Vintage Minor Register

I have two new stainless plates from Mike Dowley and two of his rubber gaskets, plus a set of new securing setscrews for the fabric saloon. I asked Mike what sealant to use and he recommended common or garden (or bathroom) silicone sealant.

But then I got to thinking about the originals which I suspect were fitted with no sealant at all, and they must have been pretty watertight or there would have been a watery mess on the floor of the despatch department at Cowley!

So who can share their experiences fitting these plates - any do's or don'ts?

The last time I fitted a pair was to the Semi-sports and I seem to recall that virtually every securing screw leaked because I used spring washers under their heads and water seeped out through the split in the washers!

I hope to do the job this weekend and also hope that all of the setscrews come out clean and none sheer off in the block, as I have also had in the past. I'll also be interested to see how much gunge there is in the block. I backflushed it pretty well when I replaced the hoses last summer, so hope not to find too much.

I seem to remember in the past being told not to use stainless set screws in iron as it reacts and cannot be undone. If any threads in the block are stripped some have in the past tapped them out M7 as I believe the pitch is about the same. Could Morris used rubber solution (puncture repair glue) on the water plate gaskets? Silicone sealant would seem to be a good solution.

Thanks for that Simon. The plates are stainless but the screws are plated steel. I have a BSF tap to clean up the threads once the old screws are out, and I have also used M7's in the past, using an M7 tap in the original holes. In fact I think I have a bag of them marked M7 somewhere in the workshop!

I may not get to work on the car this weekend as the forecast is awful (as I think it is in England) and I can only work on the car outside at the moment because the garage is crammed with projects! My goal is to at least get it running for Drive-it day next Sunday!

Interesting thought re sealant.

I have found that engineers use & recommend RTV (room temp. vulcanizing) for nearly all engine sealing jobs. It's pretty much the same as the DIY silicone. It comes in black, grey & probably other colours and each colour is intended for different applications. Bound to be lots of info on this on the web. I used Wurtz black when I rebuilt my engine last Summer.

Thanks Mike. Weather permitting, I plan to do this in time for this coming weekend and if suucessful, I plan to drive the car around the property (no brake shoes yet!), as my contribution to Drive-it Day on Sunday!