JimbobX

Day 5. Stripped off the decaying vinyl roof and it doesn't look too bad under there. One area of concern over the drivers door. Verified that the clutch is indeed seized. Will have to wait until I've fitted some brakes before I try jolting it free. Removed the squealing alternator belt and ordered a new one. Then some bad news I think. Does this axle look bent?

Day Four. Removed the starter motor and tested it. Twas dead. Just out of curiosity I got the old starter motor I removed 5 years ago on the advice of a local mechanic out of the boot and gave it the same test and it worked! So I fitted and put in new spark plugs. The old plugs were a motley assortment. After a few goes the engine fired up. Very satisfying :) Cleaned the air filter cover til it was shiny and blue. When it rained I went inside to have another go at getting the rusted restraining pins out of the front calipers. Success. New problem though. The clutch doesn't appear to be engaging/disengaging. The pedal feels like it's not attached to anything. Not completely loose but not as much resistance as there should be. And the gear stick moves into the gear slots whether you put the clutch down or not. What could be going on here? Thanks for the replies and help, this forum is invaluable :)

Day 3. Front nearside tyre blew in the night so had to source a makeshift replacement to keep to the schedule of shifting it out of the mud today. Local tyre place gave me a slightly smaller one for a fiver was nice. Took off the nearside wing. This is the worst one. I think some underseal bitumen stuff has been painted over the rust The front brakes were both jammed on. Calipers and brakepads mated together in unholy union. Brake pipes on both sides were casualties of war. I assume this is par for the course. Got the wheels back on and towed her out of the mud for the first time in 8 years. An aside. The engine almost started yesterday. But the battery was having to work harder and harder to turn the engine over until today I just get one 'tick' when I turn the ignition. Battery is fully charger and new. Tried another battery. Same thing. Could this be the starter motor or maybe something interrupting the voltage to the starter motor?

Day two. The stubborn wheel final came off as did both the rear brake hubs complete with brake shoe pads attached to the inside :) Took out the drum brake mechanisms on both sides. Will need to order some new shoes. If anyone has any recommendations for manufacturers that would be lovely. Put the hubs and pumped up wheels back on. I should be all clear to have it towed out of the mud on to hard standing tomorrow. The engine almost started too. Which was an unexpected bonus.

Right day one over. Mostly digging and hoovering nuts. The order of play was to dig the back wheels out, get some axle stands in, take the wheels off and get the handbrake unjammed. Sadly I was thwarted by the offside rear which just will not budge. Any tricks for this? I've been whacking the rim from behind with a hammer which worked for the nearside but nothing doing with this one. Under the carpet in the drivers foot well. Nearside A-post Offside Bits what I bought AGES ago. Under the spare wheel (this was full of nuts - sound familiar?) Cheeky smokebreak in the cockpit. This was a puzzler for me I was expecting calipers and brake pads/discs? How am I supposed to unjam the handbrake? The offending wheel, welded on by nature.

Cheers Mrmacca. Great info and link.

I think it's best to assume zero experience ;) Any nuggets of wisdom gratefully received. Axles it is.

Thanks for encouragement fellas. I'm definitely in the camp of spend thousands on this rather than a new car. There's few enough of these around as it is. I'm determined not to let her die. I'm going down in the next few days to jack her up and get a solid base underneath the wheels and chassis. I'll get some more pics then. After watching a few of Paul's vids I'm also a bit more confident about what I'll be able to do and what I will have to hand over.

Just been watching the videos :)

*applies for new credit card* :(

Yup. This project didn't look tricky enough so I decided to give it 3 years to 'mature'. I'm back on it now. God help me :/

I've just put your number in my phone, Dave. Will give you a bell about those wings tonight, mate. Cheers

Thanks for that consul315. You wouldn't know a source for a cambelt would you?

That looks very nice. I would even go so far as to say tasteful :) If I remember right - mine has a 70's one fitted with the modern one sitting in the glovebox.

Going over to give Tina some love tomorrow while I wait for a few parts ( cheers slammed :thumbup: )and need a few points of advice: Got a new battery and am going to try and turn the engine over. Any bits of prep I should do first? (apart from clear the mice from under the drivers seat :unsure: ) The hand brake is stuck on. Any tips on getting that loose? Cheers, Jim