Most things are coming together now with my the floor pan/bodywork, the engine and the chassis. Soon it will be time to put the engine back on the clutch housing/chassis. Then lift the floor pan/bodywork on to the chassis. Exciting times. I wonder if those with experience can give me some tips on things to look out for doing these jobs.
Questions include, should I put the new rubber trim around the engine bay before lifting it on to the chassis with the engine in or after?
I was thinking of making up some strong rubber washers to fit under the body work when I bolt the 4 main Body to Chassis fixings together. Would this not be a good idea because of electrical earthing? Is there an issue with the gear rod, I seem to remember that was in the way when I lifted the body off.
The floor pan is at present upside down and I have fitted the wiring loom, throttle rod, hand brake cable, choke cable, battery box (earthed to body), fuel tank, spare wheel carrier and hand throttle. Oh and the tow bar.
I plan to fit the rear mud flaps and lights, the lever controls and gear stick, after the body is on.
OK , hope you all keeping well. I won't be ready to take Father Christmas for a Haflinger ride but I have my sights on a spring time drive and fingers crossed a less Covid influenced time.
Jeff.
Putting it all back together.
Re: Putting it all back together.
HI Jeff,
Sounds like you are getting to put some some serious time in on your Haf. I would not put a rubber washers between the body and the chassis mounting points as if one or two were to perish over time, those joints would become loose and the body / chassis movement that would then happen would wreck the mounting holes and in theory be an MOT failure. I would just put a good smear of copper ease over the mounting points to stop them sticking together the next time you take the platform off!
I know - "I am never EVER going to take the platform off again"!!!
I would get it MOT'ed once you have put it all back together just to get someone else to check all the major safety related items are actually okay.
If you have made a good electrical earth from the battery Negative to the Battery box and Battery box to the platform, that should be good enough as long as you also get a good earth from the engine bay bodywork to the Dynastart case and to the engine. In theory, you should only need to do bodywork to Dynastart case, but I think it is a good idea to have another earth to the engine as a backup, Unless you plan to put in a "high fidelity" car radio system that might suffer from a ground "loop".
If you happen to have access to a few more hands when putting the platform back down over the engine, then put the rubber sealing strips in the engine bay before lowering over the engine. They will cause the platform to catch on the way down if you don't have someone fiddling with them as the platform is lowered. Once the platform is on, you can run round them with a screwdriver to flip the long seal under the engine tinware. The rubber strips can be put in afterwards, but you have to make sure that the channels they slide in are nice and straight and smooth or the rubber strips will catch and make sliding them into place difficult.
I would remove the tow bar cross member along with the cross member that holds the rear vertical engine access door from the platform whilst lowering it into place. Two less things to catch on something and it makes it so you can "expand" the two engine side covers to get them to go past the cylinder head rocker covers with out getting caught there.
John
Sounds like you are getting to put some some serious time in on your Haf. I would not put a rubber washers between the body and the chassis mounting points as if one or two were to perish over time, those joints would become loose and the body / chassis movement that would then happen would wreck the mounting holes and in theory be an MOT failure. I would just put a good smear of copper ease over the mounting points to stop them sticking together the next time you take the platform off!
I know - "I am never EVER going to take the platform off again"!!!
I would get it MOT'ed once you have put it all back together just to get someone else to check all the major safety related items are actually okay.
If you have made a good electrical earth from the battery Negative to the Battery box and Battery box to the platform, that should be good enough as long as you also get a good earth from the engine bay bodywork to the Dynastart case and to the engine. In theory, you should only need to do bodywork to Dynastart case, but I think it is a good idea to have another earth to the engine as a backup, Unless you plan to put in a "high fidelity" car radio system that might suffer from a ground "loop".
If you happen to have access to a few more hands when putting the platform back down over the engine, then put the rubber sealing strips in the engine bay before lowering over the engine. They will cause the platform to catch on the way down if you don't have someone fiddling with them as the platform is lowered. Once the platform is on, you can run round them with a screwdriver to flip the long seal under the engine tinware. The rubber strips can be put in afterwards, but you have to make sure that the channels they slide in are nice and straight and smooth or the rubber strips will catch and make sliding them into place difficult.
I would remove the tow bar cross member along with the cross member that holds the rear vertical engine access door from the platform whilst lowering it into place. Two less things to catch on something and it makes it so you can "expand" the two engine side covers to get them to go past the cylinder head rocker covers with out getting caught there.
John
Haflinger 703AP LWB 1973 - (Once owned by Lady Sutherland & Sons.) Now called "Lurch" !
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