Hey gang,
Now that the April issue of The Brickline is at the printers, and I've
gotten the Sonett running, I finally got a chance to work on the Bricklin.
However, I think this is sort-of one of those "one step forward and two
steps back". I wanted to drop the floor pan. Did someone ask why?
Well all the metal reinforcement plates under the floor pan had rotted
away. So several years ago, I had all new reinforcement panels made.
And as most of you know, I have had new sill plates made and got them
welded in between Xmas and New Years (when I wasn't working on the wiring
diagrams). I still have a lot of rotted metal on the inside of the Birdcage
to cut out and new patch panels to weld in. I got thinking that it would
be easier to drop the floor pan and fit the reinforcement plate with the
floor pan upside down, that it would be for me to have to work under the
body and hold all the stuff up. Not to mention that it will be easier
to weld the pieces that make up the rear wall and transmission supports.
While I was breaking the glue seams on the floor pan, I noticed that in
many places, the glue wasn't really holding any longer. As I finally freed
the floor pan and it started to drop down, I most of the trunk floor fell
out also. The glue holding the trunk floor to the fender arches, and the
reinforcement panel that hold the top of the fender arch to the rear quarter
panel had long lost its bond. Now the only thing holding the trunk floor
in is the seam and pop rivits across the back panel. I guess this weekend
I proceed to drop the trunk out of the body also. To make matters worse
the glue bond on the quarter panels where they attach to the "B" pillars
broke loose. Terry put a new "H" top on the birdcage for me back in 93.
So I guess I now have to figure out how to get the quarter panel out from
under the roof panel. Then I'll have the bird cage sitting all by its
self. Which is probably what I should have done a year or 2 ago.
Now the problem will be finding storage room for the trunk and quarter
panels. This won't be an easy task as I'm used almost every piece of
furnature in the house already to hide some part.
Boy I wish I knew what I was doing!!! I guess if I did, I'd really be
dangerious though.
To all of you that are driving your cars, keep it up. Think of me while
your out tooling around. Maybe I'll get a telepathic joy ride out of it.
John
John T. Blair WA4OHZ email: jblair@exis.net
Va. Beach, Va Phone: (757) 495-8229
48 TR1800 65 Morgan 4/4 Series V
71 Saab Sonett III 75 Bricklin SV1 77 Spitfire
www.team.net/www/morgan bricklin.shel.olsy-na.com/bi
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