24 April 2011

24 April 2011 - Wiring almost complete/wings modded

WIRING
The Autosparks loom was (as expected) a PITA and the cable circuit provided did not match the purchased loom. So Rob and myself spent a day piecing together what we had and what was needed to make it work ;)
So to date.....
  1. Lights all work now. Initially the original rear lamps worked intermittantly and the fault was narrowed down to poor bullet connections. These were stripped and soldered on. No further problems.
  2. Engine starts and runs on the start button
  3. Battery charging (though charge warning stays on at tick-over?)
  4. Temperature gauge works fine
Still to do.....
  1. Wiper motor - S3 two position switches are now NLA new so for now I will stay with the single position wiper switch with no self park. Just need to run a cable across the dash.
  2. Screen washer - cleaned up as part of the wing overhaul needs a cable running to it.
  3. Reverse light - switch cable there I just need to dig out a suitable 'period' light assy for the task. Low priority.
  4. Heated screen relays/wiring. Low priority.
  5. Fuel gauge doesn't read correctly so I need to check whether some of my 'spare' fuel level gauges will work with the modern float assy's.
BONNET AND WINGS
  
Dragged the wings out from under a pile of cobwebs and dust around the back of the house last weekend and started fettling the drivers side wing.
  
Due to the fittment of the brake servo the wing needed modifiying to accomodate the increased diameter. This was a one-shot deal and too much taken off would look daft. Unusually for me I did do the job slowly and it doesn't look too bad IMHO.

 During the sanding down a further military insignia was found under the paintwork. This matches one found under the South Eastern Command 'Tiger' insignia on the LH wing. - TRG CENTRE -. No idea what 'training centre' this relates to yet.


Bonnet needed a good going over and all the parts were treated to some Dinitrol underbody wax once all the necessary repairs had been completed. 
  

Bonnet now back on and RH wing ready to fit. Note that I am not trying to make this S2 concours by any stretch of the imagination. Tidy it up/fix where necessary/make it usuable for 20 more years. The Containergard paint is high build and leaves a 'rough' finish when compared to normal enamel etc. At the end of the day this was a military vehicle and with this paint finish it will be hard wearing and easy to touch up.
  

Next task is to finish the LH wing and get the whole lot assembled. The bulkhead to wing J-nuts are on their way so maybe next weekend it will go back to looking like a whole 109 after 2 years in pieces?
Also need to find a part No./source for the military metal indicator/sidelights. Two are completely rusted through, though the rubber fittings are fine.

On the each wing there is a purpose made hole through the steel reinforced frame. Looks to be from manufacture and the suggestion I have received is this would take a rubber bump stop for the door to buffer against? The PO had fitted indicators in there.