Restoring a Top Hat

[Ivor Hawkins]

Tim, that’s exactly what most garages would have done back in the day, if the cwp isn’t too noisy, I bet it will be fine...that’s what they should have done in the first place!

[Ian Williams]

I would check the CWP clearances now, its highly probable that you will have altered the relationship between the two by straightening the torque tube. At the very least I would anticipate needing to adjust the sideways relationship of the crown wheel, but that done you will without doubt have a happier axle.

[Tony Press]

How is the pinion backlash at the pot join - more or less than before straightening ?

[Parazine]

How is the pinion backlash at the pot join - more or less than before straightening ?

Hi Tony,

It's a little bit more but not much.

Ian Williams wrote:Posted by
Ian Williams - 10 hours ago
I would check the CWP clearances now, its highly probable that you will have altered the relationship between the two by straightening the torque tube. At the very least I would anticipate needing to adjust the sideways relationship of the crown wheel, but that done you will without doubt have a happier axle.

Hi Ian,

I agree with you and accept that I could reset the clearances but that's not an easy job with these shimmed axles and, as the CWP is in poor(ish) shape, I'm expecting to replace the axle with a 30-31 type fairly soon after putting it on the road. As the car will be a driver, I'm happy to keep the original axle in a shed for a future owner and build myself a good 5.25 for road use.

[Parazine]

All about paint....

So, back in the garage again and the pressing job is the rest of the bodywork. The wings, running boards, bonnet and rad shell went away in June to be blast cleaned but there was a problem (isn't there always?) and they were not completed until last week. I have now etch primed them and they're awaiting repairs but honestly, not much is needed. 

   


One back wing is poor but the rest are really very good.

   

Someone has mig welded in a horrible over-patch on this wing and it needs replacing. However, 90% of the rest of the wing is pin-holed through and I'm considering having a new one made....

   


One of the things that annoyed me about the car was that the body was all blue, whereas it should have a black top. So I dug out my spray gun and started painting. The car had been finished in cellulose in 1985 so respraying it was easy, no reaction occurred and the paint was thick and easy to rub down. It's not a perfect job by any means (I'm not very patient when it comes to spraying) but it's good enough. The blue needed some repairs as well; I managed to get a 97% match on the paint colour I reckon....

   

   

Just need to paper in the blue repairs and Finesse the new paint in and the body repairs are complete.



Unfortunately, when the car was cosmetically restored in the 1980's the body shop had replaced the rear sliding windows with a single piece of 3mm domestic glass, illegal and dangerous. They also removed and discarded the beading that runs around the window at the rear to allow their bodge, leaving a raw edge....

   

I had purchased a Top Hat R type door on eBay some years ago and found enough of the beading to replace the missing parts. It needed annealing and re-bending and now it's quite close to the original. I need to replace a small piece of wood, also discarded by the bodgers.

   

So now, on with the job of sorting out the wings. If I can get all the spray work done this summer, I will be pleased - the temperature needs to be above about 18 degrees C for the paint to dry without bloom so it's really a summer only job.

[Ruairidh Dunford]

Really nice Tim!

[Chris Garner]

Tim,
Great work! Look forward to seeing the end product.

[Ivor Hawkins]

Yes, well done Tim, that’s looking great, I’m at about the same stage doing my box saloon, but sadly had to strip a lot of the paint to the metal due to the car being painted with a combination of cells and acrylic. I’m actually using two pack (I have full air fed) then I’ll knock it back so it doesn’t look so “plasticky”.

This is a wonderful thread I always look forward to seeing updates!

[Steve Bryant]

Great job.
 I would be careful about using marker pens on primer as it can cause reactions with further applications of primer as well as top coats.
Cheers,
Stephen

[Robin Boyce]

Painting the exhaust manifold.
My local shotblaster sprayed my manifold with an aluminium paint and then VHT paint, and it looks good 3 years later.  I try not to damage the surface but he recommends touching up with BBQ paint.