Scarlet

[Scarlet]

Hi my name is Steve.
I am sure this car needs no introduction, I bought Scarlet from Ross late July
Some tidying up on Scarlet , the heater had leaked at some stage and caused surface rust with some pitting.
It was disconnected when I bought it
I also had the seat mount holes reinforced as there was a crack around one bolt hole.

[Scarlet]

The rear also had minor surface rust.
I had to remove all the sound deadener (2.8 kg) to clean it up properly.

[Scarlet]

Door cards and back seat scrubbed up well, the door handles had faded grey, I used black vinyl dye to make them look new again.

[Scarlet]

Gave these bits a fresh coat of paint as well as the painting the numbers on the gear knob, I also sanded and polished all the scratches out of the aluminium trim around the brake leaver.

[Scarlet]

The heater was not working when I bought Scarlet.
I had the radiator core repaired, there is a steel elbow bend and the ends of the radiator core are blocked off by steel plugs, both had rusted out, I had them redone in copper, the water flow control valve was also leaking, you can see the new one in the photo.
The fan motor was also not working, years of grime had built up in the bearings as the motor is not encased, a good clean up was all that was needed

[Scarlet]

I bought a set of superpro bushes for the rear suspension, they are also fitted to the diff
When I was removing the lower arms, I noticed one was wider by 15mm, after getting a good replacement I had them strengthened to stop them bending in future, they were strengthened like this at the factory in the Sunbeam Lotus and Ti models

[Scarlet]

I am not exactly sure why these strengthening plates were added in the later cars, but whatever the reason I added them. simple to fit

[Scarlet]

These are factory "Heavy duty" springs, (identified by a single orange stripe according to the workshop manual) for the scrapyard hunter, they were also fitted as standard to the 1977 Wagon models, the wire is about 1.5 mm thicker than the standard spring wire gauge.

[Scarlet]

I saw some photos of a gp4 tarmac cross member for sale, so I took mine out and copied it.
I did not do the neg camber mod, I only strengthened it as per the photos.
In this photo the steering rack mounts have additional strengthening gussets.

[Scarlet]

In this photo you can see the additional stitch welding by the mounting holes and the plate to box in the lower control mount
The total cost for all this was only $30.

[Scarlet]

I finally got around to adding and wiring up the radiator fan switch. The radiator fan was wired into the heater fan switch when I bought Scarlet, but as I got the heater working I had to use another switch.
I have always liked the look of these military style safety switches, they became popular after WW2 with the hot rod scene when surplus aircraft parts flooded the market.
Lift the cover, flip the toggle switch up for on, closing the cover automatically knocks the toggle switch down turning it off, very cool

[Scarlet]

I completed this project today, fitted the Avenger TC Volt and Oil pressure gauges, the factory accessory kits come with all fittings, nuts, bolts and oil line.
I polished the clear plastic with cutting compound, it came up like brand new.

[Scarlet]

I bought these upgraded pads today.
They are EBC GreenStuff DP2106, they are a fast road-entry level race pad, with a Kevlar based compound.
The Avengers use two types of pad depending on the model, I went for the larger pad, as it gives a slightly larger friction area, as seen in the photos.
The red brake in coating on top is like a coarse sandpaper

[Scarlet]

New pads are in place, I had to file a skim off the sides so they would fit into the calliper.
While I was at it I also cleaned and repacked the wheel bearings, I also elected to leave the guard cover off
You can see the area the old brake pad covers, the new ones go right to the edge.

[Scarlet]

As part of my ongoing plans to get Scarlet to handle to my liking, I will install these later model Chrysler front lower control arms.
As you can see in the photo, they are longer by half an inch, giving an extra one inch wider track at the front.
They also give (in theory) a bit more Camber.
I say in theory because my manual lists the same Camber settings for the later models.
The factory Camber settings are 1 degree positive (+ 45')
Only when I take the car to get set up at a wheel alignment shop will I know how much different they are.