Chassis Delivered for Straightening

The chassis is now safely delivered to the body shop awaiting straightening next week. The trailer worked well and I found I could manauver through traffic with no problem, however the trip was not without peril!! I cam around a bend on a major 3 lane expressway and came upon a single bed mattress sitting in the middle of my lane...there was nowhere to go as there were vehicles on both sides so I ended up running over the mattress..I thought I had cleared it but unfortunately it stuck under the trailer and I dragged it for about a kilometer before a young women opened her window and screamed out that I needed to check my trailer. The mattress was firmly imbedded into the frame so I had to get the jack from the truck and jack up the trailer on the side of the road while cars zoomed by. A bit of a harrowing experience on a number of fronts...I did provide a public service by removing the bed from the road but at the same time there was inconvenience and danger thrown in.

When I got to the body shop I was warmly greeting and assisted in unloading the chassis..I was assured there was plenty of in-house experience with this type of work and that in their determination the frame was not that bent...they had the spec sheet in hand and all was well... Interestingly they said if I had been 10 minutes earlier they could have put the chassis on the machine right away...hummmm...the universe works in strange ways...

I now have unlimited access to the body-on Friday morning I purchased some 120 and 220 grit sandpaer...hopefully today I am going to begin sanding the primer in prep for paint....

time spent on Friday 4 hours-including travel

$$$ spent....$26....hold down straps and sandpaper

Chassis Loaded on Trailer

Last night I extracted the chassis from my garage. I had built a wooden frame to support the body while I worked on painting the chassis side of the body. Unfortunately I built it around the chassis so I had to modify it slightly to move one of the support legs further out so it would clear the rear end tires...plus I had to remove the rear wheels and use my jack as a trolley to move the chassis under the support beams of the body stand...not a big deal but it took time...after the frame was removed I swept up and remove some old worn out carpet for disposal...time: 2 hours...

This morning I hooked up the trailer and backed it into the driveway and loaded the chassis on my myself!! I was impressed with myself that I could do it single handed...the ramps were a bit too steep so I had to jack up the back of the chassis and again use the jack as a trolley to move the rear wheel onto the ramp. I think I might have scared the bottom of the frame a bit when it hit the trailer ramp the first time-hard to know...not a big deal...time 1 hour....

Now off to buy some hold down straps....plus I have to take some pictures before I head down the highway...

Preparing to Move the Chassis

Yesterday evening I picked up a trailer from a colleague to move my chassis to the body shop for a frame alignment. An important next step in the project. Fortunately I found a detailed drawing on the Internet with the chassis dimensions that I will pass on to the technician. I am keeping my fingers crossed the frame is just "slightly" tweaked and straightening will not be a major undertaking time wise and $$$$ wise....

In the last few weeks I have started to daydream about getting back to the restoration which is a good sign. I am at a critical point in the project (Kijjiji ads galore show cars for sale in similar states-owners having given up) and I want to make sure I press on and get through the hurdle of the having stopped the project due to the twisted frame..months have passed...hard to believe....

There are some critical tasks I need to complete before winter arrives-painting the underbody and engine bay and finishing off some bodywork...

I also need to repair or replace my shop vac-the motor is hatched.....

Sandpaper/Wood/Ford Ranger Spark Plugs

I have actually bought some material for the Triumph....sandpaper for sanding down the primer on the bottom of the car and on the engine compartment plus the 2 X 6 and 8 board that is needed to modify my body stand to allow the chassis to be moved out of the garage. Small steps but Triumph focused which is a positive thing...total cost around $6

Yesterday I attempted to install 6 new spark plugs in my 2004 Ranger...4 out of the 6 got installed-the other two proved to be too challenging for me to handle yesterday...it seems the 2004 Ford Ranger has a clearance problem on the passenger side plugs on trucks equipped with the 4.0 litre engine and Air Conditioning. References on the Internet proved this is a bear of a job for even the most seasoned mechanic.I decided to walk away from the task, purchase myself a swivel head ratchet and 1" extension and try again another day (or maybe take the truck to a mechanic). Fortunately the plugs only need to be replaced every 100,000 kms so odds are once I complete the job it is unlikely I will have to do it again..

I have noticed a change in my self confidence level since the breaking of the retaining bolt for the brake caliper on my 1979 Ford Camper van (see earlier blog) when things get challenging...there is a bit of an intimidation factor playing out for sure...

MOOP (Material Out Of Place)

I have wandered out into the garage a couple of times in the last month or so....I glance at my disassembled Triumph and wonder two things:

1. Why has my enthusiasm for the project diminished so dramatically in the last few months...
2. What am I going to do about it??

Re Point 1: the bent frame scenario was very discouraging. Although I have a plan to address the issue I have yet to take action...no action-no results... Logically there are other things I can be working on in lieu of frame related tasks but I haven't even attempted to pick up a wrench, sander or any other tool which ultimately doesn't move the project along... To complicate the issue, we are enjoying the best summer weather wise in a decade so multiple distractions have kept me outside and away from home also diminishing my focus...Working on the Triumph has not been a real priority...I met a friend in a book store a few weeks ago and we had a brief conversation about finding time to do the things we dream about and how hard it is to keep the commitment of taking the time to pursue our interests "front and center"..another important point in my analysis as I have not made the Triumph work a priority...the list goes on and on....

Re Point 2: The project time line drifts into the future....I have missed a number of critical milestone dates that I had set for myself which in itself is kind of discouraging. Intellectually I know I have to stop beating myself up for not being focused and get back to the work at hand...small steps-small victories can build up momentum so  I need to get back into the garage (and start blogging my progress again)...

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A few weeks ago I needed to repair a section of my fence. The bottom rung had rotted out and the boards were hanging loose....the work needed to be done...I went to my local Home Depot and grabbed my building materials and set out to get the work done...Nearly every tool I needed to use was out of place...the term is MOOP....material out of place vrs MIP...material in place...rung true...I marveled at how much time it took me to "search out" my tools...a detriment to the successful execution of a project...after my daughter's renovation project I didn't take time to re-shelve and organize my woodworking tools....plus I left my drill in the back of my truck-a place I would not normally look to find it....I needed to spend some time considering what I had used the tool for last....as it was not in any of the usual places...my patience was certainly tested....it is all in the details.....fortunately my mechanic tools are all where they need to be...I won't be able to use MOOP as an excuse not to work on the Triumph....

Inspiration and Such

On Wednesday night I went out to the garage and "yet again" played with the positioning of the rack and pinion assembly to see what modifications would need to be made to the bracket to get the clearance I need for the steering yoke. While I was there I remeasured "yet again" the frame misalignment and tried to figure out if correcting the slightly twisted configuration will help me with the clearance...verdict is still out...In addition I went out into the shed and retrieved the TR-7 steering shaft I had purchased a few years ago to see if it had different sized knuckles than the Moss supplied unit...unfortunately they are remarkably similar. The support bracket would require the welding of a plate to support the moved U-bolt bracket...pretty straightforward fabrication I would assume? I sat for a few minutes and contemplated where I was at project wise- then left the garage and went to bed...

Last night (looking for some automotive inspiration/motivation on Youtube)  I watched a couple of episodes of Rat Rod TV....the aspect of having the ability and drive to create a unique piece of automotive art for a reasonable sum of money is truly inspiring...the show has a very "can do" type of feel to it...which is what I need to feel right now...I have wanted to build a hot rod since I was 8 years old and seeing the show rekindles that desire..interestingly I am still contemplating the building of a rat rod using my Triumph frame and even did a quick calculation on cost...the idea really intrigues me...but alas I can't start on anything like that until I get my car back together...

Ford Van Brake Caliper Challenge Revisited

On Saturday I tackled removing the broken e-z out from the steering knuckle on my 1979 Ford van and was successful in removing the offending hardened tool piece. I took my time and gingerly ground out an access area with my Dremel tool (after reading about the process on the Internet). With some persuasion from a hammer and drift I was able to extract the piece with a pair of pliers. I re-drilled the hole and ran a tap into the hole and created new threads. The first 1/8 to 3/16 of the hole is damaged from the e-z out extraction but there is still about 5/16 of an inch of threads available for the bolt and with a torque value of 17ft pounds I am sure the treads are adequate for the bolt tightening..To be on the safe side I applied some JB Weld to the opening and created additional material for threading. The bolt is now securely housed and given it is just a "stop" for the sliding caliper bracket I am comfortable the fix is "fit for purpose" I will examine the bolt for tightness once I have a few kilometers on the vehicle. I figure my "bolt breaking" fubar took 4 hours to correct and cost me $30 (including the cost of the broken e-z out) to remedy. All  avoidable if I had taken some time to "evaluate" the situation to determine my next steps before blindly proceeding in a "forceful" way..a good lesson learned on many fronts...