THE GREEN MACHINE

After hours and hours of blocking and priming and devoting all our attention to even the slightest detail in the body lines and minor imperfections, the final coats of paint have been applied.

We moved Morris into the paint booth on Friday afternoon and began the process of masking and cleaning the body.  A foam rod with an adhesive strip is applied to the surface of the trunk, door and engine compartment openings.  

The doors, boot lid and bonnet are then set in place resting against the foam.  This process allows the edges of the openings and doors to be coated simultaneously without the use of masking paper and tape; a real time-saver.

The wheels are bagged and the grille opening is masked.  Then, that beautiful shade of green single stage paint is applied.

Monday morning, Morris will be moved back to the shop for final assembly.

Exciting times are ahead...

Tom McCurry

Tommy's Topless Cars

tommystoplesscars@yahoo.com

843.338.2253

INSTALLATION OF HEAT/SOUND SHIELDS

There is absolutely no sound deadening or heat resistant materials used in these automobiles.  The exhaust system is routed directly beneath the driver's seat (on left hand drive cars) which can lead to some  uncomfortable driving conditions in the summer.  And the road noise allows you to hear the radio or your passenger's riveting conversation only while you are parked. 

It is for these reasons that the installation of heat/sound shields are installed inside the door panels, on the floor beneath the carpeting and on the interior side of the firewall.  This material will make an appreciable difference in the overall comfort of the Morris.

Stay tuned...

Tom McCurry

Tommy's Topless Cars

tommystoplesscars@yahoo.com

843.338.2253

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE DETAILS

Every automobile restoration is judged by its attention to detail.  Each nut, bolt, clamp, etc. must be refinished.  You can see, in the photo to the left, how an unfinished part stands out against the backdrop of new paint.

The shock absorber has been cleaned and refinished with matte finish POR 15 paint.  

I spent the afternoon sanding and priming some of the peripheral body parts.  The green finish will be applied tomorrow.

Tom McCurry

Tommy's Topless Cars

tommystoplesscars@yahoo.com

843.338.2253

FINALLY, SOME GREEN PAINT

After so many hours of hammering, filling, sanding, priming and blocking; the moment you have all been waiting for arrived today.  We actually applied some green paint.

First, the body must be trimmed, that is, the door openings and door edges are painted.

Also, the boot and bonnet area frames are trimmed.  When the body is painted, the bonnet and boot lid can be fitted and the entire body painted simultaneously.

The engine compartment was  painted.  After the remainder of the body is painted, the engine and wiring harness will be fitted.

The underside of the bonnet...

and the underside of the boot lid were also painted.  These areas will be masked before the final paint is applied to the body.

Tom McCurry

Tommy's Topless Cars

tommystoplesscars@yahoo.com

843.338.2253

THE BODY IS READY FOR FINAL BLOCKING

Now that the bodywork has been completed, we are ready to apply the final coats of primer.  All the areas where sanding the first coats of primer exposed bare metal were coated with self etching primer.

Next, the Morris was moved to the paint booth so that the final coats of primer could be applied.

Tomorrow, the entire body will be wet sanded with 600 grit paper and any blemishes will be repaired.

Almost green...

Tom McCurry

Tommy's Topless Cars

tommystoplesscars@yahoo.com

843.338.2253

BODYWORK ALMOST COMPLETE

Preston, our newest helper, and I spent the day completing the initial blocking.  I also applied 3M glazing putty to the imperfections in the body and blocked them.

The body is now ready for the final coats of primer.  Then it will be water sanded with 600 wet or dry paper and barring any unforeseen circumstances, Morris will be painted this coming weekend.

Trembling with anticipation...

Tom McCurry

Tommy's Topless Cars

tommystoplesscars@yahoo.com

843.338.2253

BODYWORK CONTINUES...STILL BLOCKING

As we discussed previously, the right side of the Morris is in much better condition than the left.  Today I almost completed the initial blocking.     All that is remaining is half the bonnet and the hood.  The need for filler is minimal...a good thing.  

Hopefully we will be painting by the end of next week.

Stay tuned...

Tommy's Topless Cars

tommystoplesscars@yahoo.com

843.338.2253

ENGINE ASSEMBLY COMPLETED

The bodywork did not continue today due to more urgent matters.  I did however, have the opportunity to complete the pre-assembly of the engine.  

Earlier, Bill and I cleaned and painted the engine and I assembled the newly rebuilt carburetors, linkage and manifold.

I painted and fitted the new water pump and fan assembly.  

On the ignition side of the engine, the distributor has been cleaned and lubricated.  Today, I installed new points, condenser, rotor, cap and plug wires.  The yellow wires are a nice touch.  

We have a new starter but it will not be fitted until the engine is removed from the stand.

Tom McCurry

Tommy's Topless Cars

tommystoplesscars@yahoo.com

843-338-2253

BODYWORK...BLOCKING BEGINS

Now that the body has been primed, the bodywork can begin.  The first blocking of the body reveals all the low and high spots.  In the photo to the right you will notice numerous dark areas.  This darker color indicates low areas.  These areas must be filled with glazing putty and primed again.

It appears that the left side of the car has sustained substantially more damage than the right side, however, it is limited to very small dents.  

Tom McCurry

Tommy's Topless Cars

tommystoplesscars@yahoo.com

843.338.2253

FITTING THE CARBURETORS

The newly rebuilt carburetors arrived this morning.  Adapting the 1275 cc engine to the Morris is not difficult but fitting the later model peripheral equipment is challenging.  The twin SU carburetors, replacing the single SU, were easily fitted because they were original to the 1275.  

The fuel bowl vent lines and fuel connecting line will be installed tomorrow.

 Today, I also fitted the point set in the distributor.  Then, I installed the new N9Y Champion spark plugs and positioned the crank at top dead center.  From there, wiring the engine was simple.  The firing order, 1342, designated which spark plug should be connected to a particular wire on the distributor.  The plug wires shown in the photo to the right, will be replaced with new wires.

Tom McCurry

Tommy's Toplesss Cars

tommystoplesscars@yahoo.com

843.338.2253