Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[ALW Ford Popular]

Can't find a separate place to introduce myself, so here goes. Have been restoring cars since age 14 - a while ago now !!

First car was a 100E and then several MGBs and classic minis later i was asked if I was interested in a 1956 103E Pop. Put in the garage in 1973 and not moved since !

Daft question as it is now in my garage ! All safely moved, excellent original condition with brakes, clutch, wheels are free and loads of grease on grease points. My dilemma is the engine. I assumed it would be stuck fast and have given it 2 weeks of auto trans fluid soak and a bar and jack on the crank pulley left for a further week. No movement. There was some talk of a ring or piston being broken (which put it in the garage) but the owner is now sadly deceased. So it will be a head off job later today to see the worst.

First question is - should this vehicle have been fitted with 'trafficators'? I have seen some with and some without. This has the slots (filled over with fibreglass strip) Badly done and all wiring in the pillars, but a non standard arrangement using mini front indicators and a non-standard dash switch.

Any guidance please to restore to as it should be??

I'm sure that I'll be back with news about the engine soon. Thanks and good to meet you all - Andrew

[peter scott]

Welcome to the forum Andrew.

Like you I passed my test in a 100E.

I don't think broken rings would seize the engine although rings rusted into the bores might.

As you suggest, taking the head off is a good start if all else fails. You can then try a heavy hammer on a block wood on each piston. If that fails then you may be trying to unseize all four at once in which case take the sump off and disconnect the big ends form the crank. You might also try hitting from below with a more slender piece of wood connecting your hammer to the shoulder of the piston.

From your description of the trafficators I think you've answered your own question. Although today's drivers can't be relied on to see a semaphore arm you can help them by fitting flashing LED festoon bulbs in them. Definitely worth having at night when sticking your hand out the window is less obvious.

Extreme road positioning is pretty foolproof.

Hope this helps,

Peter
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http://www.nostalgiatech.co.uk
1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon

[Rick]

Welcome aboard. Sticking valves will also lock an engine, same for the dizzy drive.

AFAIK 103E Pops didn't come with trafficators as standard, but many people opted to have them fitted. They are usually mounted in separate boxes, just ahead of the doors on the scuttle, above the vents.

The E494A Anglia tended to have them fitted flush in the bodywork behind each door though, the Anglia looks virtually identical to the 103E, differences include it having the 8hp rather than 10hp engine, and the bakelite rather than tin dashboard.

RJ
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[ALW Ford Popular]

Thanks, have started to strip head, dizzy shaft is stuck fast, head is stuck fast, hose came off o.k but is solid as a rock !!!

So - all soaking in Wd40 overnight. Taking care not to bust anything.

Wrt indicators, I guess the question that I should have asked is; is the shell pre cut for indicator arms as mine appears to be or is this a retro fit?? If they are not fitted as standard would the shell be pre-cut and blanked off to allow a universal Anglia / Pop shell ??

Thanks for prompt replies. will post some photos when I have set up a web photo box. I am used to pure copy and paste!

[kevin2306]

WD40 is not very good as a release fluid, get some plus gas or similar.
Good luck

Kev

[Rick]

[alanb]

Semaphore indicators can clearly be seen in this picture, although personally I would also fit flashing indicators front and rear as I have done on my Morris 8, after being asked by a 30 year old fellow motorist "what's that thing sticking out the side of your car"? When I explained they were indicators he said "I've never seen them before"!
http://www.classiccarportraits.co.uk/images/Ford_Popular_103E_5359.jpg
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old tourer


Morris 8 two seater

[Rick]

[ALW Ford Popular]

Thanks all. The cut outs in mine are exactly as per the photo in the above post. Behind door and quite low - bottom just above half way line.

I will be fitting a set of pop outs and then repeating them with motor bike flashing lamp units mounted on the bumper bolts to save holes in the car.

Back to the engine !!! This car does not give up its secrets easily !!

Spent all afternoon getting the head off. Nuts came off, some studs came out, dizzy stuck fast so took it off with head ! Gentle rubber hammer, jack under the front with a piece of wood, some gentle teasing around the edge (but only within the multi layer gasket for protection) and off it came. All looks fab inside, no bore wear and even carbon. Tapped pistons with a block of wood, then a large hammer on the block of wood, more freeing oil. NOTHING !

So left it with the breaker bar on the crank with a jack overnight. Looks like it is sump off next and tackle each piston separately. May be valves holding, a few mm play in crank suggests crank is free (wear in big ends??)

To be continued ............

[Rick]

Try pouring diesel around the valve stems, sometimes building a "wall" around the top of each of the closed valve heads, with a putty of some kind, enables you to pool a reservoir of diesel over the valve head, which over time might just seep down and free off any sticky valves. Worth a go, you may well end up removing the valves anyway.

RJ
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[ALW Ford Popular]

Some progress - having got the head off, soaked overnight in plus gas, checked all valves are free I 'played' the crank pulley forward and backward. All except cylinder 1 showed movement - only a fraction but enough to show in the penetrating oil at the piston edge. Piston 1 is stuck fast and I have tapped it with a block of wood and hammer as hard as I dare.

So it's now on the ramps with the oil draining and I think sump off and piston 1 out is the next move. Happy with condition of all bores and condition of drained oil. Will sump come off from underneath? Any need to remove engine stabilizer (radius) rods??

Maybe a bent conrod or something mechanical holding the engine and better to look I think !!

[peter scott]

Coca Cola works quite well for unseizing pistons.

Peter

p.s. This is a serious suggestion that many people have had success with.
_________________
http://www.nostalgiatech.co.uk
1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon

[ALW Ford Popular]

So it's good news !!!!

Took off sump, removed piston 1 big end cap and engine free to move !!!

Used long brass drift and tapped piston 1 out of top of bore.

So - the dilemma..... piston 1 had broken top ring, removed others. Piston 2 and 3 had broken top ring. Piston 4 in perfect condition but ring width in slots looked perfect on this one only. For the broken 3 the ring looks far too thin. I will measure it but it looks like a mess up on the parts or previous maintenance front. Any ideas??

Anyway - pleased it is all apart and free. Bores are good, pistons are standard size - 2.5 inch and only one big end has a chip out of the edge which has not caused any crank damage. Looking for set of new standard rings !!! What to do about chipped white metal bearing??

[ALW Ford Popular]

Further to above - have tracked down a standard set of rings in Canada ! Standard size seem a bit rare.

Has anyone got a spare standard size con rod please to replace the chipped one and get the old girl going again?? Casting is marked E93A - 6205.

Many thanks - PM me if you can help. All other sources have failed so far.

[ka]

A small chip in the white metal in the con-rod is not a disaster, if it is more than 2mm, then it is. I will have a look in the bit box but am not optimistic, as I have changed one engine to shells, and used the best of the rods, re-white-metalled and built the other. Plus a second hand con-rod would be a 100/1 chance that the big end is the same.

Where are you?
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KA

Better three than four.