Red Rallye resto

[Ben_w]

Today, I had a hangover……

So today, I lounged about until lunchtime when I felt a bit more hooooman….

Decided a bit of fresh air (along with the obligatory cup of tea) would be just the ticket so I made some excuse as to why I couldn't paint the bathroom and went outside. Main job for today was get the engine bay loom out completely. To do so meant removal of the scuttle panel and wiper motor to get that the main plug connecting it to the car.

Wiper arms off the spindles first didn't cause many issues. Stuck a little on the splines, a couple of taps with the ratchet loosened them and off they came. Good. Scuttle panel next and, apart from them using those silly torx head screws (did they just have a big bucket of random screws, nuts, bolts etc at the factory and just use whatever they pulled out?!), that all came off fine. Half a dozen bolts and one electrical connector and the wiper motor was out.



There's supposed to be a drain hole under the wiper motor, like this one on the passenger side…



Hmmmm, something hadnt been reading the script…



So a bit grubby under the scuttle, nothing unexpected though.





Next job was disconnect the engine bay loom. Big connector under the wiper motor. Undo the big torx bolt in the middle and gently prise off. Took me a minute to figure out how to the the plug through the hole in the inner arch until I had a feel and felt a notch..



Edge of the plug in the notch and out it came.



That's now tucked away in the dry. Then it was onto cleaning that mess...see, I told you there was a drain hole…





Once all that was out, I taped cling film over the connector and at this point it promptly peed it down. Time for a brew. Once the rain had gone, back out to get cleaning the scuttle area.





As I was getting (carefully) busy cleaning, I did this section right up under the driver's side corner of the screen where the bonnet release cable comes through. Paint just flaked off and its got surface rust underneath.



Pulled the tape holding the clingfilm off and more paint comes off, with more rust underneath.



Smacks of poor prep at the factory. That will need sorting out. Also found this bit of rust on the bracket that holds a rubber cover over the fan intake and where some of the scuttle panel and support bracket bolts to.



Build code sticker…



There isn't too much more now to do on the engine bay, other than strip it. I'm looking at hiring a blaster for a day and doing it myself at my mates place as he's got a suitable air supply. Going to look at spraying the Electrox primer and then the mastic too. Apparently doable if both are thinned down 10%. Obligatory thinned mix brushed onto all the seams first though to really get it into them.

Look out Chambers, I'm coming for your Rallye Crown!!!