And So It Begins....

[SanRemo78]

Last jobs for this week - Kit Car Show tomorrow in Malvern this weekend.

Brake master cylinder out after noting the routing of each of the 5 pipes followed by the four pipes as far as the flex is. They’re not going back in but every union and clip came off easily. Gear linkage fully out too. Gearbox mount undone, removed and put to one side, rack unbolted but put back in place whilst it’s on its wheels. The four 22mm bolts between the subframe and body also yielded to a little gentle persuasion. That’s the front end ready to be completely stripped and put on axle stands. Before that happens I need to repeat the the exercise for the rear end but as that’s just 8 suspension tower nuts, four crossmember nuts and a further four anti roll bar nuts it ought to be a shell at the end of the week after next. I need to get the car more centralised in the garage to help with this. Then it’s just stripping the door internals and B post latch and check for the last of the grommets and clips!

Sunroof has also been fully dismantled today, I’ve updated the removal thread (from 12 years ago) with what’s necessary so I won’t repeat that here.

Alfa packed with bits to go down to Mark the weekend after next too. Looking forward to that trip and meeting some new faces that I can put names to!

Have a great weekend everyone!
Guy

[SanRemo78]

Sheared nut/bolt/screw count is now two. Rear exhaust hanger died when too much force was applied.

But on a positive note it’s now (almost) a shell. Do you like my new wheels?

[SanRemo78]

Front bumper irons need to come off but that will have to wait until I can get a template for the front valance, it’s got a slight dent in the centre that needs coaxing out and checking with a bumper on it.

Next task is to tear down the subframes for easier storage and restoration.

Then book the shell to be stripped of paint/filler and de rusted! We’ll soon know exactly what I’ve got!
Guy

[SanRemo78]

Done for the day. And this week. Off to Marks tomorrow for the Saturday gathering.

Front subframe stripped of it’s components. Most of the bolts still showing shiny cad plating! If it’s rubber it’s perished. Wishbones and subframe in good/fair condition and can be cleaned, blasted, treated and powder coated. Steering rack needs an overhaul and I need to look harder at the shocks - they’re the type with inserts which I’ll remove in due course and get the casings looked at to see if they’re reusable.

Really happy with progress today. Back to it next week I think?

Guy

[SanRemo78]

Another week gone by and a trip down to see Mark and meet a few others and look at Betas! Andy’s S3 saloon is looking amazing. I took a shopping list with me and got a lot of smaller bits and pieces. A very dead VX Coupe in the scrap yard was spotted and with Mark’s approval the windscreen rubber was cut and the glass carefully removed. Then the dashboard was freed from it’s mounting points (3 on the bulkhead, one in the passenger footwell, one either side and two above the steering column) and surgery commenced with an angle grinder. And later a bit of violence with a chisel and lump hammer. A cut across the roof in front of the sunroof, another across the bulkhead and then through the A pillars. There’s now a repair panel to be used to take any cuts to replace the rusty areas on the shell.

[SanRemo78]

Back to it today with cleaning 40 years oil and crud off the subframe, sadly only on the engine side. The gearbox side is still in excellent condition though. It’ll be going for shot blasting and powder coating soon along with wishbones, anti roll bars and the rear cross member. And anything else suitable.

As the car is now a shell I’ve made the call to the strippers who quoted a six week wait. So it’s being collected on 28th June. In two weeks! So I might have some major news on the real state of the bodywork towards the end of July! Watch this space!

Guy

[peteracs]

Photos duly sorted…..

It will be interesting to see how good the bodywork is, given the work you have done already, I would not expect too many surprises unless there is some well hidden stuff going on.

Peter

[SanRemo78]

I'm not stressing about it Peter - it'll be what it'll be and whatever is crumbly will be fixed properly! I don't intend having to do this again....

Photos stolen from the BetaBoyz facebook site of the aftermath of surgery... Not for the faint hearted!

[SanRemo78]

On the plus side we might have created a new Beta model - the Landaulette - should anyone wish to restore it?

[SanRemo78]

End of another week and a milestone reached. The shell and panels (including an extra door, bootlid and screen surround) are ready for collection a week on Wednesday. The front valance will need work when it comes back as there is some impact damage to it and the support struts. The pristine crossmember isn’t. It will need a patch repair to the front near side, corroded from the outside. Bugger.

All the suspension is fully dismantled, only one bolt was a struggle (lower one on the rear through the cross links) but it yielded to penetrating fluid, light sanding, bad language and some brute force. None of the shock absorbers feel worn and the chrome isn’t pitted. They might be okay. But I plan to replace them, shame not to do it at this point? Final job will be undoing the top caps and extracting the inserts. Need to make some tools for that job I think!

Weekend off. Or tidying up more like!

Guy

[peteracs]

Extracting the inserts? Do you have replaceable or need to cut the tops off?

Peter

[chrisc]

Guy, I've just spent quite a while reading this thread and had not appreciated how much of a similar situation we're in! Albeit your pace is higher than mine and yours will be rather nicer when done. My suspension and subframes are in their original functional but ugly state

[SanRemo78]

Extracting the inserts? Do you have replaceable or need to cut the tops off?

Peter

They're the insert type at both ends Peter. Front tool looks easy to make, back requires a 50mm ring spanner ideally. Plus a further investment in a tin of release fluid! I've not dismantled this type before so I'm hoping that once the lockings/caps are removed it's a simple case of anchoring the strut casing and applying a slide hammer to a nut on the top of the strut...

Guy

[SanRemo78]

Guy, I've just spent quite a while reading this thread and had not appreciated how much of a similar situation we're in! Albeit your pace is higher than mine and yours will be rather nicer when done. My suspension and subframes are in their original functional but ugly state

Thanks Chris - I found a pair of door rods today, which side did you need? I can post on Monday. I guess being retired has it's advantages? I could just do with the income to finance the restoration! anyone looking at a Beta is going to be travelling the path we've chosen, not a lot of choice really! Luckily I'm really enjoying it so far! Hopefully I'll have a painted shell back in 3 months which gives me time to sort out the mechanical side of things ready for reassembly and do the trim over Winter?

Guy

[chrisc]

I thought it might be rude to mention the retired aspect!

It's the left hand door I'm missing the rod for. Realise it's a tricky one to post but if it's possible I'd certainly appreciate it.

I saw in the early pages of this you had a parts needed list that had some bits on I know I've got spare. If you've got a current list let me know and see what I can reciprocate with

Edit - clarification on the rod, I'm talking about the one that goes from the lock mechanism forward to the interior pull handle, as opposed to the vertical push button one.

[peteracs]

Extracting the inserts? Do you have replaceable or need to cut the tops off?

Peter

They're the insert type at both ends Peter. Front tool looks easy to make, back requires a 50mm ring spanner ideally. Plus a further investment in a tin of release fluid! I've not dismantled this type before so I'm hoping that once the lockings/caps are removed it's a simple case of anchoring the strut casing and applying a slide hammer to a nut on the top of the strut...

Guy

Hi Guy

The original replaceable strut inserts had a nut with 4 slots in it and needed a tool similar to the hub bearing tool, after market ones tend to have a large nut head which it sounds like some of them you have. Interesting that they are not original unless modified as replaceable strut/inserts were only used on the early cars, probably up to around 1977?

Peter

[SanRemo78]

Hi Guy

The original replaceable strut inserts had a nut with 4 slots in it and needed a tool similar to the hub bearing tool, after market ones tend to have a large nut head which it sounds like some of them you have. Interesting that they are not original unless modified as replaceable strut/inserts were only used on the early cars, probably up to around 1977?

Peter
[/quote]

The fronts are the the ones with the 4 slots Peter, I've found some suitably heavy pipe to cut to suit, I may even be able to find a nylon insert to slide it over the rod without causing any damage, should help with alignment when a pipe wrench is applied! Rears have the 50mm castellated nut. I have a set (I think) of others from Kevin that I need to check to see what the tops look like, I wonder if the threads are the same? I think I prefer the castellated type.
Guy

[SanRemo78]

35mm O/D pipe with a 3mm wall picked up off the scrap shelf and 4 pins marked on it and the excess material cut off, not the neatest job but it'll do. Found an old nylon suspension bush with a 30mm O/D and a step drill with a 30mm ledge and used that to cut the tube to the right I/D, just deep enough to allow the use of a mallet to to tap it into place. Then a 20mm step drill to match the bush I/D to the strut O/D.

First front strut in the vice, spring pan and strut end on the surface and a pipe wrench used on the tube, mallet to shock the nut loose after tapping out a slight ding either side (presumably factory to prevent the nut coming out). What I forgot about was that it was oil filled. Well most of that ended up on the top of the workbench and some in the drawer. Bugger.

I'll get to the second one on Monday.... I may have another go at making a second tool, the prongs are a little longer than ideal.

Guy

[SanRemo78]

This week about done now. The car is ready for collection on Wednesday. The spare screen surround isn’t going on advice from the fabricator. It might dissolve too so he wants to keep it in shape for the profiles. Started work on the suspension and it’s all apart now. We’ll almost, I’ve still got three inner bearing races to remove from the two front and one rear hub carrier. I don’t have a tool to that yet but think it’s time, I don’t like grinding them off…. Shocks are fully dismantled are reusable with new inserts. Front locknuts needed the fork type tool making which worked a treat. The rears needed putting into a solidly mounted vice and an adjustable pipe wrench did the trick. All now ready for shot blasting and powder coating. Shopping list now has four bearings, two front lock rings and one rear lock ring n it! Why are they different sizes? Must be a reason!

[peteracs]

Hi Guy

The rear bearing inner race removal is easy if you use the two holes in the casting which allows you to put a punch into it and push the race off.

The fronts, I did cut them down and used a chisel to then split them.

Peter