Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[oldtimer]

I have long been uneasy with people who claimed "That's the only way it can be done",when they meant "I don't know how",which is quite different!It signalled a closed mind,a reluctance/refusal to explore options,it seemed.That applied at work and with outside interests/hobbies too, I feel.
I recently met a chap,a novice starting out with his first classic car who had been relying on advice,doubtless given in good faith but was just advice,not written in stone,but was being taken that way and blocking any thought of possible alternatives.Not a mindset to start out with in this hobby of ours,with old vehicles,Ifeel.
In this case the car was a Volvo 120 and I have one too.He had been told that the sump cannot be removed with the engine in situ,because of the position of the oil pump therein preventing this,unless by raising the engine or lowering the cross member.Both fraught with pitfalls and quite a
bit of work.I found that removing all the bolts from the sump it dropped an inch or so and allowed me to get an open ended spanner on the bolts and then wiggle the pump down,since it was then only a couple of O rings
holding it in its housing. It dropped into the sump and no longer prevented
the sump being pulled clear!
It made me realise that many of us have snippets of info that may not get
to others or if imparted in a way that ,quite unconsciously,makes them
forego a bit of "lateral thinking" we may help them with one problem but
do them a disservice in the longer term

oldtimer

[clan chieftain]

I always remember back in the early 60s when I was an apprentice mechanic in the Post Office my boss told me that the easiest way to learn anything was to disagree with what you were being told. Then you would get it explained in more detail..and it worked..Mind you there were times I had a sore backside after it
I have said in a previous posting that we could have a section for tips of the trade and short cuts to help others.
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The Clan Chieftain

[poodge]

That sounds like a wonderful dodge,oldtimer,but a thought occurs to me.Once you have refitted said pump,how do you get the sump back on?Or would you be able to place the pump in an approximate position,and work in reverse,as it were?Just curious

[oldtimer]

Hello poodge,
Putting the sump back was pretty straightforward in fact.The problem, when removing it,was that it had to be withdrawn towards the rear and the pump position,in the sump,precluded this.However,as you say,it was possible to have the pump relocated,with the sump in approximately the right position, because there was slack in the set up of the pump in relation to its place in the sump which allowed some forward motion without impeding or jamming up the proceedings.The tricky bit was getting it out when rearward movement was a must.
I may not have explained that very well and apologise if that is so but it seems to prove something about the point I was making.First, that you are doing the "lateral thinking" bit ,thinking things through rather than accepting/rejecting possible alternatives out of hand as some seem to do with the "There is no other way" mindset.
The sump removal seemed a suitable example to highlight this outlook,

Regards,
oldtimer

[clan chieftain]

Funny how when you get up in the middle of the night and cant sleep you click on to the forum
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The Clan Chieftain

[oldtimer]

Hello 71 marina,
Maybe it's a Scottish problem then,this wandering about in the middle of the night.A bit like Tam o' Shanter "lest bogles catch him unawares".

Regards,
oldtimer

[roverdriver]

I like the idea of this thread, Oldtimer. For much of my life, I have lived a distance from towns, and therefore have had to work out ways to do things on my own. Below is a tale from about 18 months ago when I was working to replace the clutch in one of our P4 Rovers, and found the shaft bearing US. In this case I simply worked out my own solution, however I agree sometimes we are told there is only one way to do a job, when often there are many alternative solutions.

Dane.

When I was cleaning up parts preparatory to reassembling the clutch, I made an interesting discovery



The bronze bush is held in place by the two pressed steel cups and bolts to the side of the gearbox to for the bearing for the clutch pedal cross shaft. I checked the shaft itself and found that it was worn too, but like the curate's egg it was still 'good in parts'. The shaft protrudes beyond the bearing and so the end was not worn.

The likelihood of finding suitable replacement parts here in Oz struck me as being slim. If I made up a replacement of my own design, I could take advantage of the best parts of the shaft, so off to the junk supply to see what I could find. If you are a purist, perhaps you should read no further!

As I have a limited workshop and even more limited skills, I often adapt what someone else had made, to suit my purposes.

I cut this sturdy fitting from what had been a strong dress rack.



The bolt holes in the chrome fitting were unfortunately too far apart , so some filing was needed to enlarge them into slots to achieve the correct centres. The tube part needed to be sleeved to five eighths of an inch centre to fit the shaft. I had some difficulty locating something with a suitable inside and outside diameter, but happened on an old tube spanner that measured up all right.

Next I drilled a pilot hole through the plate, then a half inch hole (the largest drill I had), then filed the hole out further so that the spanner-tube would just fit.



After testing the fit, I cut the remaining hex end of the spanner.



I found a plastic bottle top to cover the open end, and tested the assembly in place. When I get the gearbox back in, I'll pack the tube with graphite grease as I reassemble everything, and I think it might last another few years. I would have preferred to use a softer metal as my sleeve, but I feel that even though the bearing is steel on steel, the graphite will keep things working.



There are no patents on this device, so feel free to copy it. I even have the other end of the chrome tube available for anyone who would like to try it!!

Postscript- I have since found out that a new bronze bearing and carriers are readily available, but if I had gone down that route, I would have had to repair the wear on the shaft.
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Dane- roverdriver but not a Viking.

[oldtimer]

Hello roverdriver(or should Isay G'day)
Obviously another kindred spirit,prepared to find a way rather than accept this rather depressing "it can't be done,there is no other way"cry.
Iam far from skilled and have few exotic tools and there are many on the forum who have proved ready and willing to help me in the past,and may well have their patience tested to the limit in the future!
Regards
oldtimer

[peter scott]

Hi John,

Your sump removal operation is a great example of circum navigating a horrible problem. A very satisfying achievement. Well done!

Like Dane I've had some satisfaction from finding different uses for bits of metalwork. In my case the problem part was the bezel/lock keeper for my boot lid handle. This Mazak part had fractured and I thought my chances of finding a replacement were slim so I decided to remake it in brass and then get it chrome plated. Below is the Mazak part on the left and my brass effort (prior to chroming)on the right. To save some work I made it from a brass plumbing fitting. I also had to make some of the chrome strips along the sides of my car and the same plumbing fitting was used again for the driver's door lock that forms part of the chrome strip on that door.

Peter


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

[oldtimer]

Hello Peter,
I always look out for your posts as they are invariably clear, well thought out and helpful.You ,together with "The 47 ers" are certainly top of the list of those whose patience must have been sorely tried by me in the past,and , probably in the future!

Regards,
John

[Keith D]

Much of the fun of restoring and using old cars comes from some of the dodges we have to get up to.

I dislike the current practice of having deep pile carpets made for cars of the fifties that came originally with fitted rubber mats. My A40 was no exception. The mat was the original supplied by Austin and a replacement is just not available. Mine was not worn much, but the Aussie sun over many, many years had cracked and split it. I collected a woolsack from my father's farm, which is made of a nylony sort of woven material, opened it up and spread a couple of cans of contact adhesive over it. I then very carefully laid the damaged rubber mat onto it and pressed the whole lot together. After trimming the excess woolsack from the edges, my mat was back in one piece and as strong as the original. I was very pleased with the result, and still am, some twenty odd years and many, many miles later!

Keith

[oldtimer]

I remember that an essential tool for the removal of the rear hubs was a puller,and not just any puller,the pukka tool was really heavy and I knew,from bitter experience,that some feeble lookalike would not do.The real McKoy was possibly available,definitely expensive,and therefore very much a last resort.I had dismantled a wrecked Volvo 120 as spares for my own project and realised that,among all the stuff,was a front hub.I reckoned,if I removed the studs the resulting vacant holes would be correctly spaced to fit the studs on the rear hubs and could simply be bolted on with wheel nuts.This would be a really strong base for a puller.
My outfit had just taken over a site from the R.A.F.and it was part building/part scrap yard site.Keen to do my bit to clean the place up I found a heavy threaded metal shaft about 18 inches long with a couple of large nuts in place and duly tidied up this article plus a bit of steel bar to mount, as a means of turning the shaft, which also needed to be tidied up.A chum then welded one of the large nuts to the outer end of the hub and the cross piece on the outer end of the shaft so that it could be run through the hub,up against the outer end of the half shaft ,and thus
persuade the hub to come off.

oldtimer

[Ray the rocker]

Good posting oldtimer--brings back so many memories of beating the times on the job card by finding short cuts --enabling bonus hours in your pay packet!One specific comes to mind--re-sleeve cylinder bores on bedford 220 and 330 diesels-circa 1960.Pistons came with a cylinder sleeve which was very fragile.Any Wrong angle on fitment and you simply creased the sleeve on entry.The special puller sat on the upper lip and into the bore,connecting to a threaded section at the bottom of the bore.
The problem was-if it was a TK bedford,you had to do it whilst under the rear of the cab--no room to swing a cat!!
Imagine swinging on a ratchet and catching your knuckles on the cab every half turn--no fun at all!!!
It took about an hour to fit each liner so drastic measures were called for.
Firstly,check that the foreman was busy elsewhere ,ask the bodyshop for a loan of the "porta-power jack"and utilize the puller to press home the liners using the rear of the cab as an anchor! If the foreman caught you, he always took a dim view of your objective--and stopped your bonus payment as a result!! Always a better bet to keep a lookout just in case.
Used to enjoy "double wages" on the bonus scheme--Happy days!!!!!

Cheers Ray the Rocker...