Le Temps des Series'

Here you will find an English translation of the past thread concerning my 86”, initially in French on the following link : http://forum.le-temps-des-series.com/vi ... 10&t=18325

1. Vehicule’s presentation

Looking on the classified ads, I saw this 1954 Series One on june 2009.



This is a rare RAF blue Series One.
Initially sold for Swiss export market, this 86” arrived in France in 1992, because of his actual owner.
When the actual owner bought it in 1992 he decides to fit a Peugeot Indenor Diesel engine.
Big modifications are made on chassis, gearbox, wiring loom and accessories…
The problem is this vehicle is not street legal, because energy become diesel and the “carte grise” (French V5) still mentions Petrol.
It was not a problem in the past, because old vehicles don’t need MOT. Since 2009, MOT is also mandatory for old timers so engine modification becomes a problem.
It was a bad new when I discovered this point, because the 86” becomes a vehicle without V5…
BUT...
…What a fantastic suprise when the owner tell me he has kept the genuine engine, gearbox, and accessories !!!
It’s possible to come back to genuine specifications and come back street legal.

................................................................................................................................................................

Here it is the Lovely series one when I seen it for the first time.




She’s down for five years. Its owner is too old to drive. (75 years old)



Peugeot J7 engine and modified wiring loom.


Tuned upholstery.


On the rear :


In the rear tub I can find some genuine parts, disassembled in 1992.


Under a shelter in the garden. Behind some pallets sleep for almost 20 years the genuine engine, gearbox and steering column !



Needless to say it is very rare that the original parts are kept as long after a change. It was a real bargain.
Souvenir photo of the owner in front of his vehicle. 18 years together, a lot of services and lots of modifications, it leaves memories...

2.Disassembly

To match the V5, I have to come back to genuine petrol engine.
I take this opportunity to restore the entire rolling base to become reliable and to have something clean and healthy.
The chassis will be dismantled, refurbished and hot dip galvanized.
Engine, accessories, gearboxes and axles will be reviewed.
All small parts will be rebuilt: brake pipes, hand brake, wiring harness, drive shafts, etc..
I don't want to do a vehicle for competition or museum, but simply a rehabilitation. The body is very clean, so I will keep it and make it just a little makeover.
As I will not touch the body, I disassembled the body in one piece. It saves a lot of time.





I lift the body with a chain hoist at the front, and two chain hoists at the back. This allows for a balance and allows being more precise.


Then I dismantled all the connections between body and chassis.

Steering column.


Wiring loom.


Body fixing.


In a very short time, the body is ready to be lifted.

We can therefore raise gradually each hoist.













The wheelbase is ready to be refurbished.


Inventory.








It needs a rehabilitation.
I begin by removing the steering relay. To remove it, either you are lucky and it comes out of the chassis easily, or it is stuck inside the chassis and separation is an feat.
Of course, it was stuck…


After trying numerous methods (penetrating oil, torch, etc.). I finally put a stop from below on a jack, and hit the chassis with a big hammer. Reinforcements were welded to the chassis to attach the winch, which allowed me to beat on it without damaging the chassis. The reinforcements have to be removed anyway.




Unfortunately, reached 3-4 cm in height, he did not want to move anymore. Rust and earth between the relay and the chassis have put it in tension, blocking everything.
Finally, the chassis has cracked and the housing has moved with relay.


It’s not really a problem:



I cut the housing.


55 years old rust and dirty…


Housing is stripped and i twill be welded in chassis. Steering relay will be refurbished.


Then I can remove engine and gearbox assembly.



Pedal disassembly.


One axis is holded with a nut, the other with a circlip.



To galvanize the chassis, it’s mandatory to completely dismantle the chassis : all parts have to be removed.
I remove pedal axles bushes.



Here it is bushes and « extractor ».



Chassis bushes are removed.




Axles disasembly.



Chassis is now ready to be refurbished.

3. Chassis.

Chassis needs to be refurbished. After that, it will be hot dip galvanized.
Non genuine chassis parts are cutted.





The chassis has got perforating rust, X members are twisted, etc.
First thing is to do a sandblast.
I know a company which rent its sandblasting cabin.


After sandblasting, chassis is very clean and we can see more damaged parts.




Now the chassis can be refurbished.


Tappings are cleaned.



Series one chassis show BSF, UNC and UNF tappings. So you must have numerous taps, because hot dip galvanizing fills all tappings.

I extract the broken screw







As you can see on the pictures the chassis has multiple points of rust after only a few days in the open air.
After sandblasting, steel has no more rust protection. Air humidity is enough to allow rust within a few days.
Before galvanizing, the frame is dipped into an acid bath to remove any rust. So rust is not a problem for me. But for those who only want to paint the chassis, it is crucial to do so in the same day that sandblasting.




A bulkhead outrigger is damaged.



I cut the damaged part.


I create the same part in same grade steel (S 235).


I use magnets to align sheets.


Welding.



Grinding.


Axles bump stop housing are damaged, even if we cannot see it.




With this big hole in the chassis, I can use a vaccum cleaner to removed sand and dirty.


New parts fabricated.



We can see here it is a bad idea to weld a sheet on an other. There is condensation between the two sheets and rust damage the chassis.

Gearboxes X members are twited. They needs work.












Result :






New tank outrigger.



The plates closing the rear cross had been removed in the past. To untwist the cross I guess. It no longer has any stiffness.

I come back to genuine.




Front of chassis :

Sterring relay housing re-welded.


The battery mount was removed for diesel engine. I weld a new one.
Generally, I clean the heavily rusted parts in a bath of hydrochloric acid, followed by a rinse and a soda bath to neutralize the steel.



Rear cross member need some work.



The cross was drilled to pass the socket wiring..






Chassis needs then to be drilled before galvanizing, to allow zinc and air to exit chassis.


On the road to galvanizing company.
Before…


…and after !

4. Axles.

The axles require repairs. The balls are corroded, the differentials play is too great, the brakes are out of order, and the whole is pretty rusty.
Rear axle dismantly.

Stripping in progress... I use a wire brush on a grinder for these parts.

Brakes dismantly.

Half shaft.



The splines are in good condition. A slight wear is visible here, nothing too alarming. Normal wear given the age and miles of the vehicle.

Rear axle to follow...

Front axle :



Few inches of old grease. The balls are too corroded to ensure the sealing. They will be changed.



Brakes dismantling, hub, etc.


The stub axle is damaged. It seems to have been ground. Maybe to remove rust. The problem is that this axle is used to center the inner wheel bearing ... The additional play due to grinding is therefore found in the wheel.





Differentials are disassembled, bearings and seals are replaced.



Differentials settings.


I finish cleaning the axle’s bodies and I refit differentials before painting.
After a long and thorough degreasing, I coat axles with "Tanik" to destroy the rust that could resist stripping (especially in corners). The blue color gives way to black when the chemical reaction to neutralize the rust is complete.


Axles are sprayed with antirust primer.



Then I spray a two part polyurethane coating.





I use this treatment for years, after having experienced a lot of others. The resistance to chipping and rust protection is very good.
I will use the same treatment for all parts that will be refurbished.

Front road springs are ok. They only need new bushes.


Cleaning of some parts.



Drive shafts only need new joints.



Cleaning is needed !




Steering balls are in bad condition.


Cleaning of numerous parts.


Coating (Tanik, primer, two part coating).



Swivel balls are renewed.



I take their replacement to change the swivel system.
Series ones' top swivel consists of a splined shaft and two cones leaning on each other by a spring. This system (poorly designed) quickly takes the play so I replaced this by mounting the Series II and III swivel : a smooth shaft into a Railko bearing.
Bottom swivel is the same.
On the left, new swivel device. On the right, old device (sadly not complet on the picture)


Balls parts assembly.


The splined shaft is extracted with a press (20 tons are needed) and is replaced by the smooth shaft of the new swivel.


Ball assembly.


Bearings settings.


The grinded stub axle is renewed.


Second stub axle is ok.

However stub axle collar needs to be replaced.





Half shafts U-joints needs to be repaced.

Splines are ok.


The threads are cleaned with the corresponding tap.


Bearing and seals are check and replaced.


I reassemble hub on axle before painting. It avoids to damage paint when mounting.


I refabricated new mounts for brake pipes. I used stainless steel 316 L.


Cleaning of some parts.





Coating.




Front axle : Seal in axle, brakes, etc. are renewed.







Rear axle :
Wheel bearing need to be replaced.


Disassembly with a hydraulic press. (Between 15 and 20 tons were required to exit the whole)

New bearing and new collar

To fit the new collar, you need a hydraulic press, but you need a special tool to reach collar with press.
I manufacture a tool with a steel tube and the old collar.





Coating.


The rear axle is reassembled with new brakes.

5. Gearboxes.
Gearboxes was unused during 18 years. They need to be checked.

Engine and gearboxes disasembly.



Clutch housing. Some oil…




Dismantling.




This series one has matching numbers !


Clutch dismantling.



Bearing and seal change.



Gearboxes shafts was in very good condition. I had to change only some damaged parts like bushed, bearings, etc.



All parts are cleaned, checked and are replaced if needed.












New seals are fitted.



New grommets.






Ready to fit geaboxes.

6. Engine and accessories.

I started by "probing" state of the engine. Measuring the compression of each cylinder indicates the status of engine wear.


I remove the spark plugs and clean cylinders with compressed air to remove the carbon deposits that were detached during storage.


The cooling system is flushed to remove deposits.


The compressions are mesured with a compression tester that I made some time ago.
A pneumatic connector welded to a spark plug base is screwed in place of the spark plug.

Then I plug the compression tester, consisting of a flexible, a check valve and a pressure gauge.

Compressions values were ok. A visit with an endoscope revealed valves in good condition. The motor does not required major work.
A general check is still needed for the engine and accessories.

Dynamo check.



Brushes and bearing are in good condition.


The resistance of the coil is checked for each pair of diametrically opposed collectors.


Collectors only needs a clean.


Reassembly.





Starter check.



The spring is damaged. Rubber chips are present: probably the rubber buffer coupling (bendix) is damaged


Old and new spring.


Rotor.


The carbon brushes are unequally worn. They are renewed.


Collectors are ok. They just need a clean. Coil resistance is checked.


I had a little trouble dismantling the rotor.
No problems to unscrew the nut / bearing at the end:


But it was impossible to remove the gear axis to access the bendix coupling. Theoretically, just slide all up. Even with heating and spraying a penetrating oil, it does not move. This was due to the old grease that had dried between 2 pieces, turning into real glue.


I found the good tool.








It is clear that it is out of order: the rubber is no more bonded to the inner ring.




Bendix is renewed.


The ring that serves as a lower support was cracked. Under stress, the crack opens and the spring goes out of the ring. That's why the spring was completely bent.

I was hoping to repair the ring welding the crack. I therefore cut with a grinder on the crack to accommodate the weld. I put the welder on it, and... huge gaping hole in the ring. It was not steel, but a material at very low melting point ...
This part is not detailed. I have to remanufacture it.


Ready to fit.


Inlet check.




When an engine is not used for years, the water coolant evaporates and all that remains is that the anti-freeze additives (usually glycol). They clog the pipes.


It is very difficult to clean a carburetor properly with the usual methods (cloth, degreaser, brush, etc.).. After standard cleaning the result is as follow :


Not shiny…

I had to find to better solution.

I opted for …. Sugar blasting !



The carb. is then dipped in a bath of hot water to dissolve the sugar. The operation is repeated several times to remove all the sugar. After soaking, the carb. is placed on the chimney for a few hours for the water evaporates.



The result is pretty good! Especially since the cleaning took only 10 minutes !





Some parts are damaged.


I remanufacture it.



The internal organs of carb.were in very good condition so I renewed the seals to finish the job.

Engine check.


Crankcase is removed.



“Funny” finds at the bottom of the crankcase…

The part is used to hold valves, but none were missing. It’s seems to be fell in the crankcase in the past.

The oil screen is in good condition, no puncture, no clogging.


The oil remains fluid, despite the inactivity of the engine.




I spray with petrol to dilute and remove the old oil.



Main bearings and big end bearing are checked. They are in good condition.


Camshaft, valves, rockers, are not in perfect condition, as most of 2 liters petrol, but still ok for a long time.
Engine block is cleaned.




Clutch check.




All surfaces are rusty. Not surprising after such a long inactivity.
Clutch disc is dead.


The surfaces are “repaired” by simply sanding. Rust did not attack the surface. It was just a deposit.






Cleaning is necessary in clutch housing.



Fly wheel is refit and run-out is checked.


New clutch disc is fitted. Centered with gearbox primary shaft.




End of engine check

New water pump.



Ignition was a Ducellier from... Renault 5.


Replaced by a Series 2 Lucas ignition.

New spark plug.


Ready for a new life.

7. Reassembly.

The reassembly is always the fun part. Everything is clean. It is only a big assembly of parts.
Chassis needs to be perpared.


The big advantage of a hot dip galvanizing is that the zinc shoves everywhere. Therefore, inside the chassis is perfectly protected.




The big disadvantage of a hot dip galvanizing is that the shoves everywhere. Therefore, all the holes and threads are filled.



We note here the usefulness of the UNC, UNF and BSF taps, and noting the type of each threaded hole.


The next step is to find new screws. The UNC and UNF are fairly easily to find. The BSF is more difficult to find. In England there are some manufacturers that sell online.



Pedals bushes are fitted :


I fitted polybushes, less boring to put on and change as the original, which should always be destroyed to leave their housing.


Rear axle fitting.




Steering relay (with a lot a grease)


Front axle fitting.


Pedals.



Axles bump stops.


Re-galvanised rear bumpers.



Steering rods.


Engine and gearboxes assembly.





Fitting on new bushes.



Brake pipe manufacturing.

The old brake pipes were too damaged to be reused.


I manufacture new pipes with copper.


The ends of the pipes have a very specific form and you need a brake pipe flaring tool.


Example :







Strictly conform to original.


It’s possible to create female form.



The advantage of these little kits, compared to a workshop stamping press is that you can carry the tool to do forms directly on the chassis.

Beginning of piping.



Then I held the pipe to make it conform to the desired way.


Roundings are very easily by hand or on the knee. The hardest part is to make nice straight lines, without waves. It takes a little time and attention to detail.


Old brackets.


After cleaning.


The brake pipes take the original way.






The Series I 86 " master cylinder is becoming scarce. And as you know, what is rare is expensive. Between 300 and 400 € depending on the supplier. To work around this heresy, it is possible mounting a master cylinder of the first Series II.
The problem: Series I MC is attached to the chassis with three holes:


Series II MC is attached to the chassis with two holes:
No way to drill my frame. So I have to thinking...
I made an aluminum spacer 5 mm thick. I fixed this spacer on the frame with 3 countersunk screws , and I set the master cylinder on the spacer, with countersunk screws!
Side 1:

Side 2:





Here is how to win € 300 easily, while leaving the original chassis.

Primed and coated.





Réfection du faisceau électrique du chassis.

The harness goes into the chassis. Once the body in place, it is almost impossible to access. So be sure of its condition.



Often only the sheath is damaged (filled with mud and / or cut by vibration).


After removing the old sheath, I found the wires in perfect condition.



I decide to keep them as they are in perfect condition.
To protect them we must put them back in a sheath. I use nylon sheath, which has substantially the same appearance as the original but is much more resistant to dirt and cuts.




Harness goes through the chassis.




Chassis can now leave the worshop !















Body reassembly.






Details.

Mud flaps brackets are rusty, but mud flaps are genuine ones !


I manufacture new aluminium brakets.



The steering column is reburbished. It a late series one column, with balls.



The front bumper was a Series III one, too large.
New bumpers available from craddock or other suppliers are not conform to original and I don’t like them.
I found a new bumper from Wasworth, perfectly fabricated as original standards.







Repairs to the wiring harness took a lot of time. He had been completely modified to mount the diesel engine. I removed a lot of useless wires.


I come back to original wiring, with positive earth.


Despite the large stock of parts that had retained by the previous owner, was missing a lot to finish the assembly: fuel pump, voltage regulator, starter switch, fuel pipes, etc..
The assembly therefore needs a lot of organization to not spend all its time waiting for orders.

The body of the Series ones has many apparent galvanized parts. The previous owner had painted these parts. When galvanized parts are painted, I find that the vehicle loses its authenticity.
So I cleaned all galvanized parts. I use gel stripper for large surfaces.




Stripping these parts requires some attention, because it should not damage the paint of the wings. Baste with cleaner would be too risky. I made the wings limits with a small screwdriver for breaking the paint without touching the wing.




Galvanised parts was intact and very beautifull.


I fit new seats from Exmoor.


In better condition than originals ones.



I made floor mats in renforced latex based carpet , washable with karcher. I have that in my Series II and III for years, it's really good. It does not wear out, and we are not afraid to have muddy feet.



Steering wheel restoration

Bakelite steering wheels does not age well with time, the material cracks. With wet hands, it breaks down. It is possible to restore this kind of steering wheel at lower cost.







Sanding with P240.



Then I enlarged the cracks with a small disk on a Dremel.




After cleaning with acetone I fill the cracks with a two parts epoxy resin (resin + hardener).


Then you have to sand the resin and create the same form as the original. The quality of the result depends directly on the care you provide at this stage.



Protection :


Primer.


Polyurethane two parts coating.




That's how to refurbish a steering wheel that some would have directly scrapped.


Heater modifications

The heater is not an original one. It’s a Bosch one.



It has a two fans motor.


It works well but design is not adapted to a Series.



It would be better to have a Smiths heater. But they have become very rare, often because the matrix is damaged.
I decided to modify the Bosch heater and to "disguise" as a Smiths heater.
I disassembled the heater to take the matrix and I get a few parts of Smiths heater in my parts inventory .

The matrix is almost identical to a Smiths, and it only require to enlarge the 3 holes in the rear flange to fix the motor.


Moreover, these holes have exactly the same pitch as that of the Smiths and therefore correspond to the holes onto the bulkhead.
Disguise Bosch heater needed half an hour.



Reassembly.


Primer + coating.






Exhaust.

I bought a stainless steel exhaust from Rimmer Bros.

8. First trials.

After a few adjustments to the engine, a brake bleeding, and some details, it's time to enjoy this petrol powered series one !








The 2 liters petrol engine which comes back alive after 18 years in the garden.



New seats are very comfortable compared to previous homemade seats.

























Conclusion.

The rehabilitation of this series needs more than 750 hours of work, carried out between July and November 2009.

This kind of work always requires more time than you think.

But final happiness is always larger than one would have imagined.

Simply beautiful !
Nice work guy !
Now only one thing to do ...
Have a nice trip

Just some pictures with its new sand hood and new wheels for better appearence.

Absolutely brilliant !!!
And a top class report !

You're an ACE

What a work and I love the write up !!!

Makes my projects look tiny

Brilliant photo story, you certainly deserve to enjoy that little truck! Can't wait to see our SI 86" V8 finished!

Great work!