Series 2 Confessions of a skin flint.

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Well it's all going tits up.
You see I have been using a pretty good but expensive spray adhesive for this project but just before the dash was covered I found myself in Wilco and picked up a couple of cans of their own brand gear.
Sure enough it's giving up the ghost already and it looks like the dash will have to be recovered.
Bit of a pain in the backside but not a massive job.
 
Now that is disappointing. But look on the bright side - I bet that there was just one little bit on one corner just out of sight that you weren't really happy with. Now you've got a good excuse to correct it.
 
Reminds me of my MGF bonnet, I had sprayed it with lacquer a couple of times then left it for a while then had another go at it, this time with a spray gun instead of rattle cans. (chronic orange peel) It was still rubbish and about six months later I decided to have another go at rubbing it down. All went well until I went through the top layer in one corner, didn't think it too bad until I had the power washer out and the top coat started peeling off in chunks. :eek:
Lost the whole sodding lot. :(
It was the last straw and I sold it a few weeks later.
 
Now that is disappointing. But look on the bright side - I bet that there was just one little bit on one corner just out of sight that you weren't really happy with. Now you've got a good excuse to correct it.
Funny you should say that.................:D
 
Been a wile but I have been designing a central locking system for a series. Lots of cutting up bits of tin and swearing but I think I'm onto a winner.

I have suspended my visible upgrades until Henry is a little more secure. The better it looks the more nickable it will become so onward and upward with security. Now it being and looking like a standard rust bucket from the outside should have its advantages. A casual thief will bring along a screwdriver for such a simple heist. But what if he cant actually get in the sod without smashing a window and crawling through it. Even when in it what if he still cant get the doors open and it looks like a big job. Hopefully by this time I have finished having my legs waxed and am back on rout to the mall car park.

I wanted to send a bolt into the door edge completely independent from the standard door latches but you will probably have noticed the door edges are surrounded by rubbers when closed and as Id finally got them watertight I didnt want to start chopping holes in the seals. This then required a keep. So I chopped up a lump of 6mm steel off the old tow bracket and our very own good old @wammers turned me a couple of hollow bullets to hide the bolts. Once lined up with the linear bearings that would guide the bolts they where tacked up and welded into position.

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Once the door cards are on most of the keep will be covered and will look quite tidy.

On the back side of that linear bearing will go the mechanism that pushes the bolt. So far it looks like this but as I fitted and un fitted it several times for adjustments it looked older than the car so the drivers side one tomorrow will have a few more photos of how it goes together.

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Once installed the hidy hole can be covered in steel and secured so it will be a huge faff for someone to get at it.

Oh, and I have had an idea of bolting one of those rear crossmember grab handles vertically just inside the striker plate and bearing so your pockets or belt lops dont snag on your way out.
 
If you reversed the door side fixing ie a tube welded to the plate on rear side of plate , the plate would act as a blank and your bolt would not need to protrude so far out from the tub..
 
If you reversed the door side fixing ie a tube welded to the plate on rear side of plate , the plate would act as a blank and your bolt would not need to protrude so far out from the tub..

There is precious little room where the mechanism sits. It is only as deep as the mechanism itself so if the linear bearing was inside the tub you would have to push the bolt from the other side of the rear bulkhead via a big ole. Then it wouldnt reach the keep.
The bullet is purely to stop the bolt being pushed out of the way. If it was any closer to the tub you couldnt open the door as it would hit the door seal lip and if you left a gap a wobber could easily push the bolt back into the open position.
Trust me I'm a bodger. ;)
 
Made the drivers side bracket today so its in the shed drying. With a bit of luck Ill have it together before work tomorrow with some pics up.
Also been working on a facelift. Not on me but trying to change the front panel to an ally one. To be honest the old one is solid but I fancy trying to graft a series 1 panel to it so it lasts indefinitely. Not sure its going to work.
 
I have the sizes and configuration so eres some pickies.

This is the spot where the gubbins are going to live. Bit tight in there so my 2lb of badly wrapped sausage hands had their work cut out.

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This is the carrier. Just hacked out of some scrap steel as I couldnt find any ally so it had to have a splodge of green stuff to slow the rot.


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and another in the locked position

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The whole thing is supported by just the two bolts for the linear bearing so easy to install. The factor #5 faff was fixing the bolt once in. I had to assemble it in situe, twisting and fiddling to get the bolt coupled up, then fit the small plate with its nylock nut.

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So once in position it works very well. The action from the actuator is very violent in both directions so I have slipped a piece of rubber down the back edge onto the bodywork in case it starts banging when jumping into the open position. There was a risk of the bracket making contact with the tub.

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I like ... ;)

Says he, with a scrap Disco for actuators/solenoids ... and a grinder and welder ... ;)
 
If your going to do the bonnet as well what happens when you forget to switch the side lights off and your battery goes flat?
 
If your going to do the bonnet as well what happens when you forget to switch the side lights off and your battery goes flat?
All my security devices run off a hidden locked battery. There will be a manual override but I am not posting that on an open forum. The hidden battery is of course on a split charge system with a manual switch to boost the engine battery. Nothing stopping you including a 12v radio control car type battery with the control box. A few soldered components to create a tiny trickle charge from a spare live and bobs ye fanny. The immensely cheap central locking kit I got off ebay even has a spare wire to the control box for an override switch that could activate the locks via an electronic key switch secreted anywhere outside the truck.
The possibilities are endless with a little bonce scratching. ;)
 
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