LJ 4435

[Ian Grace]

I have been carrying out a great deal of research into Minor (and M Type) chassis identification plates recently, and the results will be summarized in a major article the spring Magazine.

During the course of this research, I have been gathering images of many plates and it turns out that there are at least six variants covering OHC and SV Minor production.

Interestingly, as for the type of plate fitted to LJ 4435, I have found no other like it. I would suspect it as being a reproduction, but even the closest scrutiny of it shows no indication that it is not genuine.

Does anyone else have a chassis plate of this pattern, around this chassis number?

[Ian Grace]

So one other identical plate has surfaced - that from M27482. Any others out there around these chassis numbers?

[Ian Grace]

Time for an update on LJ 4435. Last month, during our visit to England, I was finally able to drive the car again, for the first time since 2007!

I took it for about 20 miles to lunch with John Stubberfield and after lunch, I noticed that the car had dropped a good deal of oil on John's tarmac driveway when I had driven in. It didn't take long to discover that it was coming from the hole in the brass bellhousing drain plug.

I suspect (and hope!) that the oil is escaping from the oil gallery plug in the bellhousineg - the one in behind the flywheel. I have therefore ordered a new plug and copper washer from Mike Dowley and also a special lockwasher that is a useful mod. to help keep the plug tight. I have also ordered a pot of special sealant that Mike recommends is used when fitting the plug.

Paul Ellis is the current holder of the Register's flywheel puller, so he's also sending that to Tarlton, where the car is currently being looked after by Peter Balding and John Stubberfield. (The puller is available for loan free of charge to any member in need.)

Once the parts have arrived, I'll then need to get the car to a workshop where the gearbox and flywheel can be removed and hopefully have the oil leak sorted.

Here's the rear plug lockwasher mod:

[Ian Grace]

Progress report. The car is now with John Stubberfield for the repair. He's taken one of his cars to Peter Balding to make space for the Semi-sports in his workshop. He and his brother will carry out the work and now have the flywheel puller and clutch aligning tool.

So we should know shortly where the leak is, and I'm hoping it is the plug!

[Ian Grace]

So John and his brother Richard have been busy this week. They removed the flywheel to discover no visible leak, either from the rear main or the oil gallery plug.

However, when they tipped the gearbox forward about 45 degrees, it dripped, about a drip every five seconds, from the oilway holes in the input splines and another hole just beneath the input shaft bearing housing.

This is excellent news, as the engine is vindicated and the gearbox will be an easy fix. I think that, before re-assembly we will fit a sealed tail end bearing.

More news shortly.

[Ian Grace]

An update on the oil leaks. We are making progress in three ways.

First, the input shaft is having its oiling holes plugged with aluminium plugs - bot the three holes in the scroll (oil in) and the three holes on the splines (oil out).

Second, the input shaft bearing is being replaced with a double-sealed bearing - with the rear seal removed.

Third, the layshaft axis pin, where it is pushed into the gearbox casing is being capped.

These three moves should hopefully sort all sources of the leaks.

While the gearbox is off, we're replacing the driven plate (loose rivets) and re-lining the clutch (linings soaked in oil), also the tail end bearing.

[Ian Grace]

Update August 2022.

Just back from four weeks in England, during which I had time to collect the Semi-sports and it now lives alongside the fabric saloon which I also collected from Tony Gamble in North Yorkshire on the trailer I bought last year.

Very pleased to report that, after about 100 miles of motoring, there's no more oil leaks.

However, towards the end of the trip, a loud, intermittent screeching was isolated to the vertical drive, where the bearings are revolving in the housing. Something to sort out over Christmas during our next visit when I will get the head off and investigate.

But the good news is that the car is driving superbly - even with the loose vertical drive pinion and it was tracked using a GPS app at 41 mph on the A456, and without really pushing it.

On another amusing note, when I trailered the car back from a Cotswold run after the summer rally, the driver's side floorboard disappeared - probably somewhere along the M5! Luckily, the floorboard is exactly the same as that in the fabric saloon, so I swapped the floorboard between the cars, depending which I was driving! I brought the fabric saloon floorboard back to the USA and have made a copy to bring back with us at Christmas.

[Ian Grace]

I have had a chance to investigate the vertical drive issue. Yesterday I took the radiator off and then released the vertical drive coupling, planning then to remove the cam and withdraw the vertical drive upwards.

However, after removing the coupling, I found that the fork on the dynamo can be turned 10 to 20 degrees on the armature, so I suspect the key is damaged. Hopefully the keyway will be sound and I can fit a new one. If the keyway is damaged, it will be a bigger job, probably involving machining a second slot 180 degrees around from the original. I'll also check the slot in the fork and replace it with a new one (available from Sports & Vintage) if need be.

I also noticed that there is a small amount of play in the vertical drive fork - only a mm or so, so I will take it all out and check it over while the dynamo is out.

[Ian Grace]

So I found the problem, which the following photos should show clearly:





Clearly the dynamo armature and fork keyways are shot. Additionally, the armature is several thou undersize so will need metal spraying and grinding back to 0.500". Two new forks and also a new vertical drive pinion will be ordered from Sports & Vintage, and while I am at it, I'll be centring the whole vertical drive with the dynamo. I'll do this by replacing the two stepped head studs (front left and right rear) with un-stepped studs so I can move the hear around slightly to line things up using a 1.375" mandrel in the head with a pointer which I'll line up with the pip on the top of the armature while turning the engine over. I suspect that a misalignment was probably the cause of the trouble in the first place.

I'll also replace the dynamo top bearing with a new sealed unit.

An article on overhauling the dynamo armature will appear in our Summer Magazine, and one on centring the whole dynamo/vertical drive pinion will appear in the autumn issue.

[Ian Grace]

Nearly a year on, so time for an update. The dynamo was sent off to Paul Rogers Engineering near Huntingdon and should finally be ready for collection in a couple of weeks. So I'm spending some time sorting some other jobs on the car in anticipation of getting it back. When I restored the car back in the early 2000's I ran out of time to chrome the windscreen pillars before shipping the car to Dorset for the 2007 Summer Rally at Milton Abbey, so I'm taking the pillars to Castle Chroming in Dudley this week. When the screen had the original Triplex glass refitted in Grand Rapids, the glazing company did a poor job. When I bought the car back a few years ago, the rubber glazing strip was hanging out, so the main screen is off to the glaziers this week for sorting while the pillars are being chromed.

The fun job will be aligning the vertical drive with the top dynamo fork. I've borrowed a mandrel that fits in the vertical drive hole in the head and I'll be very interested to see what the alignment is when the dynamo is refitted. I suspect that misalignment was the cause of the keyway failure in the top of the dynamo.