1980 Austin Princess mild custom - 1951 Lanchester LD10

[vulgalour]

Long way from finished, the purple needs a coat or two more, the brightwork needs applying and the dashboard needs converting from LHD to RHD.  I have a finalised plan, I promised myself I'd paint this model only when I was 100% happy with the direction I was going with the car.  The model is a 1:43 scale model from Heller and nicely detailed on the whole, Princess kits are pretty hard to come by.

This means then that I'm going for the original Champagne Beige base coat with a 100 Club (Princess special edition) style two-tone in a royal purple, possibly Aconite (full circle on that one, then) and the HL trim level black satin on the C pillars, boot top and door frames.  The wheels will be Lotus alloys in the fairer months and original Princess steels in the saltier months.  Rear lights will likely be the 100E units I'm polishing and the grille will likely become a black satin or chrome tube full width type that can be swapped out for the original trims if I want to.  Bumpers stay and the door handles go beige to blend them into the body.  Interior will simply be the really good black velour and vinyl set I already have with the modified purple dash panel, nothing fancy apart from the multicolour crochet seat protectors which again I can remove at will.  The original clear glass will receive a light smoke tint, partly for aesthetics but mainly for comfort in the sunnier days because it's a bit of a greenhouse with the clear glass.

In the far future I may have to go onto airbags/hydraulics because the Hydragas system is on borrowed time thanks to nobody producing a compatible new displacer unit for the Princess and a seemingly increasing rate of failure on the units out there at the moment.  I'll run the Hydragas for as long as I can but realistically I think it will have to make way for a custom set up just because of parts availability.



On the Xantia front, that's now off the road until I can get some time in at the garage with it to do the clutch.  I've been on borrowed time with the clutch for several thousand miles and it is now starting to be difficult to drive.  I've got the kit to do it, I just haven't had the free space or time at the garage to get it done and I've not had the funds to farm the job out.  Thankfully, I work from home and the garage is only about a mile's walk.


Things are settling out nicely.

[mylittletony]

sounds like a plan!! Looking forward to seeing it progress

seeing as you're now au fait with Citroen hydraulics, would it be worth investigating adding them to the Princess to replace the hydragas? At least then you can keep one system of spares rather than 2 different hydraulic systems.

[grifterkid]

It's great to hear that a plan has finally been settled on with regards to the Princess as now you can really focus on the details and get stuck in when you're ready to takle the wedged wonder...!!!

I really do look forward to seeing how this progresses as I know things are just going to look great. Superb stuff as always!

[vulgalour]

mylittletony: I have considered adding the Citroen system. It's do-able, but not totally straightforward. I'd need to find a way to run the hydraulic pump off the engine in the best way, suitable locations to mount the spheres and reservoir, someone willing to make a custom set of pipes and a suitable location and method for attaching the front struts that BX and Xantia have as I'd be using the whole system. If the situation had been different I would have kept the running gear and engine from my old BX to swap across, but I didn't have the relevant space, time, tools or experience to make it work at the time. The complication of this is why I've considered going the route of a fully custom hydraulic/airbag system as all the parts are off the shelf and brand new and can be plumbed in to fit the car by someone that knows what they're doing.

[Rich]

If you were to use the Citroen system you wouldn't have to fit the macpherson struts up front, you could use a second set of rear Rams for the front.

[vulgalour]

That makes things easier. Honestly though, I haven't the relevant experience to modify this and know I've done it safely, I'd need someone to hold my hand to do it. I'd like to though, I think it would be neat.

[vulgalour]

Today, after being unable to contact one another since June for various reasons, the keeper of my third car got in contact and we had a bit of a chat about stuff, including (importantly for this thread), the car itself.

The previous thread for it is over here: retrorides.proboards.com/thread/161178/1975-renault-6tl-provisionally-sold

To give you a brief visual update, this is what I agreed to purchase for £80 + cost of delivering it to a safe spot more local to the place it was bought from.  I bought the car at the start of the year, I've still not seen it in person!


The bad bit of the car is really the roof and gutters, but since the car has a separate chassis this is no real concern.  Since the car is on a chassis, it doesn't matter if the roof is a bit mangled and since the chassis and mechanicals are basically all Renault 4, parts availability is very good.  The rare body panels and trim are what matter and this car has all the important bits that are hard to find, a RHD facelift UK 6 is about as rare as these little things get, something I didn't know when I agreed to purchase it.

So what's happened since June when I last spoke to the caretaker?  Back when the car was collected the head was removed and the parts sent over to Wales so that it could be rebuilt and fitted, this on the advice of enthusiasts that warned the engine in these does not like being laid up and is prone to head gasket failure.  Since this car has been laid up for the better part of 20 years I thought it best to bite this particular bullet in advance.  The head is still in carefully labelled bits, a combination of Life, Work and Inexperience on the part of the caretaker means I'll likely end up doing this job myself, I have no problem with that, it causes no issues.  The bores in the block are left full of oil, which has stayed put, to prevent any corrosion and the weather is being kept out of them so again, no worries there.  Even if I do have to do a full engine rebuild that's no bad thing on this car, it may even benefit from it.

Here's the peculiar gearbox-in-front-of-the-engine front wheel drive layout.  This engine and 'box combo used to be rear mounted on a rear wheel drive, Renault used this solution to increase cabin space and reduce costs.



The gutter on the passenger side has been straightened to allow the front door to open and close, and now the spare blue passenger front door that came with the car has been fitted so it has a less denty one on there.  That'd be this side, picture taken before the door was replaced and the gutter straightened.


Three of the tyres are holding air, the one with a collapsed sidewall is deflating regularly.  That's no great surprise, I wasn't going to use the tyres that are on the car anyway.  It's also started letting water in again, but not sure from where.  The bulkhead and windscreen surround seem solid, it doesn't appear to be letting anything in from the gutters but instead appears to be allowing water in from the front wing.  It's apparently not a lot and is being regularly mopped out and the seats are not in the car so they don't get water/damp damaged which is a sensible precaution.  I'll investigate this issue when I get it back.  It could be A-pillar related if water ingress appears to be coming from the wing area but the usual bulkhead/windscreen area is dry and not rotten.  I shan't know till I see it for myself.

Here's another random picture of the car for you.




So to get the wee beastie back I have to get a towbar fitted to the Xantia, borrow the car trailer we usually borrow and trek over to Welsh Walesland for collection.  I know my Xantia is capable of towing the tiny Renault because the caretaker had a practically identical Xantia when he collected it in the first place!



Cheered me up to know the little Renault has a chance again.  Because I've got access now to a decent garage of tools and skill and space it'd be daft not to take advantage of it and best of all, I'm not taking too much on.  I'm looking forward to seeing the little car in person sometime early next year, there's little chance of doing anything between now and then because there's Stuff and Things in the way.

[bumper3d]

Always loved those Renaults, they have a sort of cheerful look to them. Looks pretty damn solid too, almost unbelievably so since most of these seemed to just rot away. It's good to hear you now have a mid-engine supercar in your lineup. Oh, and I absolutely love the square headlights.

Xantia is a brilliant towcar. I tried towing my BX with my dad's 2003 Corolla diesel, since it had more torque. But I just had to swap it for my Xantia cause the Toyota was way too wobbly to drive. Citroën managed it beautifully and drove like a train.

[slackerTHEpinstriper]

Oct 17, 2014 19:28:28 GMT vulgalour said:

The internet, why must it tempt me so? I'm guessing the purple on this Plymouth is a custom colour, but is there something similar off the shelf, as it were?





The beige is pretty close to Champagne so I know it'd work with that two-tone idea. I really like this.

That's pretty much the colour of the brothel Kreeper.
A purple pearl in a black basecoat. I got paint primer and laquer for £175 when I did it.
You just need to add as more pearl for the particular shade you want.

[vulgalour]

How do I get a suitable adult to help me with the pearl? I don't think I have the ability to know when to stop when it comes to adding the sparkly stuff. Very, very cheap though, I thought it'd be much more for a pearl paint.

[slackerTHEpinstriper]

Nov 10, 2014 11:57:41 GMT vulgalour said:

How do I get a suitable adult to help me with the pearl? I don't think I have the ability to know when to stop when it comes to adding the sparkly stuff. Very, very cheap though, I thought it'd be much more for a pearl paint.

I had it mixed for me at Rotherham Refinishets paint supplies and they mixed a black base then added the purple pearl to get the shade I required. So mixed a bit took it out into the day light to see what I thought, add a little more etc etc

[slackerTHEpinstriper]

I had it mixed for me at Rotherham Refinishets paint supplies and they mixed a black base then added the purple pearl to get the shade I required. So mixed a bit took it out into the day light to see what I thought, add a little more etc etc

Or if your masking off a panel how about a silver basecoat with a purple candy? Fog the edges then in either black or gold to get a nice contrast.

Throw in some lace paint for good measure

[vulgalour]

You are, as always, a terrible influence. I'm so glad you're here.

[vulgalour]

The Xantia hasn't been used for a few days while I've been waiting for garage space to get the clutch done. So for the past few days it's been sat outside the house getting rained on a lot. This isn't normally a problem but when I checked under the rear seat again to see how well the previous dampness - presumed to be from the washing machine we transported - had dried out I was met with the sight of a small 1" or so deep puddle.



This is actually quite strange. The car had a damp issue when I got it which I cured with new outer light clusters, cleaning the inner light clusters and resealing the tailgate moisture membrane, this also means the boot has been bone dry ever since. I'm getting no water in the front or rear footwells, no dampness in the carpets or headlining, no visible water ingress and no water staining. It's like the water is collecting under the rear seat purely of its own will.

I have washed the car several times, it's been left in the rain before, driven through the rain, had a power wash blasted all over it and it's never let this much water in before. I have no sunroof either, so it's not related to that. My best theory so far is that the minor spidering under the paint on the roof has lifted the edge of the rubber seal for the gutter trims and that's allowing just enough water to trickle in over a few days and pool under the seat by running along various trim items unseen.

Anyone got any ideas on how this is happening?

[PhilA]

I can't see a path in that image that the water might be taking, but it might not be soaking up through all of the carpet.

I'd say park it up in the same orientation but with the sound deadening removed if possible, thoroughly dry and clean (with a bit of dishwashing soap in the cleaning water) and see where the trickles are coming from by observing the droplets on the paint left by the magic addition of a surfactant (dishwashing soap makes plates bead in the same way).

--Phil

[79cord]

Although you mentioned 'resolved' leaking from the tail lights I still wouldn't trust them given how notorious their seals can be.. assuming it was parked facing slightly downhill.

[vulgalour]

Car was parked on the flat, there's not much in the way of hills around here, let alone inclines. There is a very slight camber to the road, as with all roads, but not enough to make me think it would persuade water to favour one side of the car over the other to this degree.

I've had the car parked outside in the rain before without a puddle appearing and getting dampness in the same place, again with a totally dry set of carpets and seats everywhere else.

[vulgalour]

MoT on the Xantia is due on the 25th.  Today we finally got the time to get started on the clutch change, but not until half the day was gone so we only got as far as removing the wheels, checking the front brakes (which are in fine fettle), removing the under tray and draining the gearbox oil.  The oil out of the gearbox was very much in need of doing, while it's still pleasantly opaque and oil coloured, it smells bad and seems thicker than it ought to be.  It's likely the oil hasn't been changed for the 100,000 miles the car has done, likewise the clutch, so I'm not at all surprised or disappointed by what came out.

What was nice to see is how solid the car is underneath, it's definitely the nicest I've had to date and worth spending the effort on.  There is a weep from the sump gasket which we'll sort when we do an oil change and I suspect the weep at the top of the engine is from the usual suspect of the rocker cover gasket.  Haven't yet checked the arm bushes at the front, but that is to be looked at as they may need doing ahead of the MoT.  Plenty of things to remove before getting the old clutch out and plenty of things to check for wear and tear.  So far so good though, it all looks pretty good.

Here's a potato-cam shot of things at the end of play today.





Hoping to provide a positive update on this job tomorrow.  Wish me luck beating this appalling man-flu or whatever it is that's reducing my working day to three hours.

[PhilA]

Has the drain pipe from the fuel filler cap doohickey come adrift?

That'd leak very specifically if the pipe goes anywhere near the back of the car.


--Phil

[Xenocide]

Cracking looking workshop you've got there.