So a few days ago I was surfing Facebook, and I saw someone offering up a set of Bugeye floors, along with inner and outer sills for sale. The price was very reasonable, especially for Heritage parts, so I messaged the gent. It sounded good, so I followed up with a phone call, and we got talking about our projects. I definitely wanted the floors, as they would save me a ton of time and effort fabricating new ones. At the price he was selling them, it would have cost me almost as much for the raw materials, so it made sense. During our conversation, Ian (the seller) asked me about my plans for the front end. I told him I was considering a disc brake upgrade (largely due to my brother's ill-fated adventure with water and the front brakes of this car), but that it was a big cost and I was weighing it carefully. That's when he dropped the bomb. It seems he had a parts car/tub, which he had acquired for the rear half, along with the engine. He had basically cut the car in half at the firewall, and didn't need the front end. It had disc brakes. Would I be interested? HELL YES! He lives about 9 hours drive from me. For those of you in Britain, that seems like a lot. In Canada, not so much. Remember, driving from coast to coast in Canada is 4025 miles (6,500 km). To put that in perspective, London to Moscow is 1798 miles on the M1. (per Google). So for us Canadian folk, 9 hours is a nice Sunday drive. So I borrowed my friend's pickup truck and drove out to Ian's house. The front end was everything promised. It has disc brakes, but no master cylinder. Oh well. I would have wanted to replace that anyway. It also has the full front suspension, steering rack, and enough sheet metal for me to make as many patches as I like. Plus I bought the floors and sills. Oh, and while we were talking, I noticed several steel bonnets on his wall. One of the parts I need to replace is the front apron below the grille. It is very damaged from my brother's meeting with the pole mentioned way back when in the car's history. So I asked him about cutting the apron out of one of his bonnets. He said no, too much work. Just load up the entire bonnet. YAY! And then he threw in a heater/blower motor with a cracked plastic housing. I can fix that, and save another bundle! Overall, Ian was awesome. He has more parts. But I'm not publicizing them here, as I may still go back and get some more! And then when I got home, my wife helped me use my engine hoist to unload it. Only downside... I got a photo radar ticket on the way back. Yeah, it was my buddy's truck so he got the ticket. But I paid him for it. It's only fair, really. VIDEO HERE: us using his small front-end loader to put the thing on the back of the pickup truck is here... https://youtu.be/YqyVb3OsKfk
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My rear shroud has arrived. I'm very happy with it's condition. The wonderful folks at Autofarm packed it beautifully. For now, it's just laid on top of the car. I will start bodywork in earnest in the spring. Right now, it's getting a bit chilly at night, and my garage is not heated. I want to be able to spray primer as soon as possible after stripping/grinding/welding, and I want it to be warm enough that the primer can properly cure overnight, without leaving time bombs for future paint problems. But yes... one of my major searches is over! |
AuthorMy name is Ash. Archives
September 2021
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