Sort the boot floor

Little bit of free time today so started on sorting out the small problem at the rear and having cut into the boot floor area on 3 sides the rear end of the body then dropped into place lining up the holes where the allen bolts on the trailing arms pass through the body, just need to glassfibre the gaps up and then I can start on tidying up the inside,

Martyn

06/02/2010.

On goes the body

Yesterday sun was out, day off work, many spare hands, so decided to refit the body tub, thought I would make a video of it using Louis's Creative Vado HD which is a mini video recorder no bigger than a mobile phone and really usefull for carrying in your pocket, should come in handy for this summer's cycle trip.

Fitting the body went on after a little persuasion, when I did the trial fit some months ago this was before I added the cross bracing and the rear end needs to drop further down by a half inch to locate the trailing arm bolts with the body but is being restricted by the cross bracing on the boot floor, the current plan is to use a dremel tool to cut three sides in the boot floor, raise the floor slightly and then glassfibre it back in and paint to finish, will leave that for another day,

Martyn
31/01/2010.

Underbody photographs

Just finished applying final coat underneath.

Martyn

18/01/2010

Painting underbody

Finally decided on some paint for the under body and settled on some HCF (Hard Coat Finish) by Plasti Dip UK in a smart black. The paint is really easy to brush on (as easy as it can be bent over double getting covered in the stuff) and have applied primer and the first coat of black, hopefully if the temperature is suitable tomorrow morning I will apply the final coat.

I must get round to ordering some chassis sponge to sit between body and chassis to stop it creaking and remember to fill the axle and gearbox with oil before the body is back on.

Will post some photographs when all done.


Martyn
17/01/2010

More underneath stuff

Been busy over the last few days making progress with the repairs underneath and have also made a start on fitting the "Heatmat". The inner rear wings where the panel that sits directly above the rear wheel meets up with the inner wing now look a lot better as I have simply filled in the untidy gaps with Isopon P40 and smoothed it off and also repaired several small holes on the seat floor area by first laying some fibreglass strips on the inside of the seat floor to give it strength and when dry smoothing over with some more filler from the underside and it's all ready for painting now. The prop shaft tunnel has also been done by first making a flat section of glass fibre from a cardboard template and then fitting in place and finishing off by laying a couple of strips over the tunnel area to make it stronger. There was also a 5 inch circular hole that had been cut in the outer side of the passenger foot well for some reason unknown to me so I have again fibre glassed it in (all good practice) and now need to order some black paint specifically for glass fibre tomorrow.

Had some fun with the Heatmat and glue, the instructions state you only get one chance to place it in place, I can confirm that !!

Looking forward to getting some paint on underneath so I can finally fit body to chassis and will be able to walk into the garage without constantly banging my head every time I try to get to the workbench, dreaming of a heated double garage, one day !!

Martyn

03/01/2010.

Seasons Greetings

Managed to spend a few hours in the garage over the past couple of days but as it's been very cold here (not much snow compared to some parts of the country) I have concentrated on a few of the smaller repairs underneath the body with some Isopon P40 and then rubbing down in preparation for a coat of paint, It looks a lot better now although I now have a garage full of dust (Yes Mom I was wearing a mask) and a even more dusty motorbike to clean. I do have some glassfibre work to do from inside the car mainly around the tunnel area where it's cracked and the seat floor where it is very flexible but as it's too cold and still suspended from the garage roof I will wait until it is lowered onto the chassis and a little warmer as recommended for when laying fibreglass. I was also planning on cutting and fixing the 2 metre sq of Heatmat that I bought for the inner footwell and bulkhead area but again was concerned with the temperature being too low for the adhesive to set so will wait for a few days. Have decided once the body is lowered I can sort out the garage with a better access door and also put in a radiator.

Meanwhile Chris (Red Mantula) has loaned me a few old Club Magazines and was pleased to find in issue number 78 of spring 1998 a feature on my car, makes for interesting reading,

Martyn

24/12/2009.

Cleaning underneath

Not a lot to report other than spent a fair few hours over the past week cleaning off all the grime and muck from the underside of the body shell in preparation for some minor repairs, I wanted to remove every last bit so that I can paint it a smart black to match the inside of the bonnet and also plan to line the inside of the transmission tunnel with some heat shield material as it does apparently get very hot inside the cabin during the summer months.

Have a week off work soon so looking forward to getting covered in fibreglass,


Martyn
6/12/2009.

Old photograph

Just recieved a old photograph from Tim (previous owner) from it's track days before it was road registered,




Martyn
20/11/2009.

Underneath !

Here's a few photo's as promised re the present state of the bodywork, my knowledge on working with glassfibre or "woven glass mat" as in this car is a big fat ZERO so need to speak to a few people and where better to start learning than patching up the underneath,

Martyn

15/11/2009.

Gearbox, Exhaust and Brake lines done

With the exception of putting some oil in the gearbox and axle I think that I have done as much as I can on this part of the rebuild and hopefully can now start on the body tub next, I know its the slowest restoration going but only want to work on the project when I want to so that I enjoy the moment rather than it becoming a chore. Will upload some photographs later of the bodytub underneath to show what I need to attend to before It can be refitted to the chassis,

Martyn

15/11/2009.

Handbrake sorted

Have been trying to sort a replacement handbrake cable for ages now and finally found one to fit. I did lots of searching on the www but with all the variables of Marcos models and various axles and rear brake arrangements I could not get a definate answer as to which one so after much searching of various photos on ebay the best I could see was a Quinton Hazell automotive part No BC736 and £4.99 later ( bargain) after cutting of the short "U" bracket at the end of the cable and replacing with the 4 inch "U" bracket already on the car it appears to fit perfectly, another minor job done but it seems that these are the ones that take ages to resolve. Recently also made a start on fitting the copper brake lines.

Martyn

07/11/2009.

Fitting gearbox and exhaust

Have fitted the gearbox in place however slight hiccup in that the extra rail I put in just below the bulkhead area is very slightly fouling against the top of the bell housing and whilst with some adjustment could probably get away with it I am guessing that with the engine running it may vibrate against this rail so I have decided to remove it. Also in fitting the exhaust system to the car the extra cross bracing on the floor at the rear means that the exhaust will now have to sit about 1 inch lower than previously and will have to make some extra brackets to fit. It will be interesting to see how the exhaust will now sit at the rear in relation to the bodywork in that there may be too large a gap between the tail pipes and the bottom of the bodywork and spoil the appearance, one solution for this would be to make and fit a rear diffuser to bridge the gap, another job for another day.

"Speed Bump" roads are going to be a certain "no no" with this car,


Martyn
27/10/2009.

Gearbox and Exhaust system

Been trying to make a bit more room in the garage ready for the "body on" so separated the gearbox from the old engine I have and after speaking to Nicholas he assures me it was all in good working order when last used so have gone for a clean up/repaint and a oil change and will see how it goes. I plan to put it on the car less engine (not yet built up) to give me a little bit more floor space in the garage and likewise the one piece exhaust system. Having looked through some old paperwork that came with the car it shows that the exhaust was purpose built for the car in May 2005, the paperwork does not say who made it but does confirm the cost of £470. I have spent a few hours with a grinder and having removed the surface rust find it to be rock solid with no wear showing and should be good for some years yet, today I gave it a couple of coats of heat resistant paint and with the quad 3" chrome tail pipes will certainly look (and sound) the biz.

Martyn

24/10/2009.

Waxoyled

Bought a big 5ltr can of Waxoyl and mixed with 10% white spirit as recommended and using the extension probe I have just spent a couple of hours in the garage filling the chassis tubes as best I could.

Before I sent it off for powder coating I made a point of drilling lots of access points in the chassis especially around the usual problem areas where water is thrown up from the front wheels and along each side under the doors (not that it's going out in the rain!) and have now plugged the access holes with some tight fitting rubber blanking grommets. It's a real messy job but glad it's done and out of the way.


Martyn
11/10/2009.

A bit of history

This Marcos was originally owned by John Eales from 1985-1996 and was not registered for road use originally with the DVLA as it was for track use only and John eventually passing it on to Tim H*******N who road registered it with an age related plate and was in his possession from December 1996 to October 1997. I have recently been in correspondence with Tim who whilst only owning the Marcos for a short period he certainly seemed to have plenty of fun in that time, Tim has given me permission to paste the text of a email he sent me recalling his happy times.


Hi Martyn

Correct I did own the car.
I bought the car direct from John Eales, minus engine and gearbox rad, fans etc.
I was told that the car had had a rear end shunt into the barriers on the track and had been repaired by John, with I presume a rear section of bodywork from Marcos ( I think you will find that glass work on the rear is standard glass fibre ).
I was told that the main body tub material was Carbon Kevlar weave hence the light weight (must have been cutting edge back then).

Through my work we used to supply Morgan, TVR, Marcos etc with V8 engines and gearboxes, I have dealt with Rory and Marcos for many years even up to the ownership by Tony Steliga in latter years.

While I had it, the chassis only needed light cosmetic work to get it serviceable as it had not been used on the road at all.
I fitted the R380 gearbox that seems to be still with it, this box should take the power of your proposed engines as this is what we supplied for the LM500 track cars.
I also fitted a 4.6 performance V8 (built by hand myself)using 14CUX Lucas injection, I had to cut the hole in the bonnet to get the airflow meter to fit!.
This engine really made the car fly, i.e. tail out round Gerard’s at Mallory in 4th!!.
Glad to see you have fitted a tamer exhaust as I got black flagged at Donnington down shifting into redgate, the marshal jumped off the wall!!, I had the original straight through 8-2-1 with a 4” rear pipe from the Y piece back!.
Has it got side windows in it yet? When I owned the car no provision to fit windows had been made, as it was a pure track car.

Regarding the shocks, if they are the same as when I had the car they are really rather special. I did some research with the race department at Koni and I was told that they are Koni special ‘D’ this derivative was only used on the 6 wheel Tyrell formula one cars that ended up being banned.
The guy from koni told me that he only new of 6 in existence and they were on the museum car. Worth looking into!!!! They would have been a fortune.

I sold the car after lots of fun at Mallory, Donnington, and Thruxton, but sold the car to fund another project. I believe that Eddie had it after me, I unfortunately could not get him to buy it with the engine which was a real shame, as a lot of work had gone into it to wire it in, however sold the engine for £7000, happy days.

You look like you are doing a fine job to date, and the car will be a great drive when done. On the road the ride is very stiff, but put it on the track and it comes alive.
With the right engine you can feed the tail out just on the throttle, its scary but a real blast.

Hope this is of assistance


Regards

Tim



Hopefully Tim may be able to find a photo or two from the past for me, apparently it used to sport "Mobil 1" stickers on each door which may spark a few memories with other Marcos followers as well,


Martyn
02/10/2009.

Propshaft and Steering column

Fitted the propshaft today which I cleaned up and re painted a few weeks ago, none of the joints were stiff so will just refill it with grease. Have also made a start on fitting the steering column although not sure if this will get in the way when I get to fit the engine so it may have to come out again at some point.

Are enjoying putting shiny things onto the car for a change as opposed to spending so long getting covered in grime although I suppose it won't last long having a clean garage etc when I move onto the body tub, I wonder when that will be ?

Martyn

27/09/2009.

Steering column Rose joints

I have been shopping around for some rose joints for the steering column without success.

Another Marcos quirk is the use of a unique size steering column rose joint with a 9/16" bore and after many phone calls to various motor sport companies they all told me there was no such size made so back to Marcos Heritage Spares who tell me they were made specifically for Marcos and so £85.00 later (ouch !) I now have 2 shiny new ones ready to fit, on the plus side they arrived this morning after only ordering them yesterday.

Won't be fitting them today as off to the Peak District for some fresh air,

Martyn

26/09/2009.

A few photographs

Here's a few photographs now it's finally on it's wheels.

There's still some small jobs to do before I can move onto the next section such as fit the steering column, handbrake cable and copper brake pipes and fill the chassis with wayoyl. The holes pre drilled in the chassis to secure the brake pipes is 1/4" size which seems too big and did not really want to fit those cheapo plastic clips which break too easy. I have therefore bought some plated metal "P" clips and now need some nylon spacers to fit in the 1/4" holes so I can fit a smaller screw for a better look and more secure fitment.

Have you spotted the undeliberate error on the drivers side front wheel, this is the one I had a small leak repaired a couple of weeks ago and these tyres have a directional tread on them and yes the tyre fitter has put it back on the wheel the wrong way round so the tread grooves go towards the middle of the wheel and not the outside, not that it's going out in the rain but will get it turned round at a later date,

Martyn

24/09/2009

Off with the axle stands

Well after 18 long months today the Marcos is actually sitting back on it's own wheels again.
Slightly delayed by several attempts to get the wheels finished to the standard I wanted. Have gone for a silver metallic wheel colour and may perhaps re do them gold as previously however until I have decided on the interior trim colour it may clash so thought I would stick to silver. Will post some photo's soon and now need a sunny warm day to fill the chassis with wayoyl,


Martyn
21/09/2009.

Steering column

Have made a start on cleaning up the steering column by separating all the connections and will use some fresh bolts to finish off when all painted up, I also need another 2 rod ends to secure the column to the chassis, I should have really ordered these when I bought the numerous other rod ends for the suspension but forgot about them at the time.

With today off work I will shortly be popping down my local tyre/wheel centre to get the wheels balanced and one of the tyres also has a slow air leak so will get that seen to as well. I think that I lost a couple of the lead balancing weights when I was cleaning up the inside of the wheels so need to get that done before I put it back on it's wheels.

Recently got back from a cycling trip to the Outer Hebrides and saw no Marcos on my travels but plenty of other touring cyclists also exploring the numerous Islands there, certainly recommend for the scenery,

Martyn

07/09/2009.

Wheels and calipers after much cleaning

Will give the outside of the wheels a fresh coat of paint on my return,

Martyn

21/08/2009

Wheel cleaning

Have been busy cleaning off 20 years of brake dust and grime from the inside of the wheels, it was only possible with a rotary wire brush and drill to get the top layer off and then much cleaning afterwards with various liquids and hard graft, I know that from you can't actually see the inside of the wheels when finished but still want them as clean as can be. The brake calpiers have also been given a fresh coat of high temperature paint and are looking much better now and just waiting for the paint to harden off so I can slide in the pads and refit them to the Marcos.

Nothing will happen next week as tomorrow I set off for the Outer Hebrides for a weeks cycling, just hoping the weather holds out,

Martyn

21/08/2009

50th Year Marcos celebrations

We have just got back from a most enjoyable day out at Sudeley Castle in the Cotswolds, the scene of this years annual Marcos rally, the sun shone and we even made time to check out the Castle grounds. I have never seen so many Marcos cars gathered together before and plenty of people had made the effort to attend from overseas bringing their cars with them. I took a few photographs of under bonnet items to remind me where bits should go and also collected the new Jem Marsh book which he signed for me and from a brief look should be a interesting read.

I took the opportunity to say hello to a few people from the Marcos Forum and Kim got to sit in the drivers seat of a Marcos for the first time, courtesy of Chris, excellent day all round !

Martyn

15/08/2009

P.S. On the multi-photographs it's 4 down and 4 across, look out for the gold wheels !

Money saved and soon spent again

Finally got my brakes/calipers/wheels hubs back !

In the end BG Developments decided that the discs I have did not need replacing as they have plenty of life left in them but did need skimming as the surfaces showed some pitting, this saved me some money however on further inspecting the Girling calipers they informed me that the pistons needed replacing which spent what money I was saving on the discs, ah well. New Mintex M1144 brake pads were also supplied at £111 +vat a set, gulp, so easy on the brakes then.

Yesterday I spent approx 4 hours trying to clean/scrape every last minute bit of muck from the Calipers, they were cleaned during reconditioning however as I intend to paint them with a bling bling gold metallic high temperature paint I wanted to get them as clean as possible, my fingers are now sore and cut but will be worth the effort. Also had a little bit of free time today so thought I would fit one of the hubs/discs onto the stub axle, new bearings went in okay, used plenty of grease, made sure it was all super clean and on it went like a glove onto the stub axle and low and behold I can't find either of the castle nuts to secure the hubs on. I have obviously put them somewhere safe, so safe in fact that I can't find them anywhere so have had to order some online delaying me for a few more days, roll on the postman,


Martyn
10/08/2009

Frustrated

It's been 6 weeks now and are still waiting for my discs/hubs and calipers back, most frustrating as I can't get the chassis on it's wheels until these parts return. Have just made another phone call chasing and are awaiting a call back.

Meanwhile just returned from the Isle of Wight and a most pleasant sunny week was had, got to say the roads there are terrible, so bumpy unlike the silky smooth mountain roads of the Isle of Man.



Martyn
03/08/2009.

Brake Caliper identification

Managed to remove the brake caliper and hub assembly and now need to order some new bearings.

I seem to recall Nicholas (previous owner) saying that he had the front brake pads relined as the calipers were a bit of an unknown quantity apart from being made by Girling however he was under the impression that BG Developments of Bromsgrove did supply them originally according to Rory at Marcos Heritage who had some dealings with the car at the time back in 1985 when it was born.

As these calipers like most other bits on the car have stood still for probably 3 years now thought I would give BG Developments a call to make some enquiries, have just spoken to a most helpful Caroline who having been given the dimensions immediately identified them as a Girling AR5 and they do offer a recon service and can also supply the brake disc rotor either off the shelf or made up to suit this special AR5 caliper. Having looked on the www these AR5 calipers are certainly not cheap to buy new at £375+vat plus the cost of pads.

Hopefully I can get down to Bromsgrove over the next couple of weeks as it's quite local to me and see if they can be rebuilt,

If you are wondering what the holes are in the chassis rails, I have carefully drilled several all over the chassis and have bought some rubber grommets and once it is on wheels I can roll it out of the garage and fill the tubes with waxoil then seal the holes and hopefully repeat this exercise every few years,

Martyn

16/06/2009.

Front suspension and brakes

Just waiting for a few small parts to finish off the rear suspension so I thought I would make a start on the front end.

The chromed suspension arms look lovely and will look really smart once all the other bits are cleaned up to match. I have only put them on loose at present and this will give me something to pull against for when I remove the brake discs and bearings. The front brakes are very dirty 4 Pot Girling calipers with 10" discs (rear drums are 9") and will need to order some new vented/drilled discs once I have removed and identified them, this is half the fun (or frustration !) with Marcos cars in that they they used bits from a wide source and seemed to change the spec as they went along so usually each car is unique in some way. I did read somewhere recently that some Mantula's have servo's and this may have been a factory option or later added by owners ?, this one does not but are guessing that as it was originally a track car the braking system should be big enough for such a light car and well up to par for normal road usage, we shall see !

Martyn

15/06/2009.

P.S. Now't to do with Marcos cars but just as noisy !! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTsmbow8U-k

Some progress

Being doing a few small jobs in preparation for getting it sitting back on it's wheels again, or I was until I strained my wrist yesterday whilst cleaning out the numerous threads on the rear suspension and axle with some taps so will be giving it a rest for a couple of days. So far all the threads have been imperial UNF but the rear axle to brake back plate bolts are 8mm much to my surprise and had to go shopping for a tap to fit.

The rear anti-roll is all fitted up now and the short vertical bar with a twist either way can extend or reduce it's length all due to having opposite threads each end. The rear trailing arms also have left hand and right hand threads each side and work on the same principle so after finally finding some left hand taps on the www I could start cleaning them out. Whilst all this is giving me extra work it hopefully will be of great benefit later on when the axle can be set up to be exactly square with the front wheels.

Also fitted the steering rack after a bit of a false start, first I found the exact centre of the steering and marked it up and on trying to fit it to the chassis the replacement Superflex bushes I bought were a very tight fit and I could not bolt down the half moon securing plates holding the rack to the chassis fully and both were slightly sitting proud one side, after removing them for closer inspection found the bushes to be very slightly wider than the old rubber ones previously fitted. After trying again to refit with the same problem in the end I placed the Superflex bushes in a vice and cut off 2mm from one side of each bush, (ever trying to cut something that wobbles about?) and now matching the old ones in size they fit tightly but perfectly now.

If you notice in the photo of the axle that the half-shafts are not fitted that is because I only have a single garage and do not have the room to slide them into the axle each side so once the front end is on wheels I shall (with a little help) wheel it out of the garage whilst holding up the rear end and walking out with it, I will then be able to slide them in.

The Koni suspension is all looking nice and clean now although are aware the insides do need servicing and having spoke to a couple of approved Koni service agents I have decided to refit them to the car temporarily so that I can finish the suspension and just before the car is finished I can unbolt them and send them away to be serviced, this may seem a little backwards however if I spend the £350 to get them serviced now and the Marcos is not finished for 1-2 years (how long ?) then it will not do them much good just sitting there without any movement in them.

Martyn

07/06/09.

Steering Rack and Rear axle

Cleaned all the gunge from the steering rack today and having removed the rubber gaiters the rack itself looks okay with no wear markings on the teeth so should only need a fresh coat of paint, top up the grease and replace the rubber bushes with some Polyurethane Superflex ones and back on it goes.

Also managed to get the axle resting in place in the chassis awaiting some rod ends for the trailing arms before I can connect it all up. Recently I bought a replacement Alloy back plate for the axle with cooling fins on to help keep the oil temperature down in the axle as I did read somewhere that it can get a little hot in there and it may help the LSD (limited slip diff not the other funny stuff) last a little longer. Having put the axle in its place in the chassis and noting that this alloy backplate is slightly bigger at the rear I am now wondering if it will foul the Panhard rod or the handbrake rod that goes across the rear of the axle, I shall have to wait till it's all fitted up before I can find out.

Martyn

25/05/2009.

Shiny shiny

Finally got my suspension arms back and have bought some rod ends to suit, after much deliberation I went for some Chrome Moly ones with some rubber booties to fit so hopefully they will last the course.

The boots I had a right game fitting as the holes are quite tight, presumably to keep any crap out and to also keep the grease in once I have filled them.

After several frustrating minutes stretching and pulling to try to get them on I put them in boiling water to soften the rubber and for a few seconds they were soft enough giving me enough time to blow any moisture out from inside and they would just about stretch over the rod ends. I also recut the threads, used some copper anti-seize compound and filled the inside of the suspension arms with some waxoil. I now need some new high tensile bolts so I can fit them to the Marcos and can then look at the rest of the wheel hub area. I know that the front brake discs are due for replacing however to get them off the hub I think this will be easier to achieve if I refit the front suspension and will have something to pull against.

I have also been putting off sending the Koni shocks away for rebuilding/servicing due to the cost however it is something that I need to do very shortly to get the Marcos sitting on it's own wheels again,

Martyn
22/05/2009.

Pedal box done

Finished the pedal box today and will now put it on the Marcos safely out of the way and I can clear the work bench and move onto the next item.

Really pleased with the finish especially after much searching around for zinc plated UNF bolts/nuts. The last time I restored a car about 8 years ago I had no problems getting hold of nuts and bolts to fit however it seems the traditional ironmongers in every town are slowly dissapearing with our culture of throwing broken things away and replacing with new and I had several dissapointed visits trying to get hold of the sizes I need. Fortunately The day was saved by David Manners spares in Oldbury who do bits for MG's, Moggies, Jags and Triumphs and they sell a bag of 500 assorted plated UNF items for £12.50 + vat, seemed a bargain to me and should be more than plenty for my needs.

I need to set up the balance bar, not sure if all Marcos models had one of these, basically both the front and rear brakes has it's own master cylinder and by adjusting the screw in the pedal box the brake balance front and rear can be adjusted accordingly, a job for the future.

Martyn

16/05/2009

P.S. Do you like my slate floor ? another DIY project !

Not a lot

Not a lot going on as I am waiting for bits from both the powder coaters and chrome platers.
I was hoping to spend a day in the garage over the weekend especially with the bonus of a bank holiday and a extra day off work but hopefully in a couple of weeks I can start putting some bits back together.

Whilst I have the benefit of my Marcos being fully rose jointed both front and rear to allow for precise setting up of the suspension it has approx 20 of various sizes on the car in total and I was a little shocked at the prices of these individual items. Sure there are plenty of cheaper ones on various online websites such as Ebay and all claiming to be hi-spec but I am very wary of going cheapo especially with the enormous torque that the 5.0 V8 is going to put on the rear end of the car. I will have to save up and invest in some decent units that will last the distance and try to get a buy in bulk deal from a specialised race supplier.


Martyn
02/05/2009.

New engine

Just bought a 5.0 V8 cross bolted short engine which has been rebuilt and balanced by V8 Developments of Spalding, Ray at V8 Developments was very helpful and certainly knows his stuff and what a place "Cobweb Farm" in rural Lincolnhire.

When I mentioned that it was for a Marcos and it was originally a John Eales car he said "ah the silver one? " he knew it well.

This Marcos when finished sure is going to be a beast especially if I match some stage 3 heads and a suitable camshaft to it although it's going to be sitting wrapped up in my garage for a few months yet as I have plenty of other jobs to complete first, ooh err it's all getting rather exciting....

Martyn

27/04/2009.

50th Year Anniversary logo

And a very early Marcos Video titled "Marcos at Nurburgring 1963" (the year I was born !)

Martyn
23/04/2009.

Tubular suspension

Saw a Marcos last year at the annual rally at Cosford that caught my eye with it's chromed front suspension and have been making some enquiries locally to see about getting mine done the same especially with it being the purposely made tubular type. Should look really smart with the blue chassis and red springs.

Anyway after several phone calls to various chrome platers in the black country I was directed on more than once occasion to ACF Howell of Croft Street, Walsall (01922 649992), no website to view so tracking them down in a back street and knocking on some old door I was welcomed inside by a elderly guy who showed me to a workroom where it was like stepping back in time and full of gleaming springs, massive chrome bumpers and various other parts of motorbikes all hanging from the wall, it sure was a sight. He asked me what car the suspension was from and when I said "Marcos" I was ready for the usual puzzled look that 99% of people give you (other Marcos owners will know what I am on about here) he said "oh yes" and pointed to a small photo of a blue Marcos Mantis on the wall, I was impressed ! After a chat and some reassurance that they could do a decent job on the suspensions arms I left it with them and hopefully in about a week they should be ready, roll on payday !!

Martyn

22/04/2009

Shiny stuff

Picked up some powdercoated parts today for the rear suspension and took in the springs both front and rear and also the pedal box, hopefully these should be ready for collection in about a week so I can look forward to putting the first bits back on the chassis. I was planning on handpainting the rear axle over the weekend but that was not ready for collection so will do some gardening instead,

Martyn

17/04/2009.

Bits & Pieces

Have now taken the axle, trailing arms, rear anti-roll bar, brake rear plates and Panhard rod in for shotblasting and Powder coating (the axle is just being masked and shotblasted and I will apply several coats of black paint by hand). I have also now dismantled the pedal assembly box and re welded a couple of the joints to tidy it up ready for powder coating and are also about to order 3 new shiny Girling brake/clutch master cylinders to fit.

When I dismantled the axle I noted that the rear brake shoes were almost new and thought I should order new brake cylinders for piece of mind (and wanting shiny new ones as well !), not being sure exactly which model part they were (Marcos were a typical small car manufacturer in that they used a variety of parts from different production cars) I did some ebay searching and they appear to be 3000 Capri cylinders so fingers cross they should be the right one's when they are delivered.

When the deep rich red (colour code 3003) suspension parts are ready to be collected from the powder coaters I will be taking in more items to be treated including the springs from the shock absorbers so with a turnaround of about 10 days for these items realistically it will be some weeks yet before I can get it sitting on it's wheels again ready for the next stage. I do recall seeing a Marcos at Cosford last year with chromed suspension arms which I thought looked very smart and I will be making some enquiries at a local firm to see if mine can be chromed and how much it will cost.

The Koni shock absorbers whilst looking very tatty on the photograph are now looking a lot better as I have cleaned up the aluminium bodies on them with lots of elbow grease and will try to finish them off with some sort of aluminium polisher and were keen to try to clean these up as they don't have any leaks and especially after I spoke to Koni who confirmed they were quite special ones and also fully serviceable, the front are Koni 8212-1139 and rear 8212-1406 and the last digit "2" apparently means they are the lightweight version of the 8211 series.

Once the springs are returned after coating I shall post some new photo's to show their improvement.

Must say Hi to Richard who is also restoring a Marcos from scratch, he only started a couple of months ago and is catching me up by the day,

Martyn

11/04/2009

Pedal assembly box

Wow what a genius invention we have here. I must first apologise to other Marcos owners who may be reading this and already know about the quirky pedal assembly box, but for friends and family "Marcos" is a whole new name to most of them ! I must tell them about the unique pedal assembly box.

Statement "There are no actual seats in a Marcos"

"what ? how can a car have no seats ?"

Let me explain, the inside of the Marcos where you sit is basically shaped to your body and with some foam padding and leather covering which sits in a well between the door and transmission tunnel this forms the shape of a seat, sounds naff but as you can see from the interior photo (not my car) it looks the part,

You then ask,

"Well how does people of different heights reach the pedals with no seat to move ?"

Ah the answer, if you look carefully near the steering cowl there is a small hand dial and by turning it you can move the 3 pedals as one unit either forwards or backwards to suit each drivers leg reach, clever eh !

Although this pedal assembly box weighs a bit with all the moving parts in it, if you have ever removed a seat from a normal modern car you will be amazed how heavy they are with all the frame, cushions, electric heated bum elements etc, this Marcos pedal assembly box certainly saves a substancial amount in overall car weight. I don't know of any other cars that use this idea and considered it was designed many many years ago it's quite a clever item.

I have started to strip it down as it needs painting and some bits of the frame rewelding to tidy it up a bit, both the Girling brake and clutch master cylinders also need replacing and there is also a clever front/rear brake balance bar with a seperate master cylinder built into the same design.

Martyn

05/04/2009

Rear Suspension stripping

Inspired by the new shiny chassis sitting on axle stands in the garage today I spent a couple of hours stripping down parts of the rear suspension.

I now have a live rear axle less brakes and back plate and it is in need of rust removal before painting. I have previously considered getting it powder coated however for it to go into the oven after powder coating it would have needed the internals of the axle stripping and as it a "Limited Slip Diff" (ZF with 3.09:1 final drive apparantly) this strippping and resetting is way beyond me and is best left to the tech (lots of $$$) guys, the removal of the LSD diff would have been necessary as the heat from the oven would melt the seals etc so have decided as an alternative to get it shotblasted and primed only so that I can apply a coat of smart black paint myself.

Redditch Shotblasting have said they will take a look at it to see if they can mask it sufficently to keep the shot bits from going inside the axle before attempting it so fingers crossed, if any bits did go inside then potentially it could ruin the internals of a expensive and hard to find LSD differential.

I also have the trailing arms (4 metal tubes with a thread inside) which locate on each side of the axle and onto the rear of the chassis with adjustable tie rods, a Panhard Rod (stops the axle moving sideways) and a rear anti-roll bar for blasting and powdercoating, might go for a nice deep red here ?

Next on the list of stripping will be the shock absorbers and the pedal assemble box.

Martyn

05/04/2009.

Cool Blue

Just returned from collecting the chassis from Redditch Shotblasting Co (Dave 01527 529659)and I must say they have done a most excellent job with a nice deep blue (actually looks lighter on the photographs) in a very quick turnaround. This will now give me a clean base to work from and I can now start to look at getting the suspension overhauled so I can get it sitting back on it's own wheels again, roll on !!

Martyn

02/04/2009

Hello to all

Since I started this blog around a year ago I have been amazed at how far around the world it has travelled with hits from many many different countries and cultures presumably all sharing a genuine interest in that great little now defunct British sports car company "Marcos". I was fortunate in speaking to Sir Jem Marsh a couple of months ago and he admitted he was from a pre-computer era and was not really that up to speed with all things www so he is probably not really aware of all the other Blogs/Web sites/Forums all keeping the name alive.

Anyway I thought it would be an ideal opportunity to say hello to visitors from, and apologise if I have missed anybody out and in no particular order,

All over the UK
Belgium
Germany
France
Netherlands
Italy
Austria
Slovenia
Croatia
Czech Republic
Bermuda
USA
Canada
Russia
Bulgaria
Saudi Arabia
Japan
Australia
New Zealand
Thailand
Spain
Mexico
Finland
Sweden
but sadly none from the racing capital of the world (Isle of Man).

Please say hello next time you log on especially from overseas and tell me about your interest in Marcos cars,


Martyn
25/03/2009.

Slight delay

Have decided to delay the Powder coating for a week.

I changed my mind a couple of times about the two small 1ft upright tubes on the outer rails that sit just in front of each door. These two rails whilst both being solid metal are showing some early signs of discolouring and are concerned that even with shotblasting, rust could eventually creep through. I have therefore decided to replace these hopefully over the weekend and get the chassis in early next week.
For a few extra hours grinding away in the garage I will have piece of mind that underneath the fresh paint to be applied it will be all fresh metal in all the usual problem places,


Martyn
25/03/2009.

More preperation

Just been in the garage and drilled a series of holes in the chassis so that when it is returned to me I can inject lots of Waxoyl inside the tubes and seal the holes with some tight fitting blanking grommets that I have bought. I have purposely drilled the holes in accessable places so that I can repeat this exercise every few years with the body still fitted.

Found a great article from November 1984,
http://www.marcos-cc.de/pdfartikel/Fast%20Lane%2011.1984.pdf featuring the Mantula model as it was first introduced, a great photo of a Mantula at speed and a lovely interior to,


Martyn
22/03/2009.

Chassis booked in

After much deliberation the chassis is finally booked in next week with Redditch Shotblasting Co and have decided on a Zinc prime followed by a double top coat of a Polyester Powder Coating which should hopefully give me many years of (summer time use) protection. The company seem to have a good reputation having done a bit of browsing and are looking forward to seeing the finished result, a hire van is booked and roll on next week.

I now need to confirm the colour required, most Marcos chassis that I have seen have always been blue so unless I can think of any others between now and next week will be keeping to the same,


Martyn
18/03/2009

A few photo's

Martyn

14/03/2009

At last

At 7.11pm Tuesday 10th March 2009 I finally finished the chassis and are now having a beer to celebrate, I know it's took me absolutely ages to do but only really want to work on the Marcos when I want to and are not working to any time schedule.

The chassis is now sporting a few mods having done a lot of internet browsing recently regarding chassis stiffness and it's relevance to good handling paying particular attention to the rear end especially after a helpful conversation with Rory at Marcos Heritage, hopefully the few pounds in weight gained will be more than compensated for by the improved handling, we shall see ?

I have decided against galvanising as an option of protecting the chassis, even though this would have given excellent protection from our damp English climate the main reason I have decided against it is the extra weight gained as when a chassis is apparently dipped in the tank even with extra drain holes drilled in the chassis a lot of the liquid quickly turns solid and it is very easy for some of the chassis rails to become a solid piece of metal and can often double the total weight of a chassis, not good for a lightweight sports car such as the Marcos and especially this one being a lightweight track version, after all "Dpasrlow" is always quoting on the Marcos Forum "It`s not more power you need, it`s less weight and a few subtle mods !

I will make a some phone calls over the next few days to make enquiries re treatment and paint for the Chassis and weather permitting will also post some photo's,


Martyn
10/03/2009.

Old Track day Video

Here it is, and does it sound lovely or what !!!

Many thanks to Eddie, previous owner of car (1997-2004) for sending this to me, update video was from 2001.

Martyn

27/02/2009.

It Fits !!!

Made the most of a break in the weather today.

Got up, sun was out, so straight on the phone to my brother Steve who came round and between us we lifted the body from its temporary hanging place in the garage back out into the sunshine.

After a few moments thought of whether we could lift it between just the two of us we decided to go for it, we put the chassis onto axle stands on the driveway and taking a side each of the body tub we carefully lifted and manoeuvred the body back onto the chassis and after several months of cutting away and replacing old with new and the always back of my mind feeling of "will it or won't it fit", I was so pleased when it just dropped back into place, with only a slight hiccup when a axle stand was slightly stopping it from dropping fully home. Not only did it fit snugly but the body line up holes cut into the body at the rear where it houses the bolts for the trailing arms were also spot on, not bad if I say so myself considering how much of the rear end I have replaced.

I took the opportunity of taking a few more photographs from underneath that I was not sure about as I want to put in a couple more corner braces at the rear end and off again came the body and hung back in the garage so I can finish the last few chassis pieces and then get it treated.

Had a email yesterday from Eddie Stevenson (who now has a Ultima) who owned the Marcos from 1997 to 2004 and Eddie tells me he has found an old video in his loft from when he took the car to the annual club meeting at Curborough Sprint Circuit, and is going to send me a copy, I am really looking forward to this as I have never even seen or heard this car running, remember I bought it in need of a full rebuild, I really can't wait and if suitable will post it on youtube and put a link on here.

Still not made my mind up about the engine options, decisions decisions.

Martyn

17/01/2009.

Winter break

Haven't really done anything over the past month productive, I have just been really busy and it always seemed a little chilly when venturing out into the garage. On the positive side I finally sold my MG after 24 years of loyal service to me and the funds will go a little way towards restoration costs for the Marcos. So now the MG has gone I have had a big tidy up in the garage and the chassis is now sitting right way up on axle stands awaiting it's final few pieces of new steel. Here's a few photo's of other Marcos I have found on the web which always are a source of inspiration for me, click on any photograph to enlarge, oh and must also mention again went to see the most excellent "Quireboys" at JB's Dudley.

Mine :)

Martyn
16/12/2008

Decisions Decisions

Just back from sunny Scotland on my annual cycling trip doing the Coast & Castles route so I have had a week away from the garage.

As the Chassis is almost finished now I have been giving extra thought to its protection against our British climate, not that it will be out much in the winter months anyway. I have briefly spoken to Marcos Heritage and really are struggling to make up my mind as to whether to go for their Hot-dip Galvanising or the Multi-Stage immersion option offered by Surface Processing, I do really need to make a decision soon but as there are advantages to either option it is proving difficult for me to make up my mind.

Hopefully in the next few weeks I will do a trial fit of the main body to make sure it sits okay and then I need to make a further major decision on the various available engine options that has also been on my mind for some time. Catch 22, I can't get the chassis treated until I decide which engine route I am taking even though any prospect of getting a engine to sit in its resting place is some time (and $$$) away. So do I go for the usual Rover route and uprate the existing block I have or be temped by the more powerful engines as fitted by some other owners, leave it with me to ponder.


Martyn 18/10/2008.
P.S. Found a great photo on the www which just shows how low these cars are.

Seat belt mountings

Made up some replacement seat belt mountings today, the old rail that housed the old ones were well rusty and needed cutting out. I first cut two rails of the length required and ordered two "seat belt boss's" at £5 each from Marcos Heritage Spares . The first job was to measure up,

fortunately i had taken measurements from the old ones before I cut them out, then it was simply a case of making a hole through the rail for the boss's to sit in and once lined up weld them in and then the rail onto the chassis itself, not the easiest of jobs as this short rail sits just inside the main outer lower chassis rail and very awkward to get to.

Another job done, off to work now,

Martyn

16/09/2008.

Still Grinding

Not too much to report this month other than still grinding away in the garage and replacing old with new and are happy to have replaced the crucial lower rail that runs parallel behind the seats that appears to hold everything all square. I have done the measurement's and everything is as it should be. I still have some cutting out to do and as I am doing more than originally planned I need to order some more metal.

A couple of the 3/4 inch box size sections on the rear I have replaced with the larger 1½ inch size and yesterday I did a temporary refit of the axle to ensure this larger size would not foul the propshaft and axle, seems to be okay. I still have the seat belt mounting to put back on along with some corner bracing but again need to order some steel to cut to size, roll on payday !!!

We also managed to get our summer holiday in this month in not so sunny Braunton, North Devon and have just dried out, definitely would not have been Marcos weather,

Martyn

31/08/2008

Busy day

Started on the rear end today and I am now aching after a full day in the garage.

Decided that the main lower chassis rail that runs parallel behind both seats is in need of replacing, I did ponder on just part replacing this rail by cutting out the outer sections of it just outside of the transmission tunnel area and welding in a new section each side which would have saved me having to make a recess for the propshaft and handbrake cable attachment and more importantly worrying about all the other chassis sections that attach to this rail and keep the rear end all square.

After much thought and coffee, the main concern being stopping it moving out of shape once I start chopping bits out, (albeit one at a time) I decided make up a temporary brace which runs across the width of the car and also to the rear keeping it all in place. I did notice that when the chassis sits on the ground the rear section raises slightly at an angle and it is this angle that I also need to keep exact otherwise when the body is replaced the holes for the axle trailing arms will not line up properly.

Spent the rest of the day making the rails ready to fit hopefully next week and remembered that the halfmoon recess for the propshaft in the rail behind the seats does not actually line up with the propshaft when fitted. Having looked at the Atlas axle that I have and done some measurements the propshaft is not central to the middle of the axle and have therefore made a halfmoon cut out of the rail slightly on the drivers side for a better fit, I can only assume that with the factory offering various different running gear options they did a "one size fit all". Other slight differences I have spotted whilst browsing the many photographs on the www are that one chassis photograph I was studying did not have a supporting rail next to the Panhard Rod and mine also has some extra bracing panels that run the length of the transmission tunnel.

I made some more enquiries a couple of weeks ago with Surface Processing who fortunately are quite local to me and have provisionally booked it in for the first week in January (their choice not mine) as they have a several month waiting list, this will give me ample time to finish all the metalwork required and also do a temporary refit of the bodyshell to make sure it sits as it should.

Martyn.

21/07/2008

Still Welding !!!

This manual work sure is tiring !

I had the day off today so spent 5 hours in the garage and are still cutting out sections of the chassis and making new rails to fit. I have also ordered some more box steel, 28ft to be precise and fingers crossed it should arrive tomorrow, it took me several phone calls to eventually find a supplier that still does imperial sizes, the tubing being 1½ inch Sq (can you find the ½ key on your computer ? it took me ages ) so are relieved that I can carry on replacing old with new.

Hopefully in the next few weeks, time permitting I shall have completed both sides and then I can start to look at the rear end which also needs some cutting out, I will post some pictures soon once I have replaced most sections.

Here is a photograph of our new garden ornament, yes I know it's a Marcos Bonnet but it does look lovely and has more curves than a curvy thing. There just isn't room in the garage at present and I can't get it in the loft with all the other bits so when I am sitting in the garden it reminds me there's important work to be done inside.

If you are wondering why on the bonnet there there is a small square section missing, Nicholas the previous owner cut it out as one of the carburetters was touching on the bodywork with the intention of glassing in an extra air vent which would allow a little more room underneath, he never quite got round to finishing it so when I collected the car he gave me the original piece he cut out and also a extra vent, once glassed back in and painted it will be unnoticeable, I do recall that when I removed the engine there were several spacers (big washers) already on the engine mounts so with a few less of these spacers hopefully I can make it sit slightly lower and I can then put the original piece back in.

Martyn

30/06/2008.

Marcos Sales/Order form

After much searching on the web and chatting to other Marcos owners, Steve (OldNoccer) as he is known on the Marcos Forum who I finally met the weekend at Cosford sent me the attached copy from an old Marcos Brochure and interestingly details the "Competition Model" which mine apparently is, the only thing it does not mention is that the body-tub is made out of woven glass mat to save weight, it makes interesting reading even with the spelling mistakes and although it is not dated it is presumed to be between 1986 when the Mantula Spyder was introduced up to the late 80's. I also found this rear shot photograph of my car on the web, not sure who took the photo, but obviously another Marcos owner.

I was going to spend an evening in the garage tonight but was reminded by Mrs P of the noise so will have to wait till the weekend,

Martyn

12/06/2008

Marcos Annual Rally

Had a entertaining weekend at the Marcos Annual Rally both at Curborough Sprint Circuit near Lichfield on the Saturday and at RAF Cosford on Sunday, quite envious of those actually driving their Marcos, one day !!!

I also had the opportunity to speak to some of the members there who knew of my car and some of it's history and was urged to get it finished for the 50th year Anniversary of Marcos next year, sadly with the amount of work to do and only really wanting to work on the car when it suits rather than to a timescale realistically it won't be ready for then, an option for me will be to take the car on a trailer.

Bargain of the year was had by me this week, I was never quite sure about the rear lights on a Marcos and had noticed that some owners had replaced them with circular units which seemed to suit the classic style, thanks to Ebay again I was the only bidder on a Wipac set from a UltimaSports still in their original bag, their website lists them for the current model at £305 + VAT (what, you must be joking !!) I got them, albeit the old Ultima style for £29.96 inc postage being the only bidder, I think they will look the biz especially if i part recess them in the bodywork.

Re chassis work I have been busy and I have now almost completed one side and as it's quite warm now and working in the garage with the doors down to keep in the noise it really is very tiring work so are taking it nice and easy.

Martyn

09/06/2008.

Off with the rust

Bought myself a new MIG welder a couple of weeks ago, shame really as I had one which was quite suitable about 10 years ago and sold it thinking i would never need one again, decided I'm going to keep this one !!! I have also been doing a lot of reading up on the world of Marcos and learning lots which is giving me the confidence to move the project forward.

I'm now having a week off work which is actually last years annual leave carried over, I was planning going on a little cycling trip for a couple of days but the wet weather has decided otherwise so in between family outings I have been spending a few hours away in the garage, fortunately the neighbours both side's have gone away as the angle grinder sure is noisy.

Now't to do with Marcos Cars but just as loud and still on a high from Tuesday after seeing the excellent "Quireboys" at JB's in Dudley, who you ask ? must get a CD player for the garage.

I have finally started on one side of the chassis and having cut out the worst of the badly rusted sections I have cut new rails to fit and after a little practice with my new welder have tacked them into place ready to weld them fully over the next few days, the photograph shows only a few of the rails replaced as there is more cutting out to do, it sure is a nice sight to see fresh metal in place of the rust.

When the chassis is finished (eventually) it will either be galvanised or dipped in a tank and through a multi-stage immersion so it is important that there are no blocked off sections of tubing that can't be accessed by the sticky stuff, I have therefore made a point of drilling a access hole in any of the new "T" joints so that any fluid to keep the rust away can flow through all the inner sections of the chassis. It seems that in line with other Marcos cars the chassis were not very well protected (if at all !) other than a coat of blue paint as they left the factory and it is always the outer rails that rust which is where all the muck is thrown up from the front wheels, the centre and upper parts of the chassis are all sound.

Out of curiosity I did speak to Marcos Heritage Spares who do a lot of repair work on these cars and after they first tried to sell me a new chassis at £4500 they then quoted me approx £1200 to replace just the side rails, it will cost me probably no more than £100 in fresh steel. When the sides are finished I intend to then look at the rear section as i feel that some cross-bracing could eliminate any rear steer when cornering under pressure, I need to do some more reading up first to get some ideas for this.

I am now looking forward to the annual Marcos Rally which this year is over the weekend of the 7th June and it could not be more local for me, on the Saturday they have hired the Curdborough Sprint Circuit near Lichfield so are looking forward to seeing (and hearing) a few cars in action and on the Sunday they will be meeting at RAF Cosford, well worth a visit for just the museum alone.

Roll on the 7th, and a Hi to Wolfgang, http://www.marcos-cc.de/index.htm who has lots of useful info and because he has given me a plug on his website,

Martyn

26/05/2008.

Stripped chassis

Chassis now fully stripped and ready for welding.

Finished removing the last few bits from the chassis this morning after a head scratching moment over the weekend.

On Sunday i tried to remove the rear axle (which weighs a ton) and once i had removed the Koni Shocks/Panhard rod and trailing arms i was left with a axle that was sitting loose inside the box chassis and due to the oversize brake's the backplates still attached to the axle were too big to let me slide the axle out either side of the chassis. Knowing that Nicholas (previous owner) had previously done this i sent him a email and 10 minutes later i had his answer, impressed as he was the other side of the world now living in Canada. It was simply a case of remove the brakes, undo the 4 bolts that hold the backplate's on and then slide the half shafts out each side, i was expecting oil to come gushing out all over the garage floor which didn't so must remember to empty completely and refill with some new oil when ready. Once the Halfshafts were out of the way the axle (still very heavy) could then be manoeuvred through the box chassis safely onto the floor.

On inspection of the chassis, the middle area and upper part all appears sound protected from the elements by the bodywork and nice warm engine however both outer sill rails that run the length of the car along with the 4 outrider rails each side are as good as rotten, most probably from water thrown up by the front wheels, i could probably get away with just replacing the outer sill rails only but intend doing this body-off job once only so will be doing a thorough job and then look at ways to protect it from the British weather, so much for global warming.

Martyn

28/04/2008

Engine out

It's out !!!

Lifted the engine and gearbox this morning, it was easier than expected and with the added bonus of no cuts or bruises.

A big thanks to Andy from work who kindly loaned me his crane. In preparation for this I asked a couple of other Marcos owners the best way to approach this job i.e. split the engine from the gearbox or remove as one whole unit ?, the main problem appearing to be a chassis rail that runs across the upper bulkhead over the middle of the engine/gearbox which could foul it on lifting, basically i needed to lift the engine end, push car backwards to get the gearbox under this rail and then lift again, a big plus was that i had no shiny bodywork to worry about scratching.

Using an old seat belt, i tied this onto a lifting eye already attached to the front of the engine and also onto the Alternator bracket on the other side and having undone the 2 engine mounting bolt screws and gearbox bolts i tried to raise the engine however the car started to raise with it, the chassis being stuck on the engine mount bolts, i then removed the engine mountings from the block and immediately the engine swung free and was supported by the crane. We (me and Louis) then raised the engine end as high as we could and let the gearbox rest on the floor at about a 60 degree angle , it was then a case of raise engine an inch, push the car backwards a bit, raise another inch and again wheel the car backwards until the gearbox passed under the bulkhead chassis rail. It was suggested to me that i might have to remove the crankshaft pulley but managed to get enough angle on the raised engine to avoid this problem.

Over the next couple of weeks i shall remove the rest of the running gear from the car and can then start to look at getting the chassis repaired and the options on keeping the dreaded rust away.

Martyn
19/04/2008.

It's off !!!

Body off time and got to say i was slightly worried !!!

Waited for a gap in the clouds and finally wheeled the Marcos out of the garage and as planned my assistant mechanics duly arrived who i must say a big thank you to, Steve Colin and Connor, without them this would not have been possible.

We got the car on axle stands as high as possible and with two of us over the rear wheel arches and two just ahead of the door hinges we started by lifting at the rear of the car and trying to pull it up and backwards so the footwells could clear the chassis, no it would not budge....few minutes rest and to ponder and onwards deciding that the rear end needed to go higher to get the right angle.

Try again and despite the creaking and groaning (car not us) we lifted the rear end at almost a 45 degree angle to enable the front footwells to hinge downwards to clear the lower footwell chassis rails and then each taking a corner we slowly edged backwards to finally clear the chassis.

A few minutes to relax, a few photo's then back to work, each of us again taking a corner and up it went again, we walked straight into the garage and onto two wooden joists suspended from the garage ceiling.

Job done and no cracked windscreen.........phew.........
12/04/2008

The Business end

Sunday morning and sunshine most welcome.

Despite only getting home from work at 5.30 (am not pm) and being up again at 8.00 to take Louis to football (won 3-1) on my return i made straight for the garage.

The bonnet is now off, wiring loom moved out of the way and reveals a rather business end of the car, the radiator and twin fan unit is safely in the loft making sure it was completely empty before walking up the stairs with it, i think i would have been shot if it had leaked mucky green water all over the stairs carpet.

Whilst off the complete Bonnet/front end assembly which also houses the twin headlights and pod as one complete unit was weighed and came out at a amazingly 41 pounds, this is one light car !!

I have been pre-reading the Marcos "forum" which is full of useful guides on previous restorations and the body tub is held onto the chassis by some 50+ self tapping screws and as the previous owner had already temporary removed the body just before being sold i have been saved a lot of work in having to drill these screws out. According to a Marcos Owners Magazine from 1997 that i have it recommends at least 4 willing people to help with the body removal with one on each rear wheel arch and two on the front bulkhead guiding it around the chassis and checking for snagging points, fingers crossed then raising the body slowly at the rear upwards at an angle and then backwards leaving hopefully a chassis complete with engine and full running gear still in situ and being most careful not to stress the body shell, if the shell is not handled carefully the front windscreens have been known to crack under the pressure, at £470 each fingers and toes will most certainly be crossed.

Another youtube clip of a Marcos in action
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Fj-pcvWpoks&NR=1
31/03/2008.

The strip begins

Had a bit of a sort out in the garage over the last couple of days trying to make some more room, it's only a single garage and with work bench, pushbikes, motorbike, lawnmower and all the other usual stuff that accumulates in a garage it's all a bit tight, it's all the room I've got so i shall have to make the most of it.

Yesterday i started on removing the interior from the car in preparation for the body removal and whilst a lot (or all of it !) of the trim is in need of replacement I've made a point of not throwing anything away as i will need them for templates later on. So out it all came, the roll cage, dashboard, trim, steering, pedal assembly, seat pods and it's all now in the loft out of the way. Beyond the dash it's a bit of a "spaghetti" with all the wiring, it appears to be all labelled but haven't had chance to study it yet to see if it makes sense. Had a look at the fibreglass inside the car and i can see why it's a lightweight, it does look very thin in places behind the seat pods and some cracks to the fibreglass transmission tunnel cover, this will be a ideal place to learn some new glass fibre skills with some out of sight flat areas to work on.

Next on the "bit to remove" list will be the doors but i need roll the car back out of the garage for this and more importantly i need to know if the doors will go through the loft hatch and out of the way for storage, that loft is going to come in handy.

After that i will be ready to remove the body from the chassis so i can really get to the bare bones of the car and see what needs doing, I've thought about putting the body in storage whilst working on the chassis but really don't want the body shell out of sight, I'm getting attached to it all ready !! One option for me could be to make four "A" frame posts out of wood, one at each corner of the body with a beam across each one for the body to rest on at almost roof level in the garage which should hopefully give me enough room to work on the chassis underneath and allowing me to roll it in and out of the garage sunshine permitting. I shall have to have a chat with my carpenter brother Steve to see if this will work (and if he has any spare wood ?).

Still can't believe Ive finally got one of these cars and have been looking at some you-tube clips of some Marcos in action and do they sound lovely !

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=vfyTl2Px57M

21/03/2008.

What's a Marcos then ?

Ask any petrol-head over the age of 30 the question and they will reel off the usual,

"Well it's called a Marcos because of Jem MARsh and Frank COStin hence the name and they're bloody fast".

So with my excuses here to those already in the know about the Marcos history i will tell the abbreviated story again especially having mentioned to a few younger guys at work about my new toy they mostly had never even heard of the great Marcos name, by the way it's pronounced MarCOS and not CUS.

Jem Marsh and Frank Costin founded the Marcos marque in 1959. Their first cars drew on Costin’s aviation experience as Costin had earlier worked on the De Havilland Mosquito fighter-bombers and from there he got the idea to use plywood for the monocoque body/chassis unit and being lightweight and with good aerodynamics they gave outstanding performance from the relatively modest engines they used. Wooden cars eh, remember Morgan still do them even now.

As with so many of the smaller British manufacturers of that time, Marcos earned its pedigree on the racetrack. Notable early customers include Jackie Stewart, who gained his first racing experience in a Marcos, Derek Bell, Jackie Oliver and Jonathan Palmer and now me (ha ha)......

In 1966 the Mini Marcos was introduced; a fibreglass-bodied car using trusted Mini mechanicals. It sold extremely well despite being described as “ugly as Hell”. Subsequently the Mini Marcos earned its spurs and reputation on the track, especially at Le Mans in 1966 when it was the only British car to complete the 24-hour race.

In 1969 the Adams brothers were commissioned to design a steel chassis replacement in an attempt to cut down on manufacturing time, this appeared in the form of a square section space frame that cut some 15 hours off each build. Power units were generally Ford and Volvo, encouraged by a healthy order book, the decision was taken to move the manufacturing plant from Bradford on Avon in Wiltshire to a new factory nearby in Westbury. Relocation to a new factory caused considerable delays which combined with a collapse in the UK market and problems involving the US importer resulted in the closure of the company in 1972.

In 1982 was the rebirth of the Marcos and in 1984 the Mantula Coupe was announced fitted with a 3.5 litre Rover V8 later followed by the Mantula Spyder a convertible version of the car, the last of these using the 200 bhp 3.9 Rover V8 engine up until 1991.
At the 1993 Motor Show Marcos unveiled the GT Le Mans that brought the famous name back onto the racing circuits of the world. With a top speed of over 200 mph being the company’s contender from the new GT class. Under the Team Marcos-Computacenter with the LM500 race cars competing in the UK BRDC GT Championship, returning in 1995 with the brand new LM600, where the LM500 was impressive the LM600 was astounding. It took pole position first time out, achieved a GT2 class victory in its next race and then outright victory as an encore against all classes. The LM600 went on to dominate and finally win the 1995 BRDC National Sports GT Championship. In June 1995 the team went to France for the famous Le Mans 24 hour race, finishing the gruelling event seventh in class quite an achievement for such a small manufacturer.

The last car to be produced was the outrageous Mantis GT, the style being somewhat controversial with it's bulges all over, this was powered by a 4.6 quad cam Ford engine but boosted to an amazing 500+ bhp by the addition of a super-charger, the resulting power is described as awesome. Less than 10 GT cars were built before the doors were closed again with
the appointment of the receiver in early 2001.

In 2002 the name was revived again by the announcement of the TS model backed by a US backer and revealed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, in 2004 production was moved to Prodrive in Warwickshire and power uprated to the 5.7 chevy V8 however in October despite rave reviews Marcos was back into Administration blaming high costs and lack of investment.

15/03/2008

Tech info (and a few pic's)

The Marcos Mantula, now a very rare car and of approx 170 ever made very few were actually built as "factory built" cars, the majority being sold in component form and it is unknown how many actually still survive today, there are owners however spread all over the world with a healthy "owners club" who meet up a couple of times a year and a on line forum with a wealth of information available.

I will be doing research with my car's previous owners and also Marcos Heritage who have the original build files available for each car (update they haven't got one for this car !!) and hope to be able to get as many pictures, stories, history about the car in due course.

The unconfirmed info i have been given is that the car was originally built in 1986 for the Alexander Palace Motorsport show as a track car and was owned by John Eales (well known in the Rover world for his engine work) who used it for sprinting, the log book still refers to its TVR 5.0 engine and it will be interesting to know what success it had and how many bumps it suffered during it's time on the track.

Interestingly as it was built as a track car it is a lightened version and the body is constructed from a lightweight woven glass mat as opposed to the normal fibreglass. At 43" tall in their standard form and weighing approx 900kgs these cars with their various Rover V8 power options and light body are usually very quick cars with times quoted of approx 5.7 secs to 60mph and double the UK speed limit however with this special lightweight version and blueprinted engine i am certainly looking forward to driving this car.

In 1996 it was sold by John Eales minus engine and converted to a road car and registered with the DVLA. As it was originally factory built it was allowed a age related registration plate with a "B" suffix as opposed to a "Q" plate which many home built cars display, this again makes the car more special.

The present power plant consists of a blueprinted Rover V8 3.500cc with twin SU's, no fuel injection issues to worry about then, a crane camshaft, anti pump lifters, HD springs, power pulley, comp gaskets, a 5 speed gearbox. The car retains it's full roll cage (with a car so wide and only 43" tall it's got to be near impossible to roll) and has a fully Rose Jointed Tubular Suspension, adjustable rear anti-roll bar, Koni 8212 Shocks, 4-pot Girling Calipers and vented disks front, oversize drums rear and dual master cylinders with a balance bar, a Limited Slip Diff, live axle with rose jointed trailing arms and panhard rod. Inside the car is a Sparco four point harness and the car is finished with attractive purpose looking Compomotive split rims on Bridgestone tyres.

A new dual exhaust system was fitted new in 2005 with a balance pipe (kinda loud apparently !!) and a new Custom Alloy Fuel Tank.

Now for the bad bits, the car was taken off the road by previous owner Nicholas as it needs 2 outer chassis rails replacing and access to these are only gained by removing the body from the chassis. The body is presently sitting back on but once i have some garage room sorted to store the body i will remove it again and repair as necessary, it may be that other chassis work is required but until the body is removed this is a bit of a unknown. An option for long term Marcos owners is to get the chassis galvanised but sounds expensive and is best left to the experts. The interior is very tired and whilst functional in a yuk dark blue this will need re doing with a full leather interior (of course) along with a new dash and headlining, options could be to keep to the race theme as the car was built or go for a more lux version, it will be some time before i have to worry about that option !!. The bodyshell needs some minor repair work all over to correct some minor defects and is generally looking tired, once repaired a full paint job will be needed, no idea about colour yet, suggestions on a postcard please !

Unique to Marcos cars and worth mentioning is the pedal assembly, as there are no actual seats in a Marcos, the leather seat cushions surround the driver and passenger and simply rest against the shape of the body inside the car which works well holding the driver well supported especially with the huge transmission tunnel and to adjust for different drivers foot reach the whole pedal assembly moves forward or backwards as one by turning a small dial inside the car.

So basically it's a all out racer with no coffee cup holders in this car, no heater, no air-con and no radio, with its 4 exhaust system you probably would not hear it anyway. I've got a lot of work ahead of me but getting this one off special car at the price i paid was reflected in the work that needs doing, i am somewhat excited and are looking to getting the body off to take the first step in making this a great car again.

I've taken some pictures today after giving the body a bit of a wash, Mother in law also gave the car a look over and simply said "wow it's a beast" what more can i say.......

A Youtube clip of a Marcos restoration (i wish my garage was that big)

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=viGSr_BpMJA

Martyn

14/03/2008

Getting home

Tuesday 11th March 2008.

What a journey, 2 days later i am still tired.

Left home at 7.00 in the morning to collect my brothers car (thanks Steve) and trailer and then off i went down the M1, Kent bound arriving early afternoon and a bit concerned about all these windy weather warnings and stories in the news of overturned lorries etc, especially with the Dartford Crossing ahead of me. I haven't towed a car-trailer for some years and when i arrived at Gravesend, Kent to meet Nicholas who was passing the car onto me I was struggling to reverse the car and trailer around a corner into a spot where we could get the Marcos onto the trailer, after some rubbish attempts by me i was offered a quick lesson on the art of trailer reversing which is basically don't look over your shoulder, use your side mirrors and steer the car the opposite way to which you want the trailer to turn, looks easy watching !!.

After a lengthy chat with Nicholas who seemed genuinely sorry to see her go however he and partner are emigrating to Canada next week and he had tried to export the Marcos with him but with apparent restrictions due to the age of the car he was refused and would have had to store it here in the UK for 3 years and try again, not wishing to wait 3 years in case the rules changed again he reluctantly decided to sell.

The Marcos was duly loaded and strapped down securely, papers in hand i started on the long journey home, unfortunately i did not plan the route back as well as the route going and knew that i had to get on the M25, no problem, then the M10 and then onto the M1, i got slightly confused here and did the M25 and forgot my numbers and went for the M11 instead of the M1 (very similar when your tired) so off i went in the general direction of Cambridge and only realised some time later when i then had to divert and go cross country lanes to get back to the M1, still the number of thumbs up of approval i received from passing motorists made me smile, if you have never seen a Marcos in the flesh before they really are quite a sight.

Finally got home in the dark and then I had problems getting the Marcos back off the trailer due to the low body and exhaust, eventually with the help of Kim who did not moan once whilst on winch duty even when the rain and the hail started.

We finally managed to get the Marcos in the garage about 10 o'clock, god knows what the neighbours were thinking of us.

Marcos in garage, me in the bath, beer in hand..............Result.

13/03/2008

At last

Hello,

Welcome to my Blog, or Rather my new "car" blog.........

It has to be at least 25 years since i saw a Marcos for the first time and immediately fell in love with the marque however with family and houses etc taking priority i could never quite justify the expense of ever actually buying one and having owned a MG Midget for the past 25 years this satisfied my "car" needs of having something other than the usual euro box.

Fast forward to March 2008 and purely by chance I saw a Marcos in bits offered for sale on the very addictive E'bay and having got the prior approval of the good lady i waited and waited until the very last minute of the auction and "won" right on the price limit i had set myself, excited ? you bet I am !!!

Roll on Tuesday, i have a trailer hired, my brother Steve has kindly loaned me his car (with tow-bar) and off i go to Kent to collect her,

What shall i call her ?,
How much restoration work does she need ?
How much will it cost me ?
Can i do it all myself ?
Will it fit in my garage ?
What colour will it end up ?
How does it sound ?

It's going to be a bumpy ride at times but climb aboard and join me,


Martyn.

The above photograph is of the car when last on the road some 2 years ago.

09/03/2008