Here's a place holder for some calculations for setting up the (camshaft) timing

Marks on the old flywheel

1965 series 2a station wagon flywheel markings1.jpg


There are some convenient markings close to TDC that have helped with my calculations - note 14 degrees and 16 degrees marks

1965 series 2a station wagon flywheel markings2.jpg


The point on the flywheel I'm interested in at the moment is the "EP" - exhaust peak - mark

Measuring the distance along the circumference of the flywheel between TDC and EP with a handy bit of paper =>

1965 series 2a station wagon flywheel markings3.jpg


Then I went into open office (yeah f you Microsoft I use alternatives!) and did some calculations from the measurement of the flywheel diameter...

1965 series 2a station wagon measurements and calculations TDC and EP.png


...the measured diameter gave the calculated circumference. The measurements of the distances between the TDC mark and the 14 degree and the 16 degree mark are compared with the expected distances made from the circumference calculation. (Quite close considering they are small measurements made with paper and a ruler)

The measurement of the distance between TDC and EP has been converted to an angle - which has been quoted as 109 degrees before TDC - so my measurements are in agreement with the data I've been quoted. Good stuff.
 
Still taking things to bits (whilst I'm waiting for other solutions to arrive) =>

Today I had a quick look at the rear tub. It has been tipped on its side and left as it is for ages now.

1965 series 2a station wagon rear tub dismantling1.JPG


The right hand side corner has been quite badly dented, so I've removed it for replacement

1965 series 2a station wagon rear tub dismantling2.JPG


1965 series 2a station wagon rear tub dismantling3.JPG


I got a different idea from the pictures on the interweb of the spare parts for the rear tub. The rear panels for example =>

img_7796_2.jpg


<= These have folded edges that don't see to exist on mine...


1965 series 2a station wagon rear tub dismantling4.JPG


It is a heavily spot welded structure.

1965 series 2a station wagon rear tub dismantling5.JPG


1965 series 2a station wagon rear tub dismantling6.JPG


Not exactly what I was expecting.

I'm gonna have to come up with a plan.

I'm currently trying to get some 5251 grade aluminium which is apparently the modern equivalent of Birmabright.
 
Well I spent way too much time today trying to chase down spot welding arms for a low as possible price. Blinking expensive - copper isn't as cheap as it was but really...

...also been chasing after 5251. Can't get it in Holland. Can get it in the UK but nobody will send it to Holland. I think there's an international metal sellers agreement or something like that. I might have to get a courier to go pick some up for me.

Progress has been made on that daft sand blasting cabinet. The metal folding went well - kind of - but I needed to tweak the parts when I got them fitted. To save cocking about and making a mess I made up a wooden buck out of some plywood scraps (left over from the new work table) =>

Sand blasting cabinet modifications1.JPG


Sand blasting cabinet modifications2.JPG


Propping it up on a pile of wood - it was mad (tw)hatter time!

Sand blasting cabinet modifications3.JPG


The mad (tw)hatter is a bit of tropical hardwood I saved from an old 1960s window frame a few years back. As you can see it is cut in the shape of a fish - and it is smiling at you...

...wrapped around the nose is a bit of a leather belt. The benefit to this kind of thing instead of a hammer is that it won't leave a mark on sheet metal if you haven't done an especially good job with the wooden buck (!). It isn't a precision sheet metal forming tool but with a bit of bashing it helps get a rough shape. (It is also good 'cos my children think it is funny)

Well some drilling and steel pop rivets later =>

Sand blasting cabinet modifications4.JPG


Doesn't look too silly eh?

Sand blasting cabinet modifications5.JPG


I'm gonna try out the new hopper design in the next few days when the new sand blasting pistol arrives. (Old one has rusted solid 'cos someone really needs to get his water separator on his compressor sorted out)
 
rob_bell said:
Looks excellent to me - any thoughts regarding the opacifying glass window?
Click to expand...
Yes only bad ones...

...this thing is so cheap it just has a bit of perspex in there. I'm not sure if hardened glass (more for safety) is going to be a decent upgrade. That too will go misty. You can however get plastic clear wrap (for cars) that might stop the erosion for a while. I'll see how expensive that is.

First things first though - make sure that new hopper design helps.
 
Ah ha!

Just wondering - how do the folks in sandy countries manage with their glass windows then??? (Dubai etc) Or do they just replace as and when?
 
Stretch said:
Yes only bad ones...

...this thing is so cheap it just has a bit of perspex in there. I'm not sure if hardened glass (more for safety) is going to be a decent upgrade. That too will go misty. You can however get plastic clear wrap (for cars) that might stop the erosion for a while. I'll see how expensive that is.

First things first though - make sure that new hopper design helps.
Click to expand...
Can you not plumb some air jets in to keep the sand away from the viewing holes? (Air wash style)
 
rob_bell said:
Ah ha!

Just wondering - how do the folks in sandy countries manage with their glass windows then??? (Dubai etc) Or do they just replace as and when?
Click to expand...
Good point - I haven't a clue what they do.

When I lived by the sea the paint used to get blasted away fairly quickly but the windows seemed to last a bit longer. The Atlantic wasn't any where near as harsh as a sand blasting cabinet though.

Jam1 said:
Can you not plumb some air jets in to keep the sand away from the viewing holes? (Air wash style)
Click to expand...

Yeah I was thinking along those lines - really want to see if the hopper works first before I get even more side tracked (!) - but I do have an old bathroom ventilator / fan that needs to get boxed and then added to the side of the cabinet so I can draw air through the cabinet. This will also help with the sand leaks or at least draw all the leaks to one end!

(You can buy these ventilator kits now for about 130 euros over here => https://www.kippersrijssen.nl/toebehoren/afzuiging-inclusief-filter-straalcabine but I reckon I can make something myself for a lot less and won't be stuck with their filters for ever and ever)
 
Update for the sand blasting cabinet:

Great improvement =>

Sand blasting cabinet modifications6.JPG


Did a quick test today. The new hopper is only 14cm deeper than the original base of the cabinet but the sand falls nicely into it and the pick up tube is staying put with out clamps or brackets!

Vast improvement in the use of the thing. Sure the compressor races to keep up with this thing but as it is essentially an open pipe when you pull on the trigger it isn't surprising. (I've considered larger tanks and bigger compressor displacements but I don't think anything within the DIY budget is going to be much better)

Still some teething troubles of course...

Sand blasting cabinet modifications7.JPG


...I didn't seal all of the joints because I thought I might have to hack it out again and make the hopper deeper.

So plan for further sand blasting cabinet modifications is replace the window (probably with perspex) and then build that dust extraction system with improved filtration. (If only I could find that old bathroom fan I was going on about)

#######

Anyway after a bit of sand blasting (yeah!) I got the engine front cover de-rusted quite nicely but thought I'd do a proper job with a bit of Fertan.

This stuff reminds me a bit of watered down Marmite crossed with Jenolite. I like it on rough castings the best as it really gets into the pores - even though you need to let it sit in it for at least 24 hours so it is slow.

1965 series 2a station wagon engine front cover derust in fertan.JPG


'Cos the Rustyco stuff is back at the ranch I also did the oil pan / sump in Fertan too.

1965 series 2a station wagon oil pan final derust with fertan.JPG
 
I've been wielding the money hammer again recently.

Having had a good look at the electric motor for the heater fan and the dire state of the heater core matrix I reached the conclusion that it would probably be best to get a new or good second hand one. Second hand is always a bit dodgy but I did try to get one in Holland. One seller (who runs a business selling second hand parts) wanted what I felt was a substantial amount of cash (250 euros) for a second hand Smiths heater that he had repaired, unfortunately he wasn't willing to guarantee his work so that deal didn't go any where.

My solution was to buy a new Clayton heater from Jake Wright Ltd. Very expensive in some ways - perhaps not so bad when you consider how much Mercedes car parts can be! Suck it up eh?

It arrived today - of all the delivery boxes to have been damaged (Arggggggh!)

1965 series 2a station wagon clayton heater1.JPG


1965 series 2a station wagon clayton heater2.JPG


I'm going to swap the front over for a Smiths front I've got so I can use the de-misting tubes for the windscreen. Apparently some bulkhead modifications will be needed too along with a new bracket. I'll be going through that after I've repaired the bulkhead which is in a sorry state.

Still - another duck lined up and ready to go.
 
Oh dear I got a bit depressed with the state of the bulkhead today.

It is really quite a complicated delicately made structure.

Most of mine is not going to be salvageable.

My main concern is replicating the folded sheet metal around the vents

1965 series 2a station wagon bulkhead rust1.JPG


The outside of this bit is available as a repair panel (see YRM for example) =>

YRM_242_1_ml.jpg


But the inner side which also has a kind of a ski slope attachment to the "window sill" bit doesn't seem to be available.

Perversely my outer section looks at the moment like I can save it - the inner bit, however, as you can see in the photo above has gone.

The parts lower down are also in a dreadful state but for reason or other are not giving me too much head scratching time just yet!

1965 series 2a station wagon bulkhead rust2.JPG


It really is the front vent and behind the window ledge boxes that's the difficult to fix part

1965 series 2a station wagon bulkhead rust3.JPG


Still luckily John Craddock Ltd are on hand to give me plenty of encouragement =>

Bulkhead encouragement.png


<= most of you must also be watching this one right?

Blinking heck 3599 nectar points - what would you do with them?
 
Exactly! It's my unit of currency. Mine cost me £275. That's a "Land Rover". So I make tgat bulkhead approximately 15 LRs!!! :eek:
 
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