TOPIC:

The air hose adapter finally arrived so I got to have a quick play with the blasting cabinet ... on the plus side, it seems very air tight - too much in fact as I forgot to take the blowhole bung out of the back (& fit the filter disk & holder) & turned the hoover, sorry, _dust extractor on full speed .. the gloves snapped to attention, the cabinet creaked alarmingly & the perspex window bowed in by at least 50mm in the centre in the couple of seconds before I shut it off again. I don't think any dust escaped in use either, and media feeding seems to work well & a 45 degree angle cone quickly formed in the walnut shell....

On the minus side, despite cranking the compressor pressure valve all the way open in increments (45, 75 & 95/100 psi) & dropping to the smallest nozzle size in the kit, you can't tell which of the two gearbox halves I blasted

I think recycled glass grit is the next cheapest option, and drop the pressure & increase the nozzle size again ... I'm unsure whether to keep the walnut shell in case it's worth trying on other things, or just let the cat crap in luxury for a while

Hey JR, Try using the larger nozzle @ 40psi and having only enough media to create a circuit (so not over filling) Also I have glass media and have found that it removes paint from metal parts but no more I am about to test it on a gearbox half and the other half with aluminium oxide media which is meant for cleaning up metal

Finished filling & primer, just needs a very light rub down & I can think about colour & clear coats.

I need to pull my finger out though, things are getting very autumnal here already. Nuts keep falling off next doors' tree on to the sheet metal shed roof, I duck each time but at least it scares the Fat Pigeons away

Maybe I shouldn't be in a rush to use my NIP NOS "grey" bumper - one just sold BIN on eBay for 55 GBP + post

Minor update - getting there with the paint, main body colour is Renault Monaco Blue Metallic for a bit of extra sparkle (still have to do the roof bars), wheels are my default white (VW Alpine white), helmet (because I couldn't get a 100% view on what it "should" be is X-4 Blue mixed with X-11 Chrome Silver & a couple of coats of clear

Jonny wrote:

main body colour is Renault Monaco Blue Metallic for a bit of extra sparkle

Pot metal bits after ultrasonic cleaning & scrubbing, blasting with glass grit & then glass beads & a final scrub:





Roof & chassis reinforcer after 320 grit wet & dry & then autosol ... not so happy with that TBH, but drilling & tapping the rear arms (one mk.1 SRB & one re-re SRB) to make them more Super Champ-like went ok ....





Question though - do the correct Super Champ arms have a smaller diameter (5mm rather than 6.2mm) holes on the rear to match the "Spring Arms" (monoshock mount)? Surely this sort of gap can't be right?

Jonny wrote:

Question though - do the correct Super Champ arms have a smaller diameter (5mm rather than 6.2mm) holes on the rear to match the "Spring Arms" (monoshock mount)? Surely this sort of gap can't be right?

That doesn't look right at all.
I thought the shafts on the SC were actually bigger diameter than those on the SS/RR and that the corresponding hole in the gearbox was also bigger.

Use a bit of brass tube to make a sleeve?

Edit: Looking at the photo, it looks like the two pivot holes in the arm are the same size. On the RR/SS, I am pretty sure the rearmost ones are smaller (~6mm??) than the ones for the torsion bar mounts (~8mm ???). Have you measured them or even compared them to your own Scorcher?

Edit 2: If this is the case - the replacement arms would have to be drilled out to take SC shafts. Judging by the other "repairs" the previous owner made - maybe he didn't have the right size drill?

Martin wrote:

Jonny wrote:

Question though - do the correct Super Champ arms have a smaller diameter (5mm rather than 6.2mm) holes on the rear to match the "Spring Arms" (monoshock mount)? Surely this sort of gap can't be right?

That doesn't look right at all.
I thought the shafts on the SC were actually bigger diameter than those on the SS/RR and that the corresponding hole in the gearbox was also bigger.

Use a bit of brass tube to make a sleeve?

Edit: Looking at the photo, it looks like the two pivot holes in the arm are the same size. On the RR/SS, I am pretty sure the rearmost ones are smaller (~6mm??) than the ones for the torsion bar mounts (~8mm ???). Have you measured them or even compared them to your own Scorcher?

mk.1:
rear of wishbone: 4mm
rear pivot on gearbox: 4mm
rear pin: 4mm round
front of wishbone: 6mm
rear pivot on gearbox: 6mm
front pin: 6mm sleeve

mk.2:
all ditto

re-re:
?

Super Champ:
rear of wishbone: 6.05 to 6.2mm - in hindsight it should have been obvious this hasn't been ... "modified" isn't the right word, maybe "cretinised"? the holes are oval & off centre - it takes a real lack of talent to do that in a metal this soft that already had a hole through it Not to mention making the hole far too big. Seems a bit of an ask trying to find 6.2mm OD 5mm ID brass tube, so I can see me having to make a couple of spacer collars
rear pivot on gearbox: 5mm - believed correct
rear pin: 5mm round - ditto
front of wishbone: 6mm - ditto
rear pivot on gearbox: 6mm - ditto
front pin: 6mm solid - I'm sure the dimensions are correct, even if the pins fitted aren't.

Yes, that makes sense.
Front - 6mm
Rear - 4mm (RR/SS), 5mm (SC)

Since the MK1 arm is incorrect anyway - maybe get a couple of Buggy Champ arms and drill them to the correct size?

BTW - How's this "light" restoration working out for you? (You gotta laugh or else you'll cry )