Even the good bits are bad......

....with apologies to the Tremeloes (you need to be a certain age to remember that song!)

With a second coat of POR 15 on the chassis, I turned my attention to the front suspension which I had assumed was in good condition, but I was wrong. On lifting up the nearside suspension unit to dismantle it I was surprised to find some significant play in the lower ball joint. Examination of the bottom joint showed it to be moving up and down by about 3/16 inch. By tightening the nut I could lose the free play, but the castellated nut was by now so far below the hole in the ball joint shank that it would have been pointless to fit it. I guess a couple of thick washers would solve that problem, but once the ball joint was removed it was apparent that it was virtually seized. I checked the upper ball joint and found a split in the rubber cover. On checking the other side I find that a captive nut is used with no provision for a split pin. Definitely new items required here I thought, and while I'm at it, I'll get two new track rod ends too. Reference to Fred Martin's excellent JZR manual gave me the information I needed to order parts, so a quick check on Ebay resulted in the purchase of pairs of upper and lower ball joints and a pair of track rod ends - all Quinton Hazell and at very reasonable prices. Just as a footnote - I had purchased a Haynes manual for the Mark IV Ford Cortina, just so that I had technical information about the front suspension. Unfortunately the manual does not show the lower ball joint or appear to make any reference to it! That was (another) wasted purchase.

~

Another day and the front chassis is now finished with a final coat of black chassis paint. Time to turn my attention to the suspension.
~
Sam Day had managed to deliver the engine before Christmas, strategically choosing one of the few snow-free days. I keep eyeing up the engine as it sits on the garage floor and debating with myself what colour to paint it. It needs a bit of cleaning up first - that is the removal of the old paint. I think I'll opt for black on the engine but polish up the ally bits to match the rocker covers. Saying "remove the paint from the engine" sounds very simple, but in practise it turned out to be a very long-winded job. The paint on the engine was rather sporadic - some here, some there, but not completely covering the casing. I tried a sample patch with my trusty Nitromors only to find that it turned into a paste and then hardened again. Never seen that before! Plan B sounds necessary - whatever plan B is.

~

Sam had suggested that I get the radiator pressure tested whilst it was out of the car so a quick visit to my local radiator specialist and a £10 fee should determine whether it is OK or needs refurbishment. Knowing that overheating can be a problem if the cooling system is not in top condition, this seems a sensible investment. After 24 hours the radiator was declared sound from a pressure test point of view, but a small amount of soldering was necessary where the shroud had parted company with the core.

~

All the suspension parts ordered through Ebay turned up on Friday so it looks like a busy weekend for me as I can start to reassemble both suspension units, and the newly refurbished pedal box which looks a little more presentable in its new black livery.

~

Roger