VMR Summer Rally 2009

[Simon]

Alister,
You had better persuade Ken & Kate to come to the Watercress Line on the 18th October.

Ken & Kate,
You had better placate Alister by coming to the Watercress Line on the 18th October,

[Toby]

Fantastic weekend, Ian was right about the car we entered in;-despite doing the back plates, within 10 miles the graunching returned and we hastily switched to YG which was still under running repairs for this poor running problem on the new engine. All went well till the rod on the hydraulic master cylinder fell out after a steep hill and the pedal went to the floor, stopping a saloon on the handbrake does wonders for stripping the paint on the drums. Luckily we found the rod and at Pewsey I obtained tie wraps to ensure that if it fell out again it wouldn't get lost and also to secure the rubber boot to the cylinder. By the time we arrived (6hours) at the Frogmill we were once again suffering hot engine power loss and this meant Linda walking some of the hills over the weekend while I revved up them in first! Well done to David for assuming the leadership role, sadly the sunday night venue doesn't open on Prescott weekends so it was back to the Gardeners again for a rerun of saturday! Big thanks to Simon and Ian for graciously guiding us where our OS map ran out of page on the nav rally and for the loan of a spare coil! This didn't solve the misfiring but top marks go to Eric- yes it was a loss of compression and we limped home from Lindas parents in Malvern after a very nice AA man filed down his spanners and roughly reset 1 & 2 tappets, not cured but by Monday we knew it was bad enough to not get home! Starter was down too and a snapped nearside wheel stud/loose nuts near Amesbury on the way home made for eventful motoring over the weekend. Why do my studs on both minors rear nearside keep snapping/undoing?! In all, 433 miles plus an allowance for the bigger 450 tyres and most of it done in the wet!, phew, still, added to last years miles it means we've topped the 1,000 mark on the running in, all I need now is to get it running properly and he'll fly? It was wonderful to meet up with friends old and new. Heres to 2010.

[Highlander]

Toby. Look back at all the correspondence when I had trouble with my rear hubs ablout six months ago. Everytime I tightened the wheel nuts up the back brake drums rubbed the back plate. I put washers between the brakes and the brake drum which cured the rubbing but the wheel studs broke. The problem in the end was my rear bearings and felt washers and a sreel spacer. I got two "new" hubs from Tony G, left the steel spacer off and went back to a felt washer and all was well. Do you have the right bearings and washers for YOUR car? There were changes from 1932 up to the War. Complete axles could be changed but not mixed. As you know I am no expert but I know just how you feel at the moment and these comments may help. Highlander.

[Toby]

The bits are mixed but i am using new bearings and felt seals on the tourer as per original and the hubs that incorporate a lipped seal like the 8 axle which I have been told are minor as they are 3 stud but must be 34? on the saloon. Can't work out why it' should happen other than hot brakes loosening the nuts and/or breaking studs, the drums were very hot after stopping on the handbrake downhill!

[Highlander]

Toby, I know that at times like this 7/6d would buy both Minors!! Have you restored the back axle from scratch from bits? Was it a complete running axle before you started? If everything was OK before you started and it is not OK now something inbetween has gone wrong. Not a lot of help that but here endeth the first lesson. Rev. Highlander.

[prharris25]

I know this sounds obvious, but are you sure that the wheel nuts are of the correct type. I have no idea what "the correct type" are, but it seems to me that if the hub is properly installed (as per Alister's wise words) the nuts should not come undone or studs shear...unless of course they have been subject to overtightening and abuse in past ownerships....or the nuts are wrong for the car. I am pretty sure that nuts that fit a sv Minor may not be the same as, say, Morris 8 ones. Just a thought.

Paul.

[Ian Grace]

And the studs on the 1934 season hubs were also different, being stepped and possibly taking different nuts?

[Toby]

The nuts appear to do up tight and looking at Harry Edwards new minor studs it appears they should be stepped but the polished countersink suggests they were tight and a good fit, the common factor between the 2 cars is overheated brakes. The tourer was fine until the hot drum incident and then shed its wheel several times and this may have worn the stud before it broke? The saloon was fitted with the later hubs and the wheel was tight, on both cars the drum screws also undid once the wheel was loose! but only on the nearside, the offside just had slightly slack wheel nuts!

[Ian Grace]

Because of the poor weather last weekend, there may not have been many photographs taken at the rally over the weekend. But if you do have any, please e-mail them or send them over on a CD so that a compilation CD can be prepared, and also a gallery added to the website. Thanks!