FHC resto nr. 3; 3 days into the project

After removing the engine and gearbox last Wednesday and the wind screen last Saturday, I am now three days into dismantling the car and it is completely bare now. Except for the suspension that is. I left that in place to make moving the car around easier. But not before all nuts and bolts were loosened, just to make sure they can be removed easily when needed.

So far no real horrors turned up although removing the bulkhead insulation  showed what I already expected, some rot in the seams between the front inner wings and bulkhead. But not as much as I had expected ...

Then there are some patched repairs to the front inner wings. And as there are some signs of (surface?) rust on the front of the sills behind the front wings, these will have to come of to make sure everything is Ok underneath. And although this is a fair amount of work, the added bonus is that the seams between inner and outer wing (which are rather prone to rot) can be dealt with properly.

The transmission tunnel has been butchered even more to accommodate the Sprint gearbox ...

And the PO managed to tear of one of the front tow eyes and damage the cross member between the front of the chassis legs ...

And while removing the gearbox and noticing all the adaptations needed to get the Sprint gearbox fitted properly, I have decided to ditch the idea of using Sprint 'box in favour of a LT77 'box. This decision is prompted by the fact that the car will be built as TR7 Sprint, with a standard spec Sprint engine on twin SU's.

Talking of engines, the original engine that came out will only be used after it has been completely stripped and thoroughly cleaned. There is evidence that the coolant system is clogged up quite badly. As this temperature sensor the PO fitted into the lower radiator hose clearly shows ...

And although a few bits and pieces did put up something resembling a fight. Like the straps holding the fuel tank in place. The bolts were rusted solid to the straps, but that was dealt with accordingly using brute force. The 4 special bolts were all saved but the straps are scrap now. But despite that very pleased to say the tank came out unscathed and looks brand new.

And of course the wind screen. In the past I have tried all sorts of special tools but while removing the screen from the DHC some 5 years ago we found out that a simple penknife and perseverance works best. And indeed after a few hours of gently cutting away at the sealant I was able to remove the wind screen intact leaving me with a very bare car ...

While working my way to the front of the car so far I found some evidence that somewhere in the past this car was re-shelled, probably using an early US spec shell. First there are clear markings on the right hand front suspension turret suggesting the original VIN number has been removed. Then there are two small holes in the left hand wind screen pillar which are a perfect match for the little alloy VIN number plates as used on US market cars.