NEWBIE WITH A MK2

[HIGGSPEED]

Hi Everybody ,
let me introduce myself.
My name is David ,and i am an alcoholic.. ooops sorry, wrong forum.

My name is David, and i have just bought a 1967 Humber Sceptre Mk2.
I live in a farmhouse near blackpool and i have been after a classic car for a while now to stick in my barn and tinker with. I am a motorcycle man mainly, but as a child of the sixties , i fancied getting a car from my era. I have always like the classic 60's look of the sceptre and vogue, with its curvy back window and american looking rear wings. I especially love the clocks and dsahboard.

Anyway , i have just bought a 1967 model in what the log book describes as "gold". i would call it mouse brown personally. It did have some tax and test on it, so after insuring it for a year for £133 fully comp (makes me smile every time i say that) i took it for a ride on sunday to my unit to check things over.









The engine ran spot on and the gearbox was faultless, even the overdrive worked perfectly.

Then i got underneath it.

oh dear, i think the mot tester was Stevie Wonder. it has gaping holes in the chassis rails big enough to put your hand in.

I do want to get a complete respray , in fact i already discussed this and got a price before i even bought a car ,but i need to get the underneath sorted ,before i send it to the paintshop.

I make motorcycle exhausts for a living and i employ a full time welder, so there was no way i wanted to pay someone else to sort it out. So i have decided to do it myself in my barn. I am going to "spit roast " it to make it easier to weld.
I have removed the engine and box, and we have just finished welding the a frames together to do the job. i hope to get stuck in this weekend, and i will keep you posted with photos.

here is a quick photo of the rotisserie in construction.

[rusty nuts]

Good luck David, can't wait to see that frame in action.

[pmarshal]

Yes good luck, I have a Sceptre Mk2 1966 in silver that I've had for around 6 months. They are great fun to drive and look great. I notice you still have the original air filter in place, as do I, if you ever find anywhere that sells the filters please do tell me. Currently I'm using kitchen cooker extractor filter cut to size!

[HIGGSPEED]

thanks for that. yes they are a good looking car.

as for the air filter, i was lead to beleive that this style of filter had a washable element in it. looks a bit like a brillo pad as you say.

[jaminben]

What a beauty....the car aswell.
Im just trying to get up the energy to weld new inner and outer sills in mine. Also its got a zetec on bike carbs fitted
I look forward to any updates.

[HIGGSPEED]

hi guys, well it worked.






it had a bit too much flex though, so i added strengtheners to each side, it is rock solid now.

the underside was much worse than i thought,patches on top of patches on top of patches, but it will be worth doing . when it is all finished it will be good enough for another 30 years i reckon!

this is what i am starting with.





you can see the extra strengtheners in this photo




we are doing one side at a time. cutting out all the rot and replacing it with new steel. the sills were capped, but rotten underneath. it is all getting chopped out.



incidentally , i ordered a new pair of sills today from alpine spares. very helpful. should be here on tuesday.

i will keep you posted on the progress, if you are interested that is.
cheers
David

[pmarshal]

Hum washable air filter, OK will try that as I kept the original. Alpine have been very slow for me with parts, I'm still waiting on a rear valance from before Christmas. They are very friendly though

Very impressive frame, wish I had the space and skills to do that. Will be putting mine on a ramp later today for the first time. Fingers crossed!

[pmarshal]

Pleased to report, underneath is solid! Quite surprised....

[HIGGSPEED]

Nice one. That's a bonus .

[Graham-G4FUJ]

Very nice! Should be a great car by the time you have finished.

I think you'll find the official colour is "Autumn Gold". My Father's second car was a '66 MkII, D-suffix which was the same colour as your car. I still had a pot of touch up for it until a few years ago.

Cheers,
Graham

[HIGGSPEED]

sorry about the photos Guys i have moved them to a new folder in photobucket, but i will post more soon. here are a few of the welding taking place so far.












it looks pretty horrendous , but we have cut it right back to good metal before starting to rebuild the chassis rails. It should be as strong as a tank after this as we are using 2mm steel for the chassis!

[pmarshal]

Lucky you have the 1725cc and not the 1600!

[HIGGSPEED]

hi guys, just a quick update. I have now completed the welding and fully undersealed the bottom of the car.
i stripped the front axle and powder coated everything , then i rebuilt it all with new bushes ball joints ,bearings etc. The axle was removed, degreased and painted ,with a new pinion oil seal fitted.
It is now back on the barn floor on its wheels and going to the bodyshop on wednesday.

[djnippa]

WOW. You're certainly putting the effort in.
I see you've finally got the sills on.
They are always a tricky thing to do, especially the join at the front.
Great work.
I can't wait to see more photos of the progression.

[HIGGSPEED]

thanks, i will take more photos as i go along.

i am planning on painting it in this colour scheme