So, collected last weekend and the first chance I get to go over it we have snow / hail / rain and gales... lovely if your a penguin I guess...
Q835XSC purchased from the factory in 1988, completed in 1990, stored for the winter in 1991 and there it sat for 22 years, possibly one of the saddest Legerras I have ever seen apart from my black one.
It was rough, body panels off, windscreen missing and a sorry case of 4 wheel drum brakes...
Today it got a wash, nothing special just caravan cleaner and a sponge but an improvement on fungus and moss...
Hell of a job on here lads, starting with a body off chassis check, bushes and bolts and some refurb bits fresh from the sand blasting cabinet.
I will be posting more detail on Mr G's but major updates will be copied onto here too.
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Photo's taken and uploaded onto flickr here. Got a bit to write up but more on monday (i think)
This was most definitely a mk1 escort base car. Every nut is imperial. The good thing is I have imperial impact sockets and the air wrench... if that didnt shift it I used the wheel gun
I've been under the engine bay today with the little air powered flap wheel, looked like a snowman when I came out. there is a big hole in the floor/bulkhead which has been badly patched, another down the tunnel both of which are going to have to wait until it's on more stable stands as the doors need to be opened, not recommended when a Leggie isn't on the chassis.
Waiting for coloured GRP pigment to do the repairs now.
I can set up new sections on the bare chassis, ready to be welded onto the green one with the bumper removed.
It was a pain to sort them body on.......
There is also a discrepancy in one of the legerra cross members but it's negligible compared to the ARB mounts. They are definitely out. The replacement should be fairly straight forward but it will help having it upside down. Not something I would attempt with the body on.
err S4 phaetons.......no edit mode on blog posts........:-(
Adrian my n/s TCA was also out of alignment.....i disconnected the anti roll bar and it corrected its self. yours may well be the same.....i think the anti roll bar mounts were mounted incorrectly...it seems the S3 Phaetons might have the same issue.....
Unbelievable difference although I still can't do any overhead stuff or lift anything heavy Its meant so much having a roof and a heater. The green Leggie is actually shiny again now the water has dried out of the fibreglass and the old stuff has been cut back. The white Leggie being up on stands has meant I can get to the bottom of the floorpan to repair the mess the original builder made. One thing I have noticed with both Legerra's is the moulding flash. I'm not sure I've seen it quite so bad on any of the other models. All the return edges have little extra bits like old airfix kits used to have. All That is being sanded off the white one with a mini DA about 2 inches across and 320 grit discs. This leaves a flatter smoother surface to sand using scotchbrite pads on the same tool and then eventually it will get buffed out. I tested the theory on the green one first and it works.
I also have the chance to move into units A,B and C but need someone to come in with me thats prepared to share the rent and the space. It would mean more space outside and a lot more space inside as this is nearly four times the size. I have asked the welder next door in I if he's interested. It would be good if we could get one more body involved to get the costs down even further. In total it would mean 12+ spaces...
Lock up looks good Ade, bet it's nice to have some where dry to work!
Next installment due, might have to do this nightly for the next few weeks.
With the body off and the chassis devoid of engine, box and prop etc it is easy to see the misalignment issues.
I haven't taken photo's yet as despite getting a fair bit done its still a mess. James has been bracket rounding... all the sharp edged have been removed on the front and in the engine bay and under the passenger compartment.
The passenger side TCA is not straight in its inner mount, pushed back by the anti roll bar (no surprise there) the wheel is at least 20 - 25mm further back than the drivers side. I have checked all three of the series 2 legerras and they are all suffering from the same problem. New anti roll bar mounts will be manufactured and tested. If they work then I will be willing to supply then as a weld on kit or possibly with a little more engineering a bolt on kit. They will however mean that the existing bolts have to be removed and the alignment etc will have to be spot on before the new ones are fixed permanently.
The engine bay has also had the sharp corners removed from the rear upper wishbone bracket, I did this in the green one and it has saved me many skinned knuckles while working near or on the alternator, steering joints and rack.
Seat rail supports are bad, drilled in the wrong places and all at different levels. I may remove them all and use 2-3mm flat sheet instead, the whole of the seat base area will be made of 2-3mm plate seam welded in, drilled in the right places and welded nuts below to make seat removal and fitting easier.
The panhard rod is just 'wrong'. According to all I've read they are supposed to be as close to horizontal as possible to prevent deflection. not only is the legerra panhard rod on an angle it is also at an angle when compared to the axle. I'll photo up tomorrow to illustrate what I mean.
Rear upper shock mounts are 40mm forward from the 'natural' position directly above the lower mount. This means that even at rest the shock bushes are constantly under tension and twisted. These brackets will be redesigned to be more efficient. This will mean the panhard rod will get moved as well. Double win on that as they can sort of swap places. The other alternative is to reverse the lower suspension plates on the axle thereby relocating the shocks on the front of the axle not the rear. This would solve the handbrake fouling issue I experienced on the green one.
The old escort van tank is past redemption, it has a 50p sized hole in the bottom and to repair and tank line it is just wasting money. I'll measure up for a Fiesta tank hopefully a plastic one that won't rot awayand may also hold more that 170 miles worth of fuel..
Nearly all of the four link brackets on the chassis are partially obstructed by 'other' bits making removal of the suspension bars to fit new bushes an absolute nightmare with the body in place. The lower two have corroded as they had trapped water resting in them at some point. They too will be replaced.
All this coupled with the general chassis strengthening should make this a 'straight' chassis in all directions, more resistant to flexing and friendlier to the components and bushes that bolt to it.
I hope to have this lot completed by the end of this coming weekend, should be fun :(
I am having a professional seam up all the brackets once they are in place and also the chassis brace and seat area plating.
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