Saturday, July 28, 2012

Hot Off the Grill

The chassis is back at Pro Automotive for mechanical improvements. The front disk brake conversion is complete with the transaxle out and over to a transmission specialist for inspection and rebuild if necessary.


I had to order a few parts I'd overlooked, like brake light switches and new clutch and throttle cables. Once those are in hand, I expect Keith will have the chassis prepped and ready to mount the motor next week. After the motor is in place, I need to install the Helwig H60 Brush upgrade. Meanwhile, Robert is painting the rest of the body and will be ready to reassemble it on the chassis.


I've been busy with the detail and trim, this week working on the grill. The chrome was in pretty good shape when I got the car, but it needed a good cleaning and some repair. One of the slat mounting posts had broken away from the weld, but a dab of J-B Weld put that right.








The false "nose" went together real nicely as well. The MG emblem is a reproduction of the gold over ivory badge that graced every MG TD that left the Abingdon plant. It's a real touch of authenticity that is missing from most of the TD kits. Masquerading as a radiator cap is the chrome gas tank cap from the Bugeye Sprite that went into storage after it was replaced by a Marinco charging port.



It took a while to settle on a paint color for the slats. Shopping the auto parts stores turned up lots of "Candy Apple" this and that, but nothing that really picked up the color of the dashboard.  Hitting the home improvement stores produced a Burgundy Rust-oleum that is a perfect match. Notice my sanitary paint booth. OK, it's just the utility area outside the garage, but it works.




The finished grill is a real jewel and will present a very good first impression as the car approaches.



Now we're cooking!

5 comments:

  1. Fred are you going to be able to get the car moving under its own power and on the trailer for EVCCON 2012? If it's close, bring all of the parts and we'll work on it in the parking lot or at Jack's shop.

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    1. Michael, It's been a while since I've updated the blog because things have been very busy here. The e-Bugeye has been sold and is loading on a transporter tomorrow (Wednesday) for the trip to its new home in California. The transaxle and rear brakes have been installed on the evTD chassis and the motor will be installed this week. New axles arrived today and should also be installed this week. The body has been painted and preassembled for fitting to the chassis. e-Bugeye will vacate my garage just in time for the evTD to arrive ready for wiring. The new windshield should be ready tomorrow as well and I expect the refinished seat and interior panels to be ready next week. Since the battery placement and fittings have already been done, all that remains will be the final wiring of the traction pack and 12 volt systems, placement of the charger and DC/DC converter, reinstallation of the lighting, wipers and dash, and the bumpers and convertible top. I may not have all the finish work done, but I do expect to tow a running EV up to Cape Girardeau next month.

      Would be fun though to have it on the lift in Jack's garage if only for the photo op! See you there ...

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  2. Fred that is all great news! This year I'm booked in at the hotel where y'all were last year, so I'm hoping to swing a lift from you in this gorgeous machine, big EV grin all the way down the road. I will be happy to contribute whatever sweat equity is needed!

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    Replies
    1. My father is making the trip with me this year, but the tow vehicle will be available. No EV grin I'm afraid, but It'll get there. I'm planning to flat tow the evTD on a VW tow bar, so no issue storing a trailer. How about you drive the evTD to the conference one day?

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  3. Well he certainly gets priority! I'm sure we can work something out over some of Jack's food and whiskey.

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