Monday 2 January 2017

Ladies and gentlemen...The Doors!

Gosh, two posts from me in as many days. Spring must be in the air! Actually, it is freezing in the garage but I had to get out of the house, having been couped up for days during Giant Sunday, a.k.a. Christmas and New Year. 
Staring to look like a car again.
This will be a quick post, just to say that I put the doors on today for a trial fit. I had forgotten how fiddly they are and how they need shims, but it came together pretty well. I ran out of lower hinge shims, so will have to get some more from somewhere. The damaged boot lid got shoved on, too.

Obviously this was purely in aid of aesthetics because they will have to come off again to be painted, but I can see now where more profiling will be needed to make them fit nice and snug.

Exciting, eh?

Sunday 1 January 2017

Bessy has landed

Well, it seems a long time ago that I pulled the TR7 out of a barn, brought her to my garage and put her high

Time to come home. (Oct 05)
"Just needs a little T-Cut"
Home
up on a rotisserie. She was off the ground for years, until a couple of months ago she came down onto tall axle stands. There she sat for some time until the refurbished and re-tyred wheels were fitted and she was ready to hit the ground.
On the spit
On the axle stands after coming down from the spit
Originally the idea was to find four burly blokes to lift her by each corner, just enough to remove the stands and then lower her down. However, this couldn't happen as I couldn't muster enough muscle so some ingenuity was needed. With help from my neighbour Phil, a combination of jacks, ramps and bits of wood saw the car lowered gracefully to the ground.
Just a few inches to go...
I can't begin to describe the pride and joy I felt in seeing Bessy the TR7 actually sitting on the concrete, looking like a car again. Ok, a fairly empty one I admit, but a car rather than a lump of rust nonetheless. She actually rolls, like a car!
On the ground on its own wheels
There's a TR7 in there somewhere...
This little TR7 is nearing paint shop time. Woo hoo! My plan is to continue to prep the remaining panels (doors, bonnet and boot lid when I can find one) then hand it over to a body shop for final finishing and painting. Can't wait.