The restoration of Wombat

Time to remove the tie rod.

Two things became apparent as I squatted in front of her. Firstly, with their position so close to the back of the brakes, access with tools was going to be an issue. Secondly, they were very very rusty.

The first issue was easy to fix - jack her up, bung her on axle stands, and pull each wheel off as needed (I never remove more wheels than I have to on the grounds that at least some corners don't have as far to fall). This made a huge difference and I now had all the access I needed.

Sitting in the dirt and fiddling with the first split pin soon proved that it wasn't going to come out of it's nice, protected (by rust), home. Once again, I wasn't going to reuse the ball joints, so I reached for the trusty angle grinder.

I should have photographed the rusty starting point, but I didn't, so there :p

First step, cut off the top, effectively bypassing the split pin issue.
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment...1&d=1446958279

Step two. Undo the nut. Neither nut gave me any grief - not sure if that's good luck or good judgement. Maybe the heat of the grinding helped a little.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment...1&d=1446958279

Sharp rap on the bolt with a small hammer and out she popped.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment...1&d=1446958381

The hardest part was jacking her up, pulling the wheels, putting them back on again and putting the jacks and stands away.

One things for sure, pushing her in and out of the shed is going to be fun now that I've got no steering.

Only half an hours work or so, but it's too hot in the shed today so I might retire in self satisfied splendor.

would these help?
cheers,
D

Great work, the car isn't giving up without a fight.


Just looking at those swivels, I would be soaking every visible bolt and moving part on the entire vehicle with Penetrene, WD40 or even an oil can / or diesel at this stage. The longer things soak, the easier they are to remove. Put an old rug / carpet piece or similar under to catch drips. You will thank yourself for it.





Erich

Been trying and failing to fix the rear wing of the chassis.

Here's a photo of what I started with
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment...rchassis03.jpg

Sitec suggested this setup
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment...mbat-image.jpg

I've used a variation on that as well as heat and bashing.

Early on, before Sitec posted his solution, I fed a crowbar down the tube and managed to get the top of the wing straight. As you could expect, that opened up a tear near the reinforcing gusset and did nothing for the twist.

With Sitec's gadget in place, with lots of bashing and heat and swearing and trying stuff, I've changed things but not really improved them.

For heat, all I've got is a propane torch, which really isn't hot enough. Dinty suggested MAP gas, which is indeed quite a bit hotter, but I can't afford a kit at this stage. Maybe next pay, though it's getting horribly close to Christmas.

Today's effort managed to pull the top of the wing past straight which is disappointing because it's now worse that it was before I started today.

These photos show the current state.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment...1&d=1447563405
Sort of a top view. This exaggerates how far the top has been pulled past 'straight' but it has been. It also shows the tear by the gusset. Most importantly though, it shows how twisted that wing is.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment...1&d=1447563405
Front looking back. Again, you can see the tear at the gusset. More importantly though, you can see how the outer corner, closest to the camera, is pulled down with a corresponding bulge near the gusset.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment...1&d=1447563405
This shows the wing from the rear. What it doesn't really show is how bent the vertical face of that wing really is - there's quite an inwards dent associated with other bends and mangles.

I really don't know how to go about fixing this. Even if I had more heat, I'm just not sure of what to whack where for realistic results. I know others have cut the wing off and welded a new one on but I'm reluctant to do that. For starters, it's major work. For seconds, the rest of the rear crossmember has bends and dents so if I go this route, I'd need to replace the entire crossmember.

As it sits (after repairing that tear), I could probably fit the rear tub with a bit of panel beating to make it fit around the lumps and bumps. That wouldn't give me a perfect Landy but it would maintain the patina of age which is a better option than chasing perfection and falling short.

In any case, I would like to improve the current situation and would really like to do so while it's still on its wheels. HELP! :o

To cap off an unsuccessful day, I also failed to remove the tow hitch.

4 bolts holding it in place, two quarter inch (?) at the top, two 5/8 (?) at the bottom.
The top ones came off with the sort of drama I've come to expect.
The two bottom ones were another story - couldn't move either of them. Out with the torch and after heating and squirting with WD40, I got one of them free without extreme difficulty.
The final nut though... it seems to have formed some sort of symbiotic relationship with the bolt and as it stands, it's still there. Looks like another week of going out to the shed after work each day, heating it up, squirting it, hoping for the best.

I guess I should be used to it by now... but I'm NOT :mad:

bodge it like you suggest or you're going to have to chop it off and get a new one back on. I cant see any other way. I have to say , you're a brave man going shoeless with that club hammer loitering with intent.
cheers,
D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dark61

I have to say , you're a brave man going shoeless with that club hammer loitering with intent.
cheers,
D

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Nah, I tamed it years ago. Provided I let it abuse and break stuff from time to time, it leaves my toes alone :twisted:

You're doing a grand job mate.

Crackers,
The only suggestion I can make with regards to the twist is to try and reverse the torsion effect. You may need to make up a suitable lever out of steel or a solid lump of timber and try and twist it back. The lever will need to be long enough to get some force on it. Put a prop under it to make sure it does not bend at the wrong place.
You have got nothing to lose.

What brisruss said, though maybe make two rigs so you can control where it bends a bit more you can put an extra prop under the second one so that it doesnt rotate when you press on the other. Hope that makes sense.

Cheers

Dan