Pistolpete's Lhasa Green Mk1 16v Restoration

I did say there were some nice bits already fitted to the car, just took a bit of vapour blasting to see under all the crud!

So in the end I've had to get the crankshaft reground, 0.25mm off the big ends and 0.5mm off the mains. Oversized bearing shells ordered from Autodoc for the rebuild.

A few more bits vapour blasted & yellow zinc plated for the rebuild.

And finally, strip down of the Weber 40's, fully rebuilt. There are a few bits to come off again for zinc plating, but I'm chuffed with how they turned out
 

Carbs completely finished now with the last bits zinc plated. I'm so pleased with the finished article. All credit to Ultra Vapour Works (in Northern Ireland) for the work done on these.

Pistol said

Carbs completely finished now with the last bits zinc plated. I'm so pleased with the finished article. All credit to Ultra Vapour Works (in Northern Ireland) for the work done on these.

They look amazing     .

How time flies! Been so busy, I haven't driven the red Mk1 all year and spent most of my free time doing bits for this one. The bad news is the shell will not be back with me any time soon, the bodyshop is just too busy to get near it. Hopefully still get it before the end of the year. 

Shell has been completely stripped, blasted and coated in NOVOL for Classic Car Epoxy Primer. 

There are lots of repairs needed, nothing of any great surprise and I've already supplied new panels for all of it. In the meantime I've just been starting to get everything ready for the rebuild while I've got the garage space to work!

Spent about 20hrs prepping this. Then used Eastwood etch primer, Aluma Blast & Diamond Clear lacquer to cost it. Bolted on a couple of the newly vapoured & zinc plated linkage brackets. New release bearing & end cap.

Looks great. How on earth you can get a gearbox clean enough to paint it without stripping it down is beyond me. I steamed, degreased, and scrubbed multiple times and still couldn't get all the gack off it!
There was me thinking it wasn't going to be as perfect as your last one!
If it is any consolation, I've only manged about 300 miles in mine since the last Mot a year ago. Lots of tinkering, not so much driving.
J

Thought it was worth a quick update. Unfortunately there's been zero progress on the bodywork and it's still just sitting in epoxy primer since June 2022! Seemingly bodyshop work is flat out at the minute and my guy just can't get near my resto to start the metal work. I'm hopeful to get the shell back by June this year.

I've been busy working on the other stuff. Mainly the engine which has now been fully rebuilt with all new bearings and rings. Block was re-honed. I got myself new micrometers, bore gauges and calipers to size everything up properly and it is all spot on within tolerance.



Sent off loads of stuff to be powercoated.



And finally got the head back on the block, so it's a 9A 2.0 16v with KR head running piper cams and will put the twin Weber 40's back on.

Nice work! I love engine building. Should go pretty well, assuming you'll drive this one 😉

paceman said

Nice work! I love engine building. Should go pretty well, assuming you'll drive this one 😉

Thanks J, believe me this one is getting driven. I'm aiming to get to the AGM this year and ambitiously set the bodyshop the target to get the shell back to me so I have 2 months to rebuild. We'll just see how that all pans out!

Always good to have a target. I'm hoping to do AGM this year as well. Holidays got in the way last year - typical!

Well, so much for getting to the AGM this year in a newly rebuilt 16v Lhasa Mk1.

The shell is still sitting in the bodyshop, and still in exactly the same state as the last picture of it in epoxy primer.  I'm not sure how long is considered too long to get a full bare shell resto completed, but it'll be 2 years come February since it was dropped off.  I think I just hit the complete wrong time with the guy, as he used to do restos in his spare time from his day job in a big name bodyshop.  I left car into him just as he was starting out on his own after giving up the day job and he's been snowed under with work since.  Disappointing all the same.

In the meantime, I have been getting as much stuff ready as a can for the eventual rebuild.

9" brake servo and 22mm master cylinder upgrade with refurbished linkage etc.

Steering Column completely stripped, refurbed and rebuilt with new bearings, bushes, ignition barrel and pedal covers.

This Mk1 came with a rear disc conversion already fitted.  Calipers were completely stripped and sent away for powder coating, then rebuild with new pistons and seals.  Complete new rear stub axles, bearings, discs and pads.  ARB was powdercoated and fitted with new Powerflex bushes.

Steering column stripped and re-painted.

Finally, got the carbs all bolted up with new MISAB spacer plates and aluminium trumpets.  Have to say I'm so pleased with how this engine looks.  For the money I've spent on it, I could easily have gone for a 20vT, but for me there's something very right about a 2.0 16V carb'd Mk1.

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Great work Pistol and I agree with you on engine choice and keeping away from turbos  

The work carried out on this and finish is stunning!

Thought I'd update the thread, unfortunately and frustratingly the bodyshop has let me down big time, and after 2 years since being dropped off initially and summer 2022 since the shell was blasted, cleaned and put into epoxy primer, there has been zero progress.

I've been patient up to this point but now gone beyond a joke so I'm pulling it out of there and have found another bodyshop to take it on. Hopefully I can start to get some progress in 2024.