Vintage Minor Register

To reverse the starter motor I needed to rotate the end cap through 180 degrees - now turns the engine over quite nicely. Connected a few wires + petrol pump and gave it a go, after cranking for oil pressure (35psi). A few splutters and a lot of petrol dripping out of carb. Battery on charge; will t...

Did anyone manage to find the correct angle + position of the first bend? - my best estimate is 95 degree (flowing towards the rear of the car), with the distance from the manifold flange to the centre line of the horizontal run being 13.5". Unfortunately I do not have the steering box in place...

The sun shone again so I took the roof off - just need some plans for a new sliding roof?

It was bolted in but the engine really was just collection of found/assembled bits - not confident about it at all. Having given some thought to the way that the field coils are wired in series with the brushes/armature, I have just about convinced my self that if I was able to reverse the brush con...

My starter motor is a Rotax RM35SFm 6V -- Does that sound right? before I take it to bits again.

Thanks for checking yours Ian, when looking from the gearbox end the motor is rotating anti-clockwise which is the wrong direction to both engage the spiral/bendix or give the correct rotation for the engine. Unless I have managed, somehow, to wire up the brushes incorrectly, I suspect that the moto...

Hi Ian - The motor is rotating in the wrong direction - I wired as negative earth and admit that I have tried reversing that to see if the motor would reverse, it did not. I have replaced the brushes and have had the field coils out while I solderd in a new Field post but cannot see what I might hav...

Just connected up the starter motor to discover that the switch did not work, then to discover that the starter motor is rotating in the wrong direction for the engine (bendix flys away from the stating ring gear - if it did engage, it would be turning the engine in the wrong direction. Is there any...

Thanks Ian - that is my job for tomorrow night. this is all that I have for the distributor plate - need to have a think + try to make something.

finally got round to putting engine together + lifted back into chassis. Will attempt to make front exhaust pipe with a view to seeing if it will start later in the week. Need to weld up/profile the clutch operating fingers and reline clutch plates before fitting gearbox. Need to make a starting han...

I am about to fit the oil pump on my SV engine, is there a correct procedure to position the drive gear to ensure best rotational position for the Distributor body? I have a 'plate' that grips the Distributor and has a vertical 'pin' welded to it. I assume that this is part of some manual advance/re...

Thanks Ian - I did the search for 'Pytchley sliding roof' and ended up back on the VMR site! this photo that Irene posted in the 'Wanted' section helps me to understand a little about what the roof should look like. Now I do fancy one of those! - anyone got one in the back of their shed? not really ...

The Sun shone so I let it have a look outside while I removed the paint and discovered a few more bits in need of repair. bare shell.jpg It looks the roof structure has been removed/modified at some stage. Anyone able to suggest what might have been done? How big is the opening roof on a Minor? Migh...

Thanks Ian - From my local conversations, it does appear that on some engines (they were generally talking old Wagons though) is was the 'practice' to leave the groove empty on the new engine with option to fit the additional scraper when needed. Ewan69, on the PWN Forum, reports that he has succefu...

Any Piston experts out there? - I have a set of standard 4 ring Pistons that I am about to fit to my re-lined/re-bored block. I have just read this in the Pitmans Motorist Libray, Staton Abbey (7th Edition) -- "The early engines and post-war minors were fitted with three-ring pistons(two compre...