Getting back into it - 65 Flatdeck

morrisman1 · Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 3:32 pm Post subject:

Today I could get the ute outside for some photos, I even gave it a wipe down before hand so shes looking her best. I also whipped out the plugs and gave them a sandblast because they were black with soot and no.1 was wet from petrol thanks to that dicky carburettor. It runs like a gem now, it was only firing on three when I first started it today.

grant69 · Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 7:08 pm Post subject:

Wow its real credit too all your hard work, looks fantastic,

morrisman1 · Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 9:23 pm Post subject:

Today the paint on the bumper spring finally dried and I was able to assemble it. All was well but I found that the pressed steel section I had did not match up with all the holes on the bumper chrome. Does anyone know which models are different? The painted bit could be from a ute, I cannot remember but it didnt have holes for where the overriders go or the last holes at each end of the chrome.

Also did a bit more sound proofing as I found another lot of about 1 sq metre of the material. I did more up under the dash and also did the doors and gearbox tunnel. Ive still got a few small offcuts around so they will get stuck where ever I can. Im going to buy some underfelt too and stick that up over all the existing soundproofing so I will have two layers in the worst areas, a layer of the rubbery type and a layer of cotton underlay.

I went on a morry run today, out to riverton which was good. Im looking forwards to taking this ute on a run in hopefully november but that may be a little optimistic because it depends almost entirely on finances.

morrisman1 · Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 1:13 pm Post subject:

Time for a break from the garage. Even with both roller doors wide open its getting a little fumey in there from all the contact adhesive I have been using. I have been sticking up the underfelt over all the soundproofing under the dash which gives me my second layer of sound protection. it is noticeably more comfortable in there now and tapping the panels is a lot quieter. I also laid the under-felt for the floor but I wont be sticking that down, I am counting on gravity to keep that in place. I also used my spare soundproofing to do both doors. It was a bit late at night and I forgot to mirror the other side so ended up with both sides the same. Oh well at least you cannot see it when the door cards are on because I just stuck one side on back to front. It won't affect deadening performance in the slightest.

morrisman1 · Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 9:45 pm Post subject:

Well, what can I say... upholstery takes a lot longer than one would first estimate. I got some supplies today: contact glue, vinyl, plywood and a staple gun so that I can get on with getting the ute nicely trimmed.

Here is what I got done:

I couldnt complete the door cards, I made new ones out of 3mm MDF but the vinyl that I am using shows every little imperfection in the surface so I will have to put a thin layer of foam or similar between the vinyl and the wood so that the backs of the clips don't show through.

morrisman1 · Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2011 3:09 pm Post subject:

More upholstery today. Got both door panels completed and so far have installed the passenger one. Ill hold off on installing the drivers one because I am waiting on some parts to reassemble the door handle. Under the door panel I have put a layer of plastic sealed by some butyl tape to keep the noise, wind and moisture out. To install the scuttle panel I had to stick down the carpet on that side which I didnt really want to do yet but nevermind. Thinking about it I could put the whole carpet set in anytime now.

Here is what I got done:

edit, and later on I got the carpets in. The person who packed my carpet must have thought that morries have two left wheel arches and packed accordingly. I hope that the auto upholstery place has a close match for the carpet and Ill just make another one.

LRS · Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2011 3:58 pm Post subject: Interior

Looking good, you are powering into it, keep up the good work and the pictures, it is lovelly to see it all come together.

Cheers,
Leigh

morrisman1 · Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2011 8:00 pm Post subject:

More fun out in the garage. I should really get to bed a bit earlier, the last week or so I have been out there working till the middle of the night. Oh well it wont complete itself!

I have been further working on the interior, getting various places covered and panels made up. The pictures speak more than I could ever in text so have a geeze at these:

The more I spend time in the interior the more I think this might be a very quiet morry, there are three layers of soundproofing over the lower half of the bulkhead and two further up. Bitumen type covered by underfelt covered by carpet or 'stretch'

The stereo was one that I took out of my modern car because it was not suitable for the speakers I had but for this setup it is ideal and I can just plug in my ipod or USB drive. I christened the system with the sweet tunes of Pink Floyd.

I am working out my seatbelts now, I have two retractables and need to mount the retractor unit at the base of the B-pillar. Thankfully I dont need to do a structural certification because I already have numberplates (I heard that they require a 25mm thick steel backing plate for seatbelt mounting points, yes one inch thick!!), but I obviously want to mount them securely. I was considering some captive nut mounting plates with the rivet holes in them, riveting it to the base of the B pillar then putting a short bit of weld at the top and bottom. The stress on this point is a shear stress so I think that it would be more than secure. Any opinions on this or advice? I have all the other requirements for the seatbelts.

LRS · Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2011 8:41 pm Post subject: Wow

I want some of whatever you are on.

That looks so nice and you are going at top speed.
Keep up the good work and show us what you are up to.

Do you fancy a trip to Melbourne to finish mine..?

PM. me and I will show you how I did my seatbelts.
Bit hard now they are in but I will try to get some pic's

Cheers,
Leigh

morrisman1 · Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 9:53 pm Post subject:

It's lack of sleep that I'm on. Last night it wasn't before 3am that I finished in the garage. Tonight its almost 1am as I type this update before heading off to bed.

It has been a rather productive day. I borrowed a mig so could get the missing section of the cab back done and dusted. It isnt the perfect fit but Ive got it as good as I can. With that done it allowed me to cut the holes in the rubber T seal and bolt everything up. Also before I put all that together I had to make those four spacers which are normally wood. I chose to use UHMWPE which is an industrial plastic. It was cheap, the right thickness and easily formed with the angle grinder and best of all I don't have to seal it like I would with timber.

I finally got the bonnet catch to fit, all it needed was a little tweak and now it works as it should which is great. I put new gaskets in the bonnet hinges and made a small adjustment to the bonnet alignment and that evened up the gaps.

My key and barrel for the drivers door arrived today so that got assembled and the door back together with its weather barrier and door card. Both doors now complete. Its got a nice sound to it when you shut it, no clunks or rattles which is a nice change from my old morry.

So Im at the stage where I need to get the carpet put on the cab back and as a head lining and that would all but complete the interior with the exception of a few smaller jobs. After the head lining is put in then Ill drag the old girl down to the glaziers to get the windows put in. I found a really good windscreen in immaculate condition in the shed which Im chuffed with so that will be going in.

Here she is waiting for a trip to town in the morning:

morrisman1 · Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2011 5:00 pm Post subject:

Today the glazier installed the front and rear windows which is a good step forwards because it allowed me to bolt the deck on this afternoon and wire up the rear lights. Window wipers got installed somewhere in all that.

With all the brake lights, indicators etc going I ventured out into the wild for a sneaky drive. All went well, a bit of a misfire when the engine is cold but that disappears when warm. I don't know what might be causing that but I will investigate. Noise levels are morry like even with all that soundproofing which was a bit disappointing but having no air filter on wont help and there is still the rear of the cab to soundproof and also seal because there is a small gap in there.

It does feel very ute like and bounces around a bit!

morrisman1 · Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2011 7:26 pm Post subject:

leaks leaks leaks! I gave it a wash and half the water came inside. Morale of the story: The T-seal DOES require mastic! So I went and loosened it all off so I could put mastic in, had plenty of fun making mess then all back together. I havn't tested it yet but I am pretty confident that it will not leak.

At the same time I put the seal in for that cab back lower section, bolted it up properly and then put sealant around all the joins on the inside to prevent water, wind or noise finding a hole. With all that done it should be pretty water tight but I will test it once all the sealant cures.

Another project has been a 'boot' (or trunk as the yankies call it). Under the deck at the rear, to be a home for items like breakdown kit, jack, wheel brace etc. It has been made out of wood and fits in behind a panel which hinges down. Really better to see a picture of it but I will post that once there is some paint on it and it looks a bit more finished than what it does currently.

Thirdly I plumbed and wired up the window washers. I have a little push button under the wiper switch but below the dash which activates the window washers and will trigger the wipers too. Id like to have it trigger the wipers for three cycles but I dont know how to do that, at the moment it will trigger as many cycles as you hold it down for and then the last one will auto park. The pump is quite powerful, I didnt have one jet aligned and ended up squirting water all over the garage ceiling behind the rear of the tray! I forgot about having a check valve in the system so it just drains after each use and needs re-priming before being used. Ill get that sorted some time shortly, should be very simple.

I fixed the rough running when cold issue, it required a new set of points, condenser and for luck I put new leads in. It is completely drivable right from cold start now which is what it should be like. It motors along easily, took it up to 100km/h true speed (3500 rpm engine revs) and it certainly didnt feel like 100 in any other morries I have been in, the engine was quieter and in general it felt comfortable at that speed. The engine is very free-revving, not making any harsh noises at higher RPM (didnt take it above 4500 because it is still in a running in phase) and is generally pretty smooth. I need to put a clutch return spring on because the thrust bearing is constantly engaged unless I lift the pedal so that is something I overlooked when sorting the clutch cable out.

No pictures this time

morrisman1 · Posted: Thu Oct 06, 2011 9:06 am Post subject:

I was wondering if it was worth doing the wheel alignment, someone suggested it but I think it may be an unnecessary expense

It's not that bad is it?

Anyway the reasoning for that is I have to take the steering rack out to get the gearbox out, which I took out to fix the noisy thrust bearing and replace the clutch pressure plate and disc for peace of mind. It is not an overly easy job to do hence why I want to do it once and do it right.

While all that is apart I have to do a couple jobs including putting a grommet where a brake line goes through the chassis rail to prevent it being cut, and also modifying the clutch lever because it wasn't pulling the cable perfectly straight which may cause issues later on down the track. I also lengthened the clutch leverage so that it pulls the clutch in a bit more because I didnt feel it had enough movement previously.

The sun has been out for quite a few days lately so its making working on the ute quite enjoyable.

morrisman1 · Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2011 6:43 am Post subject:

Its been slow progress lately, partly because of weather but mostly because the jobs needing done are those that I dont like, they involve brakes and bleeding a system that is rather difficult to bleed.

I have also been distracted by this:

its just a crappy old mazda 121 which we are converting to a competitive clubsport car. the old 52hp 1.1L engine has come out and this week we will be dropping in a 130hp DOHC engine out of a mazda 323 astina. Estimated weight is 750kg so that gives us a pretty good power to weight ratio! I have about 18 days to get it finished hence the priority it is taking.

DON58VAN · Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 12:22 pm Post subject:

I can't see anything wrong with the alignment.

Perhaps it needs a touch more toe-in.

;D

RussLCV · Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2011 4:34 am Post subject:

What a fantastic ute................we love this on the pages of Minor Monthly, would like to know more on the electric windows

Russ@MinorMonthly.co.uk

morrisman1 · Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2012 4:51 pm Post subject:

Unfortunately no progress to report but the clock is ticking and April is coming up rather quickly. I have decided to get the jobs required to get it on the road done first, get it on the road then once the pressure is off work on all the little things that are low on the priority list.

My priority list contains:
~Handbrake cables, need to make them up as it has a starlet rear end
~Finish the gearbox job, this basically involves bleeding the brakes now as the master cylinder came out at the same time, and putting the tunnel back on and carpets in again.
~ Fit the deck. I have given up on getting hardwood for the deck, its just not readily available enough and the cost is prohibitive for me now. The deck will be made from 35mm H3 treated grooved radiata, I will stain this to give it some colour and it will do the job nicely.
~ Get speedo calibrated and cable made up. I cant find the bloomin cable end that I had which is a pain, I need it to be able to measure the turns at the gearbox end.
~ Rear mudguards need to be fitted, I need to make up a system to hold them in place and this will probably happen once the deck is put on.
~ Fixing the window washer system, putting a ford escort tank in because my MK1 version of the window washers doesnt work due to pump being higher than tank and it wont suck uphill.
~ seats and all that Jazz

That pretty much covers it. After those are all done Ill be able to take it for a WOF inspection and then cert (makes cert easier if WOF has been done within 14 days prior)

RussLCV · Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2012 5:41 am Post subject:

keep us posted a nice feature for Minor Monthly soon?

Russ

morrisman1 · Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2012 4:53 pm Post subject:

That would be fantastic. Probably closer to the middle of the year, once I have got all those time/money consuming little finishing touches done. Ill be sure to let you know when I am happy that is of presentable standard.

I got the old girl going today, Fired first pop after 5 seconds of cranking while the fuel bowl filled up. Also got my Ford Escort washer reservoir and pump installed and wiring/plumbing extended to suit. The washers work the way they should now.

Unfortunately it is now resident to a few spiders, now that I dont mind spiders but those webs they make are going to have to stop! It might have to be delt with by some of that spider killing spray

morrisman1 · Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2012 8:19 pm Post subject:

After much prograstination I bled the brakes today. Not as bad as I was expecting, just a pain in the bum to unbolt the brake booster. So they are all done, the gearbox tunnel is resealed and bolted back down and the carpets went back in too. So all up fairly productive.

I celebrated by taking out out for a 15minute tiki tour to ensure all is as it should be. The new clutch bites positively and has a nice feel. One thing that may be an issue is the rear brakes lock before the front, must be due to the low weight on the back. I dont know if that is going to be an issue with the authorities or not, I may have to install a proportioning valve. Time to research those!

frosty · Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2012 8:27 pm Post subject:

morrisman1 · Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2012 8:40 pm Post subject:

frosty · Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2012 8:53 pm Post subject:

Ahh ... non morry rear end ... no clicks there.!!

If it is locking up then there is not enough weight on the back. Do your WOF guys worry about a couple of bags of cement on the back !! Shocked

Btw ... were you at the convention at Dunedin last?

and Mr morrisman1 Invercargill ... got a name?

cheers

frosty

morrisman1 · Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2012 9:02 pm Post subject:

Sorry Frosty but they take a hard line on cement

I couldn't do the dunedin meet, had something else on but cannot recall what. Of course I've a name, Cameron it is. Do you know some of the Morry folk from Invercargill?

frosty · Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2012 9:07 pm Post subject:

Only the one's that were at the Dunedin convention Very Happy

I managed to find quite a few parked up down that way when we continued on our tour via the south and up the west coast Red Woody

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