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Hillman Super Minx - My First Classic Car
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CWhaley1



Joined: 13 Jul 2016
Posts: 61
Location: Derbyshire

PostPosted: Mon Aug 01, 2016 11:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

There's some nice quiet roads near me where I can sit at 30-40 mph for a good while. I'll go for a run and see what story they're telling after.

Thanks for putting my mind at ease on the lead additive. Probably won't be using purely down to limited mileage I'll be doing for the foreseeable future.

I await some quotes on welding this week!
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kevin2306



Joined: 01 Jul 2013
Posts: 1359
Location: nr Llangollen, north wales

PostPosted: Mon Aug 01, 2016 12:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Good that you are getting sorted, they are lovely smooth when running properly.
not sure if I said or not but when I first go mine I had all sorts of running issues on recommissioning.
Mine already had an early Lucas electronic ignition fitted so I went down the route of sorting the fuel out. the carb, whilst only having 26k miles on it looked tired, I was lucky and sourced a new old stock one which I rebuilt with new seals etc. That made a big difference but I still had a a few issues and eventually (on getting back into my garage) the car gave up the ghost, My running issues were down to the Ignition system breaking down it seems, I fitted an Accuspark distributor (under £60 delivered) as a temporary measure and it worked so well that ive never swapped it! only took 20 mins or so to fit and makes a great difference to the running and starting of the car and also allowed me to sort the mixture properly.
I do have a new, old stock Lucas distributor to fit but cant bring myself to take the electronic item off!.
so, in a round about way, what I am saying is check your distributor for wear and tear!

Kevin
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alanb



Joined: 10 Sep 2012
Posts: 516
Location: Berkshire.

PostPosted: Mon Aug 01, 2016 12:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Many years ago I had a Standard 8 that had rough running problems, I could get it to rev ok and pull well and it would drive ok but it would not idle, after weeks of trying to improve things I gave in and took it to my uncle who was a mechanic, he found the short rubber connection hose on the distributor vacuum pipe was perished and leaking air, once replaced the mixture could be adjusted properly and smooth idling restored. So it would be worth checking around the inlet manifold and carb to make sure there are no air leaks.
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Morris 8 two seater
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CWhaley1



Joined: 13 Jul 2016
Posts: 61
Location: Derbyshire

PostPosted: Mon Aug 01, 2016 1:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've always been belt and braces with this sort of stuff - before I do anything else I just want to make sure the engine is running well; don't want to go any further with the project until I'm confident I've got a nice smooth drive from it and good idling as well.

I have put on a new distributor cap (Lucas 25D) which I've had no problems with. I've also cleaned the rotor arm contact point and re-set the contact breaker to 0.015. In honesty the cables in there do look a little worn so I'll have to have a thorough inspection of these. I'd be tempted to look for a new distributor if the current one needed attention.

The breather hose from the carb to the distributor was actually split at the distributor end funnily enough, but only about 1/2" up the pipe, so I've cut this back and made sure there's a tight seal now.

You've given me a few things to think about anyway and I've already planned what I'm doing this Saturday! I'll be taking a look at the distributor's condition, the mixture setting and also the hose from the inlet manifold and carb. It's anyone's guess as to how long the rubber has been on some of the parts.
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Rick
Site Admin


Joined: 27 Apr 2005
Posts: 22429
Location: UK

PostPosted: Mon Aug 01, 2016 3:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

While you're peering at the dizzy, just check that there's no noticeable sideways play in the shaft beneath the rotor arm. Also, when you put it back together, put a faint dab of grease on the cam that opens and closes the points, otherwise the heal of the points will wear down quickly.

RJ
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CWhaley1



Joined: 13 Jul 2016
Posts: 61
Location: Derbyshire

PostPosted: Tue Aug 09, 2016 4:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just to offer an update. I bought some new spark plugs, cleaned them and set the gap to 0.025, put a new negative earth cable on and cleaned the two earthing points as well as making a new HT lead from the coil to distributor.

After doing this, the car starts first time every time and even runs without the need for the choke at all. She's still not idling quite right though - not enough to cut out though, just a bit rough.

Next steps are to fine tune the timing, replace all frayed/exposed wires under the bonnet and get quotes on welding. I have the sills and will order the inner and outer arches soon. I also need to do the rear brakes still - I have tools, a new handbrake cable, new shoes and a service seal repair kit.

After these jobs it's all purely cosmetic work to be honest which I feel will be the longest part of the project. May create a YouTube account soon just to put some videos up.
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CWhaley1



Joined: 13 Jul 2016
Posts: 61
Location: Derbyshire

PostPosted: Wed Aug 24, 2016 10:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi all - I have just replaced the rocker box cover gasket on the car. Sealed it with vaseline on both sides and had to replace a couple of screws as the thread had worn down a fair amount.

While I had the rocker cover off, I noticed how dirty the inside was with very old looking oil and sludge. I want to clean this and replace.

In terms of oil, does anyone know the correct grade for this car or even a supplier if it's specialist? I have the replacement filter - just need oil.

Thank you.
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kevin2306



Joined: 01 Jul 2013
Posts: 1359
Location: nr Llangollen, north wales

PostPosted: Wed Aug 24, 2016 1:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I use Morris oils 20/50 classic

http://www.morrislubricants.co.uk/golden-film-20w-50-classic-motor-oil.html

It matches and exceeds the oil specified in the singer handbook.

When I first got my Singer, it had been standing since 1985 so dropped the oil and spin off filter before starting it.
After that, i changed the oil several times quite quickly (no more than 50 miles etc) to flush out the crud, then once the oil was coming out quite clean (was really black for the first few changes) I changed the filter and put in the Morris oil. it runs really smooth on the oil and doesnt get very dirty between changes.
Going against opinion and advice (risking removing carbon build ups etc), I used a good quality turbo diesel oil to do the flushing, didnt seem to cause any lasting damage.
As an aside, I did a similar exercise with the auto box, changing the fluid in that at the same time as the engine oil, that too ran dirty for a few changes but now remains red and clean.

Hope this helps

Kevin
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norustplease



Joined: 11 Apr 2011
Posts: 779
Location: Lancashire

PostPosted: Wed Aug 24, 2016 3:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Using the turbo diesel oil can be beneficial if you have an engine with coked up piston rings.
An acquaintance of mine told of buying a 1940's petrol fuelled truck that had sat unused for a long time, and setting out to drive it a hundred or so miles home. It used the first fill of oil in a few miles via an absolute smokescreen, so he bought a load of heavy duty detergent diesel oil and by the time that he was halfway home he had a clear exhaust and sensible fuel consumption.
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1964 Volvo PV544
1957 Austin A55 Mk 1
Boring Tucson SUV
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CWhaley1



Joined: 13 Jul 2016
Posts: 61
Location: Derbyshire

PostPosted: Thu Aug 25, 2016 8:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the advice - I'd also heard about flushing the engine out with good quality turbo diesel oil, think I'll use Millers as I do have about 3 or 4 gallons in the shed for my daily car (Focus TDCI...)

She doesn't smoke when running which I'm happy about, although she did spit out black specs from the exhaust when I first purchased. Over time and since fixing the ignition system, this seems to have stopped - I presume it was just rust that had built up in the exhaust being kicked out.

When I've flushed the oil and got the Morris oil out in, I'm going to clean everything down with 'Gunk' spray. Used to use it to clean oil/dirt/muck off the engine and it was very useful.

Getting a YouTube account set up so I can put a video up of her running soon.
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Peter_L



Joined: 10 Apr 2008
Posts: 2680
Location: New Brunswick. Canada.

PostPosted: Mon Sep 05, 2016 9:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have followed your first post with interest. Never one to be pessimistic, I did wonder if the work involved was worth it for what is not that rare a vehicle. There was also the safety aspect and alignment issues when dealing with heavily restored monocoque.

Your second purchase sounds to be in far better condition. As for donor, I guess if space and storage isn't a problem it's OK, but if your new purchase is in fair to good running order, you may end up with a half dismantled heap of unlikely spares.

Good fortune what ever you decide.

Peter L
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