Mike's 1964 Elva Courier MkIV Build Thread!

[flyboyx]

i like the "pig" design rear axle. kind of like a mini ford 9". you can probably find a few different ratios to suit different tracks. can you source something with disk brakes? i don't know what kind of speeds you will be racing, but i think those cracks are the result of heat build up.

[ELVA164]

It's a Riley/Morris Minor rear axle, so the drums are not too hard to find still. I probably mentioned it earlier in this thread, but most MkIV Couriers came with a TVR independent rear suspension which is a little harder to source parts for. I'd prefer the live axle setup anywho based on what I've heard of the alternative.

[graveshaker]

Could another drum from a totally different car work or is it model specific?

[ELVA164]

Time for another update! I was able to remove the rear axle housing from the car and bring it back to the shop:



I wiped it off and removed the brake drums (with a screwdriver and a hammer) to see what things looked like:





Both drums were pretty rusty and one of the slave cylinders was leaking, but the shoes are probably passable. I decided to sandblast the drums to remove the rust and check for cracks:



Good thing I did:


Luckily we have a spare drum around here somewhere.

With the drums off, I slid the axles out some and removed the ring and pinion:



10-year-old gear oil is pretty interesting stuff!
Turns out I have a 4.22 welded rear! Guess I'd better try to find some footage of Mark Donohue!



I also got a box filled with the Courier's old front suspension pieces!

A whole front end assembly plus half the steering column and a spare lower control arm. I immediately removed all the bushings and got ready for the sand blaster:

Looking better!

Finally, I got a few coats of paint on everything and it's ready for new bushings and assembly!


I've got both front uprights (which will have to be crack tested) and the one surviving front coilover to use as a reference!


I'm getting excited!

[ELVA164]

Not an update per se, but some exciting finds! :D

First, I found a good used Titan 5-port dry sump oil pump:



I also found an awesome std/std forged 6-bolt crankshaft, good for 8,000rpm (more than I'll use, of course)!



And I took some time after work to clear a bench and get ready to assemble my gearbox with Dad! I have a few parts there now, with a bunch more to move:

[ELVA164]

Another update! :D

Today was my first experience with fiberglass, something I feel is almost prerequisite to working with vintage British race cars. I focused on the area inside the left front fender, attaching the inner fender to the outer. I took a few "before" pictures as a point of comparison:




I also did some small smoothing out of the area between the hood and the headlight:



Here are the results of about three hours' work:





This picture is the rear of the fender well, it's kind of hard to tell by itself:

This is the small patch made just in front of the suspension tower:


I forgot the "after" pictures of the outside, but I'll get those sometime soon!

I was pretty happy with my first effort, with only one air pocket and minimal sloppiness. The most important thing I learned? More gloves = less sadness.

[craz azn]

Awesome progress! Keep up the good work dude!

[ELVA164]

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Got a bit more work done on the Courier today, although I didn't get to the fiberglass like I'd hoped. Looks like that will be tomorrow.

When I arrived, I discovered some progress around the front fender, door hinge, and rear of the door opening:




The hinge bolts are now welded in, which should make installation and removal a lot more possible in the future.

Today I removed all the dumb aluminum panels which had been installed to cover various holes and breaks in the fiberglass on the rear firewall and transmission tunnel:




It appears "grab the scrap aluminum" was the go-to fix for some previous owner...

Tomorrow should be fiberglass day! I think I'll be working on gluing the inner fender to the outer one, but we will see.

[flyboyx]

it depends on which type you use. the woven matt isn't too bad until you start sanding it. i always try to wear rubber gloves while i am working with the resin, but the problem is you always end up with the resin on your gloves, then the fibers stick to your fingers and you find yourself trying to work with "zz top" bearded hands.

[ELVA164]

its gooey and sticky and generally a pain in the butt. good skill to have though. it gets easier the more you do it.

Yeah, I'd really like to get some practice in since almost every car we work on has a fiberglass body. The bonus is I can screw this car up without worrying about pissing a customer off!

I've been warned of itches for days, though...

[flyboyx]

its gooey and sticky and generally a pain in the butt. good skill to have though. it gets easier the more you do it.

[ELVA164]

Another small but exciting update! The left front fender has been revived!

The front of the rocker has been mostly re-formed as well, and a bit more progress was made on the front bumperette:


We also have the area around the door hinge almost completely rebuilt, with only a couple small patches left!


My hope is to remove the various aluminum patches from the rear firewall tomorrow so we can make it one smooth fiberglass piece, and it sounds like I might get my first chance to do some fiberglass of my own! :D

[ELVA164]

Is it just this year the SVRA event is moved to July? The Watkins mailing made it sound like it might be a permanent change. I sure hope not.

I can't say for sure, but I hope not as well. Waterford has become one of our favorite events and I'd hate to have to choose between them.

[quickervicar]

Is it just this year the SVRA event is moved to July? The Watkins mailing made it sound like it might be a permanent change. I sure hope not.

[ELVA164]

Any chance of me seeing this at the Watkins Glen SVRA event this year?

Unfortunately, no. Due to track repaving the SVRA event has been moved to late July this year, and we will be at Waterford Hills, MI for the English Ford reunion there. Hopefully we get the Cortina done in time for that...

That said, my goal is to finish this car for the VRG event at NJMP the second weekend of September, and that's twice as close as the Glen! It will be the Elva 60th anniversary celebration and will include an all-Elva race for the Mark Donohue cup! Pretty good incentive if you ask me ;D