FHC resto nr. 98; More parts searching

A few weeks ago I took delivery of a pretty solid FHC front bumper bar. The idea was to have that shot blasted and coated as soon as possible. That is when I found and ordered another TR7 front strut brace in Australia. As these come with silver mounting rings and a black alloy tube, I thought it a good idea to have the steel parts coated (black of course) too. And the steel mounting rings of ‘t Kreng’s strut brace could do with some new coating. Almost 15 years of action on the car have taken their toll on the original silver coating.

So while still waiting for the strut brace to arrive (at the time of writing it’s still waiting for a plane in Sydney), I decided to have another go at searching for missing parts that need coating. First part I went in search of was a left hand boot lid hinge. I had the original ones from the car coated and refurbished them with new pivot points. But while looking at some of the car’s electrics I found that the LH hinge I have fitted to the car doesn’t have a bracket to switch the boot light. So I went in search of a LH hinge that can be used. I found two pairs that could be used.

I wanted to use an early one. The yellow set in the picture above. But as can be seen the actuation bracket for the switch is badly deformed. But I did find the loose later bracket. And better still it had slipped into the box with parts that were galvanised a few years ago! So I decided to use the later hinge. But only the part that bolts to the boot lid. And I managed to repair the exhaust to gearbox bracket. Only need to make a thick load spreading plate to prevent future cracking of the bracket.

Next parts were the front suspension’s top mounts. Found this pretty good set with what looks like the manufacturing identification or control marks (?) still in place. They only have some very light surface corrosion.

I will take them to a friend’s workshop (and blasting cabinet) in the near future, to get rid of the surface rust. After which the steel parts will be coated using some rattle cans. The same treatment is planned for the engine mounts. Found two almost new mounts in my spares collection, though the remaining 7 in the picture below are also fit for future use.

And while rummaging through the boxes with parts I thought it a good idea to sort out all the rubber parts and put them together. This also gave me the opportunity to get rid of some parts that were too far gone to be used in future! A selection of parts that will be re-used on this car.

Most of them only need a good clean before they can be fitted to the car. And I made a start on that already.

But the main reason I started sorting the rubber parts was to find my remaining stock of new wiring grommets. I bought these while restoring the DHC. And I wanted to know how many new ones I’d need approximately. Well I did find them in the end. Together with a few bags of various used blanking plugs. Clear though that I will have to order some extra ones, as the stock has dwindled a bit. And as soon as they arrive I can switch my attention back to the wiring harnesses!

And a plan is slowly unfolding how to sort and store all my spare parts for future use. Should make life a bit easier!