2231367 Underway

It's early summer here at the moment. Mid teens to high 20's most days. We will hit the 30's from next month.
Winter it will drop to between 2-10 deg for most days. Still way warmer than winters in parts of the northern hemisphere.

Suppose it's fair to say the restoration is going at a fair speed. I'd put it down to a few things, which I've listed below. These pointers might be of use to other members.

Might be famous last words as we aren't at the end yet.

1. Do your homework on the coupe you are buying, so you know what you are getting into;
2.Write out a plan for what you want/need to achieve in terms of major components of the work and project itself and stick to it - this helps avoid mission creep - same for a timeframe;
3. Set a realistic budget, stick to it. But be prepared to blow it by a minimum of 10% on account of unknown rust, broken parts etc;
4. Shop around for good tradesmen to support your project - they need to not just be an artisan but also understand your passion - I'm using sole traders as opposed to a bodyworks;
5. Do as much of the work yourself as you can, be prepared to learn new things - this keeps costs down and your interest levels up;
6. Bring your family on the journey with the project;
7. Seek advice from the Forum at every opportunity, same for NOS parts;
8. Have fun.

There's probably more and I'm sure others on here have written on this as well.
My 3yo daughter (AKA Lola the project manager) and I will be back at it later today. Might be able to make some more progress.

 

Big day today with the front and rear screens going back in.







Also re-found this old sticker on the front screen going to try and track them down and see if they remember the car.

 

great progress Wes....did i say how fabulous Ceylon is !

 

I know right. Love how it has a hint of pearl in it as it really brings out the gold flecks.
Back down there tomorrow. Should be able to check all the electrics tomorrow and refit the door skins.
My new carpet has also been released by customs, so that should arrive this week.
My bodyworks guy still isn't quite happy with the finish on the boot and sunroof, so will re-do them.
Really appreciate his attention to detail, makes all the difference for a top quality finish.

 

Thought it about time for an update:

Had some trouble with the rear lower manifold cover as it turned out the ports were totally corroded away and about to fail. Suffice to say this wouldn't have been a good thing and turns out to be a fairly hard part to find as W&N don't carry it.



This has pushed back our completion date as I source a new part and deal with the inevitable Christmas mail glut.

Other developments include final priming and taring of the floors.



We also finished installing the carpets. This got held up due to Customs holding the package as I had to provide evidence that it didn't require the payment of import duties.
These are from KHM and are very good. Would highly recommend if you are in the market. I didn't even need to understand German.
The centre consul and radio are now also in the car too - note the new wheel too, sourced via the Forum
The original radio was also sourced via our Forum as was a reconditioned consul, both look great.
The door trims are also now back in the car too.



All of the external trim is now on. Including my CS register grill badge.



The finish line is now in sight...
The 3.0 CS decals go on later this week then I can put the mirrors back on.
Still some assorted tidying of the electrics still to do.
Once the new manifold piece is sorted the windsplits can go on too.
Still need to get the sunroof working properly too but the job sheet is now down to the last few lines.
Very happy with the results so far.

 

Hi Wes,
Simply gorgeous!
I remember when my Csl was ready. What a feeling.

Our cars will live past us, ready for the next 50 years!

 

Oh ya, if I’d know you are installing wind splits, I would have sent you a pair of decals I had specially made for the splits. I have you adress, will mail you a pair one of these days.

 

My 3yo daughter calls it the 'Sparkle Car.' She frequently comes down to help us work on it.
Also loved putting the booster seat in the back and going for a drive before we started the restoration.
Reckon it will be in good hands.

 

On the home straight now.
Put the sunroof back in the car today and for the first time since I've owned the car it actually works.... Is a little stiff at the end BUT IT ACTUALLY WORKS - go back to page one of this thread to see how much grief this has given me.

Seems the problem was a previous owner had among many other things used an incorrect seal, which was too wide.
This stopped the roof from popping up into the correct position. Presumably the same owner made some other improvements, such as losing a few bits including the clear plastic wedges..

Touch wood all the electrical gremlins are now also out of the car. We couldn't for the life of us figure out why the wipers wanted to run all the time. I replaced the stork, intermittent relay and still no love. Turns out the on/off switch on the old stork was broken and some helpful soul had bypassed it by connecting power directly to the consul wiper switch, meaning it as always on, provided the ignition was.

The other one that gave us some fun was that when you tried to use the dip switch for high-beam nothing happened to the lights but the horn would come on...
Turns out the seven pin plug for the light stork on the column can actually be installed upside down, which another previous owner had helpfully done Took a while to figure this one out.

All of the interior is also back in the car.

Now I'm just waiting for the 3.0 decals to go on along with the windsplits. Then it's just the bottom manifold plate keeping me off the road.
Suspect I can bypass this and the engine will still run fine, just a little harder to warm the carbs - shouldn't be a big problem given its 20 deg C or warmer most days.

 

I agree this is going very well and very quick!! Looks great!!


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What colour are the seats going to be?


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@boonbouna Here you go.

Car was re-trimmed about 4 years ago by a previous owner.
Apologies about the quality of the photo..
How cool is my new wheel

 

Im guessing you are going all black on door trim?
Car looks great!

 

Yes mate.
The interior is in excellent condition so I'm not changing it.

 

ATTENTION:

Something big happening here tomorrow.
Watch this space

 

Here you go crew.
The car is now basically finished. The windsplits still need to go on but that's it for the bodyworks.
I'd of brought her home today but there is a gremlin in the secondary ignition circuit so so doesn't really want to start - less than ideal.
Am reliably informed these 3.0 decals were a devil to get on the car. But don't they look good.
Will post some better pics when she leaves the workshop.

Bow view.


Stern view.



Starboard view.

 

Wes, it's beautiful! And I'm impessed by how fast the reassembly of the car went. Now enjoy it!
I can confirm that the sidestripes are a PITA to get on straight and without bubbles, but it sure looks so good.

 

Looks wonderful! Do you really want the wind splits?
Live without them for a bit.
Are those my reproduction tail light lenses installed?

 

Those are the lenses that came with the car. From the state of the lights I suspect they are original.
How do I tell if they are yours?

 

Planning on getting out on the road ASAP.
Only thing stopping me is some gremlin in the ignition circuit. I've a sparky on the lob today.
I've power to the starter motor but looks like nothing at the solenoid.
My suspicion is the problem is lurking in the replacement ignition switch we installed as the starter has just had a total rebuild and I drove the car to the workshop.