25 year old Alfa 75 back from the brink (hopefully)

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

The problem with flapdiscs is due to their flexible nature they tend to thin out the surrounding area when taking welds down.

I tend to use a (worn) blue flap disc for the first pass if the welds are very high (if the pigeon needed extra squeezing!)...you can take welds down to 1mm-2mm if you are careful then switch to the power file...but if it's somewhere that won't be seen I generally leave the weld a smidge proud. Obviously if it's on a wheel arch then it needs to be flat with surroundings.

I do like the power file....more control....a lot less noise and to be honest I enjoy the process. I don't like using the grinder for fine work....just annoying to use I think.

 

[bricol]

I tend to use a (worn) blue flap disc for the first pass if the welds are very high (if the pigeon needed extra squeezing!)...you can take welds down to 1mm-2mm if you are careful then switch to the power file...but if it's somewhere that won't be seen I generally leave the weld a smidge proud. Obviously if it's on a wheel arch then it needs to be flat with surroundings.

I do like the power file....more control....a lot less noise and to be honest I enjoy the process. I don't like using the grinder for fine work....just annoying to use I think.

I havea Braur battery grinder - slightly slower than a main so removes less material in the same time. Lighter and quieter - doesn't "scream" like mains ones do - and it doesn't make so much noise in removing metal as its slower. Nicer touse.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

The battery grinders are definitely better for car work...I have the DeWalt ...it's quieter than the mains but it still annoys me.

 

[Exuptoy]

I use a Makita battery one. The only issue is as soon as the torque light comes on a few times the battery is done. Just purchased a twin quick charger and another spare battery as that so I have 3 batteries and 3 charge points ready to go. That was my only issue.

 

[Dcal]

I was hoping to get a few bits painted over the Christmas break but the weather's been too cold, I did get some epoxy and seam-sealer onto the bonnet repair.

I also scraped off the lacquer and sanded most of the paint off and will wait till the weather warms up a bit before doing any more.

With a halt on the outside I decided to start putting the interior back together.

Started by treating all the box sections with Rustbuster MIL-SPEC Universal Wax.

I had already put the steering column and heater in 18 months ago so loom was next.

I couldn't find any before photos so it was a slow job working out what went where.

For an 80s car there sure is a lot of copper.

Dash next. which includes a lot more wiring.

Then I could get the sound deadening mats installed -which are a pain to store so glad to see the back of them.

 

[Dcal]

I really need to paint the car and get it finished but it's not the time of year for that so, I'm just installing bits and pieces to get them out of the way, see what’s missing and work my way through the problems before I cover things up so I don’t have to rip everything apart again to get access. (But of course I know I will have to.)

The sun roof and head cloth is taking up a lot of room so I thought I'd have a go at sorting it and getting it refitted.
I took it all apart two years ago so have forgotton what goes where.
The foam between the head cloth and the roof lining had completely disintegrated and the roof cloth was sagging so it had to come out.
I tried to get a match for the head cloth but failed.
I stuck the roof cloth in the washing machine as I had nothing to lose and it came out good as new.
This is the first time I've done a roof cloth so to try my fitting skills I decided to have a go with the sun roof panel first.
There's a flap that moves, so two small bits to play with.

The frame had split so I stuck it together with PU glue.

Then cleaned off all the old foam and glue with a stiff brush and a hover.
Applied spray adhesive to the scrim foam and panels and then stuck it on.
There's a tight step and recess the where the flap fits so I stuck it in a vacuum bag to make sure it was well stuck into the corners.

For the roof cloth material, I masked up the roof cloth and the scrim cloth to prevent glue going everwhere.

I could then stick them togeher apply glue to the overlap and wrap the cloth over the edges.

I don't think spray glue is ideal for the overlaps but it did stick ok even if it was a bit of a mess. I need to get some brush on for the other bits.
Then it was back into the vacuum bag

The flap was the same process.

It turned out ok.
However, I should not have wrapped the scrim foam over the edges, because there is too much material and the flap doesn't fit as well in it's recess as it would with just roof cloth in the steps.
If I had more roof cloth I would try removing the foam from the overlaps but it will have to do for now.

I installed it in the car to see if it works.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Nice work! [I'm envious of your snooker table - full size or half?]

 

[Dcal]

It's only a 6 x 3 pool table but makes a good work bench

 

[Dcal]

When I took the sunroof apart the plug to the motor had been disconnected.
When I plugged the motor in, the tilt function worked fine, however when trying to retract, it jammed.
It would then close again fine but there was a point beyond which it would not retract.

I was operating, straight from the battery, to see why it was jamming when there was a bang and it properly stuck.
It still tried to work but something was flubbered.
I took the motor out and that still worked fine, so nothing for it but to take the whole thing out again and it was back to the pool table again.
After a bit more dismantling I found that one of the rack brackets had snapped.

I wasted more hours than I'd like to admit, trying to find a cable and researching how to fix it.
I did eventually find a cable, however it was well over £100 and out of stock.
From google I discovered it's a GM sunroof but very little real info.

I thought, I could spend the rest of my life looking for a cable or just have a go at fixing the bracket.
I looks like it's made out of monkey metal so I can't see me welding it and even if I could it wouldn't be any stronger.
So I had a rootle about the scrap pile and I found some stainless about the right size.

Bit of cutting, welding and grinding and I had the rough shape.

The hardest bit was connecting the rack to the bracket.
I ended up silver soldering some 3/16 brake pipe to the bracket.

Then crimped the rack to the pipe.
The position of the pipe is critical to the operation of the rack so it took a bit of fettling of the bracket and the guides to get it to work.
Got there in the end
I tig brazed some brass to the slides because it no longer had the plastic, but I'm not sure it was necessary or if it helped at all.

I also used a short section of a broken body-file to take the corners off the rack guide where the bracket slides to ease the opertation of the bracket.
It moved fine by hand

After a lot of head scratching, I worked out that the root of the problem was the broken pointy bit (technical term) on the front of the rack brackets.
They cover a cut out in the sunroof frame when the panel is being retracted.

On the photo below, the cut out in the frame is to the right of the rack bracket.
To the left hand side is a sprung lever that drops in when the roof is being tilted.
When free, the pin connected to the bracket, can move independently and so moves along the slot in the sunroof panel mounting frame and raises or lowers the roof.
This same pin also raises and lowers the hinged panel in the roof cloth.

With the "probe" broken off there was nothing to operate the lever so the mechanism jammed when trying to retract.
It's in the correct position for tilt so that works fine.
I think the "pointy bit" had been broken already but I certainly broke the other bit of the bracket and the same bit was also gone on the other side.

There is a roller to the left hand side of the sprung bracket which helps the lever come out of the slot.
From the photo below, the pin slides along the frame that the sunroof panel is connected to and lowers it, before operating the sprung lever, lifting the lever out of the slot, locking the lever to the rack bracket and the panel can then slide to the left.
When moving to the right the rack bracket pulls the sprung lever with it. If it did not the roof panel would try to tilt.
When locked together the panel can only slide back and forth, without trying to tilt.
When it comes to the slot in the frame again the lever drops in and released the rack bracket.

With that sorted I applied lots of silicone grease to the rack and the guide reassembled it and tried it out on the pool table.

It now works but it's still far from happy, so more investigation is required.
With the motor removed it would slide by hand but with the motor fitted it was under a lot of strain and pulling over 13 amps.
It will tilt and slide, the problem seems to be the further it retracted the more strain the motor is under.

It is a very clever system.
I hope the laboured explanation isn't too much, but I thought it might help someone with the same problem as I haven’t been able to find anything to explain how a mechanical sun roof operates in detail.
Or maybe it's simple and I'm making a meal out of it.

 

[lewlux]

Thanks for taking the time to explain what you've done and how you've done it Dcal, iv just read through from the start again and think your pics and explanations are really interesting and helpful, great thread mate, keep up the good work

 

[Dcal]

Thanks @lewlux I’ve been working away a lot recently so can't get back at this like I want to.

Some repair kit for the rear calipers arrived so instead of losing them, I thought I'd rebuild the rear calipers.
They were in pretty bad shape to start with and I blasted and painted them a couple of years ago (where does the time go)

The one on the right was as it came off the car and the other is after blasting.
I tried to replicate the plated finish they have from new so primed then applied gold base coat, then a splash of green and red then clear.

I split the calipers and managed to get the pistons out most of the way but they then stuck, so I made a tool to grip the lip on the outside of the piston and levered them out.

With that done I could fully (well almost) disassemble the caliper. (There's quite a lot of bits for a caliper!)

Cleaned and lubricate everything and get ready to put it back together again.
There is no welsh plug in the rebuild kit so I had to order a couple (25mm if anyone is interested)
Also ordered new blead nipples.
Cleaned the bores with a hone which worked well.

That's one all done.

And the same for the other side.

Still need to make a couple of plastic covers for the adjusters, if I can't buy them.

I don't know how the paint will hold up, it's just ordaniry 2K, but I think it will protect better then the plating.

 

[hooblah]

Just finished reading from the start. Very nice work!

 

[Dieselman 63]

Might get a bit toasted, calipers get very hot. I’ve bought some Sumitomo ones for my Subaru, fixed four pots ought to be better than a semi sliding two pot.

 

[stevieturbo]

They don't get that hot really, especially rears. And it doesn't appear to be a track car.

Although for longevity, perhaps having them plated and then for appearances 2k over them ?

 

[MG David]

Getting brake pistons out can use some forward planning. I recently rebuilt the front callipers on my MGB. With them split in 2 on the bench I couldn't get the pistons out without gripping them in way that would damage the outer surface. So to get the pistons out I put the calliper halves back together, mounted the on the car without the pads in and pressed the pedal. As the pistons came out along way they were easy to remove once the callipers were off the car again.
Would have been better to pull the pads and press the pedal before taking them off the car in the first place.

 

[Dcal]

Thanks lads,
We will see how it goes.
A bit of cooking won't be the end of the world and it will be interesting to see how they fair.

@hooblah fair play if you managed to read this in one go, nut I really need to get my **** into gear and finish it.

More displacement activity today, played on the lathe and made plastic plugs for the caliper adjusters.

Also made a spanner for adjusting the 17mm side of the calipers, it's for holding the lock nut while you turn the allan key.

Then decided to reassemble the prop shaft.

The prop runs at engine speed so balance is even more important than normal.
When I got the car all the donuts and the central bearing had been changed, but as they were running it with the assembly straps still in place I didn’t have any faith that the parts were marked and put together the way they came off, as recommended in the workshop manual.
I did mark the main bits before disassembly.
I made a punch to install the front alignment bush.

So far so good, but when I put the yoke on the rear of the front section it didn't align with the front spider bolts.
I tried it the other ways and one way it seems correct, but of course it's not the way it came apart.
I held the shaft in the vice and turned it until the front spider bolts was level.

Sorry about the carp photo but it is level.
I then put on the yoke and tried it until the bolts were level.

I don't know if this is right and the manual and all the Alfa forums say to mark everything (including the nuts and washers) but that doesn't help if someone has been there before you and didn't bother.
Any thoughts?
@bricol have you had any experience of this?
In any case I will try and get it balanced before the final install, but I think I will get it on the car and clock it to check for run out first, but to do that I need to put the engine and transmission back in.

I had to modify a socket to get the yoke nuts torqued.

I then noticed that one of the central donut bolts is shorter than the rest so there is something going on here.

 

[bricol]

They don't get that hot really, especially rears. And it doesn't appear to be a track car.

Although for longevity, perhaps having them plated and then for appearances 2k over them ?

Inboard, either side of the transaxle on this car, and spirited driving gets them rather warm.

On my caterham, I've got the rears ver hot and smelly, starting to fade, with the fronts still perfectly working on descents on alpine passes - the fronts are nicely out in the air flow, the rears inside the rear wheel arches and don't get the same cooling air flow - same size discs front and rear too.

 

[bricol]

There should be flats in the yoke splines to line up with flats on the shaft so you know where to put it - only short flats at one side, not full depth flats. On the yoke, its on the split line. Flats to flats.

I remember at least two of the doughnuts were different to the third - possibly all three were different as I seem to remember all three were different prices - and not cheap!

Any prop places locally who could take a look at the balance - as you say, it rotates at engine speed, so goes round at a fair old rate. Certainly makes a bang on the bottom when a doughnut starts to break up!

 

[bricol]

I used to hate those bolts in the caliper sides - trying to wind then and not being able to tell what was going on, laying under the car. I seemed to change the rear pads a few times, discs only once.

 

[Dcal]

There should be flats in the yoke splines to line up with flats on the shaft so you know where to put it - only short flats at one side, not full depth flats. On the yoke, its on the split line. Flats to flats.

I remember at least two of the doughnuts were different to the third - possibly all three were different as I seem to remember all three were different prices - and not cheap!

Any prop places locally who could take a look at the balance - as you say, it rotates at engine speed, so goes round at a fair old rate. Certainly makes a bang on the bottom when a doughnut starts to break up!

Thanks @bricol I think the earlier props and the v6s had the split yoke, mine doesn't seem to have any flats and can go on anyway.
All the donuts are different and only go on the one way.
I need a rubber dust boot to seal the lasting but can't seem to get one anywhere.
I will try and see if a ball joint boot will work.