Saturday, March 24, 2007

Restoration Update

This morning I left Project Time Machine at Mang Rene's shop...R&R. They specialize in painting, mechanicals, and aircon repairs. I was actually surprised when I entered the shop. Most probably eighty percent of the cars there were Mercedes Benz (there was a white 1971 SEL in MINT condition - wow!). I think he's really good in restoration work and I hope that the Fairlady will be in good hands.

Here's the list of things the shop will be doing:
1. Overhaul the radiator, fix leaks, and repaint (black).
2. Install heat insulation material on the firewall under the dash.
3. Cut out rust and apply undercoating.
4. Fix clutch pedal bracket.

Additional things to do (still to be updated):
1. Replace soft top cover
2. Install heat insulation material on entire cabin including transmission well.

I hope everthing goes according to plan. Contact number for the shop: 724-6445 (look for Nemesio Soriano)

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Restoration Update: Disc Brake Overhaul

After sitting for two months, the front left disc brake finally froze. I decided to have the front disc brakes overhauled. The calipers, cylinders, and hydraulic pistons were full of dirt and gunk that the mechanic had to use the wire brush equipped grinder to clean the metal surface of the brake parts. It was no surprise that the piston seals (outer and inner) were worn and some were even torn apart due to old age. I had to go find the parts and fortunately I was able to locate a shop, which had the exact part number for the seals (part number: RP TCL TC 317). Even better...I got each pair for P75! What a deal! I bought four pairs to replace all the seals for the hydraulic pistons.

Note: The store where I bought the seals is Motormaster Inc. 1277 C.M. Recto Avenue, Manila. Telephone: 254-8707, 254-8761, 254-9226, 254-9164, 254-9225


One of the cylinders already cleaned. Note the "Dunlop" (above) and "Sumitomo" (below) markings on the caliper.


One of the hydraulic pistons already cleaned...still in good shape after more than forty years of braking!


One of the calipers already cleaned. Note the "MK2" marking on the left side of the caliper. It's cool to know that this caliper design is the same that's used in the Jaguar E-Type!


All the brake parts already cleaned and ready for the new seals.

The brake pads also had to be sanded since they were a bit too tight on the calipers, which prevents the pads from retracting with ease. I also had the bridge tube on the left caliper replaced, since the mechanic discovered a crack in one of the inlets, which leaked brake fluid. I also had the rear drum brakes adjusted, since one of the parts in the left brake got dislodged (that was quite a scare!).

So far the performance of the front disc brakes are better than before. Pedal pressure is firmer now thanks also to the adjustment of the rear brakes. Stopping power is better and the good thing is that when I brake hard, the Fairlady doesn't steer left or right anymore due to brake bias. I hope the brake system doesn't give me anymore problems...especially when driving at 100kph!


Sunday, March 18, 2007

Restoration Update




(Various pictures of restoration work)

I'm back again from Cebu. I fired up the Fairlady this morning...ONE CLICK! The engine is indeed a sweetheart! Even the idling is good...not to mention the exhaust has no smoke. The only problem now is that the front right disc brake is stuck. I'll have to go to the Autosport tomorrow to have the Dunlop MKII Sumitomo calipers overhauled. It's better to be safe than sorry...especially when you're going 100kph along C5 highway and suddenly there's 12 wheeler truck swerving to catch the exit gate. I hope there are still repair kits for the Dunlop designed caliper...yikes!

But still...the engine is a real delight!