Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Rdover]

Update from yesterday

AAAAARRRRRRGGGGH!

Just when I thought it was plain sailing, it appears that if I don't check on things every day nothing happens ....

So I called the engineering shop where the cylinder block is having a new valve seat installed and the guy says "Do you have the screw in thingy for the top of the engine?". Says I "you mean the valve cap?, of course, I've got loads why do you need it?". "Well," comes the reply, "I've ground out the old valve seat but it is now wider than the bore of the valve cap thread and I need to widen it by another few thou' to get the new valve seat in."

Bugger. I had to drive across Glasgow, through the Games area to collect a couple of valve caps (they are all slightly different), take them out to Stirlingshire for him to look at. That took 2 hours and all he did was screw them in and go "Aye, that'll be alright."

It should be ready by Wednesday and the engine will be half built by then as well. At that point the back cylinder block can be cleaned, painted ready to be installed on Friday, with only the manifolds, water collectors and bits before putting back into the car.

It looks like we're okay for testing in 10 days time and okay for 200 miles of driving on the weekend of the 16th. It being cut very fine indeed!
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Richard

[Rdover]

The excitement builds, as does the nervousness.

I collected the repaired rear cylinder block yesterday with Mike at Blane Precision Engineering finally admitting that he was worried he could fix it! The problem was having to bore the seat out to the point where the insert was wider than the bore of the valve cap it had to get through! Luckily there was more than enough thread for it to be shaved to allow the insert to be squeezed through. Phew!

The result is very nice

Before




after


And some photos of the crank and bearing carriers all with matching numbers (apart from a couple of wee errors from the 80s)





some photos of the repainted from cylinder and other parts



The guys rebuilding the engine have been doing a great job and Keith, the main guy, fully understands where I'm coming from when I say I want the engine cleaned rather than polished. In my opinion cars of that age which have been polished beyond all reason, to a point far removed from how they were at the time remove much of the history and patina as well. It means that when vehicle historians or those, like me, doing research into their own projects, do not have a genuine reference point for the layout and standard/quality of the original car. Of course I'm not referring to the art and effort of keeping Brass Age cars gleaming but the 'concourse' competitor who takes the time and effort to polish the jack or the rough aluminium casting. I appreciate the effort and the art involved by it is not to my taste.

Why do I make this point? I made it 100% clear that I wanted the engine cleaned, repainted where necessary but NOT polished. It is 102 years old and 50 or 60 of those years were spent being knocked around in a barn in South Africa. A car like that carries it's biffs and bashes and scars proudly. So .... Keith's assistant, the detailing guy, started to polish up all the copper pipe and water collectors and was only stopped when I came in and had a fit last week. I went in yesterday to find they'd cleaned the engine block and sump perfectly by steam cleaning but had done nothing else and then I spotted the side covers. These carry the maker's name behind the manifolds and apart from being manky with old oil they were otherwise perfect and only needed a serious degrease but this muppet had painted them silver!!!!

As calmly as I could, I told them to get the paint off them using chemicals and NOT mechanical means. For the 4th or 5th time I explained why I did not want my car turned into a over restored show piece. To say I am upset is an understatement and they had better not damage the covers when they remove the paint.

That aside, I should get the car back, running on Saturday afternoon.
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Richard

[colwyn500]

They'll think you are a hard man to please Richard, but I am with you completely!

[Rdover]

[Rdover]

[Rdover]

I went back to help finish fettle the car before picking it up yesterday afternoon and arrived to find it ticking over rather nicely. Keith had fixed a water leak, cleaned the idle jet and replaced the spark plugs and it now starts (hot or cold) like it should.

We went for a drive and on the flat, given enough time and space will get to 30mph. I still feel it is a little flat and either needs more advance or a richer compensating jet or both.

It now ticks over at about 450rpm, does not get nearly as hot and generally runs very nicely indeed.

I just need a dry evening to go for a tuning run before Saturday's big run ... and find all my notes which have been 'tidied up' by someone

Tuning involves advancing the timing to the point that it almost tries to break your wrist as you start it and leaving that as maximum retardation. Then you can advance it at the wheel past the best point so you can feel what's happening.

At the moment it is not revving with alacrity (as the manual says) which mean the compensating jet needs opening up a touch to make more fuel available during acceleration. The plugs are a little black which means the main jet is about right.

I've been charging up the batteries (which were almost flat) overnight and will spend a hour or so fettling this evening.

I've already made all new hand throttle and ignition control rods and I'm lining up a whole host of winter jobs safe in the knowledge it is now a nice reliable runner
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Richard

[kevin2306]

Hurrah, great news

Kev

[colwyn500]

Great news and testament to your and the engineer's skill and organisation. I know you're going to have fun with that.

[colwyn500]

Great news and testament to your and the engineer's skill and organisation. I know you're going to have fun with that.

[Rdover]

I'm working from home tomorrow so a hour or two will be set aside for fettling and I might video the start up and running procedure.

I think you guys deserve to see and hear the results.
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Richard

[colwyn500]

More self discipline than me....I'd be all day at it. Looking forward to the video.

[roverdriver]

Certainly looking forward to the video. Congratulations on your achievements so far.
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Dane- roverdriver but not a Viking.

[Rdover]

[Rdover]

So, this afternoon, after rushing through all my 'real' work, I got busy with making a few changes and fettling the settings:

idle jet was 60 so changed for a 55 and idle mixture set to 1.5 turns out
comp jet set to 1.2mm (120)
new spark plugs fitted with gap set to 0.60mm

As ever the starting settings needed to be figured out but I got it running with a higher than ideal idle. Once warm I could play with the idle mixture and speed until it was running nicely and off for a wee test run up the hill.

Up hill from home
before: 1st gear and it made it eventually
after: was in 2nd before the rise and it ran up very easily almost wanting 3rd

Downhill
before: got to 4th but as soon as I was on the flat it died
after: easy on the throttle!!! I was doing 35mph before I knew it and it rattled along up and down the rises and wee hills in 4th between 25 and 35 mph.

Significantly better than it had ever been. Adv/ret is still questionable as is the main jet but it is very useable indeed and I am very pleased with it.

I then drove the 5 miles and back into Newton Mearns to collect my eldest daughter and then on to Stewarton to see a friend and back again. Dry conditions but very windy and it tripped along at 25 to 35 in 4th gear pretty much all the way. It will continue to improve as it runs in. I think I had about 5 litres in the tank and did 17 miles so I'll guestimate 15mpg to be safe and a range of 60 miles. I suspect it'll do more than that under ideal conditions but that is enough!

I've ordered yellow braided HT leads and brass thumbscrew connectors to make it look prettier and the list of jobs for the winter includes repainting the springs, making the rear spring firmer and remaking control rods, making the foot brake work properly, or at least better, and getting rid of all the remaining orange paint lurking under the chassis.

A wee vid for you all
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMLgmVgfhz4[/youtube]
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Richard

[colwyn500]

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MMLgmVgfhz4

Sounds brilliant. Whole car looks exceptionally tidy