Aprilia Cabrio - here we go again

[DavidLaver]

That's a big and tricky and significant job off the list.  Its a large percentage of the visible surface.

David

[stanley sweet]

That's extremely skilful work. Looks as tight as a drum.

[DavidLaver]

I just saw the SPR pictures - what did you learn from that Aprilia Cabrio?

[simonandjuliet]

Lots !

I have an appointment with the seat upholsterer this evening, so now have lots of photos for him. The owners of the Cabrio are a delightful Dutch couple who we are planning to meet up with later in the year

More later ....

[simonandjuliet]

Upholsterer popped round last night, he was keen to see the car and how the seats fitted, where there was "wriggle-room" and where it was tight. Apparently he had had several "nuits blanches" or sleepless nights !

He has made a lovely job of fitting the hessian and tying in the springs

Good to see it coming together although there is likely to be a slight delay because of other priorities

[davidwheeler]

This all reminds me of a late Dornford Yates novel "The House That Berry Built" where Berry and Co. had retreated to France in the mid 30's being unable to afford the upkeep on thier English estate.  They kept finding these marvellous craftsmen such as were no longer available at home and much cheaper too!    If you can get over his Upper Class predjudices, the Berry books are very funny. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_House_That_Berry_Built

[simonandjuliet]

Not come across this book, will have to look out for it ......

The Cabrio is back up on the ramp because Dog and I have a bit of time to do things again. First up was to protect the roof and headlining and the remove the door on this side

The hinge-pins are badly bent and are HS (hors-service). I used the induction heater and hammer/punch to get them moving, but not worth putting them back. A bit of research revealed that they are remarkably similar to VW Beetle pins and they are available in standard , 0.1 and 0.2 mm oversize at a reasonable price, I can always fettle them on the lathe if necessary - more later because there are some subtleties !

The door has been stripped and added to the collection of body panels bound for Dog's new workshop.

As seen before, the winder mechanism is robust and simple , as is the locking mechanism.

Removing previous "repair" panels has not revealed any nasty surprises, fortunately !

More tomorrow ........

[stanley sweet]

Thought the hood was going to b black - but the blue and white check is very nice! How are you going to get right inside the double floor to derust, clean, paint etc?

[davidwheeler]

Thought the hood was going to b black - but the blue and white check is very nice! How are you going to get right inside the double floor to derust, clean, paint etc?

Perhaps paint the car to match?

[simonandjuliet]

If I was painting the car, I'd get a similar pattern to be sure - fortunately Dog is in charge of paint

We have done quite a lot this week, but as often happens, it doesn't look it from the photos !

All the old repairs on the floor have now been removed and all very sane. This side is significantly better than the other side. I have been trying to peel back the previous repairs to see how the car was made originally so we can put it back as it was. Hopefully it is correct

The floor has been finished as a "single" piece, following the shape of the chassis and then we have added a panel to cover the Pininfarina-built outriggers. This has a flange to take the bodywork. Front and rear box sections have also been made to take the bodywork. Welds have been ground and then a thin skim of fibreglass to make it watertight and pretty. When it is all finished and painted I will fill it with waxoyl or liquid rust treatment, drilling the odd hole here and there if necessary

The rest of the chassis is being stripped using a combination of heat, paint stripper and mechanical stripping disks and then a coat of anti-rust paint on the unseen parts or undersides
The body panels are receiving the same treatment ready for Dog to prep and paint.

All mechanical bits are being removed ready for stripping and refurbishing. The pile of bits on the bench is getting bigger

The Beetle hinge pins that I ordered are perfect ! These have threaded tops for the hinge-mounted rear view mirror, you can buy them without, but the Cabrio had screw down greasers on the pins, so I will try and find some chromed caps to re-create the effect

Lastly, these new spares (triangular piece with 3 holes) have had me scratching my head for a while. I had no idea what they were but I knew that they were "Aprilia". Finally found out what they are ....... Any ideas before I spill the beans ??
 

[Sliding Pillar]

As seen in Classic & Sports car September 2017 Lost & Found page 28.

[simonandjuliet]

It's been published then ..... can you scan and send - I'm not back in the UK for a while ?

Be interesting to see what gets written after you've given notes and photos !

[Sliding Pillar]

email sent.

[simonandjuliet]

Thanks Ade - a couple of minor errors but at least they spelt my name correctly !

This morning I took the rear diff/suspension unit off so that we can attack, clean and paint the rear section

Once the propshaft and brake pipe are disconnected it is only 3 or 4 bolts, depending on how you do it, and so long as the bolts are not seized, it is very easy

Next thing is to strip it all, repaint, replace the bushes and wire hangers etc then refit. This is likely to take some time so I will mock up an axle so it can be moved around during the renovations

[the.cern]

Lastly, these new spares (triangular piece with 3 holes) have had me scratching my head for a while. I had no idea what they were but I knew that they were "Aprilia". Finally found out what they are ....... Any ideas before I spill the beans ??

Are these prop shaft spacers? There are so many areas where such castings might be required, but that was simply the first that came to mind!!!

It really is looking so good ....... but that is what we have all come expect of your restorations. Good luck with it all.

                                          Andy