Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[bertie]

I was leafing through Bertie`s papers the other night and I found out that his MoT expires on May 3rd....oops ! I could have sworn it was May 7th. So, a good checkover was needed and after my work I wasted no time in doing so - and would you believe it, no brake lights ! Without further ado, I removed and stripped it down to find the usual problem - burnt and dirty contacts.



Re facing the contacts was straightforward, using 800 grade wet/dry, cleaning out and light greasing then rebuilding and refitting etc...all worked ! So on to the big day, we arrived at the MoT station a little early..



..and waited in trepidation..we`ve all been there, wondering whether you`ve missed something, will it behave etc...and after what seemed an eternity, it was his turn..



As you can see, I had to be inch perfect in getting him on to the ramp, 4" either side of the "hole" doesnt leave a lot to play with !



The picture above shows this a little clearer, his narrow track just beyond the yellow jack tells its own story! So, once the lights/indicators/wiper/washer horn (all fell about laughing at his "AAHOOOGA" ! ) and visual emissions, he was up in the air



I said flippantly, I wonder whether he suffers from vertigo..to which Judy (Angiebaby on this site) replied, dont you mean Bertigo? ..I digress...Jeff, the tester, started to look in ernest at his 52 year old running gear, and the trunnions especially



There was no lateral movement in either, but the nearside has a little vertical lift which resulted in an advise, as the movement is minimal. The underneath is as solid as can be desired, no front wheel bearing play, all hydraulic shocks leakproof, all linkages/cables well greased and all the underside is thoroughly undersealed...so Jeff was happy with everything so far..and now on to the brakes..



The front brakes registered higher than I thought (the lit screen in the background measuring just under 200 lbs/ft) and were evenly balanced..



The rear brakes and handbrake were measured at just above 130lbs/ft, and again evenly balanced..even 52 years ago it was found that rear brakes should act more like a drag to the front brakes by a compensater, which in Bertie`s case looks like a spring loaded tube incorperated in the rear brake mechanism which comes in a fraction later than the front. The results of the brake rolling road were collected



and after a few minutes, the end result of the test was....



Pass ! As if I ever doubted it....well... I`m delighted to say that tomorrow I should be receiving these...



Two bumpers, ok they need reconditioning, but both are serviceable, and at a price of £20.50 inc postage (Many thanks Angiebaby and Ebay) I consider it extremely good value, and after a close inspection of Bertie`s hacked about rear end, not difficult to fit. Once I have fitted the rear lights and done away with the trailer lights sitting on the tubing which serves as a rear bumper at present, he`ll really start to look the part ! Hopefully if the weather holds, Bertie and I will be at the Stoneleigh classic and kit car show over the bank holiday weekend. So, thanks for reading this drivel and catch you all soon...

[Rick]

Well done on the MOT - and the fab updates you're putting on here Bertie's ready for the road once more.

PS interesting speedway car hanging on the garage wall - did you get any photos showing that better?

RJ
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[bertie]

will do Rick, Jeff (the tester) is a vintage speedway rider and has a few old bikes etc and I`m there tomorrow again in my professional capacity this time. I`ll take a few pics and find some background on it, I know it`s a genuine speedway car of the 50`s, but I`ll try to find out more...

[Keith D]

Congratulations! A lovely looking car. Now get ready to enjoy a terrific season with Bertie! May the British summer turn out to be a brilliant one!

Keith

[Richard H]

Congratulations! If it passed with one advisory that's very good going...

It's a warm feeling you get when you first get that certificate in your hands
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Richard Hughes

[Greg]

As Rick said, great to see the updates, good news about the test and those bumpers should clean up nice and will, as you say improve the look of the back end
I have just refurbished the speedo in my Pop after it not working for a while, then it snapping the new speedo cable I fitted last week!
If you haven't already, it may be worth your while lubricating your speedo.
The grease on the input shaft of my speedo had turned to a 'wax' type substance, (as old grease does), so the shaft had 'picked-up' on the inside of the casting and siezed!! (if that makes sense ) I managed to carefully strip the speedo, replace the damaged parts from a 'donor' dial lubricate where needed and reassembled, keeping the majority of the original speedo.
When first leaving school, the time spent as an apprentice Clockmaker has at least come in handy to resore my Pops speedo!!

All the best,
Greg

[Greg]

......just one last thing, you are going to fit new rear lights, are you going to fit the original?......if so, in one of the Workshop manuals,( can't remember which one at the moment), there is a drawing of the exact positioning of the lights on the rear wings.
You are probably well aware of this ....only I know it can be frustrating to fit something, THEN find out there are drawings with the exact measurements on !!!
As I say, you maybe well aware of this, if so please ignore all of the above

Greg

[bertie]

Thanks for the speedo tip, Bertie`s speedo is starting to stick, and could well do with a strip down and grease. The rear lights have presented me with a few dilemmas! Do I go original and fork out a fortune, do an acceptable red stop/tail circular lens or actually have red AND orange indicator lenses on each rear wing? I have decided to go for red stop/tail circular lenses which are readily available, and can be easily and invisibly switched to the original rectangular lenses should a pair appear at a price I can afford. Thanks for the info on the rear lenses, which I shall duly research if a set of originals surface. The rear bumper is now renovated and ready to fit by the way...!

[Rick]

I'll keep my eye open for some rear lamps. Do you just need the lenses, or the complete tail light units for a Pop??

Rick
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[bertie]

I`m after the rear lenses and bulb holders, although the ones I`ve fitted are so much better than what was on!