Middie - Wiz, Turnip Boy and Roger the Bodger welcome Middie back to the forum

[Terry]

Hi,

Nice job on the paint, would have been better for the Moke if you have got it up on the porch and hung the drop sheets on the posts and stuck them to the wall. More room, and the grass doesn't stick.

POR15 isn't going to be effective through the paint, so unless you are touching up bare metal or getting in some seams it is pretty much done.

The pipe bender Moe displayed are available in most decent Engineering and tool shops. I use one for all my brake pipes and you wont crease or kink them. They designed to bend the 'bundy' tube, just make sure it has a seat for 1/4" which is the size pipe you will be using. I make an accurate mock up of where i am going, for custom work, using a coat hanger or two and then map it to the bender. It looks a lot better than hand bent pipe.

Terry

[miniDave]

Wazza,

The best way I have found to bend brake pipes is to bend them slowly around a socket. The larger ones are great for larger bends and even the smaller size ones will work for tighter bends. The socket will bend the tube evenly and you won't have any kinks. Might drop by on the weekend and I can show you how.

Regards

[middie]

Sounds great Dave, I'll give you a buzz sometime today to tee something up 

The motor and engine bay are right to go, just need to get those new donuts into the front subframe, would you mind bringing along your special compression tool. If I can line up some sort of lifting device (perhaps a large number of strong "volunteers") we may even be able to get the front end in ready to start painting the body 

Any special preparations I need to make 

Wazza

[Terry]

Middie,

Try putting the engine into the subframe with the radiator etc, less Carby and attach the driv shafts and hubs etc and then drop the body onto the subframe.

Terry

[middie]

Thanks Terry for your valued advice - I will be following it to the letter.

I have given the motor a touch up and it is ready to be dropped into the subframe.

No, that's not a Leyland oil leak on the trailer tray, the motor doesn't even have oil in it yet

My only problem now is to get those damned donuts compressed enough to lock into the subframe.

Chased all over the Central Coast today looking for m14 x 2 rod to make a compression tool, but came out with nothing to show for it. Then on the drive home I saw a yellow moke sitting outside a motor mechanic's workshop so I dropped in for a chat.

Mentioned my problem with the donuts and he scrabbled through his box of tools and came out with a bolt which had the correct thread and had been welded with another bolt to make it long enough to reach down into the throat of the donut. Mentioned the forum to him, plus Wagga and we may have another forum member 

We chatted about seating, etc. and he mentioned that the moke had a small foldable back seat in it when he bought it. So out the back we go, and I think he has one of the genuine back seats sitting there, plus two tombstone seats which he thought were from a Marina and therfore not genuine. I'm going to drop around one of my front seats so we can compare.

So now I only have to work out how to get the bolt to "pull up" the donut so I can fit in the hi-lows, knuckles, and arms. Tomorrow's job.

miniDave is being kind enough to drop over in the next couple of days to give me a hand with bolting up drive shafts etc, plus bend those pesky brake pipes. What a nice bloke 

Stands are wound up to their full height in the garage, shell needs to be moved into garage and put onto these stands, plastic sheeting stapled to roof and walls, and I can start on the painting the body. Yeeehaaa 

Wazza

[Darth Moke]

miniDave is being kind enough

What a nice bloke 

Gee, I knew I should've got him to fit the parts he brought me... He would've put the oil back !!! 

[miniDave]

He would've put the oil back !!! 

Yes - might have even used new oil! Must remember to tell Middie this important point

[middie]

Thanks for the oil tip guys - I've got a bit of string tied around my finger to remind me (just in case  )

I put the new donuts and hi-lows in during the week, and had a heck of a time trying to find some H14-2 all thread steel. In the end I had to improvise by using two H14 bolts cut in half, then the top half of bolt two was welded onto the top of bolt 1.

Ingenious use of a bearing (for easy turning) a plug socket (to make up the space) and a big nut (more space filling). Now just turn the top of the welded bolt and "hey presto" the donut compressed enough to fit in the hi-lows and pins. Job well done - and job well finished  And cheaper than the $99 I saw advertised to buy the completed tool.

The socket, bearing and nut are merely to fill up the space after the bolt was screwed down into the donut

Used more ingenuity to lift the motor and place into the front subframe. Ready now for a visit by miniDave to bend some brake pipes, and bolt on the missing front suspension bits

Used a couple of large bricks to keep it all off the ground and allow access to drive shaft area

Wazza

[miniDave]

Looking good.

A couple of things to check before we put the drive shafts back in. Will need long cable ties for the inner CV boots. Also from memory one of the outer boots was torn and will need to be replaced. Check the ball joints (upper and lower) as it is easier to replace them at this stage. Have you looked at the plastic cups on the suspension pivot to make sure they are not dry or broken?

Remember the steering rack should be bolted back in before fitting up the subframe. I will bring the tap and die set to clean up the threads on the tower bolts.

Hopefully I will get there thursday.

[middie]

Great stuff miniDave

Have bought new inner boots and grease, plus fitted new boots and grease onto outers. Haven't taken off the old inner boots yet because I don't really know what is going to fall out 

What am I looking for with the upper and lower ball joints, is there some sort of damage which will show they need replacing 

Have you looked at the plastic cups on the suspension pivot to make sure they are not dry or broken?

Remember the steering rack should be bolted back in before fitting up the subframe. I will bring the tap and die set to clean up the threads on the tower bolts.

Hopefully I will get there thursday.

If the plastic cups in the suspension pivot are the cups at the bottom of the donut, hi-low, pin contraption, then they have been replaced and greased. If they are something else, I'll have to find them first 

Steering rack all bolted up and raring to go. Will be great if you can make it Thursday, but we all have busy lives so don't stress if you can't get here.

Wazza

[Terry]

Middie,

The upper ball joints you not not be able to be moved by your fingers, but move freely(without binding) if you use the lower arm as a lever. If the flop about easily and especially if you feel them move pushing/pulling them up and down vertically then you need to undo the big nut and at least adjust them with the shims or replace them.

The lower ones have a very stiff spring in them so they always feel tight, but if you have to do the top then it is likely the bottm are in the same condition so pull them apart, remove the spring and adjust as per the upper and then when happy put the spring back in.

Terry

[Newie]

Looking really good Middie.

I'm seriously behind on my Moke forum reading lately due to a combination of being away a lot and my laptop's hard drive blowing up (well, it didn't really blow up as such, just went "bzzzzt, bzzt, pffft and stopped working).

Can't believe how far you've gotten in the last few weeks - well done.

Steve

[middie]

[SMOKEN]

Geez you're a nice bloke Wazza

       cheers Smoken

[THE STIG]

Hi New moker,
Sorry to hear about the hardrive, will the hardrive disc spin / work??