpers, hubcaps, and lots of checking and rechecking should mean we are ready to roll. Obviously we are going to be busy with polishing, cleaning, and generally clearing up, but the end is in sight, and we should be on for a lovely weekend of a relaxing few drinks and no working on cars please.

Jack.

[Forumadmin]

Petrol pressure regulator and wiper arms arrived from Paul Beck. Added to Jack's jobs this evening whilst Amy is teaching the Navy in Plymouth about the size of fish net (tights).

[Jack]

Another late night, and we now have very very secure and comfortable seatbelts. Which is nice, because safety is a good thing when you're driving up the motorway. No major modifications required, the bolts are slightly larger but go through floorboard bolt locations in the centre and close to the back corner, as well as on the rear shelf. 3 point seatbelts were the order of the day, because I honestly couldn't think through where we'd put the centre mount for a four point harness, and we didn't have one handy in good condition.

Chris' work on the bodywork continued onto the bonnet, where more rubbing was going on, I won't pretend I understand it all, but he seems to be getting rid of bumps in the paint and making it even shinier.

Tomorrow's job will hopefully be fitting the lower grilles, as long as I can find some suitable tube to space the new slats.

The screen is now back on the SA and looking good, though some minor work to do to get the hood to fit properly and a couple of tweaks happening on that front. Doesn't look like much work to have both cars on the road and ready to go for Friday, but anything could happen between now and then

Another job for tomorrow is to fit the fuel regulator and wiper arms/blades to the SC. The list is getting increasingly shorter now, which is good, and not much going back onto the list as we go.

Jack.

[Forumadmin]

We do have a full harness but it was the one fitted for Amy when she sat between us many years ago in the SA.

[Amy]

It's good to hear that work continues without me to keep you all in check... I'm in Plymouth all this week training Navy officers (better behaved and far more used to taking orders than the SC rebuild crew!), so I have done my last work on the car before the rally!

I spent the weekend taking out the seat and floor, to then put them back. Chris took the glass out of the windscreen for me so by end of Sat I felt like I'd regressed by a couple of weeks However, it did mean I could get the windscreen trim fitted with help of some brute force from Clements snr.

Then I put the floor in. Again. Not my favourite job as there are a couple of awkwardly placed bolts to deal with, and it was very hot and I was quite frankly a bit grumpy. Anyway, it got done, and we got the seat back in with Jack's various modifications.

The boot catch proved tricky, I had a bit of an idea yesterday during my trip down to Plymouth and duly phoned dad, to discover he'd been thinking on very similar lines.

By the end of Sunday I was sorting a suitably non-tatty collection of hubcaps to go on, having painted bumper irons ready to be put on once Chris has attended to the rear end.

Looking back over our various progress reports, and knowing the state the car was in this time last year, to have been sitting there nearly a full week before the rally choosing chrome to finish the car with is nothing short of astounding. I had thought that if the car made it to the rally at all would be nothing short of miraculous, and had visions of not much more than a stripped metal shell making the journey to Wakefield. As it is, on Friday I will be very proudly driving a Jupiter far more complete than I could have imagined (as long as dad treats him gently on the test drive!!).

So, an enormous thankyou to Chris, Jack and dad, Drummond, Scott, Bill Lock, mum for keeping us fed and watered and everyone else who has provided parts, time, expertise, and encouragement to keep us all going and help get Napoleon back on the road. We (me and the car) look forward to seeing you at the weekend

Amy.

[Jack]

I just got home from working on the car. What an evening.

One side of the front grille is now assembled, though not fitted (I really really hope it is an easy job and fits like it should!) - unfortunately the original had either been hit really very very hard, or since being taken off had something really very heavy on it - the slats were very dented and even the bar behind one side had been bent badly.

As a result the first job for me this evening was to head to B&Q to source some threaded rod, and suitable tube to fit over the threaded rod and to space the slats from each other. In the end I had to go with a thinner tube as a sleeve, and then a thicker aluminium tube over the top to form the spacers. This meant cutting 16 spacers at exactly 52 degrees at either end, cutting sleeves slightly smaller, filing all to smooth edges, then using 4 hands at once to try and get them all to fit together.

Eventually, after several hours, I managed to get one fitted together, and at 12:44am decided not to start on the other one. Tomorrow the other should be together so they can be fitted before the end of the evening - the spacers and sleeves are all cut but need tidying up and I'm sure there will be a lot of faffing trying to get a perfect fit on the car.

Thankfully we have freshly chromed slats going on, which look spectacular - just what we need to show off the paintwork on the bonnet, and if we rechrome the centre grille I think we could have one of the best front ends I've ever seen on a Jupiter.

Anyway, time for bed. I will have a think through the other bits we got done and probably update in a quiet moment tomorrow.

Jack.

[Chris Spencer]

Firstly lets just set a few issues on to the correct path of judgement :

Jack - You compare yourself in your words to 'A little bear' (everybody - Ahh) - So ask yourself - just what bit of you is little then ?? (Amy gets first right of response)

Your bear trap story - what a load of rubbish and here is why - If I loaded the fridge with cream cakes and came back to find the fridge empty - you are going to attempt to blame me for putting the cakes in the fridge in the first place !! (You have already admitted that if cream cakes were involved you would have them away and embellish your gastric system with them) - hence your defence has failed.

You go on further to blame our master & leader when he was elsewhere at the time.

Taking all of this into account can only conclude to the following :

Bonnet dent - equalls - Jack - equalls - Guility !!

The decision is final and no rights of appeal are allowed.

On other matters - the flatting / polishing of the bonnet / front wings continue but we shall not get the complete car polished by the rally. If you really must judge the standard of the bodywork / paintwork please look at the front of the car not the rest until we complete the polishing / finishing.

I am planning to undertake some paintwork polishing classes on the rally day its self - this is a complex process - if you want to learn on how to get the the best possible finish from your rubbing rag and elbow - just ask. Going back to my previous employment of vehicle restoration we would have been allowed 2 days just to polish the bonnet / front wings on a vehicle of the Jup's size - so here is me attempting to get it done in about a third of time at present.

Please also take into account that the car was preped and painted in less than ideal conditions - at about 10 degrees below the recomended temp in the confined space of Keiths workshop in a non dust free environment, not sure if you can beleive that the paint we used was in excess of 35 years old !! - gravity feed spray gun was £35 and the thinners used was a cheap standard thinners - £20 for 25 litres - the work was carried out with care but given the timeframe was rushed none the less and each panel fitted to the car was severly battered prior to the prep work. Judge the work on the above and then come and look - all questions freely answered.

Must go the day job is going to get in the way otherwise.

[Forumadmin]

I started the evening sorting the fit of the driver's door which was tight. Shims under the lower hinge helped align the vertical fit of the striker plate. Some grinding and filing of the plate on the body post helped the horizontal fit. Then I closed up the v grooves on the plate attached to the door to stop them hitting the body post. This meant some thinning of the torpedo shaped locators. It closed but was still tight. However, some white grease soon gave a smooth entry. Jack has one last job to shorten the retainer arm which sometimes hits the inside of the door.

Jack also fitted the replacement water temp gauge in the facia; with some cursing when he filed the wrong side of the clamp!

Then onto the SA hood which needed a sealing strip at the front. Jack brought a neoprene wet suit, off which we cut the arms and I made up some strips which were glued with contact adhesive. Much juggling and forcing got the pin locators and catch to batten the hood down. Hopefully, it will not be tested in the next couple of weeks!

[Jack]

Oh, and good news of the week - Halfords are doing 3 for 2 on T-cut. Great timing from the big orange sign in the sky, because I reckon we'll get through most of that this week!

Also, as I noticed in the store during my shopping trip yesterday, and as many of you will be doing oil changes for the summer, Halfords have got their deal back on where if you buy 5 litres of oil (between £14 and £17 depending on which you need) you get a free set of their professional screwdrivers, worth about a tenner and good quality. Unfortunately their 20/50 classic oil in a green and yellow tin isn't included in the offer, despite me trying it on, but useful if you need oil for modern cars or other jobs.

Chris, as we worked out, leaving a bunch of cake around is asking for it, so it would have been your fault for leaving the cake unattended. That said, as a careful little bear, I'd have been wary of a snare or something with the cake as bait with the nasty hunter laying traps for all and sundry Nothing more embarrasing than being hung upside down from a tree with a bit of cake you can see but can't get to any more waiting for somebody to come and let you down Definitely a mistrial or something, Free the Kings Langley One!

Jack.