KR 5670

[Ian Grace]

Well, normally yes, but with the realtively inefficient 180 degree cable front bakes on the early Minor, there's not as much pressure on the front brakes as the back. Or maybe the brakes squeal less when they are applied harder?!

[ian judd]

Good luck with soaking the linings in petrol to de-oil them. I never had much success with that and always found I had to re-line. I've also heard of people setting fire to them but I don't think that works either.
Regarding brake pressure, because it's an uncompensated system no brake can be on more than the one that goes on the hardest. So if one is adjusted so that it goes on before the others the other three can not have a similar effort. Likewise if the cable 'sets' around the front pulleys not only will it prevent some effort going to the front brakes but it will stop the rear ones working too. Later cable seems a lot finer and more flexible than the early sort so perhaps the 'setting' isn't as much of a problem as it was at the time. But the pulleys are so small there is bound to be some difficulty getting the cable to pull that extra bit even with modern stuff. (If anyone doesn't know what I mean by 'setting' , it's when the cable/wire rope permanently takes the shape of the pulley it goes round making it hard to pull round.)
Is fitting slightly larger pulleys possible?

[Ian Grace]

Thanks Ian - I'll let you know how I get on. There's not much oil on them, just black dirt from use.

I want to post a publicity pic of the prototype Semi-sports showing the bands on the rest drums but my PC isn't playing this morning so I'm foruming from my cellphone.

Also busy most of today packing M145.

[Ian Grace]

New fuel tap on the way from Paul Beck. Should be the correct one - I sent him the original.

Beautiful weather this week at last, but now I need to spend the next couple of nights mowing before I can get to the garage to play.

What I really need quite desperately now is a trailer to go behind the Discovery so I can get the McEvoy chassis to the blasters and also take the fabric saloon places - like the islands for weekends. Someone has suggested to me that I should pick up a scrap caravan and convert. Anyone done this?

I did put the Sprite back on insurance this morning - our son is moving about 25 miles from us from Poortland, Oregon this weekend, so I'm loaning him the Sprite to give me a bit of working space in the garage.

I'm collecting a couple of Tiger Moths and a ton of spares from Palm Springs next month, but I've rented a hangar at the local airfield to store all that lot, and that will give me more space to shift stuff to from the garage - IF I had a trailer!

Should have stuck to stamp collecting.

[Ian Grace]

Progress!

The new fuel tap arrived from Paul Beck today and slipped right in. I put a few pints of fuel in the tank, tap works, no leaks from the float chamber. Flooded it and fired her up - ran sweetly.

I then fitted the new radiator hoses and slowly filled the radiator, looking for leaks. All went fine until the water was about 3/4 the way up the water jacket side plates. It then became evident that the nearside plate had a 1/8" rust hole in it!

I did obtain new plates, rubber gaskets and bolts from Mike Dowley but was hoping I wouldn't have to replace them immediately. It would be nice to let the engine really warm through for the first time in decades. So that is the next job. I'll also be ordering the cloth-covered black wire from Paul Beck tomorrow, so I can carry out a sympathetic and accurate re-wire.

[ian judd]

Ian,

Since your engine is presumably more or less untouched, and since you need to replace a side-plate, I would much like to know how thick the rubber/whatever gasket is. I have fitted S + V ones and seem to be endlessly tightening the bolts as the rubber is perhaps too thick and just keeps compressing. The problem is that the plates have started to bend in where the bolts are, so I might go back to very thin cork. When you get to that stage can you could let us know what the original material is and the thickness?

Cheers,
Ian

[Ian Grace]

I certainly will, Ian. I have had the same problem in the past. It would be better if the plated were thicker/stiffer.

I also had problems last night fitting the hoses with Nesthill clips - you have to get them REALLY tight to stop the hoses weeping. The top hose clips, although the right size, 'bottomed out' before they were tight, so I'm going to have to wrap the hose with insulating tape under the clips, I think. I do have hose that is thicker on the od, but it's a sod to get it in there without loosening the radiator. I even put the hose in the microwave to warm it up and ended up with a kitchen reeking of burning rubber in just 15 seconds!

[ian judd]

Sometimes it's easier to unbolt the outlet from the top of the head...It beats removing the radiator/bonnet etc.,etc.,and stays,and no doubt something else!

Ian

[Ian Grace]

I thought about that, but concluded that then I'd probably have a leak between the head and the outlet - or a bolt breaking off in the head - or am I drinking too much coffee?

[ian judd]

Leaks are unusual, bolts breaking off is something else; after being untouched for 83 years I can understand you might be a little nervous. But if one does shear off, well, you are going to take the rad off anyway so the jobs half done!

Ian

[Ian Grace]

Fired it up yesterday after temporarily patching the the water jacket sideplate with duct tape! This enabled me to run it for about 15 minutes and get it up to running temperature for the first time. Oil pressure is not brilliant - about 65 cold and about 35 hot. The bearings can't be worn, so I suspect its is more to do with the fact that the white metal is 83 years old.

I drove it forward and back a few feet, but didn't want to take it too far with just the transmission brake - all the other brakes are currently stripped out! Once the brakes are back in, I should be able to venture up the road in it.

[Ian Grace]

The time has come to fit the new Blockley tyres, but first I need to refurbish the wheels, probably with all new spokes. That means sending the wheels away one at a time (I have five with the spare, so I can keep the car on four wheels to drive). It also means that I'll probably want to remove the hub caps and restore them while the wheels are away and then re-fit them.

Question - has anyone sucessfully removed and replaced the early hub caps, and if so, what did you find was the best technique for removal and refitting them?

[ian judd]

Ian,
Re: the low oil pressure, would your engine have the early very small oil-pump gears? Perhaps this kind of pressure was normal for this pump as they are only about a 1/4" deep.

[Ian Grace]

It's not the very early type - the car is 1930, so should give 100 psi from cold when un-worn. Mind you, it is still running on its 1970's oil! That sounds terrible, but it is actually as clean as a whistle - it must have been changed and then not run much at all. I'll change it for some new stuff and see if that makes any difference. What is the latest thinking on oil grade? I always used to use Duckhams 20/50.

[Ken Martin]

Regarding your note on hub caps above - my hub caps were dented and generally knocked about, but they have been very presentable since my efforts at restoring them in the 1960s. I punched them out of the wheel hubs using a large wooden dowel - as big as will fit though the outer hub opening. I trimmed and tidied the inner edges around the cap which formerly held the cap in place, so that it fitted well into the hub. I then made a rounded top wooden former out of dowel and with the hub placed on the former; I gradually knocked out the dents with a flat hammer. I then worked them over with a block and hard abrasive paper - gradually using finer paper until the face was as good as possible without losing all of the embossed detail. I then polished them with a buffing wheel. I silver soldered a countersunk headed bolt to the back of the cap and made a securing strip. Finally, I had the hubs re-chromed. Some early hub caps were I think solid nickel and so this repair won’t apply as you can’t solder to nickel (can you?)
Good luck with fitting the Blockley tyres. I had my five fitted to the repainted wheels by Blockley on their machine at their depot and it looked a good move to me. I have heard that they are more difficult to fit manually than the Dunlops I used to use and fit myself. You may not know, but plastic rim protectors are available from motor bike shops and they do a very good job at bearing the impact of tyre levers.
Ken