Wiring removal and gauge refurbishment

Today was more wiring harness removal and working to get the relay, regulator, solenoid and gauges ready for re-installation with the new harness.  Some detail work but satisfying to see things clean up.

With the wiring mostly out I can get on to sound and heat reduction.  I will use some aluminum/butyl rubber (Raamat and some left over Dynamat).

I cleaned the knobs with simple green, then re-lettered with a white paint pen.
I wiped off the excess but did have to sand (1000 grit) some smeared white paint.  Then
I clear coated with an Eastwood clear coat.

The harness is here, wiring fun begins!

The harness from England via British Wiring arrived last week, while I was in Delaware steaming and visiting grandchildren.  Today I pulled the harness and electricals from the engine bay and firewall.  I will do the interior and rear harness next and then pull the new harness in and hook things up.  As of now I am going to stick with the generator, so will keep the voltage regulator as stock.

Left side of firewall.  I cleaned the regulators and relays as
I went along today.

Right side of engine bay.

Spider webs on Lucas electrics, a scary thought for reliability.

After I finished in the engine compartment things look like this:

So I won't be driving or starting the engine again for awhile.   I have some more summer things to do with family, but will keep working as morning time and temperatures allow.

Gas tank

I have been trying to work through the worst heat wave I can remember. Great pool days but hot in the garage, in addition I am working on an MGA coupe which is in my driveway.  Way too hot in the sun.

I am awaiting a new wiring harness from British Wiring, they say it is being made in England.  I ordered in mid- May.  Patience is not my strongest character trait.  In the mean time I have been chipping away at other necessary parts.

The Leatherique rejuvenator and cleaner arrived last week, so I have done two cycles of both on the front and rear seats.  A hot car is what they suggest for the seats while the rejuvenator is working, perfect for that in the back of my Discovery on 105 degree days.  The leather is looking better; a bit softer and more uniform in color.

Front seats prior to treatment, after seams re-sewn.

Front seat after treatment.

Rear seat back before treatment.

Rear seat back after Leatherique treatment.

Seat bottom after treatment. The pleated section improved the most, the larger panels are softer but remain darker in color. 

The gas tank was removed for inspection, I have a boat tank I have been using for temporary engine starting.     The Magnette tank had a fair bit of rust in patches.  I decided to use an Eastwood tank sealing kit.  The kit uses a metal prep cleaner, an acid etch and the plastic sealer.  You have to add your own muriatic acid and acetone to their directions. The process takes a bit of time as you slosh and then turn the tanks to assure all surfaces are clean, etched and then sealed.  I used the same kit about 5 years ago in my other Magnette and it has been fine.  The sealer coating was generally good, but you can see there were some thin spots in the pictures below.  The tank is now back in the car.

I also replaced the oil line with a plastic line from APT in Minnesota, the fittings were already in place for both ends. It seems fine with one start up done, no leaks for that test.

The filler pipes, there is an outer rubber tube with an inner metal pipe.

White sealer through the sender hole, some uneven coverage,
in-spite of tiresome turning and sloshing.

Tank back in place and ready for fuel, at least I hope so.