S1 Rebuild(s)

[Dave Adams]

some pics of the rebuild process,

the top trailing arm bracket is broke......

the diff is sloping back a little (looking up) so that will need sorting.......

As you can see there isn't a lot of bracing in an S1 chassis, that will be sorted.

[Pete Clayton]

Any more progress Dave?

[Dave Adams]

Not a thing other than aquire more steel. i am hoping for some progress soon but need to MOT the sierra this or next weekend.

[Dave Adams]

Well i am planning to do something to my car this weekend. But the Sierra  is up for MOT at 08:30 and we have an appointment with the bank manager at 11:00 (house sale issues) and Danny and his missus is round here tonight for a get together......so today doesn't look like a good day to start. Oh and i need to replace the fan belt on the sierra and flush the cooling system fully to see if i can get the heater to work better. (30 mile trip to work each way, and i start most mornings between 05:00 and 06:00, demisters at least are a must)

[Dave Adams]

I am determined to do something to my car this weekend but stuff just keeps getting in the way. my new job is also not getting me home as much as i hopped so another change is on the cards. also need to take new S1 to dvla office in Beverley to get it inspected so i can have the log book. but only on a Thursday during office hours. ho-hum.

[Dave Adams]

You know though i do say so myself it wasn't half bad this year......i really must get round to sorting it out. :-(

[Dave Adams]

After a good few weeks of apathy towards my cars rebuild it is now getting to be a priority for me as i want the car road worthy for Stoneleigh, then i plan to sell it and rebuild the Lancia twin cam car.

I have been pondering how to rebuild the front end so it looks like Dutton did it, but modify it so that i don't have to bolt the lower wishbones through the chassis rails. Also the top wishbone mounts are tricky to place because the inner joints sit over areas of the chassis rails occupied by minor things like.....steering columns. But i think i have it figured out, i will have a play this weekend and and hopefully post pictures sometime Sunday. (After the sierra is sorted....i need it for work. ;-))

[Pete Clayton]

I thought about welding the mounts in place on mine, the problem is you can't unbolt the wishbones to change bushes due to lack of space to get one of the bolts out

[Big Vern]

You should be able to with the bolts in from the other end.

[Pete Clayton]

I don't think its possible with these ones

[Dave Adams]

Saved me a job there pete. it is the rear wishbone mounts that are the problem. more so as the steering column runs over the top of the chassis leg taking away the obvious anchor point for the lower chassis support for the top wishbone mount.

[Dave Adams]

Some progress.....at last. and wouldn't you know it....its not going smoothly. I decided to make a frame to hold the top wishbones first then work out the mountings for it. That also meant that the top frame had to slope rearwards so the top and bottom wishbones run parallel to each other.

then i fitted some towers in the same place as Dutton fitted them as these also locate the rack mounts, as i was fabricating them i decided to shape them to improve their appearance.

and i then used these towers to locate the top wishbone frame.....

I am just working out the rear supports so that the top and bottom wishbones can be bolted on, and the top wishbones will as before in this rebuild be adjustable for castor and camber. The lower wishbone mounts will be welded in place, rather than through bolted. and there is where some of my additional hassles came from......i forgot to allow for the fact that the original tube mounts are slightly proud of the chassis leg. Bum....so i have had to trim about 3-4mm off the top wishbone mounting width, so the front track of my car will be reduced by around 4mm overall. And the tracking will need to be altered as well now.

[Dave Adams]

I did think about that Steve. but track is a little wide on phaeton anyway. i don't want bolt on bottom wishbones because the spacer tube strikes me as a weak point.