Started the week by punching a hole in the top half of the replacement front brake back plate/dust shield, then welded the rim onto it. Punched the lower half, then started to weld the rim but ran out of welding wire at the end of the day so completed this the following day. Change of tack as I had another pair of hands with me, we reinstalled the radiator and sited it correctly so the decorative shroud sits against the dash. I then just about finished grinding back the welds on the new N/S front bake back plate.
12/4/2026
Started the week by finishing off the fitting of the rear brake rods and adjusting them. I now have a working handbrake! Next job was was to prepare the area for refitting the radiator when Colin comes next week. I noted one nut and bolt was missing, so need to measure and order a replacement. Next, I removed the N/S front brake drum and and the brake shoes, ready for repairing the dust shield, which is in a poor state. Noted the linings were not really badly worn, but as I have two sets of new linings I felt I might as well get them done while they were off. The next job was to remove a previous poor repair from the N/S front brake dust shield and remove the worst of the original material. With the previous repair removed I was able to use it to mark out a hardboard template for a replacement dust shield. I used this to cut two exact semicircles of zintec for the new dust shield. The final job of the week was to trim the upper half of the new material to fit around the axle and brake shoe supports and drill ready for punching the hole for checking lining wear.
5/4/2026
Started the week by setting the length of the two rear brake rods, ready for fitting. I then applied a coat of primer to both. Whilst that was drying, I removed the fork end that was still attached to the brake lever on the O/S, by cutting through the pin, a fraught process that inevitably caused minor damage to the lever and the fork end. Though both appear perfectly safe to use, I built up the fork end a little with weld and ground it back to shape whilst waiting for the silver paint on the rods to dry. Fitted the offside rear brake rod, not as straightforward as I had hoped but OK in the end. I need to fit the return springs next, which require stretching to meet the mount points and they are very strong springs… I did this by setting up a frame of handy-angle to stretch them and made a clamp to hold them from a couple of bits of steel and a threaded rod. To stop the clamp from being forced off, I used several jubilee clips. This worked as hoped. I was about to fit the N/S rear brake rod, when I realised I need an additional thick washer for the last pin, so started to machine one from steel bar. This remains to be completed next week.