Once I received the chassis (frame) back from the body guy, I first had it powder coated. When I got it back, it was just a matter of installing all the parts onto it. By the time I was into this part of the project, most of the smaller parts or assemblies that needed work had already been cleaned up. As a result, the assembly went pretty quickly. It only took me about 2 months to get it ready to have the body dropped back onto it.

I also wanted to get the engine running while it was still on the chassis. The last thing I wanted was to discover a problem with the engine after I had the body back on it. It was a bit of a mickey mouse setup to get the gauges and radiator hooked up, but it ended up working out OK. I had apparently forgotten to tighten down the points, so the engine initially wouldn't start. As soon as I corrected that, it fired right up. It looked like I was good to go for the body drop.

I did have a couple of minor problems later with the engine. The water pump began leaking and had to be replaced. I also had a problem with one of the ignition leads. I had cut it too short and it eventually backed away from the spark plug (turns out the terminal was never on the plug, just close to it). I initially did a temporary correction, but I've now replaced all the leads with new ones (just to keep them all looking the same). I ran the car for quite some time with the SU carbs on the initial setup used when I rebuilt them. I've now done the correct setup of the carbs. I used a "Uni-Syn" to measure the flow in the carbs and make sure they were set the same. I don't think I would have been able to balance them using just my ear and a piece of tubing as some are able to do. I've noticed some difference with them correctly adjusted, but they must have been close before. I do have a small problem with the idle speed that seems to vary with engine temperature, but I haven't gone looking for the source of the problem yet since it hasn't been a big deal.