ALRC Project

Hi Earthlings, Well I haven't done much lately as I have had a bad ear which has been affecting my balance and pretty much kept me out of the workshop. Though I have managed some decorating in the house so banked a few brownie points.
I have been in the garage today though and have fitted the door bars, i applied to the ALRC to get them to allow me to bend the diagonal to give some elbow room which they duly did so this is the result.
The smaller diagonal is set in so I can fit a door above the main diagonal to maintain the silhouette .
So the tube work is nearing completion and I'm looking forward to doing some panelling.

owl said:

Ninja I just noticed that you like staffie owning snap.
These are ours. Alport Staffordshire Bull Terriers

Tag

Click to expand...

Just caught the 'doggy' details ....
Fantastic pictures, awesome looking Staffy's ... really excellent.I'll add some to my gallery of Lennox , my lad.
They look terriffic .

( Put a couple there now.. From 'Profile' - Gallery is "Haggis Landy", he's in there

Ninja Haggis said:

Just caught the 'doggy' details ....
Fantastic pictures, awesome looking Staffy's ... really excellent.I'll add some to my gallery of Lennox , my lad.
They look terriffic .

( Put a couple there now.. From 'Profile' - Gallery is "Haggis Landy", he's in there

Click to expand...

Lennox is a tidy looking chap you obviously take good care of him, I can tell you feed him decent food from his clean teeth.

My lad has Photoshopped some body panels on and I am pleased with the results the finished motor should look smart,I like the proportions, cab size and position etc.

Been doing a few bits to the motor, Most difficult was the rear shock mountings, I was going to put the shocks behind the axle but couldn't get the geometry right so had to put them in-front but then there wasn't much room but got it sorted in the end. Just need to machine up some spacers for the mounting bolts and buy a set of 1/2" bolts.

Also I made up a mounting for the clutch pedal and master cylinder and welded that in even got the over centre spring working correctly.

Then made up a battery box and welded that to the rear crossmember and finally mounted the spots behind the grill.

That is starting to look really good!

Well update time. I haven't done a lot as I have been waiting for some feed back from the scrutineers on the rear shock mountings which I haven't had as yet but as I am off work this week I have had a couple of days in the shop.
so I have finished the front and rear shock mounts, I hope they don't want me to change anything but we will see.
Also I am looking into converting the PG1 gearbox to out put flanges and have decided to use a Freelander carrier and get a new output shaft made to accept LT230 drive flanges. I have done a drawing and found a guy that will make the shaft so just need to get all the bits together and take them over to him.
I think my next job will be the gear linkage to which end I have acquired an MGF cable set up which I will adapt to suit.

Just read the whole thread !! Really impressed with your work and skills. It's a work of art. Keep it coming.
Al.

Thanks for the comment Al. Things aren't going as fast as I would like as there are a load of other jobs piling up like decorating, a new bathroom, the drive needs relaying and just recently a large area of pebble dash has fallen off the house :mad2:
So I pay someone else or do it myself, either way will impinge on progress but that's life.
but yes I will keep posting.

It's coming on nicely, well done, looking good.

Hi guys Iv'e been doing a few jobs on the project today. I am still waiting for the gear box output shaft to arrive so can't build it up, I need to fit the box as it is slightly different to the MG box that is in at the mo, then I can fit the gear cables and once they are fitted I need to make the engine mountings that go underneath.

So I am working on the exhaust manifolds. I was going to buy a load of bends and make them up that way but the bends are about £10 each and as I need about 30 bends it's a bit pricey plus I could get welding clag on the inside, so I have decided to bend the pipes myself.
I have seen a guy on the web sand bending exhaust, he welds up one end, fills with kiln dried sand and then makes up a tool that welds on the other end of the tube and compresses the sand, then he heats up the tube and bends it which stretches the outside of the bend so as he bends the tube he compress the sand some more, sounds like fun so today I have started making a gas forge to heat the tube.
I started with a gas cylinder that has been under my bench for over a year, stuck some legs on it, a front porch and a back door to keep the heat in then made a burner. I still need to make the gas jet which I will do at the weekend on my mates lathe.
Also I have ordered some ceramic insulation and refactory paint.
So hopfully I waill soon be able to make my own manifolds unless it is some black art that I can't master, but it will be fun trying.

Also I have fitted a steering wheel and positioned the column where I want it and made up a mounting bracket.

looking good, like the burner, i need to start mine, just waiting to grow some balls to cut the tank thats been opened and filled with water for weeks lol

Just being reading this for the first time and looking at the photos and I must say I'm impressed with the workmanship from start till now and I'm looking forward to seeing the end result

Thanks for the replys guys. The chap who is making the output shaft for the gearbox says it is done and I will get it this weekend which would be great as I have been waiting a long time.
I have also ordered some rose joints to convert the gear cables and get rid of the dodgy plastic joints which are prone to pop of.

I have put the ceramic linner in the forge along with a kiln shelf and two coats of refactory paint, I have linner and paint left if any body is making their own forge.
I hope to make the gas jet this weekend then I can have a test run and will be ready to make some manifolds, well I will when I get some tube. I think I will get a short length and have a practise to see if I can master it, it all looks a bit tricky but you don't know if you don't try.

Well theoutput shaft never turned up but the good news is I got the gas jet made and finished building the forge. I have given it a test run and I am well chuffed with the results, so now just need to get some tube and see if i can do this sand bending job.
I hops so after building the forge but I spose I can sell it to a knife maker if not.

Well I have a week off and was hoping too build up my gearbox but still no output shaft.
So I have been bending some exhaust pipe or trying to bend some exhaust pipe LOL.
I welded a length of pipe to the squash pipe, filled it with sand and wound the bolt in too compress said sand but when I tried too wind the bolt back out I think sand was forced into the thread and it siezed up. Any how I ended up cutting the nut and threaded rod off and making another.
So the forge heated up the pipe no problem and I started bending. I managed to do the large radius bend ok but the tight bend needed to go into the head has proved very difficult, I think I need more heat once it is clamped in the vice, I only have a propane torch and don't won't to go down the oxy/propane route as it means spending on something I won't use much.
So I am having a re-think.

Looks ace mate well done

No it's not ace, the large radius bend is ok, well spot on really no ripples and no flattening but the tight bend at the other end is rippled. There is always something when doing a project that will test your abilities, might be the bush you can't get out or press in the chassis or the engine that won't start or stop smokin. Summit will turn up.
At least I can down tools, shut the workshop, go in the house and have a brew.

Trouble with thin pipe is that it needs support on the inside and outside to force one side to shrink which your not going to get with sand.
I was at a multi billion company and when we needed to bend exhaust pipe we tried the above method cos we didnt have a mandrel bender
It didnt work very well