1986 GTL REBORN

[WILLIAM.A]

Hi everyone,
A while ago I adapted a Volvo 1.4 engine to replace the dead 1108 unit. I didn’t use the 1108 head because it looked to me that the combustion chamber shape would give too high compression ratio. The Volvo head waterways needed reversing and I built up the passage behind the water pump with metal filled epoxy putty. It will be interesting to see how it survives.
I had to use the 1108 camshaft of course and it seems that the cam lobes are not as “sporty “ as the Volvo. Maybe one day, an extension can be welded to the Volvo cam to provide the alternator/pump pulley drive.
I have yet to run the engine….

 

[WILLIAM.A]

Now I move onto the body and chassis. The body came off with a bang! The polyurethane foam had acted as a glue in one corner.
Wow, I have struck lucky.
I bought the car because it seemed unusually rust free

 

[WILLIAM.A]

This is the only rust at the back. None of the suspension mounts were involved. Just a simple layered patch inserted.

 

[WILLIAM.A]

This is the damage at both front corners. Just the outer skin and the base of the chassis box section. Again, a straightforward fix and everything else throughout the chassis is brilliant.
How lucky is that!

 

[WILLIAM.A]

I have started to take off and dismantle the front suspension to make it easier to inspect and clean up. Can anyone suggest how to separate the upright chassis bracket from the lower wishbone? The slot on the pivot bolt looks woefully inadequate to hold against the nut unscrewing force

 

[WILLIAM.A]

This afternoon was getting the LHS front suspension off. Using a trolley jack to control the lower wishbone works very well but it needed the pile of bricks and blocks and me sitting by the radiator support bracket. That was only just enough to do the necessary deflection. It is definitely necessary to loosen the upright suspension mounting bracket to allow the very last bit of down movement for the lower wishbone. None of the process seemed at all dangerous
Bad news. I managed to shear off the lower ball joint stud. Ho hum. That won’t be so easy to fix