Just seem to get one problem sorted...

Following Ern getting my new horn working on Myrtle I was over the moon with her little "beep beep". Well, that was until I came in from work and Ern informed me he had had to move Mrytle in order to get some stuff out of our back yard.
 

New Horn hiding behind the grill

 Ern went on to explain that as he drove Myrtle out of the yard and around the block, each time he turned Left, her horn would blow, and continue to keep sounding until the steering was straightened up somewhat. Huh! Wtf is that all about?


Anyhoo on closer inspection, we have discovered that upon full lock to the Left, the track rod end is hard up against the right shocker. 

Oh Dear

This in itself is a huge problem, however as the shockers are in rubber mounts, this should not be causing the horn to beep. As we delved deeper into the problem it became apparent that Mrytle at some point had had coil-over shocks installed. I can only assume that when she had her front beam narrowed the springs from the coil overs would not fit, so someone removed them. The shocks installed have the threads for adjustment, however, no collars or springs to do so. Not only that but the shockers on both sides are pressed hard up against the bodywork, hence why when turning left and the track rod end hits the shocker the horn is sounding, as there is a complete electrical circuit.

After much head-scratching and doing a spot of research on the interweb I showed Ern an image and information on a quick steer kit. Plus we also looked at obtaining the correct shocks (lowered to match the drop spindles).

Quick Steer Kit

Lowered Gas Shocks

I kind of begrudge spending money on the shocks as in the future I quite fancy air ride, but hey ho I just want Myrtle up and running until I can save some more money to get the more expensive bits sorted, such as wheels, suspension and her interior.

Other small jobs we noticed whilst on with the car, were that the petrol pipe appears way too long and the brake Flexi's also appear quite long, with the potential to snag, so will try and sort these out in the near future.

 

Pretty long petrol pipe

Ooh almost forgot a job we did get done. After installing new heat exchanges, we discovered that the demister pipes were missing out of Mrytle. This is a bit of a nightmare job as you just cannot get to where the pipes originally go, well not without cutting into the front panels on the underside of the front arches. Ern made some holes that were already in the footwells a little larger and we were able to guide the hoses in from under the bonnet and down the side of the wings. One side had something just say blocking its path and we could remove whatever it was (felt like a piece of metal, covering the area where the heater pipe fits. We improvised and made a smaller pipe, that fits snug, so fingers crossed once all fitted up, Mrytle should have heat and demisters.

Made for the Job

Oh and as a side, not the Retro Boombox we have been tinkering with is starting to take shape, so I will be posting a few pics and a write up when that is done and working.